teaching your dog impulse control is an important life skill that can help keep them safe and curb unwanted behaviors like darting out of doorways or jumping on people. the longer and more frequently a dog is allowed to practice a behavior, the more time it can take for them to break the habit. i can’t tell you the number of times i’ve been on a dog walk and have seen a dog come barreling out of their house in …

does your dog jump all over you when you’re trying to put down the food bowl? emotional self-control, also known as impulse control, is something most dogs need to be taught. for example, a dog pulls on the leash because they simply can’t wait for you to keep up. if you teach your dog self-control, they will be more pleasant to live with. there are a few key elements to teaching your dog self-control. show your dog that by giving …

typically classes are 6 weeks long but due to the holiday season we are offering shortened 3 week “mini classes” before christmas and hanukah; these classes are $100 for the three weeks. in this class we will discuss typical puppy problems such as biting, chewing, and house training, and focus on socialization with other puppies as well as novel experiences. this class will build on some basic “impulse control” exercises such as leave it, stay, go to mat, wait at …

hand signals can be useful as they often can help a dog pay more attention to the training. the more a dog learns, the more he can learn. or the useful trick of going to a dog bed and remaining there while you eat, which solves begging from the table. your neighbors won’t avoid you and cross the street. this command can stop your dog from darting out the door. this is another impulse-control exercise that can make it a …

in addition to the health concerns, many experts say that lack of exercise is a leading cause of hyperactive and destructive behavior in dogs. my busy schedule doesn’t allow for the long walks recommended by professional dog behaviorists. i read about something called a flirt pole and thought it would be worth trying out. so i bought one of the fiberglass rod flirt poles that are made in china. the bad news is that it lasted one day. i was …