Best Friends Training for Pet Dogs

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Best Friends Training for Pet Dogs Private dog training instruction in your home - pet dogs only including puppy training, behaviour pr

Binky's person is not Jon Snow, and I hope she won't grow to be as big as Ghost. She is forming a nice bond with her new...
14/03/2025

Binky's person is not Jon Snow, and I hope she won't grow to be as big as Ghost. She is forming a nice bond with her new human akin to the Stark-direwolf connection, though. Now she needs to learn how to be apart for short periods so Dad can go to work and the gym. Baby steps will be a big part of the solution.

I've compared going for walks with playing Mario Kart, from the dog's perspective. All the senses are being overloaded, ...
12/03/2025

I've compared going for walks with playing Mario Kart, from the dog's perspective. All the senses are being overloaded, and the dog is trying to filter down to just what's important. It's hard for the human to get to the top of that priority chart, so practising walking indoors or just back and forth in front of the house makes for a better learning environment before setting out around the neighbourhood. Charlie has the added distraction of getting his lip unstuck from his tooth.

Sweetie-pie puppy Kai is getting a great start because his new person, a first-time dog owner, started with training as ...
10/03/2025

Sweetie-pie puppy Kai is getting a great start because his new person, a first-time dog owner, started with training as soon as he came home, and I got to meet him within days of his moving in. Spread the word - training isn't just for fixing problems after they develop; the best approach is to start off right and avoid the problems in the first place!

Too many puppies only have their mouths handled when they're about to be robbed of their found treasure. Jaxxon says her...
10/02/2025

Too many puppies only have their mouths handled when they're about to be robbed of their found treasure. Jaxxon says here's some advice for new puppy owners: teach them young to love having your hands in and around their mouths by touching and opening their mouths at times when you DON'T have to take something away, and make it good news instead.

So far Chance is having a hard time at the shelter finding a new forever home, because he has a really hard time staying...
07/02/2025

So far Chance is having a hard time at the shelter finding a new forever home, because he has a really hard time staying cool when he meets new people. But we're working on it. At our first meeting he couldn't have posed for this picture without putting on his scary face, but here he is relaxing at our second session.

Spooky dogs - those who are easily startled or frightened by everyday events and have difficulty recovering from their a...
05/02/2025

Spooky dogs - those who are easily startled or frightened by everyday events and have difficulty recovering from their alarm - need a multi-faceted approach to helping them live better. Their sense of security can be improved with confidence in their jobs, but they also need desensitizing to something that's hard to control - surprises and novelty. I took this pic of Charlie at our first appointment, after she had time to get over the surprise of finding me in her house, and could show me how sweet she really is.

Bailey is such a good little learner, sometimes the task is helping her temper her enthusiasm for giving you the right a...
21/01/2025

Bailey is such a good little learner, sometimes the task is helping her temper her enthusiasm for giving you the right answer, before she gives you what you asked for plus everything else in her repertoire. Here she's showing me how Down she is. Like really Down. Hard. So Down. Look! Down!

A story with a happy ending for Millie, whom I've been working with at the Mississauga Animal Shelter. She was adopted l...
20/01/2025

A story with a happy ending for Millie, whom I've been working with at the Mississauga Animal Shelter. She was adopted last week by a lovely, experienced family, and I get to help them at home with her ability to tolerate surprise visitors, and whatever training needs they discover once she settles in.

I've been working with Deja at the Mississauga Animal Shelter. A German Shepherd, perhaps more than some breeds, needs a...
09/01/2025

I've been working with Deja at the Mississauga Animal Shelter. A German Shepherd, perhaps more than some breeds, needs a job and a hobby and then something to do, as well as a solid napping life. All of that is hard to give him in a shelter, so we're working on how to help him quiet his mind and relax.

I don't get to play with a Catahoula Leopard Dog very often, and of course it brings back memories of my own girl, Freck...
07/01/2025

I don't get to play with a Catahoula Leopard Dog very often, and of course it brings back memories of my own girl, Freckles when I do. This is Ozzy, a loving boy who just needs to practice some restraint in showing his affection, both to his family and to any potential new friends on the street.

