Bringing a new puppy home is an amazing experience that will change your life, but some breeders may try and encourage you to take a littermate also. Some people would be able to handle such a commitment of two puppies, but littermates can come with a whole set of challenges you may not be expecting….
Over the years, Halloween has been a fun tradition highlighted with candies, trick-or-treats, themed parties and fun costumes. Indeed, Halloween is a fun time not only for kids and adults alike – but also for pets. But before you get carried away with fun and excitement, here are important things that dog owners should…
Let’s face it: as a pet parent you are going to have to deal with more than a few messes in your time. When it comes to diarrhea nobody wants it smeared over their carpet or even in their kennel. It’s one mess that we would all rather live without! Fortunately for those of…
Nowadays it has become more important than ever to adopt a pet instead of buying it. Thousands of helpless animals are put to death every year because they are ownerless. If you have your heart set on a puppy of your own there is no reason not to call around shelters and find some puppies…
Throughout history, up until now; people have often suggested that powerful relationships are established through play. By analogy, studies have shown that a competitive games can affect dog-human relationships, in a positive way. There was a Rooney and Bradshaw study done on this idea/fact in 2002, let’s look at the study in deeper details:…
In the 1950’s, a man named B.F Skinner described a powerful cognitive quirk, called A Variable Schedule Rewards. Skinner’s experiment/study observed that lab mice reacted most voraciously to random, variable rewards; when the mice would press the lever, sometimes they’d get a small treat, other times they’d get a large treat and then at…
The Problem With ‘Fad’ Training Nobody likes to hear that they are, in any way, failing those we care about. Whether it is children, pets or ourselves, the thought that we are teaching self-destructive habits to anybody is truly heart breaking. It’s no wonder, then, that as soon as some new article comes out about…
We do dog aggression training regularly in Northern Virginia (our Headquarters), we often times get asked, “What is the most aggressive breed?” The answer may surprise you! There are so many dogs that get put to sleep on a regular basis as a result of their aggressive behavior. This is because there are a lot…
We deal with dog aggression regularly in Northern Virginia. Your dog may have been such a sweet little puppy. They were behaved and well-mannered. That was until they were not. One very common question for animal behaviorists is why their dog suddenly starts showing aggression. This problem is especially common between the ages of 1…
This is one of the many dog training issues we deal with in Northern Virginia. You may notice your dog humping something or everything and wonder why your dog does it. Part of you wants to laugh and post the video but other times this can be an incredibly embarrassing situation. Whatever the reason…
Anyone who has ever watched my Facebook Live videos know that I LOVE Pit bulls and I’m a huge advocate for them, so, I was very excited to see this! If a survey was given to answer the question of whether or not a Pit bull might make a good police dog,…
We deal with food aggression training in Northern Virginia (our HQ) on a pretty regular basis. There are many different behaviors that our dogs do that maybe you do not really know how to interpret. They are communicating in their own way and as a responsible dog owner, it is your responsibility to figure…
Bringing your Christmas Puppy Home So, you’ve finally chosen the perfect dog for you and your family, and it’s time to bring them home to experience the good life. Before deciding this, realize, that you are giving someone a life to take care of daily, for the next 12-15 years. You are giving them a…
At our board and train facility in Northern Virginia, we always get a lot of questions around Thanksgiving. You may not naturally consider your family pet to be a major part of Thanksgiving as a holiday, but your dog can be a source of stress or setbacks if you don’t know how to take care…
There has been a debate as to whether or not you should spay or neuter your dog. Many different groups have a variety of different feelings on this heavily debated topic, each for their own reasons. This can be a very personal decision and one of the most important ones that you can make as…
If you are a dog owner, chances are that you have noticed your dog munching on grass a number of times. This is generally nothing to be concerned over. Our dogs’ wild ancestors were scavengers; they would get vegetation if they couldn’t find any meat. Owners often forget that our dogs are omnivores, and they…
We all have heard the saying that a dog’s mouth is cleaner than a human’s mouth. While it’s a common saying, it is simply untrue. There are a few reasons that this myth has floated around for so long. At one time, studies were showing that human bites became infected at a faster rate than…
There are a lot of unique behaviors that dogs have that can be difficult for us humans to understand. They do things that you may find disgusting, which are actually completely normal to them. Dogs have no actual language that people can tell so they do heavily rely on their body language to help them…
Roger Caras, the famous photographer and writer once said that “Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole,” and nothing can be truer than that. They share our lives and have become such an integral part that life without them seems colorless. Dogs smell you even when you’re yards away…
After training a few dogs and scanning them, scientists end result was that dogs too are people! It is just that because dogs can’t talk, scientists have depended on their behavioral interpretationsand come to a conclusion as to what dogs are thinking. It is indeed a tricky job. You can’t question a dog as to…
At our dog training classes in Northern Virginia, we get asked this question all of the time! Once you’ve made the decision to get a family pet, a dog, there is still one choice remaining. Are you willing to put up with the necessary training in order to break in a brand new puppy or…
