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Mary and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Neighbor AKA, why I Don’t Use Fear in My Training
I’m going to start this blog post with a story; it’s going to seem like a longwinded, irrelevant story, but I promise I have a point!...
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We Need to Talk About the F Word
Alright folks. It's intervention time. We need to talk about your use of the "F" word. You've been using it all over the place, and I...
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My name is Mary Thompson, I'm a positive dog trainer, and I said "no" today
I did it. It happened today. I was cooking something in the kitchen, and Phoebe threw herself at the door. She had just been out. I KNEW...
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My Walking Rules for YOU
"How do I make my dog stay next to me?" "Should I allow my dog to walk ahead of me? Or will he think he's in charge?" "How do I make my...
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"Walking with a Reactive Dog: Will it ever get easier?!"
It's no great secret that living with a reactive dog can be a lot of work. You might be constantly managing their environment, making...
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30 Years Means Nothing
"Has been working with dogs for over 30 years" "Spent several decades working with dogs in the rescue world" "Has been training since...
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Small dogs deserve to feel safe
Today's blog topic is one I feel very strongly about. AHEM *steps ceremoniously onto soap box*. Little dogs have got a bad rap, and I...
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"What do we do if we don't have treats?"
Today's topic is one that I talk about A LOT, and it's one major bump that people tend to run into when transferring their training to...
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Using Retrospective Thinking While Training
Confession time: I did not train Regis to walk on a loose lead for the first four years of his life. At all. Nada. He’s always been on a...
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Why cookie cutter advice doesn't always work; AKA sometimes google isn't the answer!
I am a HUGE fan of the internet. Even though it can sometimes be a cesspool of misinformation and bad attitudes (hellooooooo social...