Your host, Debbie, is a positive trainer with a passion for dogs, their behavior and helping you create a well behaved dog. This is a dog training and behavior podcast that with help you and your new puppy build good healthy habits right from the start. It will also help you understand your dog’s behavior and build a strong, fulfilling, and fun relationship for years to come.
Just like humans, dogs get car sick. It's especially common for puppies. Their little bellies are sensitive and not used to the motion. The good news is, most will grow out of it. The bad news is there is always a chance they will develop a bad association with the car.
Since it starts out as a physical reaction there isn't much we can do but help them feel better and try to avoid the sickness. The last thing we want to do is stop taking our dog places.
That's why in this episode, I go over tips to help prevent the car and motion sickness, including the anxiety that can develop. I also give you a place to start if your dog is already has a bad association with the car.
Press play to listen to the entire episode.
The post YNP #044: When Your Dog Gets Car Sick appeared first on Playtime Paws.
You've read ALL the books, watched ALL the videos, listened to ALL the podcast but there are things that still come as a surprise when you get a new puppy.
Let's be honest, some of these things they DO tell you, but maybe we don't hear them because they aren't the fun part of having a puppy.
In this episode, I talk about the important things from how raising a puppy is an 18 month road to how your kids may react unexpectedly to the puppy.
No worries, I didn't just talk about the doom and gloom. I end the episode with some fun stuff like how puppies get the hiccups...a lot.
Press play to listen and enjoy!!
The post YNP #043: What They Don’t Tell You About Getting a Puppy appeared first on Playtime Paws.
Especially with a new puppy, you'll hear 20 times a day, play with your puppy, exercise your puppy, stimulate your puppy so they don’t get bored, bond with them to create a strong relationship…
OK OK, we get it’s important but after 160 games of fetch things get a little...well, boring.
In this episode, I’m going to go through 10 ways to play with your dog. And this is just to get you started, it doesn’t stop here, not even close. In reality, there are hundreds of ways to play with your dog. I want you and your dog to get creative and take it from here.
With the cold weather settling in here in NJ I decided to concentrate on indoor activities. It’s easy to take things outside and get all the exercise and entertainment you need. It’s when you're stuck inside that things get harder.
No matter what activity we do with them, we are entertaining, stimulating, and bonding with them. It’s tiring them out that can sometimes seem impossible. That is why I also focused on ways that will up the exercise and tiring out factor. At the end of the day (literally) what we want is a tired and happy dog!
Your dog will probably have their favorites. I hope you can find something you love, your dog loves AND gets everyone to sleep!
Let’s get those creative juices going!! Press play to listen and enjoy!!
The post YNP #042: 10 Ways to Play With Your Dog appeared first on Playtime Paws.
Raising a puppy is challenging. Raising a puppy in an apartment adds a few additional challenges.
It’s becoming more and more common to raise a puppy in an apartment. This is great because it means more places are allowing dogs but before you run and get your new puppy there are some things to consider and to be ready for.
When we think about raising a puppy in an apartment we usually think about the size restriction the apartment building has (which I don’t agree with and I talk about why). There are also a few other things.
When living in an apartment (or a condominium or even a townhouse) you have close neighbors that can make crate training harder. Sometimes you can’t get outside quickly which can be a struggle during potty training. And most of the time the room you have to exercise your dog is limited.
I have you covered with some tips on how to handle these extra challenges.
Including:
Press play to listen to the full episode.
Related Episodes:
The post YNP #041: Tips on Raising a Puppy in an Apartment appeared first on Playtime Paws.
You need to be your dog’s pack leader. This much is clear. However, when I talk about leadership it doesn’t have anything to do with “alpha” or “dominance”. I believe those words are overused and greatly misunderstood. But mostly, I believe that it leads us to the wrong type of relationship with our dog.
Make no mistake you need to be your dog’s pack leader, but I want you to think about more like a parent or teacher. You make the rules, you decide how you want your dog to act and then it's up to us to guide and teach them how to be the dog we want them to be. It’s a balance of respect, patience, and trust.
There are three parts to being a good pack leader to your dog that builds this type of relationship. We need to:
In this episode, I will talk about each one, what they mean, and how they fit into the bigger picture.
The post YNP #040: How to Be Your Dog’s Pack Leader appeared first on Playtime Paws.
