Dogcharmer: A traumatic search
Dear Dogcharmer,
I would love to hear about a K-9 search and rescue experience.
Arnold
Dear Arnold,
My wife often tells me to relate this story, because of the role she played in this one. It was late...
Dogcharmer: Barking Bessie
Dear Dogcharmer,
When we have visitors over, Bessie, our Aussie, barks incessantly, and follows them barking if they move about. She's not aggressive, but nonetheless her constant barking makes it virtually impossible to have company...
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 with other dogs. How would you suggest we introduce them?
Judy
Dear...
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 of our conversation. "Is it OK to teach my dogs...
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. (She uses her teeth when she kisses.) She’s also ripped...
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 getting him socialized, and taking him into town for walks....
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 puppy, Baxter, a male bassett-beagle mix, with our existing 4-year-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 with kids. However, he is anxious, and at times aggressive...
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 SAR (search and rescue) for many years. She has a...
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 about the loving care humans can provide. Penny didn’t know...
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 from a calm dog in the house to a bouncing,...
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. We drove to New Hampshire to get her from her...
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, then eventually, energy depleted, walks back with us. Lately, regardless...
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 eat the 2-year-old cat and 16-year-old bichon frisé?
Melisa
Dear Melisa,
Let's start...
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 looking/waiting for something to eat. Otherwise, he's happy to lay...
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 should not only remind myself of what to do when...
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 your 70s, go slow, in your 80s, no go." Well,...
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 play outside, but I can’t trust him. He takes off...
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 we are here alone, but when guests come, he becomes...
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, he can be quite anxious, chewing up clothes, shoes, and...