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

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.

Kaito found a safe place to survey his environment while we worked at the dog park with his shelter team from Mississaug...
02/10/2024

Kaito found a safe place to survey his environment while we worked at the dog park with his shelter team from Mississauga Animal Services.

A dog who is already uncomfortable or antsy about brushing, nail trimming or other grooming necessities can get downrigh...
30/09/2024

A dog who is already uncomfortable or antsy about brushing, nail trimming or other grooming necessities can get downright testy about it after something painful happens like a snagged mat or clipped quick. Gaining back trust is usually slow, so starting right away, before nails become long again or coats need another brush-out, is important. Nice guy Max, who's on that path now, can tell you all about it.

There's a whole lotta floof and cuddle in a great big puppy like Winston, who's already a giant at only 18 weeks. But hi...
24/09/2024

There's a whole lotta floof and cuddle in a great big puppy like Winston, who's already a giant at only 18 weeks. But his size makes it even more important that he starts off life with good productive routines that teach him manners and self-control.

I got an extra treat when I learned on our first visit that his breeder is my longtime friend Naomi Kane of Lewenhart.

Fear is appropriate and necessary for most animals' survival. When we make an animal into a pet, whether by "taming" a w...
26/08/2024

Fear is appropriate and necessary for most animals' survival. When we make an animal into a pet, whether by "taming" a wild one or genetically engineering one through history from a wild ancestor, we kind of have to undo that nature so it can live in our world. For the most part we've done that genetically with dogs, but without vigilance in breeding and raising (or occasionally even in spite of it), sometimes too much fearfulness for easy adaptation seeps back to the surface.

This is Lovey, who is trying to adapt to apartment life in a population-dense neighbourhood with lots of noise. Helping her cope is going to require some patience and carefully planned exercises, so it's a good thing she got picked by a loving, understanding new dog mom.

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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.