At our dog training business in Northern Virginia, we always get asked about dogs’ emotions. Dog owners everywhere have been asking this question for years when looking at their furry friend: “What is he thinking about?” Recently, two studies have shown that a concrete answer to that question may be possible. A study conducted by…
Traveling is already a stressful endeavor. Traveling with a dog becomes even more stressful. If you aren’t well prepared, traveling with a dog can become dangerous. Designating and securing a spot for the dog in the back of the car is a must. Leaving a dog loose is a first worst mistake when traveling with…
How often have we been placed in an ambiguous situation where we don’t know how to react. We take a cue from other people’s responses (in the hope that they are more experienced) and behave just as they do. This is called ‘social referencing’ and is very apparent in young children who are faced with…
Wolves have been associated with human beings for a very long time and studies show that man first used wolves for food. Their bones were found alongside humans as far back as 400,000 years ago. Not all of them were wild, some were timid and knowing that food would be near human camps, started moving…
We’ve all heard of marker/treat training, clicker /treat training, or dogs doing detection; however, most people do not know that this is standard classical conditioning which was found by a man named Ivan Pavlov. When you think of, you automatically tend to associate him with the theory of Classic Conditioning. Born in Russia in…
We do service dog and therapy dog training in Northern Virginia, so we always get ask about these certifications. Many people do not know the history of the service dog. Dogs have a rich history of interaction with humans. They also are known to have a sort of sixth sense when it comes to things…
We do diabetic alert dog training in Northern Virginia. Diabetic Alert Dogs are lifesavers for type 1 diabetes patients, specifically when they are hypoglycemic unaware, meaning that they don’t experience the usual symptoms associated with low blood sugar (shakiness, sweating, etc.). Research has shown that dogs can detect low blood sugar using the…
Since we are the best electronic (shock) collar trainers in Northern Virginia, we often get asked about the affects of electronic collar training. It is not actually a “shock” at all (as some people call it), it is actually a very low level stimulation, much like stim pads that physical therapists use. Due to the…
We always get ask if we do shock collar dog training at our location in Northern Virginia. We do not like the term “shock collar” and in fact, it’s incorrect. The collars do not “shock” they provide a very low level contraction of the muscle, just like stim pads that physical therapists use. Many people…
While we do a lot of therapy dog training at our facility in Northern Virginia, many do not know the history of the therapy dog. Dogs have always been man’s best friend. While they may have started out as assistants for early man’s hunting expeditions, they have evolved into being spiritual companions on the journey…
At our dog training lessons in Virginia, we offer certified Therapy Dog Courses for dogs of all sizes, ages, and breeds! Of course we love our cats, hamsters, rabbits, chinchillas, goats, chickens, and any other pets we have. But only one pet has been ever deemed consistently as “man’s best friend” and that is our…
If you live in Northern Virginia, own a German Shepherd and would like to get it trained, there are various competent options available to you in the State. Training Issues The common issues faced by German Shepherd owners are jumping, pulling on the leash, hyper-activity and mouthing, there is a possibility of private classes in…
Celebrity dog trainer in Northern Virginia, Nicholas White, who is the owner of globally recognized dog training business, Off Leash K9 Training, set his second world record for the most off leash commands performed in just 5 days of training; during his private 5-day training program in Baton Rouge, LA with Belgian Malinois Molly…
Northern Virginia based Celebrity dog trainer, Nicholas White, who is the owner of globally recognized dog training business, Off Leash K9 Training, set a new world record for the longest documented extended down with voice command only; this record was set after only 5 days of working with Belgian Malinois Molly and her owner Paul Burns…
On a daily basis, we install underground dog fences all throughout Northern Virginia. We are an official Dog Guard® Installer and Distributor, all of our installs and equipment are backed by a lifetime warranty, as well! An underground fence is an electronic system to stop pets from departing a yard. A buried wire is energized with coded signals and an…
On a daily basis we hear stories about dogs who hate having their feet touched or their nails cut, this is generally due to the owners or breeders not doing “body desensitization” with their pups at a young age. If you have a new pup, it’s highly important for you to do body desensitization drills…
At our Northern Virginia dog behavior training facility, we deal with dogs who are aggressive towards people on a regular basis. One thing that everyone asks is, “Can you fix my people aggressive dog?” That’s a very tricky question to answer until we really start working with your dog. First, you must understand WHY your…
We have the highest rated board and train program for your dog in Northern Virginia. In fact, Northern Virginia Magazine named us “Best Dog Trainers of 2014, 2015, and 2016! We have people come from all throughout the US for our board and training program! As you will see, our client list includes: Actor Ryan…
At our dog training in Northern Virginia, we always get asked about Service Dog Training or Therapy Dog Training. Many do not realize the difference between these two types of training. Canines might be prepared to perform numerous activities to help handlers or other individuals to handle a few troubles. There are no less than…
