Blog
Cocoa Mulch – Toxic to Dogs
Published on Oct 28, 2008 | Category: Safety Warnings
Cocoa Mulch, which was sold by Home Depot, Foreman’s Garden Supply and other garden supply stores, contains a lethal ingredient called ‘Theobromine’. It is poisonois for dogs and cats. Cocoa Mulch smells like chocolate and it attracts dogs. They may ingest Cocoa Mulch and if they eat a lot of it, they can die quickly. -> Read the full article…
Training Your Dog for Distractions (or Prepping Your VP)
Published on Oct 20, 2008 | Category: Tips & Safety
We want our dogs to respond to us in any kind of situation. When training their dogs to behave in the face of big distractions, people tend to make a few key errors and throw their dogs in over their heads. A solid understanding of the principles of positive dog training might also help Sarah Palin -> Read the full article…
Motion 2008-0347, Prohibiting Dog Chaining in King County
Published on Oct 13, 2008 | Category: Uncategorized
Imagine being chained to a tree year after year. You watch the door, hoping someone will come out to play. No one ever does. You long to run, but you can only pace. You shiver in winter and pant in summer. Loose dogs come to beat you up, and you can’t run away. Children taunt -> Read the full article…
Beverly Hills Chihuahua Movie
Published on Oct 6, 2008 | Category: Uncategorized
Beverly Hills Chihuahua opened in movie theaters this weekend. Chihuahua lovers everywhere have flocked to see it. People in the dog business have mixed feelings when we see dog movies. The dog-lover part of our personality is glad to see an oh-so-cute dog movie. The part of us that cares about the dogs cringes, because -> Read the full article…
Oct 4 – Help the Seattle Humane Society
Published on Sep 10, 2008 | Category: Tips & Safety
Mark your calendar! The Humane Society for Seattle/King County is hosting a Walk for the Animals event on Saturday, Oct. 4, from 9:00 a.m. – Noon at University Village in Seattle. If you have a friendly dog that would enjoy this event, please support the animals. Click here for more info.
Pit Bull Breed Ban versus Dog Safety Legislation
Published on Sep 10, 2008 | Category: Puppies, Tips & Safety
Is there a middle ground between banning pit bulls in Seattle and ignoring the fact that attacks like the recent awful, terrible, scary mauling of a 71-year-old woman keep happening, by dogs reported to be pit bulls? I think so. It’s not enough to target pit bulls. We need to prevent aggression from all breeds. -> Read the full article…
KOMO 4 TV Interview – Service Dog Racism
Published on Jul 31, 2008 | Category: Our Dogs
My wife’s dog, Sagan, was featured in an interview of Ellen Taft, a woman who wants to ban pit bulls and many other breeds as service dogs. My wife’s dog has a big head and looks like a pit bull, though she’s actually a Boxer mix, possibly with Greyhound. Ellen Taft definitely has it out -> Read the full article…
How to Become a Dog Trainer in Seattle (and elsewhere)
Published on Jul 21, 2008 | Category: Uncategorized
I get contacted a lot by people who have fallen in love with dog training and want to learn how to become a professional dog trainer. I decided to write this blog post so that I can quickly give a helpful answer.
Q13 News & Seattle Metropolitan Magazine – “Best of the Best!”
Published on Jul 9, 2008 | Category: Our Dogs
Seattle Metropolitan Magazine has an annual Best of the City issue. As the founder of Ahimsa Dog Training, I was featured as the “Trailblazer” in Seattle Met. Fox chose three of the Trailblazers to feature on their morning show and interviewed me with my dogs at the training center in Seattle. (The dogs are Sagan -> Read the full article…
List of Banned Breeds: Will Your Dog Be Next?
Published on Jul 1, 2008 | Category: What's New?
A group called Families Against Breed Bans that works to block Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) in the Seattle area and elsewhere. There has been talk of creating a breed ban in Seattle for pit bulls or “fighting breeds” and I know that this is *not* the answer.
April 2008 Newsletter
Published on Apr 17, 2008 | Category: Tips & Safety
Hi folks! In May, I’m going to redesign several of the classes, including Puppy & the Basic and Better Manners classes. If you have taken any of those classes and are interested in helping us teach more effectively, I’d love your feedback. I need ideas on what you liked as well as what you didn’t. -> Read the full article…
It’s 2 a.m. Do you know where Fido is? Dog Theft on the Rise
Published on Apr 17, 2008 | Category: Tips & Safety
The AKC reported 30 dog thefts for January-March 2008, compared to 10 in the entire year for 2007. I don’t know the rest of the trend (maybe 2007 was a really low year?) but the AKC is worried and so am I.
What to Do When a Dog Refuses to Walk
Published on Apr 8, 2008 | Category: Tips & Safety
Is your dog a stubborn Donkey Dog? A lot of dogs pull forward on leash, but some dogs and many puppies pull *backward* or refuse to walk. This happens to French Bulldogs and English Bulldogs all the time! Pulling harder or luring with a treat only makes the problem worse, so what should you do -> Read the full article…
Is My Dog Fat? How to Tell Your Dog is Overweight
Published on Mar 6, 2008 | Category: Tips & Safety
From StopCanineObesity.com: “The numbers are startling. Recent studies show that while veterinarians estimate 47% of their canine clients are overweight, only 17% of dog owners believe their dogs fit that description.”
Kathy Sdao Dog Trainer Workshop in Seattle 2008
Published on Feb 21, 2008 | Category: What's New?