This is the third and final special edition highlighting the great questions I received during Q&A Tuesdays.
Every Tuesday in October I will be answering your training questions. These are just a few of the great questions I received and I thought would be beneficial to all my listeners.
October is now officially over and therefor so are Q&A Tuesdays, for now..
If you don't want to miss the next time I do Q&A Tuesdays, you can find me on Instagram or Facebook because that is where it all happens.
I got the idea for Q&A Tuesday because this is very similar to what I do inside YOUR Perfect Puppy my online course for new puppy owners. More info on YOUR Perfect Puppy.
For this special edition I cover the following topics:
Press play to listen to the full episode with more details and examples. Enjoy!
The post YNP Special Edition: Q&A Tuesday Highlights 03 appeared first on Playtime Paws.
Potty accidents are part of having a puppy. You can do everything right and you are still going to have an accident. And let’s face it, we probably aren’t going to do everything right.
In all of my years helping puppy owners with potty training there are a few types of accidents that I see over and over.
Knowing what they are can not only help you avoid them but sometimes it’s nice to know what may seem like weird place to have an accident, it actually quite normal.
In this episode, I go over the most common types of potty accidents I see.
First I go over common places and then common situations that will occur. Of course, I give you tips throughout on how to avoid them altogether.
Press play to hear the full episode.
The post YNP #039: The Most Common Potty Accidents appeared first on Playtime Paws.
I got the idea for Q&A Tuesday because this is very similar to what I do inside YOUR Perfect Puppy my online course for new puppy owners.
You can find me on Instagram or Facebook next Tuesday to get a preview of the kind of access you get to me inside the course or just get your training questions answered. I'll be hanging out in my messages all day.
More info on YOUR Perfect Puppy.
For this special edition I chose a theme of all crate training questions.
Press play to listen to the full episode with more details and examples. Enjoy!
The post YNP Special Edition: Q&A Tuesday – Crate Training appeared first on Playtime Paws.
I got the idea for Q&A Tuesday because this is very similar to what I do inside YOUR Perfect Puppy my online course for new puppy owners.
You can find me on Instagram or Facebook next Tuesday to get a preview of the kind of access you get to me inside the course or just get your training questions answered. I'll be hanging out in my messages all day.
More info on YOUR Perfect Puppy.
The questions I answer in this special edition of the podcast include potty training, how to handle working households with a puppy, counter surfing, and puppy nipping.
Press play to listen to the full episode with more details and examples. Enjoy!
The post YNP Special Edition: Q&A Tuesday Highlights 01 appeared first on Playtime Paws.
There is only one thing that you need to know about dog behavior to teach or stop any behavior! Yup, when it comes down to it, our dogs are very simple creatures.
In this episode, I am revealing my secret. This is what I use to solve 90% of my client's training issues.
I have centered my life around dog behavior. And everything I have learned and observed comes down to this one thing.
SPOILER ALERT...
***Dogs do what works for them...always; and they don’t feel guilty about it.***
That's it. If your dog is exhibiting some behavior then it is working for them. Otherwise, they wouldn't be doing it. The trick is to understand what's working.
We can use it to our advantage to teach a behavior. For example, you want to teach your dog to sit, you give them a treat every time their butt hits the floor when you say "sit". Now, that behavior works for them so they are going to repeat it.
Or we want to stop a behavior. For example, your dog barks at you and you give them attention by looking at them or even telling them "no." That behavior now works for them and they will repeat it. To change the behavior we have to take the attention away.
The top 4 most common things your dog is looking for is
These are not the only things but they are the place to start.
The concept is easy, it’s applying that gets tricky. Sometimes it's super obvious (your dog jumps on the counter and gets to the food) or not so obvious (your puppy is whining in the crate for attention, not to go potty). This episode is chock full of examples on how to apply this.
Now you know my secret. This is the same place I always start when trying to teach or stop a behavior. It takes practice, but if we take a hard look at our dog’s behavior (and ours) you will see the pattern.
Press play to listen to the full episode with more details and examples. Enjoy!
The post YNP #038: The One Thing You Need to Know About Dog Behavior appeared first on Playtime Paws.
There are three types of training that you need to turn your puppy into a well-rounded, well-behaved, and well-mannered dog. When we think of training our dog we usually think about teaching our dog to “listen to me” I want him to come when I say come and stay when I say stay. Or we don’t […]
The post YNP #037: The Three Types of Training You Need to Raise a Well-Mannered Dog appeared first on Playtime Paws.
