On Not Being Trusted to Fight Off Tigers

When two dog owners get together, it doesn’t take them long to get to the point of all dog stories: poop. Every dog owner has a good poop story. Don’t they? I mean, it’s not just me, is it? Before we got John Henry, I tried to read up on dog behavior, dog training – …

On Dog Training Mistakes

When you become a dog owner, a whole world of previously unimagined delights are opened up to you. The thrill, for instance, of finally finding a trash container for the full bag of poop you've been carrying around in 100-degree heat. There should be a word for that simple but profound emotion. It had been …

On Training Jordan, Part 3

As soon as Jordan got into the training room, she immediately let us down. Under the watchful eye of a trainer we hadn't met before, first she lurched toward a skinny, nervous Alsatian mix, then toward a spaniel, then toward a table (she was on a roll at that point and didn't want to waste …

On Training Jordan, Part 2

Training a dog the modern way takes a lot of treats. You see, if you're not going to dominate your puppy into doing as they're told, as people did in the dark days of the too-recent past, then you have to bribe them with treats. And, at least at the beginning, Jordan needed a lot …

On Dog Training: the Basics

As this is the first dog I have ever had to train, I have made myself an instant expert by reading some of one book, watching YouTube videos, and one episode of the Dog Whisperer. The Reverend John Henry will not suffer other dogs barking in his home without joining in with all the force …