Does My Puppy Need His Vaccinations Before Training or Daycare?

At All Dawgs, your puppy will need his or her first series of vaccinations for Distemper and Parvo in order to begin training classes or daycare. We require vaccination for Rabies when it is age appropriate (usually 16 weeks of age). Puppies are in their ideal socialization window until they are 20 weeks old – […]

Come When Called – Part 4 – Remote Collar Recall

In the last several posts, I’ve described the first phases of my journey with Eagle for a truly rock-solid recall (or come when called). He did the foundation training that I outlined in Part 2 – Foundation Matters. In Part 3 – Really Reliable Recall, I described my second attempt to train the skill that […]

Come When Called – Part 3 – Really Reliable Recall

In the last post, I described the foundation work for a good come when called (recall) skill. For some dogs, this is all that is needed. However, that was not true for Eagle. It was after this foundation training that Eagle ended up in the road! I knew I had to do something and had […]

How to Survive Your Dog’s Adolescence

You had that perfect puppy…. he thought the world revolved around you. Your biggest problem was teaching him where to do his business…. life was great! Then, one day, it was like he unlearned everything you ever taught him overnight. He stopped listening, he tested boundaries, he just wanted the dog you thought you had! […]

Ride Safely! Traveling with Your Dog

Next week, two of my golden retrievers and I will pack up and head to an Obedience and Rally trial. My dogs and I go to these trial about five or six times a year — and they’re in the car daily to drive to the building. How do I make my dogs safe when […]

Is Your Dog Competition Obedient?

Obedience competition is my passion. I love to compete!  Obedience competition is the only to really know what your dog knows! You take your dog into the ring and perform a set series of exercises and are judged on how well (or not so well) you and your dog perform. There are no treats, no toys […]

Need for Speed – Agility!

                                                                                                                       Diane & Hershey competing in agility   In part two of our blog series on dog sports, we’re talking about a need…. a need for speed that is! Agility is a great sport for dogs that have energy to burn! All dogs (no pun intended) are allowed to compete in agility competition — including […]

Who’s Ready to Rally?

This last past weekend, All Dawgs students and trainers, including myself, competed at an obedience and Rally trial … actually, it was a four-day cluster trial. This begins a four-blog series about various dog sports — Rally Obedience (or Rally), Competition Obedience, Agility and Freestyle. Dog sport competitions, in any of its forms, shows you […]

How Long Should You Wait Before Getting a Puppy?

February 26, 2013 was one of the worst days of my life. I got new that my mix breed’s, Hershey, kidneys were failing and, despite the vet’s best efforts, there was nothing else to do but let her go. She was 12 years old and I had her since she was about six weeks old. […]

The Joys of Owning a Therapy Dog

Eagle visiting One of the benefits of All Dawgs becoming a full time business is that I can schedule regular, weekly therapy dog visits to a local nursing home. All my dogs are therapy dogs but I am actively visiting with Eagle, my eight and a half-year-old Golden Retriever. Eagle was born to be a […]