No one ever expects it, but sometimes, even the sweetest, most gentle dog can bite. Maybe it was a quick nip, or something more serious. Either way, it’s a moment that can leave you feeling shocked, scared, and unsure of what to do next.

On the latest episode of The Family Pupz Podcast, we asked the Director of the Behavior & Training Department At The Marin Humane Society, the founder of Canine Behavior Associates, and the author of the critically-acclaimed book, Parenting Your Dog, Trish King, to the podcast, how she would deal with a dog that gets way too overexcited before going out on a walk (in a 4th floor walk up, no less!).

Today, we'll focus on the power of a “positive interrupter” vs a verbal correction with a firm “no” when our dogs are doing something we don't like such as chewing on furniture or digging in the backyard!

Leash reactivity (a.k.a dogs overreacting towards triggers while on leash) is one of the top 3 behavioral issues we get contacted for. In fact, our own dog, Zippo, has struggled with his emotional responses towards other dogs as well. This has allowed us to live the “leash reactive pet parent life” and learn so much from it. 

On one of our all-time favorite episodes of The Family Pupz Podcast, the owner and head trainer of From Dusk Till Dog, Erika Gonzalez, explains whether she thinks we need to exhibit dominant behavior towards our dog, in order to show him/her who's the "ALPHA", for fear that they might dominate us first.

For many people who want to train their dog using positive reinforcement methods, the idea of rewarding your dog for behaviors you want to see persist makes absolute and total sense.

For example, you ask your dog to sit, and if he sits, you reward him with a treat in the hopes that he'll reliably sit when you ask him to do so again in the future. But for many, at least conceptually, it's harder to understand how to reward your dog for behaviors you want to see go away, like jumping, biting, and of course, barking.

Imagine for a moment that you are casually walking down the street with your spouse, and all of a sudden, you catch a glimpse of your favorite celebrity (i.e. Beyoncé or Brad Pitt), and you literally CANNOT believe your eyes.

Almost immediately, you start sweating uncontrollably in your state of discombobulated excitement (“is it hot in here, or is it me?!”).

Meanwhile, your spouse, who is completely oblivious to your mini freakout, casually asks you where you would like to go for lunch.

With so many choices of dog food available on the market, it can feel impossible to decide which is best for your prized pooch.  But, we’re here to help you understand the world of grain-free dog food; our comprehensive guide will help you to make an informed decision on what to feed your pup.

On the latest episode of The Family Pupz Podcast, we asked the owner and head trainer of Sit Pretty Behavior & Training, Vanessa Charbonneau, tells us why she thinks the term "Reactive Dog" is a misnomer.

On the latest episode of The Family Pupz Podcast, we asked the owner and head trainer of Sit Pretty Behavior & Training, Vanessa Charbonneau, explains what "Trigger Stacking" is, and how it relates to reactive behaviors in dogs.

On the latest episode of The Family Pupz Podcast, we asked the owner and head trainer of Sit Pretty Behavior & Training, Vanessa Charbonneau, what her training protocol would be to train a dog that exhibits reactive behaviors inside the car towards strangers outside of it.

On the latest episode of The Family Pupz Podcast, we asked the founder of Positive Partners Dog Training LLC, Brianne Harris, what she would recommend to a client who is expecting a large gathering of friends and family, and has a dog that has a bad habit of "Demand Barking" at the dinner table.

When you’re managing and training your dog to reduce their “demand barking”, there will come a time when their “demand barking” will escalate, and the dog parent will believe that all of their efforts were for naught.

But this precise moment is when you know your hard work is paying off, as this rapid escalation of barking is called an “extinction burst”.

For some people, instead of trying to ignore their dog's barking, they'll do the opposite, and try to intimidate their dog, either by raising their voice, using a spray bottle, or god forbid, a can of pennies, to get them to stop.

And in their mind, they may think, "I don't like doing this, but this situation sucks, and at least I'm not causing physical pain to my dog.”

On the latest episode of The Family Pupz Podcast, we asked the founder of Positive Partners Dog Training LLC, Brianne Harris, what the most common piece of advice she hears people using that inadvertently INCREASES demand barking, and makes the training process LONGER, as a result.

Without a doubt, her answer was, "ignoring the barking".

Simply put, in order to stop an undesirable behavior, and create long-lasting positive behavior change, we need to change how the dog feels about the thing in the environment and then teach the dog a different set of skills/behaviors that the dog can perform around their trigger.

For some clients brand new to dog training, a phrase I hear quite often is, “Well, of course he’s doing what you’re asking him to do. You’re giving him treats!”

I always find this phrase so interesting, because it very quickly indicates to me how these clients view their dog, and behavior, in general.

Specifically, whenever I hear a client say a phrase like this, the thing that is not said, but is something that I hear loud and clear is:

“I want my dog to just do WHAT I WANT, WHEN I WANT IT, and he should JUST WANT TO do it.”

Do you remember when you were a kid and had a scary dream during the middle of the night?

If so, and if you were anything like me, didn’t you immediately head straight to your parents’ room so that you could jump safely under the covers with them until you fell back asleep?

Dear Family Pupz,

This has happened a couple times now, so I need to figure out how to deal with it. I have a 1 year old Aussiedoodle, and he was fully housetrained when I got him.

We have a fair number of male and female visitors to our apartment, and he get excited but has never had any accidents.

However, EVERY TIME my sister comes over, my dog has urinated in the house pretty soon after she comes inside. He's not lifting his leg like he's marking, but actually squatting like he does when he just has to pee.

Dear Family Pupz,

One of the most frustrating things about being Roxie’s (a French Bulldog) mom is that she always runs away from me the minute I pick up her leash when it’s time to give her a walk.

It’s gotten to the point where my boyfriend and I have to go chase/hunt her down together to even have a chance of getting her harness and leash on her for a walk.