On Good Behavior LLC

07/09/2025

Different Collar = Different Job.
This is Wager's new collar for therapy dog work. Ever notice how excited your dog gets when you put on hiking boots instead of dress shoes? If he knows what your different clothes mean, he can certainly learn what his different collars mean. I wouldn't want Wager heading for a therapy dog visit thinking he was going to a playdate with a doggy friend or to agility class, so having a special collar, leash, and training bag for his therapy dog class will help him prepare to be sweetly social with people rather than rowdy with other dogs or fast and focused at agility class. Yes, there are many other ways our dogs can figure out what is expected of them: commands, the environment etc, but special equipment and training bags are one way to let them know before they even leave the house. What predictions do you see your dog making based on what you or he are wearing?

06/01/2025

I worked for the Cornell vet school researcher who did this study when I was an undergrad. It’s why you’ll never see an extra pound on my dogs. Many things are hard to control, but how much kibble you put in the bowl is easy.

This is why we're the fat-police here at BRX...

This graphic is from a Purina study, some years ago, that split matched Labrador pups into two groups. One group was fed to keep them at a regular pet weight; the other group was fed in a way that kept them lean - not thin, just lean. The pups were followed from birth until death and the difference was staggering.

The lean-fed dogs didn't just live almost two years longer - they developed joint issues later and they were less severe.

Keep your dogs long on hugs... and a bit short on food.

04/19/2025

First time competing in Open A Obedience this weekend and so happy with the Cash man! Ticked the broad jump so an NQ, but fun to be back in the ring with him and I love his work ethic.

04/01/2025

This has been my experience as well. Often, when I think an older dog is just slowing down, it turns out to be cancer or something more serious. Interesting that both Dr. McConnell and some of the comments note that sleeping in a different place is a key warning sign. I remember Ally started going to bed early and refusing a last trip out to p*e a couple of months before her cancer diagnosis.

A few weeks ago Maggie, aka Princess Margaret, came back after a play session with a tiny limp. Well, damn, I thought, I hope this isn’t serious. Her limp disappeared the next day, and play sessions with Skip and her favorite toy were back on the agenda after one more day of “just to be […]

12/05/2024

For all the new puppy owners:

I decided to kick off week two with the Puppy Socialization Checklist poster. It is so crucial to get a young puppy properly socialized that I created this checklist to help make sure every puppy is meeting enough new people and safely having lots of new experiences!

11/14/2024

Love this new puppy advice, especially not stressing about every little thing puppies put in their mouths. Most of the time, they pick up a leaf, carry it around, shred it, spit it out, and move on to something else. It's only when we insist on taking away everything they want to examine that they start compulsively swallowing things.

06/25/2024

A good discussion of keeping working dogs cool in the summer and what to watch for if dogs are overheating. Take-away message below, if in doubt, get your dog into water to cool them off!

A few weeks ago Skip and I were in a trial when it was in the high 80’s and humid. Very little breeze. In short, awful. Of course, I was worried about Skip, given his bad heart, and wouldn’t have run him if the course hadn’t been a short one. I got him in the […]

06/17/2024

Can dogs hear smart meters? Cash says Yes! and that they hurt his ears. PSE&G installed a new smart meter at our house three weeks ago. I didn't think much of it until Cash refused to settle down in his expen that night and started barking, howling and scratching at the pen. The smart meter is just the other side of the wall from where he sleeps, so I moved him to another room where he still barked some every night (apparently most of the emissions are at night). Having read that some dogs have issues with smart plugs, I bought a Faraday cage for the smart meter and thank goodness it works! He immediately stopped the barking that had been going on for three weeks and I was even able to move him back to his regular sleeping spot (he sleeps in a pen because otherwise he wakes us up at 3 am to bark at deer).

Interestingly, Wager slept through all of this. I wonder how many dogs are bothered by the new meters?

04/26/2024

Appropriate spot for the last dinner of our road trip to Vizsla Nationals ❤️

04/26/2024

Cash finished up his week of showing taking third in a lovely group of 7-9 year old veterans. So nice to see him reunited with Britt again! Video in the comments.

04/24/2024

Wager didn’t want to be left out of the limelight and earned his first ever ribbons today going third place in novice containers (scent work).

Grandpa Cash was also doing nose work for the first time and found his interior hide in 7 seconds (!!!!) for first place.

04/24/2024

So proud of this boy! Finished up yesterday earning second place in Novice B obedience with a 196. He gives it his all every time in the ring ❤️. Now on to our first time competing in scent work today. And Wager gets a turn too!