I’m very happy to announce that the details have finally been hammered out and Ahimsa is going to host a dog trainer workshop by Kathy Sdao in Seattle this summer. The I-Cue seminar is open to professional dog trainers and regular dog owners who have interest in taking their training a big step further. Click -> Read the full article…
Clicker Training – Reliability in Action
Published on Feb 20, 2008 | Category: Our Dogs, Tips & Safety
I just made a quick video of my dog, Peanut, at Magnuson Off Leash Park in Seattle. I have him do the same chain of ten behaviors twice in a row: wait, spin, jump, heel, left turn, right turn, wait, come, sit, and carwash. There are a few dogs that Peanut just met at the -> Read the full article…
Dog Fences: Invisible vs. Visible
Published on Feb 10, 2008 | Category: Tips & Safety
I’ve been asked by dog training clients several times about my opinion on the Invisible Fence. The short answer is that I really, really don’t like shock fencing; I think it’s inhumane. Watch the video below, which shows several humans wearing a shock collar, for an indication of what it might be like for a -> Read the full article…
West Seattle Dog Poisoning
Published on Feb 6, 2008 | Category: Safety Warnings
There have been news reports of dogs in West Seattle that may have been poisoned with rat poison on dog treats, bones, etc, strewn about Westcrest and Fauntleroy parks where dogs run off leash (though possibly, they shouldn’t anyway, as I think they aren’t off leash parks).
Puppy class and play time changes
Published on Jan 29, 2008 | Category: What's New?
The Saturday puppy classes are changing times somewhat. The good news is that we now have a play time for bigger dogs – under 30 pounds instead of just 20 and for tiny dogs under 15 pounds.
Chocolate, Raisins and Other Foods Toxic to Dogs
Published on Jan 17, 2008 | Category: Safety Warnings
Everybody knows that chocolate is bad for dogs, but do you know how much is too much? That 7 raisins could kill your dog? Or that onions are bad for dogs? Or that garlic is also toxic for dogs?
Dog Training for Busy People
Published on Jan 7, 2008 | Category: Tips & Safety
Have you ever taken a dog training class and then not done the homework? I have. I’ve also done months of PT and struggled to get through the homework. I just never had time, and the dog training ended up being at the end of the to-do list. The cure?
Sagan and the Blanket – Thinking Inside the Box
Published on Jan 1, 2008 | Category: Tips & Safety
Fixing dog behavior problems isn’t just about training the dog. Many times, a “management” solution, where you change the environment instead of changing the dog, is the best way to go.
Comfort Trainer head halter – fitting
Published on Dec 20, 2007 | Category: Tips & Safety
If you have tried a harness and that’s not enough to safely walk your dog, the Comfort Trainer head collar is a great way to reclaim your walk from your pulling dog. The collar portion of the Comfort Trainer head collar should fit fairly snugly, but not as tight as you might fit for the -> Read the full article…
Breeding Dogs for Temperament
Published on Dec 19, 2007 | Category: Puppies
Why do breeders continue to breed dogs that are not of sound temperament? The dogs meet the AKC beauty standards, but dogs can be dangerous, and living with an aggressive dog has a huge effect on our lives and the life of the dog. We should be breeding for calm, happy golden retrievers, labs, pit -> Read the full article…
Dog Whisperer Training Techniques Inhumane
Published on Dec 13, 2007 | Category: Uncategorized
It’s official. The “Dog Whisperer” TV show uses outdated, inhumane dog training methods. I’m so happy to have found out that it’s not just me, or the many, many dog trainers that I know – in Seattle and around the world – that think the Dog Whisperer show has done more harm than good. Everyone -> Read the full article…
Rules for Playing Tug with Your Dog
Published on Dec 10, 2007 | Category: Tips & Safety
Tug-of-war is good game for teaching the dog to switch between Crazy Dog mode and Thinking Dog mode (Limbic and Cerebral). Contrary to popular myths, tug does not cause aggression in dogs.
Dogs on the Bus in Seattle (King County)
Published on Nov 20, 2007 | Category: Puppies, Tips & Safety
Seattle is a very dog-friendly city. Dogs can even ride the bus in Seattle, you just may have to pay for it. If you have a puppy, the bus is a lovely way to socialize your dog will lots of different people. Bringing a dog on the bus changes the dynamic – even the “normal” -> Read the full article…
How to Teach Perfect, Fast Dog Behaviors
Published on Nov 13, 2007 | Category: Tips & Safety
The quick answer? Pay only for better than average behavior. The three aspects of fluency are precision, latency, and speed. The following training plans are designed to increase the fluency for three Rally Obedience exercises: slow pace heel, fast pace heel, and right turn while heeling.
Crate Training for Dogs Using Targeting
Published on Nov 13, 2007 | Category: Tips & Safety
I wrote a different article about Crate Training Puppies and Dogs last week. Take a look at it before you read this one, if you haven’t done so already. Many dogs can be crate trained faster by using targeting. With targeting, you first teach the dog to touch a target and then eventually put that -> Read the full article…
Private Dog Training
Published on Nov 13, 2007 | Category: What's New?
We’re excited to begin offering private behavior consultations with world-famous dog expert Kathy Sdao, MA, CAAB at Ahimsa. Sessions take place at our facility in Ballard. Topics include aggression, fear, separation anxiety, and most other dog behavior problems. For more information, visit the private training page.
