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Seeking Free Dog Advice? Look No Further

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Top Dog Websites Every Pet Owner Should Visit

Dog Websites
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Sharing your home with a dog or puppy is challenging, especially during the beginning stages. Plus, pet owners really want the very best for their dogs, and knowingly seek advice pertaining to dog training tips, latest health information, and cool new dog games and toys too. The Internet is jam-packed with information, making it difficult to find credible dog websites that provide advice based on facts and research instead of opinions and hearsay. If you’re looking for free advice about dogs, you’ll love these dog websites! Either sign up for their free newsletters or browse their websites. These experts are the real deal!

Dog Health & Nutrition Website

Health and nutrition topics are rapidly evolving within the pet industry. It’s the new trend lately. Dog nutrition is an important part of good health, so it makes sense to pair them together. When a topic becomes popular though, false statements and misinterpretations spread like wildfire. To find the latest health and nutrition information for your dog, subscribe to Monica Segal’s monthly newsletter. If managing your email inbox is a chore, you can visit Monica’s site and browse through several years of extremely important information.

Monica Segal is certified in animal health, which includes nutrition, and works with numerous veterinarian nutritionists on difficult cases. Many dog owners seek Monica’s help with nutrition when their dogs become sick either with cancer or a chronic disease. She’s had numerous success stories, and she’s an invaluable source for understanding and selecting the best supplements for your dog.

If you want to tweak your dog’s diet a bit, would like to feed your dog a raw or cooked diet, are looking for the best supplements, or just want to learn more about dog health and nutrition, then this dog website is for you!

Dog Training Website

Every dog should learn polite behaviors because they’re not born with an instruction guide. 🙂 With that in mind, it’s very common for pet owners to seek dog advice online. The Internet is packed with dog training opinions, but several can harm the relationship between pet owner and dog. Unfortunately, anyone can call himself a dog trainer and start a blog. There are no regulations within the dog training field.

When searching for dog training tips, it’s best to find sources written by professional dog trainers. How do you find them? Seek dog websites whose writers are certified. Those who actively seek out and earn national dog training certifications as well as complete yearly continuing education to maintain them are the ones you should trust.

One of the best dog websites for dog training tips is right here at Dog Training Nation (DTN). Fanna Easter has earned multiple, not just one, nationally recognized dog training and behavior certifications. Plus, Fanna started and runs her own dog training business in a large metroplex working with reactive dogs every day. DTN offers solid advice based on 20-plus years of experience and science. Our articles explain why certain dog behavior happens, how to positively change behavior and when to reach out to a certified dog trainer.

Dog Food Website

Whole Dog Journal (WDJ) is an amazing resource on just about everything pertaining to your dog, especially dog food. This grassroots magazine provides an infamous annual list of the best dog foods available within the US. WDJ folks are very particular and have strict expectations and standards when reviewing dog food. These experts review all types of dog food, such as dry kibble, canned food and treats.

An added bonus is this magazine is ad-free, meaning the editors aren’t swayed by money from large pet industry companies. All funds come from subscriptions. Honestly, this reason alone is worth subscribing to the magazine. If money is tight, subscribe to their free newsletter, which also offers monthly tips about products, nutrition and training advice.

Fun Dog Website

Daily mental stimulation is just as important as physical exercise. It keeps your dog’s brain busy and fulfilled. Food stuffed toys are an amazing mental stimulation tool. While it’s highly recommended to feed all meals using food puzzles and toys, stuffing daily snacks into these toys are a great idea too. Kong not only makes tough food puzzles and toys, but they also offer a free newsletter that provides different food stuffing recipes and tips on using their products.

Your dog will thank you for subscribing, reading and implementing advice from experts!

Leash Corrections & Leash Pops Don’t Work

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Dog Training: The Problem With Leash Corrections

Leash Corrections Don't Work
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Punishment is an extremely controversial subject, and highly debated between parents, grandparents and even dog trainers. Most pro or con debaters quickly take a position and fiercely argue why it’s the only option available. But I don’t think anyone really hears each other between the name-calling, finger-pointing, flaming social media posts and so on.

While I’m not a parenting expert, I’m certainly an expert in dog training. With that said, I’d like to explain why leash corrections are an issue. Leash corrections are when you pull on your dog’s leash to get him to do something. They’re also called leash pops.

Before firmly digging in and protesting, please take a moment to understand why leash corrections are bad. Seeing both sides makes for a well-rounded person. Allow me to explain why and show research proving leash pops do more harm than good.

