My name is Monica Callahan, and I completed my first official marathon on March 5, 2022 with the help of my dog, Orio. I am a professional dog trainer (Family Fido LLC) in the Myrtle Beach, SC area. I’m the owner of five dogs, mother of two children, wife, and part-time employee at Fleet Feet Myrtle Beach. I began running in 2015 when my son was a little over a year old.
Place boards help your dog stay in one place. But why on earth would you need a fancy piece of dog training equipment when you could just teach your dog a solid stay? Let’s be honest, though; teaching a dog to stay can be hard work. Most of us end up constantly nagging the dog to “stay, stay, stay…” as we slowly back away and pray that nothing super distracting happens.
There’s a lot of excitement centered on getting that new dog or puppy. We dream of the adventures we’ll pursue together and the deep bond that’ll be built for years to come. As a dog owner and trainer, when I think about what characteristics I want to instill in a dog or puppy, three things come to mind. I want to develop a happy dog, a good dog, and dog that loves me.
I get the opportunity to work with a number of different dogs each year, and I have yet to find two exactly the same. They all have their own personality, quirks, and story. Just like people, they’re all unique, and so I have to customize my training approach to each individual. However, one thing all dogs have in common is they need leadership.
Earlier this week, I was working with my dog, Dot, on some advanced training. Overnight she went from having an awesome training session where I though we turned the corner on some things, to going in the complete opposite direction. One thing we can easily overlook as dog owners is, just like people, dogs have off days.
Let’s face it: most of us would probably rather spend more time with our dogs outside, and less time working behind a computer while our dog sits at home alone. Balancing a dog and a full-time job isn’t easy!
My dog Barley is five and a half years old. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like he’s a bit slower on runs than he was when he was three and a half. Of course, he’s not exactly an old dog – I’m hoping he’ll have another eight or more years of happy, healthy life. But I want to keep him young and healthy for as long as possible.
If you’re not all that excited about winter adventures, it can be hard to feel like you and your ready for your big summer adventure goals. The good news is that there are plenty of tricks you can teach your dog in the winter that will prepare your dog for summer hikes.
With record-breaking colds hitting the United States this winter, many of us are left scrambling to exercise energetic dogs. Even if your Siberian Husky loves cold weather, it’s not safe outside for long in negative temps.
One of my favorite things about January is looking forward to planning my adventures with for the coming year. I always try to get outside and do something fun with my border collie Barley a few times per week. Whether we’re trail running, hiking, or just tossing a ball in a new place, we love exploring!
“We’re dog people, and we know how important it is to establish that connection with your dog.”
In this training lesson, Trek responds to positive reinforcement from Chris and learns to heel. Listen for tips from Chris about how he creates small, but attainable challenges for Trek to improve his learning process.
