Houston DogWorks

01/23/2025

Houston DogWorks goes to the Rockets… and watches them beat the #1 team in the league. Thanks for the sick seats Steve.

And yes, Josh is loud and obnoxious at sporting events.

01/21/2025

Alright… let’s see all the snow day pics and videos.

Also, FREE HDW T-Shirts to everyone who posts a video training later today and tags us in a public post from their personal page.

01/20/2025

🥶We will be closed tomorrow and Wednesday🥶

The dogs in our care are warm and well taken care of.

If you are scheduled for pickup tomorrow or Wednesday, we will be in touch to do so in a safe way for everyone. We can extend stays should there be need. Please reach out if you have an emergency.

Stay warm out there.

01/20/2025

Snow Day(s) Closure & Updates

01/20/2025

so many of you guys call and ask for Malibu Blue… well… ITS BACK.

Get in contact to preorder. We will be placing our pallet order early next week.

01/17/2025

Patio Pups January 2025 Edition

01/16/2025

Sad how quickly someone can go from “when can we get started” to “you’re a horrible human being” as soon as they find out this isn’t free or “pick your price”.

Even more amazing when you already have in writing that the dog tries to bite both owners and has already been put in a position to bite a guest in the home which went unreported.

01/15/2025

📈Current Foundations Obedience group class stats-

📊From 170 pounds down to just over 10

📊5/7 breed groups represented

📊From 9 months to almost 9 years old

📊Power Puppies we’ve known since puppyhood

📊Owners who already attempted training elsewhere

📊Behavioral Rehab cases

We only work with about 100 adult dogs per year, maximum. Don’t limit YOUR dog with excuses… let’s get to work.

01/15/2025

New Blog Post is Up: Raise the Puppy... Train the Dog...

Link is in the comments.

01/13/2025

⚠️ACCIDENTS HAPPEN⚠️

🚽POTTY TRAINING🛁

Almost inevitably, at some point your puppy is going to have an accident or two in its crate. Don’t panic, but when cleaning keep in mind that it's not just about cleaning the mess; it's about cleaning the puppy too.

Maintaining cleanliness not only of the crate but also of the puppy’s body is crucial for successful crate and potty training. P*e and poo can quickly saturate and stain the coat, which can make the whole process much more difficult long term.

Here's why:

🫧Lingering Odors: When accidents happen, the puppy’s coat quickly stains and carries the odor. This diminishes their natural aversion to soiling their sleeping area since they already are flooded with the smell of waste.

🫧Confusion: If the puppy constantly smells of waste, they become accustomed to the odor and sensation, blurring the lines between clean and dirty. This confusion hinders both potty and crate training.

🫧Health & Hygiene: Waste on the skin can cause irritations and discomfort, further disrupting training and can also bring on urinary tract infections, particularly in females, which can lead to more problems and a longer process. UTIs are super uncomfortable for your dog and can make for other problems.

Keep everything clean and sanitary for both short and long term success!

01/10/2025

The weather has been a drag, so let this Power Puppy brighten your day a little!

01/07/2025

Those of you asking about the return of Large Group Social and what it is... here is one of the old videos from the week before the world shut down.

To simplify, think "play time" with minimized resources to minimize problems.

01/07/2025

CONSISTENT EFFORT- THE only common denominator when it comes to long term and sustained success.

The rare 'good dog' doesn't exist. Somewhere along that dog's personal trajectory, it learned from some thing or some one how to conduct itself in accordance with its circumstance, whether it was an upland dog on wild birds, a hound chasing a hog that chose to fight, a livestock guardian learning not to harass it's intended charges, or a Maltese learning not to foul its owners home.

Someone had the willingness, the desire, and the ability to create a training strategy sufficient to complete that singular goal, or a circumstance existed where the dog was taught by virtue of participation - no human required.

People call me all the time wanting a change in their dog's behavior. Well, this is what it looks like. We can help you facilitate that change. It's really this easy; I will be happy to do it for you, but you are not exonerated from at least some of the work. I can help you do it, and you'll be doing all the work. I can provide you with a step-by-step plan on how to do the work, but you still have to do it.

I have yet to meet a dog trained by osmosis.

More in the comments-

When you are ready, we are here.

01/07/2025

After YEARS, Large Group Social is BACK...
JANUARY GROUP CLASS SCHEDULE...
Foundations Obedience Class Tuesdays @ 6:30
Open Gym 1/9 @ 6:30
Patio Pups @ Cottonwood 1/16 @ 7pm
Competition Class 1/23 @ 6:30
Large Group Social* 1/30 @ 6:45

*Limited to 16 participants, Contact us for details.

12/28/2024

There is THEORY and then there is APPLICATION.

One provides a lot more evidence than the other.

12/26/2024

About half the holiday boarders wish you a Merry Christmas!

12/22/2024

It takes time to cook…

🤌🏽

12/13/2024

In other news, birds have feathers. 🙄

Dogs generally pull about 60 per cent harder on a leash when wearing a padded harness compared with a collar, even when the equipment is marketed as “anti pull” – putting the people walking them at risk of injury.

Some dogs – especially smaller breeds – pull with a force more than twice their body weight on the collar, potentially damaging their throats, says Erin Perry at Southern Illinois University.

“It’s really very shocking,” she says. “The dogs are almost choking themselves on that collar repeatedly. But the harnesses in our study just didn’t inhibit pulling in any way, and that’s definitely a wake-up call – especially because of the risk to owners.”

Read more: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2459747-dogs-pull-harder-on-the-leash-when-they-wear-a-harness-than-a-collar/

Image: CBCK-Christine/Alamy