Raising a puppy is something we have to learn. It's not natural for us humans. So just like with learning anything new we are going to make a few mistakes along the way. First we have to know what mistakes we are making in the first place. In this episode, I talk about 4 mistakes I […]
The post YNP #036: 4 Mistakes New Puppy Owners Make appeared first on Playtime Paws.
Where should your dog sleep? This is a simple question with multiple answers. On one had I have a strong recommendation where your dog should be sleeping. On the other, it really doesn't matter as long as you make the decision and then stick with it. To make this more clear split my answer into two […]
The post YNP #035: Where Should Your Dog Sleep? appeared first on Playtime Paws.
Adding another dog to your pack is an exciting time. It can also be a little stressful because you want to make sure that your current dog accepts your new puppy. Sometimes when you bring a new puppy home the current dog immediately accepts the puppy and it super excited to have a younger brother and […]
The post YNP #034: Introduce Your New Puppy to Your Current Dog appeared first on Playtime Paws.
My dogs aren't perfect, and I'm ok with that? You would think because I'm a dog trainer I would care more. But that's exactly why I know it's OK. Training a dog is time-consuming and it’s something that most of us just simply aren’t good at. Most likely you won't be able to teach your dog […]
The post YNP #033: My Dogs Aren’t Perfect, So What? appeared first on Playtime Paws.
There are so many dog supplies out there it can be overwhelming. Over the years I have developed a list of my go-to supplies that I use and recommend to my clients. In this episode, I talk about what my favorite dog supply is in each of these 8 categories and why they have become my […]
The post YNP #032: My Favorite Dog Supplies appeared first on Playtime Paws.
Dogs learns through repetition and reward. The easiest and most efficient way to reward your dog is by using treats. That is why they are the go-to for trainers and dog owners. Even though treats is the most popular way to reward your dog they are not, by far, the only way. In fact, there are […]
The post YNP #031: Reward Your Dog Without Treats appeared first on Playtime Paws.
Dog obedience training is the first thing we think of when we say “training your dog.” In fact, it might be the only thing we think of. Your dog’s training goes WAY beyond obedience but it is a very important part of your new puppy’s education. When starting from scratch it’s important to create a strong and […]
The post YNP #030: The First 4 Steps to Teaching Any New Command appeared first on Playtime Paws.
Bringing your puppy home is exciting and maybe a little stressful. The ride home is the first time you are 100% responsible for them. If this is your first puppy you may be even more nervous. Your puppy might be nervous too. It’s a short and simple topic but something I get asked all the time. […]
The post YNP #029: The Ride Home appeared first on Playtime Paws.
When we think of crate training we usually think of potty training or where we put our puppy when we aren’t home. Crate training goes way beyond that. In fact, we should be using it after potty training AND when we are home. I usually get some resistance to this. Most dog owners have a sense […]
The post YNP #028: 5 Reasons to Use the Crate When You’re Home. appeared first on Playtime Paws.
How to handle a shy dog is important for all of us to know. If you are anything like me, you just want to put ALL the puppies. But not ALL of the puppies want to be pet. Wait, what??? Crazy, right? This is even worse when it’s our own puppy. We are all excited […]
The post YNP #027: How to Handle a Shy Dog appeared first on Playtime Paws.
The foundation of positive dog training is to reward the behaviors we want repeated and ignore or redirect the behaviors we don’t want repeated. Oh, how I wish it were that simple. A question we don’t even think to ask is “how does the dog know what behavior we are rewarding or correcting?” This is where […]
The post YNP #026: Timing is EVERYTHING When Training Your Dog appeared first on Playtime Paws.
Very often I get asked: Is human food good for dogs? Or "should I feed my dog people food?" Or they say with pride “I ONLY feed my dog, dog food” The first thing I want to dispel is the idea that there is a difference between "people" food and "dog" food. Food is food. The distinction […]
The post YNP #025: Is Human Food Good for Dogs? appeared first on Playtime Paws.
The thought of raising two puppies together can create a lot of warm, fuzzy, and fun images. They will keep each other company, entertain each other, exercise each other, and create perfect Instagram moments of snuggling together in their bed. We go into it aware that it will take more work. Of course, it makes sense, […]
The post YNP #024: How to Raise Two Puppies at the Same Time appeared first on Playtime Paws.
