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Managing and training your dog can help prevent inappropriate play which can escalate into aggression. PLAYING WITH YOU Puppies first learn to play with their littermates. Their play consists of a lot of rough-and-tumble activity and tons of play biting. A dog playing in this fashion with an adult or child can be potentially dangerous. […]

Dogs and children can have a wonderful time together with proper guidance and supervision. Left to their own devices, however, safety can become a major issue. Boisterous and loud children can be threatening or overstimulate a dog. Children can hug too hard, pull or poke and dogs can respond with a defensive bite. Yearly, countless […]

All dogs need owners to provide leadership so they can be well-adjusted and polite family members. Without a leader to provide structure, guidelines and training, dogs may become pushy, out-of-control, prone to tantrums, stressed…you get the general idea. Being a leader does not mean being rough or harsh with our dogs. We can get the message across […]

New Puppy? Now’s the time to socialize! Puppies socialize much easier than adolescent or adult dogs – so get started! Expose your puppy to a variety of people, animals, sights, sounds, surfaces, places, etc. to insure he develops into a confident, stable adult with a wonderful temperament. Inadequate socialization can result in a dog who […]

Over the years at Happy-Go-Lucky we’ve seen countless dogs at play in our daycare (1999-2007) and classes. Our Certified Pet Dog Trainers have spent years observing dog behavior and interactions. From this experience we have put together some tips on determining if an off-leash dog park is right for your dog – and what you […]

Crate training is a wonderful aid for a variety of reasons. It’s helpful for short-term confinement of your dog (up to 4 hours max) when you can’t supervise him. If he’s in his safe, quiet crate relaxing with a stuffed Kong®/chewie, he won’t be practicing “inappropriate” behavior – like chewing on the wrong things, having […]

“A tired dog is a good dog.” All dogs need and deserve adequate mental and physical exercise. If their exercise requirements are met, they will be more likely to be happy, healthy and well-behaved. Dogs with an excess of energy can become stressed and/or develop behavioral problems such as destructive chewing or excessive barking. Create […]

Dogs are social animals which can make home alone time difficult. Dogs that cannot manage being left alone are anxious and as a result may be vocal, destructive or have potty accidents inside. Our responsibility is to teach our dogs to cope and relax in our absence. There are a number of things you can […]

There are a few simple things to know when training your dog to go in the right place, at the right time. From there, it really is practice makes perfect. It’s a bit of work at first but will pay off in no time. Firstly, when a puppy is with his mother and littermates, he […]

Puppies explore their world and initiate interactions with their mouths. This is normal puppy behavior. When puppies play, they bite one another. If a play bite is too hard, one of the puppies will yelp and stop playing. This teaches the rough puppy to inhibit his bite if he wants play to continue. We can […]