Brenda Belmonte, CPDT-KA 29 June, 2021 What is a “Transplant Dog” you ask? I use the term to describe the thousands of dogs that were living life in a rural community and are “transplanted” via rescue or shelter transports into suburban or urban areas. This trend to rescue dogs from one area of the…
I don’t go for walks with my dogs. When I go for a walk it is so I can get a health benefit as I, like so many others, are trying to get rid of unwanted pounds. My dogs, however, don’t need to lose weight and are not interested in walking in straight lines at…
A high school student in India and a robotics company in Japan are both testing robotic servers for both home and restaurant use. We have cars that can drive themselves, vacuums that are self-guided, and autonomous lawn mowers for cutting grass. As we come to grips with a more technological society, and often become reliant…
My name is Brenda. I typically answer to that name. My name is also Mom and sometimes, Honey. I often answer to these although my husband and children may say I have “selective hearing” at times. My daughter often jokes that if she can’t get my attention by saying “mom” a loud “BRENDA” always does…
Reflecting on something I saw at the dog show this weekend. Keep in mind I’ve previously trained and shown a dog through utility, trained the “old school way” using choke collars, forced retrieves, and plenty of collar corrections. I now train using positive reinforcement and my dogs perform more consistently and ENJOY working. When you know…
Okay, I’m going to get on my soapbox! Parades and fireworks displays are NO PLACE for a dog! Please! I am pleading here. Leave your dog at home! Here are five reasons to leave your dog at home when you attend the festivities. 1) Dogs don’t like crowds – Parades are packed with people. To a dog, the large numbers…
As we look forward to 2019 let’s make one resolution together. To improve the relationship between our dogs and ourselves. Let’s face it, life moves fast. We are all busy and finding “extra” time to make changes seems difficult. I encourage my students to make small changes, which turn into BIG results. Here are four…
We all live in a world that we’d love to change. Dog training is often about “changing” a dog in the opinion of the owners. It is important to look at our dogs and understand the nature of dog behavior before trying to “change” it. I wish all dogs had a fairy “dogmother” who could make…
“Eat your vegetables and you can have dessert.” Remember hearing this as a kid? I may have hated green beans as a child but if I knew there was ice cream afterwards I could suddenly stomach those slimy green things. The reward (ice cream) was there only if I performed a task (eating green beans)…
During my 30 years as a dog trainer I have yet to meet an owner who refuses to feed their dog. Many owners feed their dog religiously twice daily. Yet many of these owners are reluctant or unwilling to use food rewards as part of their dog’s training. The concept of not providing their dog’s meal…