Did you remember to praise your puppy?When using positive training our main tool is to reward behaviors we want our puppies to repeat. The more we praise our puppy's good behavior the more likely they will grow into a well-behaved dog. Unfortunately, there are many times that we don’t remember (or worse, we don’t even realize) […]
The post YNP #023: Did You Remember to Praise Your Puppy? appeared first on Playtime Paws.
Separation anxiety is when your dog is stressed out because they are separated from you. Every single dog has the potential to develop some form of separation anxiety because dogs don’t know how to be alone naturally. This is one of the many things we need to teach them to live in our world. Separation anxiety […]
The post YNP #022: How to Prevent and Treat Separation Anxiety appeared first on Playtime Paws.
A question I get ALL the time is about taking your puppy outside before they are fully vaccinated. This question usually comes up during potty training but my answer has nothing to do with potty training. In short, your puppy needs to get out and start experiencing the world BEFORE they are fully vaccinated. I know this […]
The post YNP #021: Balancing Vaccines and Socialization appeared first on Playtime Paws.
We are always told “prepare for emergencies" or "make an emergency preparedness plan." The problem is the nature of an emergency is they are unpredictable and the situations are usually not something we expect. All we can do is do our best to prepare so when it happens we at least have a head start. The […]
The post YNP #020: Your Emergency Preparedness Plan When You Have a Dog appeared first on Playtime Paws.
A fenced-in backyard is considered a very valuable resource for a dog owner. It makes owning, potty training and exercising your dog SO much easier. Or does it? With anything that makes our lives easier there is always a downside. I know this, because I share this struggle with you. In this episode I talk about a […]
The post YNP #019: The Downside of a Fenced-in Backyard appeared first on Playtime Paws.
So often, we get stuck in the idea that our dogs need to eat out of a bowl. BORING!! Our dogs are programmed to work for their food so let’s use that in our favor. We already feed our dogs so let’s make it an event! Our dogs have a blast AND it also help […]
The post YNP #018: Ditch the Bowl and Make Mealtime an Event appeared first on Playtime Paws.
We know that finding the right dog food for our dog is important. It can also be overwhelming. Most of us want to be able to walk into a pet store, pick up a bag and make the right decision. Unfortunately, it's not that simple. There is a lot of different information out there about which dog […]
The post YNP #017: 5 Dog Food Myths and the Truth Behind Them appeared first on Playtime Paws.
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” - Benjamin Franklin The best way to stop your dog from jumping up on people is not to allow him from to do it from day one. The best way to stop your dog from sleeping on the bed with you is to teach him to sleep […]
The post YNP #016: Stop Behaviors Before They Start! How Thinking Ahead Can Make Training Easier. appeared first on Playtime Paws.
Welcome to Part Two of the two-part series on helping you find the right dog care for you. In part one (Episode #14) I talked all about facilities. In this episode I talk about Pet Sitters.Who will take care of your dog when you can’t is a very common concern for most dog owners. With […]
The post YNP #015: How to Choose the Right Dog Care – Part Two Pet Sitters appeared first on Playtime Paws.
Welcome to Part One in two-part series on helping you find the right dog care for you.Who will take care of your dog when you can’t is a very common concern for most dog owners. With good reason. There is a high level of trust that has to happen for you to feel comfortable to […]
The post YNP #014: How to Choose the Right Dog Care – Part One Facilities appeared first on Playtime Paws.
Both a dog park and a dog daycare are a place for your dog to get lots of exercise while playing with his friends. Beyond that the experience is quite different. Where a dog park is free, daycares cost money. You get to stay and interact and play with the other dogs and people at a […]
The post YNP #013: Dog Park vs. Dog Daycare appeared first on Playtime Paws.
You don’t have to be a dog person to know about basic obedience. It’s usually the first thing you think of when someone says “training a dog”. It is popular for very good reasons. I could list a hundred reasons for you and your dog to go through some kind of obedience training. In this episode, I […]
The post YNP #012: The Most Important Part of Your Dog’s Obedience Training appeared first on Playtime Paws.
I find so many dog owners go right for their retractable leash. And I get it! I did the same thing when I got my first dog. Retractable leashes make so much sense in theory; make it short when I want to, give them freedom when I want to. It’s like 10 leashes in one!” […]
The post YNP #011: Reasons to Leave Your Retractable Leash at Home appeared first on Playtime Paws.
