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North Star Canines / Take a Bow Wow

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Danbury, CT
North Star Canines / Take a Bow Wow

Dog training - Fairfield, Westchester, Putnam & Dutchess counties. Zoom consults anywhere in US.
(28)

Expert dog training and behavior services offered in NY/CT, including Fairfield, and areas of Putnam, Westchester, and Dutchess counties

DVDs for sale:
Fido Refined: Teaching impulse control to your excitable dog! The Shape of Bow Wow (how to shape behaviors via successive approximation)
The How of Bow Wow (obedience training, from foundation through fluency)

www.takeabowwow.com

08/28/2024

🤣

08/28/2024

This beauty is Junior, a Bernese Mountain dog/Golden Retriever cross. Her folks have been doing such an awesome job with her training!

(Pic thanks to Jamie O., Redding, CT)

08/27/2024

Meet Sir Charles Wellington, who is just about the cutest corgi you'll ever see! He and his dad are wonderful training students. :-)

08/25/2024

Here’s another sexy sleeping pose by Rokkett the whippet! 😆

(Pic thanks to Connie S., Madison Hts, VA)

08/21/2024

For anyone who would like to geek out on the topic of play, this interview with Dr. Sergio Pellis is super-interesting!

The Phenomenon of Play with Dr. Sergio Pellis00:00 Introduction and Background01:52 The Research on Play Behavior06:55 Isolation and Motivation in Play11:16 ...

08/21/2024

Hulloooo, my name is Palmer, and I will mesmerize you with my eyes until you deliver some chikkon!

Palmer is a stunner and he belongs to one of my clients. It's been so much fun working with them!

08/21/2024

This is my friend's dog, Rokkett, a whippet who knows how to sleep dramatically!

[pic thanks to Connie S., Madison Heights, VA]

08/20/2024

I met with a client today who is having some issues putting a harness on his dog, so I made this video to demonstrate one easy way to put a figure-8 style harness on a dog.

For dogs who are sensitive to paw handling, work will have to be done on this first, pairing paw handling with treats, before progressing to the harness-donning.

08/19/2024

Now this is my kind of dog trick!

08/16/2024

I do so love working with young puppies!!

08/16/2024

Look at these two cuties!!! Gus is the dapper goldendoodle in the foreground and his new sister, Zuzu, is a mini schnauzer.

Can't wait to meet these two next week!

[Pic thanks to Sarah M., Brookfield, CT]

08/15/2024

Sweet Macey turns her nose up to her food when it’s in a bowl, but she enjoys working for the very same food in a puzzle toy. 😊

08/02/2024

This precious French nugget is a new client and her name is Daisy! So stinkin’ cute!! 💜

08/02/2024

If your puppy is stuffing things into their mouth faster than you can get them out, this article is for you!

There are so many good reasons for teaching a puppy to let go of something they have in their mouth. Not only does it make fetch and tug games go more smoothly, it's also an important safety skill, especially when a pup picks up something that can be harmful to them. I have the pleasure of working w...

07/26/2024

Allie’s expression speaks volumes! Though Macey is trying soooo hard to befriend the wee chi, Allie’s head turn and “side eye” telegraph her feelings.

07/23/2024

The only real estate that Allie, aka Baby Beluga, finds acceptable for lounging is my lap. I love this teeny, 4-lb package. 💜

07/23/2024

The open crate with plush bed is prime real estate for pups as I work in my office. Macey, the visiting cavalier, kindly shares her space with Bond.

07/23/2024

This article talks about creating safe play opportunities between young pups and social adult dogs ~

If you're thinking of adding a new pup to your home when you already have an adult dog, or if you're currently dealing with this dynamic, I'd like to share some advice to make this a safe and positive experience.Let's begin with size difference, where pup is considerably smaller than adult. If the a...

07/19/2024

Thought this article was worth a re-share. Please note the segment about rewarding your dog for freely offering attention to you, rather than you having to prompt them to get their attention. That willingness and desire to check in with you is going to serve you very well in training.

Today's article is about the importance of getting a dog's attention before any other training takes place. Sounds like an obvious detail, right? If we don't have the dog's attention, we can't teach them something new. The dog also can't respond to 'known' cues when their attention is focused elsewh...

