Teeter-Totter Training Update – Dog Agility
It took a while to find a used dog agility teeter-totter to buy, but we finally did just before Clover's third birthday. It's going to take some time to fix Clover's teeter-totter worries that have…
Category Archives: How To
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…
Adapting the House for Dog With Mobility Issues
When Lilly's brain and spinal cord went kerplewy with inflammation, it greatly affected her ability to move her once-agile body. Her cognitive responses to things like verbal dog training cues are also impaired (for now),…
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…
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…
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.
Dog Training Update: Teaching Lilly to Look “Guilty”
Remember my rant about the viral "guilty dog" video? Well, I promised then to try and teach Lilly to look "guilty" without feeling bad about it, including a wiggly-wag, dropping her ears, squinting, and curling…
Kissing Booth Dog Video – The Making Of
Thanks to everyone who shared our Kissing Booth Dog Video last week. As promised, here is a behind-the-scenes look and answers to the most-asked questions.
Dog Training: Clickers and Herding
Since we have no herding news of our own, after a long lapse in lessons due to non-stop work and family demands, today Champion of of My Heart looks at how someone else uses some…
Book Review: The Bedtime Book for Dogs
The Bedtime Book for Dogs by Bruce Littlefield is dedicated to Littlefield's Good Dog Wes and all Good Dogs in our lives. Check out our video book review.
Dog Training: Dogs + Chickens
I met Lisa Marshall from Estes Park, Colorado, during my big trip to New York City last month. Funny that we had to go across the country to meet. Anyway, she faces a challenge of…
Dog Training Update: Wagging on Cue
So, I spent a little time, just a few minutes, working on HOW I might teach Lilly to wag her tail on cue. We'll have to keep working on it, but I plan to treat…
Blog-aversary #4 – Help Me Pick One Post
Today, April 13, 2011, marks the FOURTH anniversary of Champion of My Heart. Forget "dog years," I believe this makes us downright ancient in blog years. As part of our celebration, I'm writing to ask…
Dog Productivity Police
One of the ways I keep myself motivated in the face of unrelenting deadlines is to make a change -- any change -- in my work environment. I call this process "The Delicate Art of…
Dog Training Docket
The challenge of working 10-12 hours every day for weeks (possibly months) on end is that the pace leaves little room for much more than survival. That means, other than the usual daily dog training…
Evacuating and Sheltering Small Animals in A Disaster
Following the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the Indian Gulch wildfire in our canyon, where officials warned those with animals (especially large ones) to evacuate sooner, I received an invitation to attend volunteer training…
5 Ways a Fearful Dog Improves Your Life
I sometimes wonder if I'd ever deliberately adopt a truly fearful dog again. Truth? I didn't know what I was getting myself into with Lilly. Still, I cannot imagine missing out on all the amazing…
Retooling A Tug-a-Jug
Lilly first conquered the Tug-a-Jug years ago. After a cleanliness-related mishap, however, the rope became useless. So, I asked Janet Velenovsky, who works with Premier Pet Products on toy designs, what kind of rope I…
Treibball Basics
Last Sunday here in Colorado, the American Treibball Association held its Winter Games. Now that I've seen how it's taught and what the full game looks like, I'm happy to share insights.
Great Bait Bag Debate
A few months ago, I saw a discussion on Facebook between a few dog training folks that essentially blamed people who wear bait bags for ruining the reputation of positive reinforcement trainers. Personally, I disagree,…
DIY – Doggy Snack Mix
Being such purveyors of praise around here, we go through a LOT of dog treats ... very few of which are store bought. I came up with this particular "snack mix" when I needed something…
Introducing a New Dog into the Family
As Dog Geek reminded us recently, I am NOT Crazy. So, no ... there are no new dogs at Chez Champion of My Heart, but I wanted to tell you about a new piece I…
What Dog Fears Look Like
We like to use all kinds of euphemisms to describe our fearful dogs. Shy, reactive, aggressive are common words we use, but what exactly does fear look like when it isn't necessarily obvious that it's…
5 Mistakes People Make With Fearful Dogs
Let's continue our discussion about fearful dogs from a broader perspective. It'll be VERY clear next week why I'm revisiting some of these key points. I promise, but for now, let's talk mistakes.
Wouldn’t You Like to Be a “Woobie” Too?
Sing it with me, kids. I'm a woobie. He's a woobie. She's a woobie. Wouldn't you like to be a woobie too? (Look at me dating myself again, with an obscure 1970s Dr. Pepper reference.)