Caring for your dog when they encounter a medical emergency is not just an act of love—it’s an essential responsibility. Dogs rely on us to keep them safe and healthy, and knowing how to respond in emergencies can make all the difference. But are you truly prepared? Do you have the skills and supplies necessary […]
Author: twobadjacks
Ritual
Rituals are an essential part of a dog’s life. Just like humans thrive on routine and structure, dogs are highly attuned to patterns and consistency in their daily lives. These rituals provide them with a sense of security, reinforce their bond with their human companions, and support their physical and mental well-being. Dogs are creatures […]
Small Bites
There are a lot of different strategies and approaches to training dogs and people. But one fairly consistent concept across them all is to tackle any problem as series of smaller problems, rather than trying to solve or train the entire thing in one go. You don’t teach agility by running a course on day […]
What’s in a name?
How do you react when someone calls your name? Do you immediately glance to see who spoke? Does your response vary depending on the context, such as who, where, when, and under what circumstances?Have you ever considered your dog’s reaction to their name? Take a moment to reflect on how your dog responds when their […]
Perfection
I put out a good bit about my dogs, what all we do and their successes. I’ve realized I don’t share enough about our challenges and failures. Things don’t always go to plan and my dogs don’t always do what I expect or think they will do. We just completed a great road trip from […]
The Power of ‘No’ in a Yes World
We live in a ‘Yes’ world. Everyone wants everything to be a ‘Yes’ all the time and when it isn’t there is a meltdown. We want positive affirmations through social media and we’re only happy when everything goes perfectly and to plan. We aren’t supposed to say no. We aren’t supposed to punish transgression. Somehow […]
Flying
One of my most frequent requests is help with flying with a dog. Any dog, given the proper education and time, can be a happy flyer. An unhappy flyer can be remedied, with the proper time and effort. Whether you are flying your dog in cabin with you or down below, your dog will need […]
Training
I professionally teach people. I am a dog trainer/trainee with my dogs. Training is a funny topic. We have to start by asking a deceptively simple question – who is being trained? Ask the average sport dog owner and their focus will be on the training of the dog – regardless of whether they are […]
Teach Something Every Day
My dogs are not perfect. They do not come every time I ask them. My dogs sometimes bark annoyingly at every thing that walks past the front of our house. My dogs fence fight with the neighbor’s dog. My dogs bark at the neighbors when they start their truck. My dogs dig holes in the […]
Resilience and Patience
In life you come up against a lot of challenges that require you to be patient and resilient. It seldom feels like we have much choice. We don’t seem to have any option other than patiently waiting. To survive, we have to be resilient and flexible. Sometimes it is hard to remember to bring both […]