07/18/2024

Last week, Sage's mom reported that Sage was playing 'hard to get' with her when inside. The root of the problem likely has to do with her associating being 'caught' with being put into her crate, so she cleverly learned to to avoid capture.
On that same day, prior to hearing this back story, I noticed her dodging me, too, after first coming close to me outside, and this was a new behavior around me.
Teaching GOTCHA is a wonderful antidote and an important safety measure. By combining collar grabs with treats, and repeating this exercise lots of times in many different contexts, we soon have a dog who eagerly accepts collar grabs rather than scooting out of reach.

07/17/2024

Sometimes, irresistible training moments present themselves during the course of the day. Because Bond has shown some resource-guarding tendencies in the past, I like to practice his DROP skill regularly.
Today, he was enjoying licking out an almond butter container so I worked on a couple of DROP reps. Each time, he earned a piece of hotdog for letting go, and then I returned the container right back to him. When we're able to regularly return the item to the dog, it shows them there's no real competition going on for the prize. Instead, it's just a fun couple of seconds of training, and then they can go right back to enjoying the prize.
When we must take away an item for good, a string of several treats and/or providing them with something dog-approved that's fun or yummy can ease the blow of having to take away that prize.

07/17/2024

Today, I was working outside on recalls with a darling little cavapoo named Sage. It's a hot day, so I made sure we spent plenty of time in the shade, she had icy cold water within easy reach, and I was using hotdog treats as extra motivation.

While her coming to me in this video is straightforward (not far away, no big distractions), I want to point out that a tired or resting dog may find a recall quite challenging in the moment because their preference would be to rest. Thankfully, I know Sage is super-excited by treats so I felt confident she'd be eager to respond.

07/12/2024

This is priceless!

07/07/2024

My favorite bubbleheads are visiting this week.
Bailey has the most expressive face!! Seriously cracks me up. 🤣

07/04/2024

WildeBean approved: sparkler alliums!!

Wishing these would dominate our holiday.

Take care of your pets and be sure they’re wearing their ID tags if flight risk is even a remote possibility.

06/27/2024

I posted this article a while back and thought it was worth a re-post -- for ideas on building a positive working relationship with your dog.

https://www.northstarcanines.com/post/becoming-a-relevant-working-partner?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1oN9KxpKOQA8htCRxvkb-oOwrh6k0LQ9_Kg9T-IMCnRupJJTNaYuwK1io_aem_N9NqRyzuxc9OOGu5bYQE1g

I love working with dogs and their people, and though I regularly do some hands-on training during my lessons, my primary job is to teach pet parents how to build a positive working partnership, and how to successfully train the dogs themselves. I'm there for such a short while each week, so it's im...

06/23/2024

Cooper gets worried about thunder and tends to bark at it, but thankfully a stuffed Toppl helps him relax.

06/21/2024

I love Mary Oliver!

♥️🐶😻🐾

06/21/2024

This delicious little creature is Cooper, a repeat visitor at casa Dare. We love having him here!

Address

Danbury, CT
06811

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 6pm
Tuesday	10am - 6pm
Wednesday	10am - 6pm
Thursday	10am - 6pm
Friday	10am - 6pm

Telephone

+18047840120

Website

http://www.northstarcanines.com/

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Videos

I met with a client today who is having some issues putting a harness on his dog, so I made this video to demonstrate one easy way to put a figure-8 style harness on a dog. For dogs who are sensitive to paw handling, work will have to be done on this first, pairing paw handling with treats, before progressing to the harness-donning.

Sweet Macey turns her nose up to her food when it’s in a bowl, but she enjoys working for the very same food in a puzzle toy. 😊

Last week, Sage's mom reported that Sage was playing 'hard to get' with her when inside. The root of the problem likely has to do with her associating being 'caught' with being put into her crate, so she cleverly learned to to avoid capture. On that same day, prior to hearing this back story, I noticed her dodging me, too, after first coming close to me outside, and this was a new behavior around me. Teaching GOTCHA is a wonderful antidote and an important safety measure. By combining collar grabs with treats, and repeating this exercise lots of times in many different contexts, we soon have a dog who eagerly accepts collar grabs rather than scooting out of reach.

Sometimes, irresistible training moments present themselves during the course of the day. Because Bond has shown some resource-guarding tendencies in the past, I like to practice his DROP skill regularly. Today, he was enjoying licking out an almond butter container so I worked on a couple of DROP reps. Each time, he earned a piece of hotdog for letting go, and then I returned the container right back to him. When we're able to regularly return the item to the dog, it shows them there's no real competition going on for the prize. Instead, it's just a fun couple of seconds of training, and then they can go right back to enjoying the prize. When we must take away an item for good, a string of several treats and/or providing them with something dog-approved that's fun or yummy can ease the blow of having to take away that prize.