Potty training is a rite of passage for all puppy owners. It’s not the pretty part of owning a new puppy but it’s the one training none of us can ignore. Sometimes we forget that our dogs don’t come pre-programmed to go to the bathroom outside. This is a habit we have to teach them. The concept […]
The post YNP #010: Complete Guide to Potty Training Your Puppy appeared first on Playtime Paws.
Indoor pads (also called wee-wee pads or potty pads) have a purpose but house training should not be one of them. If you want to teach your puppy to go to the bathroom outside only, these pads can be detrimental to this training. Indoor pads are one of those products that seem like a great tool (and […]
The post YNP #009: Why Indoor Pads Should NOT be Used When House Training Your Puppy appeared first on Playtime Paws.
When your dog jumps on you, your family and your friends it can quickly turn into an annoying habit. Luckily there are a few things we can do to prevent or correct this behavior. Most of the time our dog jumps on us it is to get our attention. And if we are honest most of the […]
The post YNP #008: When your Dog Jumps: How to Prevent and Correct Jumping up on People appeared first on Playtime Paws.
I had a lot of fun recording our first Q&A episode! You asked some great questions that have influenced the topics of many episodes and now I want to answer some specific questions. In this episode, I answer three great questions sent in by listeners. Topics include:Multiple dog householdHanding a new young dog with older dogsThe difference […]
The post YNP #QA01: Questions and Answers appeared first on Playtime Paws.
Does your backyard look like someone has been digging for gold? Having a crater filled back yard is frustrating, not pretty and can even be dangerous. Why do dogs dig? Digging is one of those things that dogs just love to do. It’s right up there with barking and chewing and being with us. The most […]
The post YNP#007: Why Do Dogs Dig and What You Can Do About It appeared first on Playtime Paws.
What do we do when our dog steals our stuff? We all know the scene: it’s gotten a little too quiet so you go searching for the little fuzzball that was just at your feet. You turn the corner and there he is, chomping happily away on the book you were reading earlier, or maybe it’s […]
The post YNP #006: My Dog Steals my Stuff!! How to Protect your Dog and Your Things. appeared first on Playtime Paws.
When we think of crate training, we usually think of potty training our puppy. It makes sense because these two things go hand and hand. Using a crate is the best and most efficient way to potty train our dogs. In this episode, I want to convince you that crate training goes way beyond potty […]
The post YNP #005: Crate Training: How (and Why) to Make Their Crate Your Dog’s Best Friend appeared first on Playtime Paws.
In today's episode, we're going to talk about your recall command; most commonly known as “come”. I'm not going to be talk about teaching your dog the actual command. What I am going to talk about is building a few everyday habits so when it comes time to teach your dog the command, it's going to be […]
The post YNP #004: 3 Things You Can Do Now to Teach Your Dog to Come Every Time You Call. appeared first on Playtime Paws.
Free Feeding is when your dog's bowl is always filled with food allowing them to choose when to eat. When you have a dog that likes does to graze leaving their food out all the time can be a convenient. On the surface it seems harmless but what we don't realize is that it can […]
The post YNP #003: What is Free Feeding and Why You Shouldn’t Do It. appeared first on Playtime Paws.
Once you have decided that you are ready for a dog (if you haven’t check out episode 1) it’s time to figure out which dog is right for you. During this episode, I talk about 10 different traits to think about to help you decide what type of dog will best fit into your life. While I […]
The post YNP #002: Which Type of Dog is Right for You? appeared first on Playtime Paws.
Want a new dog? Not sure if you are ready? Getting a new dog is a big decision and a long term commitment. Getting a dog isn’t something you can decide overnight, so we are here to help you figure it out! This episode walks you through 5 questions to ask yourself to see if you […]
The post YNP #001: Are You Ready for a New Dog? 5 Questions to Help you Decide. appeared first on Playtime Paws.
Welcome to Your New Puppy’s Podcast!! Getting a new puppy (or dog) is exciting and fun but it can also be very overwhelming. No one gets a good dog by accident. It takes time and energy to get the well-behaved dog we all dream of when we decided to bring home our new four-legged family […]
The post YNP #000: Who I Am and What Your New Puppy Podcast is About appeared first on Playtime Paws.
