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When Dogs are Riding a Stress High
I was walking at the park with a friend recently when we ran into a man walking his dog. I had chatted with the man on other occasions,...
Nicole Wilde
Jan 18, 20233 min read
4,877 views
97 comments


When Hand Signals Come in Handy
Often when I’m working with training clients, they seem impressed that their dog can respond to a hand or arm motion alone without a...
Nicole Wilde
Nov 17, 20222 min read
381 views
97 comments


When Walking Your Dog is Downright Scary
If you have a dog who is reactive to other dogs, going for a walk can be a scary experience. There you are, wanting to get some exercise...
Nicole Wilde
Oct 31, 20223 min read
469 views
95 comments


What Constitutes a Deal-Breaker?
I recently had a training call from a woman who was very distraught. Between crying jags, she explained that she was afraid she was going...
Nicole Wilde
Sep 13, 20223 min read
1,323 views
102 comments


Adjusting as Our Dogs Age, and Car Stairs Video
I remember when Mojo, our beloved 120-pound German shepherd-malamute-rottweiler-wolf mix, was a senior. Like so many dogs, his back end...
Nicole Wilde
Jul 27, 20223 min read
664 views
102 comments


What are "Red Zone" Dogs, Really?
If you’ve watched television in the last 10 years or kept abreast of dog training culture, you’ve probably encountered the term red zone...
Nicole Wilde
Jul 19, 20222 min read
1,840 views
158 comments


Do Older Dogs Care Less?
You might be familiar with the adage about how, as we get older, we care less about what people think about us. I wonder if the same...
Nicole Wilde
Jul 11, 20222 min read
587 views
102 comments


Can you REALLY ever stop using treats?
A concern I sometimes hear from clients as far as the use of training treats goes something like, “But then won’t my dog only listen when...
Nicole Wilde
Jun 29, 20223 min read
607 views
100 comments


Are You Dog-Centric?
I have a friend who, every time we go somewhere in public, ends up talking to mothers with young children. A baby stroller is a sure sign...
Nicole Wilde
Jun 7, 20222 min read
539 views
103 comments


Using Competition to Train Dogs
I recently worked with a client who has three dogs. We’d trained each dog separately, and then decided to practice group recalls as well...
Nicole Wilde
May 3, 20222 min read
560 views
106 comments


But is it a Conditioned Reflex?
At a recent training session, I was talking with a client about the skills we would be teaching his dog. When I mentioned the recall...
Nicole Wilde
Apr 5, 20222 min read
817 views
101 comments


Cognition Versus Emotion
While many of my posts are prompted by experiences with my own dogs or others, this one started with a sentence from my latest (not yet...
Nicole Wilde
Jan 20, 20222 min read
836 views
99 comments


It Just Makes Scents
A dog’s strongest sense is his sense of smell. Dogs can detect odors buried 40 feet underground, find hidden bombs, and even sniff out...
Nicole Wilde
Jan 4, 20222 min read
1,175 views
101 comments


The After Fight Cooldown
My dogs got into a fight this morning. It was over food. Well, not exactly food, but a daily supplement that looks and tastes more like a...
Nicole Wilde
Dec 7, 20213 min read
3,757 views
101 comments


When Canine Crankiness Isn't Just Behavioral
I’m pretty sure every dog owner knows what I mean when I say a dog is getting cranky. Maybe you have two dogs and one is acting snarkier...
Nicole Wilde
Nov 23, 20212 min read
704 views
101 comments


Is Your Dog Spoiled?
I have to say up front that I really dislike the word “spoiled”. When it comes to kids, it’s often followed by the word “brat”. I don’t...
Nicole Wilde
Oct 12, 20213 min read
1,221 views
100 comments


Is it Safe to Leave Your Dog with a Sitter?
A recent article on the CNN website reported an incident concerning an owner leaving her nine-month-old poodle mix with a sitter she...
Nicole Wilde
Aug 6, 20213 min read
1,294 views
98 comments


Dog Trainers to Avoid
If you’re reading this with the anticipation of hearing specific trainers’ names, sorry to disappoint you. Oh, sure, I could list local...
Nicole Wilde
May 4, 20213 min read
4,134 views
101 comments


Decisions, Decisions
This morning as I let my dogs run down a secluded hiking trail ahead of me, Bodhi spotted a bunny. He froze in place, all of his focus on...
Nicole Wilde
Apr 28, 20212 min read
605 views
110 comments


The Truth is Not Always Easy
I hate being the bad guy. I’m a social person by nature, and I don’t like having to tell people things they don’t want to hear. But...
Nicole Wilde
Apr 14, 20212 min read
3,245 views
103 comments
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