Happy Pups. Happy People. Happy Planet.
By Jimmy Maxwell KPA-CTP There are a lot of terms out there that separate different training styles and philosophies. One of the first things that separate the training world are punishment and reinforcement. And at face value, we think we know exactly what these things mean. We often associate reinforcement with rewarding good things, and […]
By Jimmy Maxwell KPA-CTP When I was first starting out in my professional dog training adventure, I was training service dogs through clicker training. It was very rewarding, but also very difficult. The number of behaviors that a dog has to have down pat, and in the short span of about six months, is a […]
by Katie Spruill KPA-CTP When I adopt a new puppy, I teach them very few tricks that most dogs have in their repertoire. In the earlier months of a dog’s life, time is best spent socializing them to new people, places, other dogs, and experiences. This will help them become confident adults, but also help […]
by Jimmy Maxwell KPA-CTP Let me start by throwing an honesty-bomb. This blog is going to come across a little strange. I am a trainer, who uses knowledge and experience to make a living. So, it would seem likely that in a blog about choosing the right dog trainer, I’m may talk about why I […]
By Katie Spruill KPA-CTP If you are like me, finding a new furry family member is one thing that gets me very excited. When I picked out Havoc, the most recent addition to my family, my head was in the clouds. I was thinking about puppy breath, names, and the ideal qualities of my new […]
By Katie Spruill KPA-CTP From seven weeks to four months of age puppies go through what is called a critical or socialization period. Like children, puppies are sponges, taking in everything that they can, so they can determine what is safe and what isn’t. If you’re a puppy parent, the most important thing you can […]
By Jimmy Maxwell KPA-CTP I used to train service dogs and one of my favorite things about that work was taking the dogs to public places where normal pets can’t go. Being able to spend the day training a service dog to exist in our world, though challenging, was very rewarding. Outside of getting the […]
by Katie Spruill KPA-CTP 1. Dogs wag their tail when they are happy. Although it is common for dogs to wag their tail when they are happy, don’t be fooled, wagging can mean many things. Sometimes tail wags can be signs of stress, fear, or anxiety. So how do you know when it is a […]
by Jimmy Maxwell KPA-CTP When I was a kid I really loved school, well, until about the 5th Grade, when I learned that the letter D was used for more than just spelling words. I learned that sometimes adults used that letter to show you that you were a short jump from being a huge […]
by Kathryn Spruill KPA-CTP As a dog trainer that specializes in puppy care, I often get asked what the most important thing is to teach a puppy. While I love these questions, I often find that people are a bit disappointed by my answer. Most people want to teach their puppy new tricks like sit, […]