Tom Shelby
Dogcharmer: Meeting the cousins
Trainer Tom,
Our female 4-month-old puppy toy poodle, Cutie, is soon to meet our daughter's 4-year-old male Doberman, named Spoiler. My daughter says he's friendly...
Dogcharmer: Tricks and costumes?
To my readers,
When people find out I'm a dog trainer, many of them will invariably throw in a couple of questions in the course...
Dogcharmer: Kisses don’t cause bleeding
Dear Dogcharmer,
Mona is our 3-year-old Boston terrier, and jumps on people to try to kiss them, which often results in them getting slightly nipped....
Dogcharmer: Cosmo in the car
Dear Tom,
I have a question for you regarding my dog, Cosmo. He is a 1½ year old German shepherd. I have been working on...
Dogcharmer: New pup in an old pack
Dear Tom,
Jeanette and I were hoping that you could help us. We are very much in need of assistance in integrating our new 5-month-old...
Dogcharmer: Anxious and aggressive?
Dear Tom,
Our sweet furry family member, Bruno, is a 6-year-old French bulldog. He is a loving and beloved member of our family, and great...
Dogcharmer: The nose knows
Dear Readers,
I was at a dinner the other night, and one of the guests evidently heard that I'm a dog trainer, and did K-9...
Dogcharmer: No touching?
Hello Tom,
Here is a question from my mother’s dog, Penny. Penny was retired from having puppies in August 2021, and seemed to knew nothing...
Dogcharmer: Two problems, two approaches
Hello, Tom,
My name is Moose. I am a toy fox terrier/French bulldog mix. I will be turning 6 years old this year. I go...
Dogcharmer: Skittish newcomer
Dear Tom,
We have just last week brought a new dog into our family. She is now our adorable Phoebe, a 5-year-old American cocker spaniel....
Dogcharmer: Tucker’s not done
Dear Tom,
We take our 11-year-old Labradoodle, Tucker, on daily off-leash walks through the woods. He gambols off, runs back periodically to check on us,...
Dogcharmer: Resource guarding
Hi Tom,
My daughter needs to be able to recall Ludwig when he gets out the door. Also, how do we get Ludwig not to...
Dogcharmer: Get those extra ZZZs
Dear Tom,
I have an 11-year-old Papillon mix that I adopted when he was 9. Jack is very food-motivated, and spends most of his time...
Dogcharmer: Not taking my own advice, Part 2
Dear Readers, and me,
Having had Paula Jean, the easiest dog in the world to live with, for the past nine years, I feel I...
Dogcharmer: Not taking my own advice
Dear Dogcharmer Tom,
I recently heard a cute tip, or recommendation for older people when it came to travel: "In your 60s, go go, in...
Dogcharmer: Nicky the mini-pin
Tom,
I have a 16-year-old mini-pin who has to be on a leash at all times. It’s frustrating, because I would like to let him...
Dogcharmer: Duncan wants all the attention
Hi Tom,
When you look at these pictures, it's hard to believe that this dog can be so frustrating for me. He is good when...
Dogcharmer: Building ‘den instinct’
Hi Tom,
We’d love some help with our adorable Alaskan Klee Kai puppy (about 7 months old), Ace. He’s very sweet with our children. However,...
Dogcharmer: Moab gets the zoomies
Dear Tom,
We would like to ask you a couple of questions. Most importantly, my husband would like to know where the “off” or “pause”...
Dogcharmer: Summon the Dog God
Dear Readers,
The other day, while I was watching my 7-year-old grandson Jasper scoring goals in his soccer game, some guy came up to me...