Leash Corrections Don’t Teach Dogs Anything

When correcting your dog with a leash pop, you’re not really teaching your dog anything. Many years ago, I worked for a huge pet retailer where an older and very wise District Manager leader once said, “Anyone can tell someone what he or she did wrong, but a great leader teaches him or her what to do instead.”

That resonated with me on another level. I understood those principles from a dog training perspective, but to watch a proven leader teach his team how to excel in every situation using his motto was extremely powerful.

Physical or verbal corrections will destroy your relationship with your dog. I’ve personally witnessed how leash corrections ruined the bond between dog and owner many times. Pet owners swear their dogs “appreciate fair corrections because they’re done with love.” Yet, their dogs’ body language would say otherwise.

Punishing is more rewarding to the punisher than the punished. That statement probably stings, but it’s true—even Dr. Phil agrees.

It’s Not Your Dog’s Fault

Pet owners become frustrated with their dogs, and then take their frustrations out on their dogs. Anything and everything that goes wrong during the learning process is blamed on the dog. In my 20-plus-years of dog training, I’ve only witnessed one pet owner take responsibility. Another invaluable quote I learned the hard way will always stay with me is: “As a teacher, it’s our job to teach a learner. If the learner is confused, the teacher did something wrong.”

A Valuable Lesson From Training My Fish Dribble

While completing a 6-month-long national dog training certification program, I had to train a non-canine species to perform certain tasks. Teaching a fish to perform tasks was super exciting and really challenged my animal training skills. Here’s a tiny gilled animal floating around in water that couldn’t care less what I did or didn’t do. This quote stays near my heart because it’s true: When Dribble (my blue betta) became confused, it was my job to figure out a better way.

When dogs (fish or humans) become confused, they either stop moving, choose to do something else or leave. If your dog doesn’t respond to a cue, he’s either confused or wasn’t trained to do otherwise. The learner is right, my dear reader. 🙂 As a pet owner, it’s your job to teach your dog how to co-exist politely with humans.

As for Dribble, he learned quickly and so did I! Plus, he lived a long and happy life and performed his learned behaviors every day. 🙂

Why Punishment is a Slippery Slope

Now, back to leash corrections. Most pet owners justify their uses of leash pops, or punishment, with the following reasons:

  • “My dog stopped listening to me.”
  • “He knows better.”
  • “She knows what I’m asking her to do.”

All three reasons boil down to: “My dog embarrassed me, so I corrected him.” Or “I had to chase you for 10 minutes, and I’m going to punish you because I’m frustrated” or even “How dare you do that to me?”

These are also the same reasons why dog owners scream “no” at a dog. And if you disagree, you’re not being completely honest with yourself. Are you happy when giving your dog leash pops? 99.9% of pet owners punish their dogs when disappointed. Leash corrections are used to indicate “wrong choice,” but we all know the “no” command is meaningless.

Take Responsibility

I’m aware that life isn’t filled with rainbows, unicorns and sunshine all the time. Though, I do know how we react to life is most important. Yes, your dog will chew a hole straight through your mattress, hike his leg and pee on your leg during an important presentation, and knock you down so hard that both shoes fall off (all true stories), but how you react is key.

Next time you become frustrated during a dog training session or in any other scenario, take a moment to breathe deeply. Excuse yourself or hand your leash over to a friend, walk away, and compose yourself. Once you calm down, it’s your duty to figure out a better way to teach your dog that doesn’t involve punishment. That’s what all great teachers do.

If your dog misbehaves, use that opportunity to reteach a behavior and practice it in the situation that caused your dog to run off, ignore your cue, jump up on someone or dash through the door. Don’t punish. Teach your dog what is expected of him in that situation instead. 

This is More Than Just My Opinion

Many naysayers will claim this is just my opinion. While that’s true to a certain extent, I’ve based my opinion on scientific learning principles that have been proven time and time again. Shoot, these are the same principles Dr. Phil uses with children and adults. These learning principles work for humans, dogs, cats, tigers, dolphins and even snails. We all learn the same way, and saying punishment must be used with certain breeds of dogs is completely ridiculous. And dare I say, a bit disrespectful too. All humans are taught the same, so why are we breed discriminating?

Times have changed and research has finally caught up with dog training. It’s time to embrace dog training methods that work instead of listening to or reading outdated material. Your dog deserves it. 🙂

Why You Shouldn’t Teach Your Dog the “No” Command

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The “No” Command is Meaningless

Teach Dog No
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Honestly, some dogs have learned “no” is their name. It’s true, as a dog trainer, I’ve watched pet owners say “no, No, NO” over and over again to their dogs. Sometimes, the “no” command makes up the entire interaction between pet owners and their dogs. Not only is this puzzling and depressing, but it also doesn’t work.

