Blame it on age, diet, stress, whatever… I started getting acid reflux recently. For those of you that don’t know, let this humble Long Beach dog trainer tell you what this hell is like… It feels like I vomit pure stomach acid. As a matter of fact, I think medically speaking, that’s exactly what happened. It came up into my… Read more →
Author: TheDrivenDog
The Death Of Dog Training
By Adrienne Mesko I went to Home Depot yesterday to pick up some stuff for the house. I have been doing a ton of work these days in stores like Home Depot and Tractor Supply, they are gracious enough to let well behaved dogs in. I’m training pet dogs, so these kind of stores provide excellent training challenges for… Read more →
Just Say No.
This post is inspired by my sister, who recently moved out here to LA for grad school. Just prior to her move out here, someone dumped a 7 month old malinois at my shop, Whiskers N’ Tails. She was never socialized, skittish and overall distrusting of everyone, and no one could blame her. Add your typical malinois breed characteristics on… Read more →
Muzzle is not a bad word.
Seriously, it’s not. It’s not just bad dogs that wear them, and it’s not just bad dogs that should be trained to wear a muzzle either. So when might a dog need to wear a muzzle? If your dog is stressed out and may do what dogs do, which is use their mouth and teeth to communicate. This could include:… Read more →
Driving with your dog, safely.
Five days ago, I got into a car accident with my dog. I travel frequently with at least one of my dogs with me, whether it’s to and from training, or just heading out to demo and schmooze and explore new neighborhoods. I almost never travel with any dogs loose in the car. I drive (drove) a 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander,… Read more →
You feed your dogs raw food?! Like, RAW raw??
Yep. I feed my dogs a raw diet. Yes, raw meat, with bones. Even for my 4lb teacup chihuahua. I know it’s not for everyone or every dog, but since switching to raw 4 years ago, I will never go back to dry processed kibble unless I absolutely have to. You mean, you cook for your dogs, right? No. Raw.… Read more →
Small dogs suck, am I right?!
So a few days ago I saw this link posted on Facebook, about the 3 most aggressive dog breeds, and how it may surprise me. Of course I clicked it, to find out if indeed I would be surprised. I really wasn’t surprised, at all. What a let down. (Also, if you aren’t already, follow The Driven Dog on Facebook,… Read more →
So here’s the thing about pit bulls. They really aren’t for everyone.
I know this is going to piss people off, but just hear me out. As a dog trainer and someone who has been in rescue for over 10 years; and got her start rehabbing pits, it’s frustrating to me when I see rescues and Facebook posts boasting about nanny dog stuff, and that every household should have a pit bull,… Read more →
What are the dangers of using choke and prong collars?
Recently, a friend posted a link to a PETA article of the same title, quoting the dangers of using a prong collar. Well, as a balanced trainer that uses all four quadrants and frequently uses both prong collars and e-collars on my own dogs and in training, I of course have an opinion. Really, the only thing that needs… Read more →
Southern Ohio Protection Sports PSA Trial
This past weekend, Moto and I went out to the Southern Ohio Protection Sports PSA Trial and had a ton of fun! So very proud of this dog. We trained for this in only 6 days with the help of amazing fellow trainers and friends. We could not have done it without their support! We earned our entry level PDC… Read more →