Category Archives: Dog Training

Dog training articles

Littermate Syndrome: The risky downside to raising sibling puppies

Posted on July 18, 2013 by

[Please note that an update of this article was published in the Winter 2014 issue of Bark Magazine.] By Jeff Stallings, CPDT-KA Upon reading Patricia Leslie’s email, I knew I’d be replying with disappointing news. “We were planning to adopt … Continue reading →

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My article in the July issue of Bay Woof: Your Dog Needs a Job

Posted on July 1, 2013 by

Most evenings as we settle down to read or watch TV, Jim or I give Otis something to chew. She has many favorites from what I call the “carnage aisle” of the pet store, such as beef kneecaps, bully sticks, … Continue reading →

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Nature vs. Nurture: Dog breeds, temperament and training

Posted on June 5, 2013 by

By Jeff Stallings Recently, an exasperated dog owner contacted me about her out-of-control, “aggressive” Labrador retriever. She was trying to understand why her 2-year-old dog actively challenges other dogs, men and children with growls, snaps and threatening postures. During our … Continue reading →

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Treat/Retreat: a strategy for introducing your reactive dog to houseguests

Posted on April 15, 2013 by

By Jeff Stallings Folks sometimes hire me to help with dogs who feel threatened or frightened by strangers entering their homes. These dogs bark, growl, snap or otherwise display signs of fear-based aggression on encountering new people. Owners sometimes attempt … Continue reading →

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Clicker Training: Better, Faster, More

Posted on February 21, 2013 by

By Jeff Stallings My favorite dog training story of recent vintage concerns three shelter dogs being taught to drive a car.  That’s right, the New Zealand SPCA undertook canine drivers ed to demonstrate that rescue dogs are smart, trainable and … Continue reading →

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Poor, poor Pepe: Old-school housebreaking and why it often backfired

Posted on January 31, 2013 by

By Jeff Stallings This post starts with a sad tale from my childhood in the suburbs of Atlanta with my family adopting a miniature poodle puppy we called Pepe, and ends with Pepe on the lam and ending up who-knows-where. … Continue reading →

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Don’t leave me this way: A primer on canine separation anxiety

Posted on January 11, 2013 by

By Jeff Stallings More than half of my clients bring dogs into their lives from shelters or other situations in which the dog’s history is unclear.  And a fairly large percentage of those have some sort of behavioral issue, such … Continue reading →

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Otis gets her bona fides: The Canine Good Citizen test

Posted on December 16, 2012 by

Last Friday my dog Otis aced her AKC Canine Good Citizen test at the Berkeley East Bay Humane Society. While her passing was in my mind never in doubt, it does feel good to have Otis recognized for her obedience … Continue reading →

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Why it’s better to socialize a young pup than to wait for all vaccines

Posted on October 8, 2012 by

By Jeff Stallings I realize that many of my blog posts concern puppy socialization. This is in part because so many of the problem behaviors I am hired to address could have been avoided or mitigated had a rich socialization … Continue reading →

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How socialization works: Dogs (and only dogs) can truly bond to multiple species

Posted on July 22, 2012 by

By Jeff Stallings My favorite behavior book of the past year or so is John Bradshaw’s “Dog Sense: How the New Science of Dog Behavior Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet”. I recommend this book to anyone … Continue reading →

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