Dogs learn to tune out unimportant information and the “no” command soon becomes background noise. So, let’s look at this word differently and see if “no” even teaches your dog anything. The answer just might surprise you.

What Does the “No” Command Mean?

Seriously, what does “no” mean? It could mean:

  • Stop that
  • Don’t move
  • Stay there
  • Don’t look at me
  • Don’t walk toward me
  • Stop touching me
  • Stop licking
  • Stop jumping
  • Don’t run away
  • Don’t dig
  • Stop barking
  • Wrong
  • Stop pulling

“No” has multiple meanings, so when telling your dog “no,” what are you asking your dog to do? It gets confusing, especially for the dog. Basically, telling a dog to stop doing something is the most common reason pet owners say “no.” Here’s the tricky part though: if your dog stops doing a behavior (i.e. barking, jumping, pulling, or growling), what do you want your dog to do instead? Before you answer, let’s visit this scenario from a human perspective.

Let’s say you and your husband go out to dinner. As you’re driving down the road, you notice that your husband is speeding. The moment you notice he’s speeding, you tell her “no.” In this situation, what are you asking her to do? “No” could mean take your hands off the wheel, close your eyes, turn around, look at you, stop the car or go faster. The word “no” provides little information. Instead, say “please slow down” and your husband will lift his foot off the accelerator.

Does “N0” Teach Your Dog Anything?

It really doesn’t. Instead of saying “no,” teach your dog an alternative behavior. When teaching your dog an alternative behavior, you’re rewarding a behavior that’s opposite of what you’re asking your dog to stop doing. This may sound complicated, but it’s actually quite easy and works quickly. Basically, you’re asking your dog to do this instead of that. Check out these examples:

  • If your dog is jumping on guests, ask your dog to “sit” instead.
  • When a dog barks, reward her for being quiet.
  • If your dog potties inside your home, reward her when she potties outside.
  • When your dog pulls on leash, reward a loose leash.
  • If your dog moves around while brushing, reward your dog when she stands still.
  • If your dog runs away from you, reward your dog for running toward you.
  • If your dog tries to eat food on the ground, teach the “leave it” cue and reward when she “leaves it.”
  • If your dog has something in her mouth, teach “trade game.”

Believe it or not, teaching and rewarding an alternative behavior works every time! Instead of focusing on what your dog did wrong, figure out what your dog should do instead. Here’s a huge hint: choose the opposite behavior. It’s really hard for a dog to jump and sit at the same time. 🙂

Should You Teach Your Dog the “No” Command?

No, you shouldn’t. Remember the word “no” is meaningless. Instead, teach your dog what to do instead. When I explain this “no” concept, most pet owners ask, “Well, what should I say when my dog is running toward a busy road?” My response to that is: “Teach your dog a rocket recall, and say “Rover, come here” when this happens. Then, reward your dog thoroughly with treats and tons of praise.” Screaming “no” won’t stop your dog from running away. I wish it were that simple.

Beware of dog trainers and websites claiming that dogs must learn the “no” command. Remember, “no” could mean anything. Plus, “no” means nothing during the learning process. If you were learning a foreign language, such as French, and I said “no” when you spoke French, what am I teaching you? Not to speak French, it would seem. But, if I asked you to pronounce a French word differently, that would help you learn quicker and faster. It’s the same with dogs, horses, snails, fish and even children. Teach an alternative behavior instead of saying “no.”

Teaching an alternative behavior may seem a bit different, but it’s the best way to stop unwanted dog behavior. Before saying “no,” figure out what your dog should do instead. Remember, teach your dog to do this instead of that!

Celebrate Your Dog’s Birthday With A Cake

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4 Dog Birthday Cake Ideas Your Dog Will Love

Dog Birthday Cake Ideas
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Dogs are fuzzy members of our families, so it’s important to celebrate their birthdays or “gotcha” days. And what’s a birthday without a cake, right? Regardless of your dog’s dietary needs, there’s a birthday cake for every dog—even a raw food version. Check out these yummy and tummy-friendly dog birthday cake ideas. By the way, my dogs love the meatloaf cake with mashed potato frosting the most!

Take your dog birthday cake decorations to the next level and be creative! Line dog biscuits around your dog’s cake, top with fresh fruit (no grapes or raisins please!), or mix and match different frostings. Human frostings are loaded with harmful stuff, so choose real foods, such as softened cream cheese or pumpkin instead. Use a bully stick as a candle to add a bit of pizazz. Either way, your dog will love his doggie birthday cake.

