by Laura Sylvester

Ever wonder how service dogs get their names?  At Good Dog! Autism Companions the child and family always get to decide their pup's forever name. This is how child and dog take one of their first steps in bonding.

Have you ever wondered why your dog chooses to chew on your personal belongings or furniture rather than the million toys you have for them? Or why he chooses your child's toys over his own? I have three suggestions to help change this:

UPDATE: Dogs under 4 months should not be given the Nylabone Dinosaur or any other Nylabones with little nubs

Dogs love to chew! In fact, it is healthy for them to keep their jaws exercised! The problem is finding that perfect chew for them that is both satisfying and safe for your dog to chew!

If you have a dog and go for regular walks, I'm almost positive you've run into either a stray dog or an off leash pet dog at least once! Running into unknown off leash dogs can be both scary and dangerous for your dog and yourself. And let's just face it, dogs attract other dogs. I always suggest that you be prepared every time you take your pup out for a walk, because you never know what off leash dog situation you may encounter. It could be sweet little fluffy from across the street, or it could be a pack of angry stray dogs. I've had the unfortunate chance of running into the large pack of angry stray dogs, but the actions I took quite possibly saved myself and my dog from a potentially dangerous situation. I'll tell you what happened:

by Samantha Quackenbush, Good Dog! Lead Trainer

People often ask me what my favorite dog training book is. I always respond with The Power of Positive Dog Training, by Pat Miller. Pat Miller's training philosophy is very similar to my own, so I know when I recommend her book you will be learning lots of high quality information on how to train your dog utilizing positive reward based methods. This is a great book for beginners as it starts you out from when you get your dog as a pup. Though, if you have an adult dog I still recommend teaching him everything in this book, as old dogs certainly can learn new tricks!

To go along with your new training methods you will need a heavy supply of various levels of training treats, ranging from low level like Cheerios or just plain kibble to a mid level like soft treats or jerky and high level like natural hot dogs or any leftover meat you may have in your fridge. I really like the Natural Balance food rolls. They look slightly like a summer sausage and you can cut them into any size you need. This treat is great for picky eaters as I have yet to see a dog refuse it! For some dogs it can even qualify as higher value than meat!

I hope you enjoy Training Tip Tuesdays! - Sam