Join Our Community of Dog Lovers
Champion of My Heart is an award-winning dog blog. We've created many important resources that people from all over the world continue to access. Like this post? Get an email alert when new content goes live by subscribing. Plus, look for info on sales and bonus discounts from our affiliates.
Subscribe !
Loose Leash Boot Camp for Dogs
Over the holidays, I went back to walking Clover and Tori separately. Since cold temps and icy roads kept us home, we mostly worked on our own driveway — with some short stints up to the corner and back. I don’t ask for or expect them to walk at perfect heel, but I do want them NOT to pull so hard that it breaks my natural stride. We did make some progress during our homemade Loose Leash Boot Camp for Dogs.
Strength and Flexibility Therapy for an Agility Dog
In the last 9 months or so, we’ve seen a couple things in Clover’s body that we wanted to address right away. We’re doing physical therapy or canine rehabilitation (under the direction of our rehab / chiropractic veterinarian) to build Clover’s strength and flexibility to prevent injuries while she is playing agility. Check out the video of our current preventive therapy work. We’re calling it “pre-habilitation.” Continue reading
Newsworthy: Good Dog by Steve Dale
Longtime syndicated columnist and dog writer Steve Dale recently published a new eBook through Tribune Media Services — Good Dog. Since I don’t have a Kindle, I’ve not had the chance to read it. However, when I asked Dale about the history of dog training — going back to before I was born — he shared some interesting insights.
You see, I knew that the dominance / punishment style of dog training that I loathe really took hold back in the 1960s. What I did NOT know is that positive reinforcement practitioners were also on the scene back then.
Interesting: Wireless Pet Webcams from VueZone
I cannot call this a review because I have NOT tried the product myself. However, I did attend a webinar last month for this new VueZone wireless webcam that’s being marketed to pet families as a way to monitor pets when you’re away. That includes, I’d guess, trying to decipher dog behavior problems that crop up.
Dog Training Update: Lilly Goes to 29th Street Mall
My silly schedule in 2011 precluded Lilly going to dog training classes with our dog trainer in Boulder, Gigi Moss. Since I took last week “off” for Thanksgiving, we finally had time to attend a level-2, drop-in class. Alas, it was at a busy outdoor mall the day before Thanksgiving. Lilly had a little trouble. These photos tell the story of her comfort and her worry.
Does Your Dog Love Dog Training This Much?
Taking a week “off” is relative, of course, meaning mostly not owing drafts to clients. Other demands of life continue. HOWEVER, Lilly and I ventured to Boulder for dog training class with our dog trainer Gigi Moss … for the first time this year. I’ll tell you how it went tomorrow. Today? A video showing just how much Lilly loves her dog trainer.
Sh*t Happens – Agility Videos of MACH5 Chaos – Take 1 and Take 2
As promised, some agility humor for our dog training friends who already have earned or aspire to earn a Master Agility Champion title (MACH) with their dogs. Meet Chaos, a nationally ranked Labrador Retriever who TWICE had to earn her 20th and final double-Q to get her MACH #5. All this … at the age of 10.
Newsworthy! Good Dogs of America
So, the question is this: If your dog could earn merit badges for training accomplishments as simple as SIT or DOWN or being housetrained, would you take part?
That’s the idea behind Good Dogs of America. Your dog could indeed earn 19 different dog training merit badges … from a local dog trainer who offers the program as an add-on to their current dog training curriculum.
Humane Society of Boulder Valley Event: Q&A with Alexandra Horowitz
Many thanks to my friends at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley for inviting me to their Q&A with Alexandra Horowitz, author of Inside of a Dog. Exhausted and weary from real life, I chose NOT to take notes. So, here are just a few tidbits.
Book Review: You are NOT Your Brain
Stick with me, kids, while dipping into cognitive psychology, because the brain retraining touted in this book mirror and helped me better understand the dog relaxation protocol.
