Archive for October, 2008

by Lindsay Stordahl on October 31st, 2008
5 Comments »
…………………………………………………………………….. Look what the Sew Crazy Dog Lady made me! I really didn’t think it would be so hard to find someone to make custom leashes with a web site and logo. I had someone in my town embroider a few collars, but the cost was too unreason ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on October 30th, 2008
8 Comments »
Note: This is a guest post from Apryl DeLancey who writes the blog Women Like Sports. Don ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on October 29th, 2008
9 Comments »
One of the most important things to teach a dog is to stay. But there’s more to it than that. Teaching a dog to sit and stay is one thing, but if she can learn to lie down and relax for long periods of time, even better. There is a big difference. A dog that reliably lies down, stays and relaxes when told is a dog that is under control, calm and nonthreatening. She is safe because she is focused and will pay at ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on October 28th, 2008
12 Comments »
If dog owners are opinionated on one thing, it’s collars. Here’s your chance to voice your opinion on why you should or should not use a certain collar. I’ll go first: The two collars I recommend are the Halti and the pinch collar. Every dog is different, and there is no collar best for all dogs. But for the average medium or large dog, the best training collar is the pinch collar. With a quick leas ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on October 27th, 2008
11 Comments »
No two dogs are alike. I spent the weekend with five dogs all in one house – my parents’ golden and springer, my grandpa and uncle’s two cairns and my mutt. And don’t forget about the cat, always a good sport. Five dogs in one house is pretty common for my family, but it’s too chaotic for me to want that many dogs of my own. I admire those of you who do it (you know who you are … C ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on October 25th, 2008
2 Comments »
…………………………………………………………………….. I adjusted my blog schedule by moving breed profiles to Sundays, leaving Wednesday open for posts on dog training and behavior or other issues. The schedule will look something like this: Mondays: Dog behavior, training or other issue ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on October 23rd, 2008
7 Comments »
…………………………………………………………………….. Lately I’ve been trying not to depend on training collars while walking my mutt Ace. I walked him on a flat collar all week, focusing on my energy, my voice and treats to get him to do what I want. And even though we’ve wa ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on October 22nd, 2008
7 Comments »
One thing I often hear when someone meets my dog (not pictured) is “What kind is he?” “I don’t know, he’s a mutt.” Then, a common response is: “Aww, he’s a rescue. That’s so great of you.” I’m glad when people support adopting shelter mutts, but just because my dog is a mutt does not mean he was “rescued.” It does not mean he was abused. It ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on October 21st, 2008
6 Comments »
…………………………………………………………………….. I am always working on something with my dog. Every day he does something and I think, I wish he wouldn’t do that! But it’s easier to say “I wish my dog would do that” than it is to say “I am teaching my ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on October 20th, 2008
8 Comments »
One of the biggest mistakes I can make with my dog is expecting too much too quickly. Although I have high expectations for Ace, I still take things in small steps so success is easier. When I adopted Ace, he was a year old and did not know a single command. I’m not even sure if he knew his name. I have a hard time controlling or tolerating a dog that can’t follow basic commands such as sit, down and stay ...