Canine Water Sports, Part 5 THE BIG DAY! September 3 , 2006 Due to the lack of stays with Beau and Emma on shore, I have been diligently practicing and it very much paid off! I was so proud of all of them! Emma for staying on shore and for being very focused on me, […]

Canine Water Sports, Parts 3 & 4 August 18, 2006 Another lesson today. I am still on cloud 9 with my incredible swimmers! Everyone stayed on shore (wahoo!) and I was able to do a complete run-through of the whole water test with Beau, Shadow and Emma. All of the dogs were fantastic! We also […]

Canine Water Sports, Part 2 August 12, 2006 Second private with Deborah Lee today. I wasn’t all that sure how my dogs would do today. Here at home, their progress has been somewhat limited and sporadic. I kept persevering and boy, am I glad I did! They were all incredibly fantastic today! Deborah Lee set […]

Canine Water Sports, Part 1 July 7, 2006 OK, so a few weeks ago, I went away for the weekend. I desperately needed a break. A friend of mine was going to Canine Water Sports camp for the weekend, so I decided to tag along. A few of my students had been to this before, […]

Early Doesn’t Mean Only by Pamela Dennison © 2006 May not be reprinted without written approval. One of the things we hear so often as pet owners or what we tell our students as trainers is how important early socialization is for puppies. The early weeks—from approximately eight to 16 or 20 weeks is really […]

The Magic of Shaping by Pamela Dennison © May 2005. May not be reprinted without written approval. This article is not to be confused with my DVD of a similar title (The Magic of Shaping; Explore the Possibilities) In my article in the Jul/Aug 2005 issue of The APDT Chronicle of the Dog, I spoke […]

Aggression: Before the Game Begins by Pamela Dennison © 2005. May not be reprinted without written approval. Whether we accidentally adopted one, or inadvertently created one, no one in their right mind ever wants to own an aggressive dog. The good news is that many more people are now willing to work with their dogs […]

Why I Dislike Head Halters by Pamela Dennison © June 2004. May not be reprinted without written approval. Ah, head halters. I used to think they were great when they first came out – a great alternative to choke or prong collars. Until I saw them in action. My first exposure to them was an […]

In the Good Old Days by Pamela Dennison © 2004 May not be reprinted without written approval. Why was it so much easier (or so we think) to train dogs in the “good old days?” Why was the dog we grew up with, the “best dog in the world” and the new dog we have […]

Knock, Knock, Who’s There? by Pamela Dennison © 2004 May not be reprinted without written approval. “Pam, my dog goes crazy when strangers come to my house. He barks and carries on like someone else’s dog until I get them in the door and get him settled. It is very embarrassing, how do I stop […]