Most people find it surprising when I tell them that dog training is an unregulated industry. Anyone can make up a business card, website or social media account and say they are a professional dog trainer, and there is no one out there waiting to call them out for being dishonest, or possibly even dangerous. Think about it: your plumber is licensed, your massage therapist is licensed, even your baby-sitter probably has at least a course in CPR. Yet the dog training profess

The topic of equipment with respect to dog training has always been a very hot button issue. Decades ago, it was commonplace to put a choke chain (a metal chain collar that puts pressure on the dog’s throat when he/she pulls) around the dog’s neck and head out for a walk. Then we ramped it up to a prong collar (metal spikes that go into the dog’s neck when he/she pulls) and now we are seeing even more shock collars used out in the world to manage behavior from a distance. I k

In my work as a professional dog trainer I talk all the time about the concept of connection. I am constantly saying to my clients, “stay connected to your dog,” or “are you two connecting?” What exactly does this mean? In my travels around the town I call home, or traveling recently to Los Angeles and to Denver, I see so many people with dogs. There are dogs on airplanes, in the airport, in hotels, at the beach, at outdoor cafes, in strollers, in front carriers, in backpacks