Author Archives: Jamie

About Jamie

I'm just a traditionally-trained artist with interests in dog training. I currently teach classes at the local obedience training club (tricks, freestyle, and Rally-FrEe) and I also teach classes professionally for an organization who helps veterans train their own service dogs.

Great Expectations

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Jamie

I should have known better than to expect as much from Risa as I did this weekend. New competition location and we hadn’t even practiced the entire routine. Not to mention we had two routines to do one of which … Continue reading →

Posted in Dog Sports, Reactivity, Training | Tagged Canine Freestyle | Leave a comment

What Kind of Dog Is That?

Posted on August 31, 2013 by Jamie

A fearful dog. A fast dog. A smart dog. A well-trained dog. A dog-reactive dog. A playful dog. A smiley dog. A thunderstorm-phobic dog. A lure coursing dog. A performance dog. A dancing dog. A rally dog. A happy dog. … Continue reading →

Posted in Thoughts | 1 Comment

Confessions

Posted on August 17, 2013 by Jamie

I didn’t always like my dog. I always loved her. Her award-winning smile. Her goofy nature. Her velvety-soft coat and too-big-for-her-head ears. I knew she was supposed to be mine. But I didn’t like her right away. In fact, she … Continue reading →

Posted in Fear, Fostering, Thoughts, Training | Leave a comment

Lucky Number Seven

Posted on July 14, 2013 by Jamie

Tomorrow is Risa’s 7th Gotcha Day but we celebrated this weekend. We went for a long walk at our favorite place. It’s just a shame it was so hot and yucky out! I stopped by McDonald’s on the way home … Continue reading →

Posted in Fear, Reactivity, Thoughts, Training | Leave a comment

Management

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Jamie

When bringing a new dog into your home, management is the key to preventing problems. It is so much easier to teach the appropriate behaviors right from the start rather than needing to fix behavioral issues caused due to poor … Continue reading →