Every day we get requests from group class students who are going to miss a class and want to schedule a make up. We do not offer make up lessons. Here are the reasons why. WOOFS! conducts around 15 classes per month. Each class has between 6 and 8 students. That is about 100 students per… Read more »
Aggressive dog behavior calls for compassion
Let’s talk about aggression. I was recently asked to comment on a rather prominent case of a dog biting people. I was lucky enough that a couple of my statements made it into the story. But of course, my brief comments barely scratch the surface of what is, most likely, a very complicated situation. All… Read more »
Puppy Socialization During a Pandemic
Our beloved WOOFS! puppies and puppy parents, We miss you. We miss our Saturday puppy parties and we miss our Puppy Kindergarten classes. We miss snuggling on all of the adorable little puppies we usually get to work with. Since we can’t get together, let’s talk about what you can do if you have a puppy.… Read more »
High value dog treats that are easy on the stomach
If you have taken a WOOFS! class you have probably heard us request that you bring high value food rewards to class. So what’s with the obsession with food, you might ask? To begin with, we are positive reinforcement trainers. This means that we use rewards (technically reinforcers) to teach dogs to respond to the… Read more »
Why teach tricks?
Teaching tricks is great for dogs. It provides them with both mental and physical stimulation and helps create a stronger working relationship between the dog and the handler. To start: want better basic obedience skills? Teach some tricks. The more things you teach your dog, the better he gets at learning. The more often you… Read more »
Fetch my slippers, not eat them!
“Now what do you have”!?! Despite the fact that we puppy proofed the house, this comment kept coming out of our mouths. The puppy had yet another item of contraband. A shoe, a sock, a bag of chips. The items just kept coming. It was time to play “Whatcha Got”? Young puppies explore the world… Read more »
Ballston daycare closing June 30th
This was a tough decision to make. For 15 years WOOFS! has been offering daycare at our Ballston location. There is where WOOFS! started. It was here, in 2002 that I was able to follow my dreams and jump from science to a career in dog training. Since then I have learned a lot. I… Read more »
Anxiety and Arousal
Originally published on ArlNow.com I’ve been having a lot of conversations with people about their dogs getting into trouble. Not little trouble like chewing up a shoe or stealing a sandwich. That’s easy stuff. I’m talking about big trouble. Like biting the neighbor’s dog while on a walk or biting a friend who is over… Read more »
Boarding your dog
Originally Published on ArlNow.com As school comes to a close for the year it’s time for summer vacations. Where to go? What to do? And who is going to take care of the dog?If you can’t take your dog with you, the next best option is to have a family member or friend stay at… Read more »
Puppy Olympics, and the importance of early socialization
The Puppy Olympics are almost here! 8 weeks ago, on April 1st 2016, our foster dog Harlie gave birth to 11 tiny puppies. WOOFS! has fostered many pregnant moms and their puppies over the past 13 years, but this time we decided to do something different. We assigned each puppy a WOOFS! trainer. Each trainer… Read more »
Puppy Challenge #1: House Training
Originally Published on ArlNow.com So you have a cute new puppy? Congratulations! But now what? Puppies naturally bite, cry, poop and pee. Then we get them in the house and immediately want them NOT to bite, cry, poop or pee. It’s a pretty tall order for an 8 week old. So here are a few… Read more »
New! Puppy Prep School
You have GOT to meet Lucy. Lucy is our first Puppy Prep School student and she is adorable. Lucy is an 8 week old mini dachshund who started Prep School on April 5th. I will be chronicling her progress here. We have a lot planned for this little girl. We immediately started working on Lucy’s… Read more »