Today, I was working outside on recalls with a darling little cavapoo named Sage. It's a hot day, so I made sure we spent plenty of time in the shade, she had icy cold water within easy reach, and I was using hotdog treats as extra motivation. While her coming to me in this video is straightforward (not far away, no big distractions), I want to point out that a tired or resting dog may find a recall quite challenging in the moment because their preference would be to rest. Thankfully, I know Sage is super-excited by treats so I felt confident she'd be eager to respond.

Cooper gets worried about thunder and tends to bark at it, but thankfully a stuffed Toppl helps him relax.

Here's a follow-up video to the one I posted last evening. When I originally adopted Bond, I couldn't even touch his paws. Now he appears quite relaxed about having his nails dremeled. I recall it taking two weeks to get him to cooperate -- time well spent when you think about the years of paw handling/wiping/clipping/dremeling he needs to experience all his life.

In this video, you'll see that Bond has a positive emotional response to the sound of the dremel, rousing from a dead sleep! He has learned that yummy stuff happens when his nails are filed. :-)

Little Linus is so fierce! He is also a bit protective of his favorite 'humpy puppy' toy and takes his tug game seriously. A high-octane tug game is just one of many reasons why it's so helpful to teach a strong DROP cue to your dogs. Using this cue helps Bond disengage from the game easily.

I no longer teach many cues to my own dogs, but come when called and 'off' (leave it) are essential. On our walks, the squirrels are quite tempting, but Bond and Bean are great about disengaging when they hear me say 'off.' It also works like a charm when a barky dog is approaching us, and when disgusting, rotting food prizes are found!

This adorable bernerdoodle is our guest for a few days and it's been fun watching her and Bond playing together. Despite the big size difference, she is very careful with her body, but Bond plays it safe by roaring extra loud to compensate for his diminutive stature.

It was a great day for a roll in the hay... er, grass!

Macey is channeling her inner hyena!

Macey just arrived for another visit today and she and Bond wasted no time rekindling their romance. I love watching them together!

This video shows how the adorable dachshund, Scoot, is learning to quietly direct his attention to his handler when he hears a knock on the door. What an accomplishment, as Scoot formerly would explode when he heard this sound! [Video thanks to Emily O., New Fairfield, CT]

I love the RUMBL by West Paws because it's a nice 'beginner' food puzzle for dogs who are new to manipulating toys to get food to come out. But Macey, the cavalier, likes to play with this toy even when it's empty! Isn't she DARLING?!

Macey, an adorable young cavalier, just arrived for another visit here and immediately wanted to engage in play with Bond. This made me soooo happy to see because when she visited last month, it took her days to feel confident enough to play with him. I'm glad she remembers her friend and am looking forward to watching them play all this week. :-)

This may not look like much but Macey, the adorable cavalier, was a bit nervous about playing with Bond at first. It took a few days before she relaxed and felt confident enough to play like what you see in this video. It made me so happy to see this! Bond earned his keep this week, being such a good host. 😊

This yummy package arrived today from a lovely client in Boston with whom I work remotely. Bean and Bond send a resounding "Poochas Gracias!" to you, Jan. Thank you for your kindness!

Boy, can our pets suffer when we're sick. Their daily routines can change dramatically and things can become awfully boring for them. I’ve been out of commission all week, but not a peep of complaint from my good pups despite the new level of boring they had to endure. I tried to ease the pain by using more than their usual food puzzles and treasure hunts and that helped a bit. Today we had some fun training in bed, knocking the rust off Bean’s understanding of OFF vs TAKE IT.

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Virginia Dare

Expert dog training and behavior services offered in NY/CT, including northern Fairfield, and areas of Putnam, northern Westchester, and southern Dutchess counties. Services include in-home private lessons and behavior consultations, as well as remote consultations geared toward all things puppy! Puppy services include: 1) help with breed and breeder selection, and making a wise adoption choice; 2) preparing for puppy’s arrival, including recommendations for equipment, containment, toys, etc.; 3) valuable training tips and socialization advice so pup gets off to a very positive start!

Teaching is based on positive reinforcement techniques.

www.northstarcanines.com DVDs for sale: Fido Refined: Teaching impulse control to your excitable dog! The Shape of Bow Wow (how to shape behaviors via successive approximation) The How of Bow Wow (obedience training, from foundation through fluency) www.takeabowwow.com