Little Peanut is a nosy girl who gets into everything she can find. She wants to know what's on every coffee and end tab...
15/12/2024

Little Peanut is a nosy girl who gets into everything she can find. She wants to know what's on every coffee and end table, in every bag and behind every obstacle. It's important for safety management and for training that we puppy-proof a home and manage a dog's access to her environment while she's developing good habits of occupying herself while not being entertained by people.

It concerns me that I'm getting a rising number of cases of what's often called "global fear," where a young dog is afra...
12/12/2024

It concerns me that I'm getting a rising number of cases of what's often called "global fear," where a young dog is afraid of, well, everything. Sweet Madden here isn't as affected as some, and you can see he's cautiously interested in me, but he does struggle to cope with everyday events and sounds, and with leaving the security of his home, even for a potty run.

I'm generally resistant to Christmas decor before December first, but Paisley is so proud of her jingle-bell collar, I h...
12/11/2024

I'm generally resistant to Christmas decor before December first, but Paisley is so proud of her jingle-bell collar, I had to share. Apparently she asks first thing each morning to put it on, and struts around proudly as soon as she's wearing it!

(in case you wonder, like I did: the bells are very quiet and only jingle softly when she does a big shake, so they aren't constantly accosting her sensitive hearing)

10/11/2024

As promised, a video of Dexter’s progress coping with the sight of other dogs on his walk. He’s doing great!

Separation Anxiety is a term that gets thrown around pretty loosely. I hear from people using the phrase for a range of ...
08/11/2024

Separation Anxiety is a term that gets thrown around pretty loosely. I hear from people using the phrase for a range of behaviour from a dog who is just happy to see them come home to one who follows them from room to room, barks a minute when left behind, or complains briefly about crate time. Dogs are supposed to prefer to be with us. But Separation Anxiety is akin to a panic disorder, where the dog can't cope with being alone or apart from someone, and suffers real distress. Joey here needs help managing alone time, and success will come from carefully managing his experiences alone to change his feelings.

Lovey has made lots of progress. Suffering from global fear, you might remember she wouldn't leave her crate when I firs...
06/11/2024

Lovey has made lots of progress. Suffering from global fear, you might remember she wouldn't leave her crate when I first visited. She's able to explore outside a bit now, and cuddled up to me to accept petting. Thought you'd like to see her looking braver.

11/10/2024

I got great news today! Old man Kaito, whom I've been working with at Mississauga Animal Services mostly for reactivity around other dogs, found his forever home where he can be pampered by a nice retired man with time to give him. Here's a bit of our last session together, where Kaito showed us how much calmer he can be around other dogs.

Kaito has a positive social interaction at https://youtu.be/cyEUKPbczWI

Kali has been learning to lie patiently on her bed in the foyer while her people answer the door, instead of rushing the...
04/10/2024

Kali has been learning to lie patiently on her bed in the foyer while her people answer the door, instead of rushing the door and barking and jumping on the visitors. The secret - it should be a fun game she loves to play, not a burden she has to struggle to bear.

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As promised, a video of Dexter’s progress coping with the sight of other dogs on his walk. He’s doing great!

When we started working together four sessions ago in late September, Orville was very reactive to the sight of dogs on his walk, even at a distance. With practice doing my low-arousal walk exercises, he's learned to choose to relax and "stand down" instead. In the beginning of this video, he's aware of the approaching dog but choosing a calming ground-sniff. When they get pretty close, watch Orville choose again to disengage and calm himself by exploring the ground.

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About Andrew

Andrew Perkins has been working professionally with dogs since 1991. A founding member of the Canadian Association of Professional Pet Dog Trainers, he served on its board of directors and as the publishing editor of FORUM, the association's national newsletter, for 11 years, and now serves as "director at large."

Best Friends Obedience offers private instruction in your home for basic training as well as behaviour problems such as house-soiling, puppy biting, resource guarding, stealing, early-stage aggression, inter-family relationship and other issues. Problem-solving is dealt with in a dog-friendly, motivational manner intended to enhance the owner-dog relationship.