1. Meatloaf Cake With Mashed Potato Frosting

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup uncooked oatmeal
  • 6 potatoes

If your dog is allergic to beef, you can use ground chicken, turkey or lamb. Stir in egg and uncooked oatmeal in ground beef. Then, pat mixture into an ungreased loaf pan. If your dog is unable to tolerate grain, omit oatmeal and add another egg to the mixture. Bake for 30 minutes.

While the meatloaf is baking, peel and boil potatoes. Cook until potatoes are soft. Drain potatoes and mash with a potato masher or blender. Once meatloaf is cooked and has cooled completely, remove loaf from pan and frost with mashed potatoes.

2. Raw Ground Chicken With Pulped Apple Frosting

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 1 cup apples (peeled and seeded)
  • 10-15 blueberries (optional)

Pour raw ground chicken into a loaf pan or large bowl, and cover the top with pulped apples. When serving, spoon mixture into your dog’s bowl or plate. Dot blueberries on top of the apple frosting for a pop of color. Keep chilled, as this is raw food. 🙂

RELATED: Summertime Dog Food Recipes for Interactive Toys

3. Restricted Diet Dog Birthday Cake

Some dogs are restricted to prescription diets, but they can certainly still have a dog birthday cake.

Ingredients

  • Canned food varieties of your dog’s prescription food
  • Prescription dog food biscuits

Mold canned prescription food into a loaf. Use prescription dog biscuits as toppers. When serving, just scoop the loaf into your dog’s bowl. I’m pretty sure your dog will absolutely love it!

4. Store Bought Birthday Cake Options

If creativity is not your forte, purchase a dog birthday cake at your local dog bakery. We did this several years ago, and my dog’s cake looked much better than any of my previous dog birthday cakes! Search for local dog bakeries online, and do know, they usually need at least 2-3 days to bake and decorate your dog’s cake.

Happy birthday from Dog Training Nation! We hope your dog absolutely loves these recipes!

How to Teach Your Dog to Release the Tug Toy

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Teaching Your Dog to Release a Toy During Play

How to Teach a Dog to Drop a Toy
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When playing tug with your dog, sometimes your dog just doesn’t want to let go of the toy. It’s very common because tug is super fun! It’s important to know that your dog is refusing to let go of the toy because releasing it means the game is over. It’s that simple. Check out these dog training tips for teaching your dog to release a toy.

Step 1) Keep Tug Toy Still

Dogs tug on toys because it’s fun and you’re tugging back. When you wave, toss or tug on a toy with your dog, it’s a super fun game. When you stop moving the toy, this should tell your dog to release the toy. When the toy stops moving, it’s no longer fun for your dog. Here’s how to teach a “release” behavior.

  1. Start playing tug with your dog for 1-2 minutes.
  2. Hold the toy completely still and wait for your dog to release the toy. In the beginning, this may take a few seconds or even a full minute, but it will happen.
  3. Patience is key here. Continue to hold the toy still even as your dog pulls and bites at the toy.

WATCH: Teach Your Dog the Tug Game

Step 2) Teach Your Dog That Release Means Another Game

The moment your dog lets go of the toy (removes mouth from toy), start moving the toy around to play another game of tug. Your dog will learn that releasing the toy makes another tug game happen. Let’s try it again.

Pull, tug and shake the toy around for a couple of minutes with your dog, then stop moving the toy again. You’ll likely notice your dog releasing the toy a bit quicker this time because he’s learning that stillness means to “release.” The moment your dog releases the toy, make the game start again.

When teaching the release behavior with a toy, there’s no need for a verbal cue. Your dog will learn that stillness is the signal to release the toy. Omitting a verbal cue works quicker because most verbal cues are used too early or too late, which confuses the dog. Toy movement means the game is on! When you stop moving the toy, it means your dog should release the toy.

Game Over

We all wish fun games would continue forever, but it’s not realistic. When it’s time to end a game of tug for the day, just stop moving the toy. When your dog releases the toy, say “all done” while tossing several treats in the opposite direction of the toy. When your dog runs over to eat his treats, put the tug toy away.

Good luck, and let me know how it goes!

You may also like: Laser Pointer Games are Bad for Dogs

Dog Training Nation is a dog training blog for pet owners and dog lovers. We cover a range of topics from puppy socialization tips to dog aggression to dog health. It is our hope you share our content to make the world a better place for dogs.

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