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!...
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...
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...
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...
"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...
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...
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...
"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...
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...
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...