K9 in Focus Blog
Deb has LOTS of strong opinions, mainly about dog training, and this is where she shares them!
Doggie Dental Care
Years ago I didn’t know nearly as much about dental care for dogs as I do now. I knew they had teeth, and sometimes bad breath. Back in the day I had a Papillon named Copper. Copper was a wonderful boy, sweet and sensitive. I took care of him the same way I cared...
Small Shifts Big Changes
The summer solstice has just passed; the day with the most light for the year. Now we start moving in tiny increments into shorter days and longer nights. Day to day you hardly notice a difference. The rest of the summer will be full of long lovely evenings. But in...
The Right Tool for the Job
Some of you may know that I recently purchased a tiny house. I’ve been vacationing in this area for about 15 years now, and always wanted a permanent place to land when I’m here. The problem, of course, was price. Housing costs here are crazy ridiculous and only...
My Training Superpower
Something that has helped me be successful in reaching my goals (in life as well as in dog training) is the ability to split them into tiny bits and then work on those little bits without losing motivation. There’s a lot to unpack in this sentence! Good dog trainers...
Taking My Own Advice is HARD!
As a teacher, trainer, and instructor for decades I can distill my general advice on learning into a couple of sentences. Take it slowly, break things down, practice in lots of small sessions. If things are too hard go back to an easy level and move forward again. ...
Reframing February
If you’re only here for the dog training info then you may be disappointed, or not. I’m going to continue talking about dogs and training, of course, but I’m also branching out a little to topics that are on my mind. They typically circle back & relate to dogs,...
It’s Your Fault! Blaming the Victim
As soon as something bad happens to someone we humans begin the process of assigning blame. Whose fault is it? A very common psychological cognitive process is to blame the victim for their victimization. It’s their fault! Case closed. Blaming the victim makes...
Are You In The In Group?
Two really important things happened to me around 1992. First, I got access to the internet at home for the first time. That was actually a big thing for all of us! Second, through the internet I discovered that there was a group of people out there who felt and...