Confused by the myriad of options at the pet store when it comes to buying the right collar for your dog?  Here's a brief introduction and review of the common types of humane collars and harnesses on the market, how they work, and what they're best for.

Flat Collar

What is it?  A basic collar that goes around the neck of the dog.  They can be fastened with belt-style buckles or clips. What are they good for?  Simple and inexpensive.  Can be used to keep tags/ID on a dog in conjunction with harnesses or a head collar.  Flat collars are best used for small to large dogs that can loose leash walk reliably. What are the downsides?  Dogs that aren't trained to loose leash walk can choke themselves, causing stress to the eyes, neck, trachea, and even thyroid.  This is especially dangerous for flat faced dogs that can suffer from a prolapsed eyeball from the pressure.

Front Clip Harness (Sense-ation Harness, Easywalk Harness, Freedom Harness)

What is it?  A harness where the leash fastens to the chest.  The design of the harness discourages pulling. What are they good for?  All dogs!  But especially dogs that pull. What are the downsides?  Toy dogs, or short dogs will likely have their leash get caught between their legs frequently due to the attachment point.  Harnesses can be chewed and destroyed if left on while unattended.

Read about three other types by clicking Read More...

New Puppy Training:  Top 5 Tips

Hopefully you are reading this article BEFORE your new puppy arrives!  Puppyhood is a very brief period of a dog's life and getting it right from the start will save you a lot of heartache and headache down the road.  Here are our Top 5 Puppy Training Tips to help you out!

Click Read More to see the list:

Top 7 Misconceptions About Clicker Training (And Food-Based Training)

Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation about clicker training (and food-based training).  While many of our new students are excited and eager to finally have a clicker training school that isn't a two hour drive away from Downtown Toronto, some come to us a bit unsure or a bit on the fence - so if you are on the fence, this article is for you.  Here are the top 7 misconceptions about clicker training that we hear when we meet new students.

Myth 1.  I have to carry a clicker with me at all times or else the dog won't perform.

Truth:  Clickers are only used in the learning phase of a new behavior.  After a behavior is nearly fluent, it is no longer needed.

Myth 2.  If I train with food, I will need to have food with me at all times, forever, or else the dog won't perform.

Truth:  Lure-reward food-based training will create food dependency.  Lure-reward training is not the same as clicker training, even though some lure-reward trainers use clickers incorrectly.  Clicker trainers do not use food as a lure (or if they do, they use them extremely sparingly).  If you train properly, you will not need to show your dog a treat first before it performs, nor will you necessarily have to feed your dog every time it performs.  In fact, the opposite is true - if you continue to feed your dog for every correct response for too long, the dog won't perform reliably.  Clicker training actually requires you adopt what we call a variable schedule of reinforcement - in plain English, phasing out food.

Myth 3.  Dogs get fat being trained with food.

Truth:  Food rewards are prepared so small that they represent a relatively small percentage of total food intake per week.  Also, in low-distraction environments or for easy behaviors, a dog's regular meal can be used for training.  I've never met a clicker trained dog that was overweight - most are pretty svelte since they often compete in dog sports as their training progresses.  

Click Read More for Myths 4 through 7 

Keep Your Dog and Your Family Safe from Dog Bites

Did you know that in the US, 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs each year?  And, of those incidents, 77% of them are bites from the family pet (or a friend's pet), and 50% of bites occur on the owner's property?  This means that you are more likely to be bitten by your own family dog than someone elses!

The next important fact to know is that dog bites rarely happen "out of the blue, all of a sudden".  Most dogs exhibit a wide range of body language and signals to indicate they are uncomfortable with the situation.  The problem is, humans either do not understand or choose to ignore those clear communication signals.  The dog is forced to either tolerate, run away, or bite.

The first thing you should do is learn how to greet and interact with dogs appropriately.  The first rule is you should always ask the owner of the other dog if is it OK to say hello to them.  Not all dogs will tolerate a stranger giving them a rough head pet.  This is especially important to teach children.  Lili Chin. of www.doggiedrawings.net created this great illustration called "How Not To Greet A Dog":