The holidays are here, and your dog is… well, over there… and moving fast! You’d love for your dog to hold their position for the perfect Christmas photo, or to simply not jump on Gramma when she comes through the door. Teaching a solid stay can be fun and quick! Let’s get started…but first a pro tip: Even puppies can hold a STAY if you keep close and give frequent treats! Don’t Go Anywhere! When teaching STAY, most people want to step away from their dog immediately, but teaching the dog to hold their position for a period of time before you step away will build the strongest STAY.  No ..read more

Imagine you are preparing for a leisurely walk with your four-legged friend, ready to enjoy the outdoors together. But as soon as you step outside, your pup’s excitement takes over, turning what should be a relaxing stroll into a tug-of-war. Comfortable dogs being walked with Y-shaped harnesses. Dealing with a dog that pulls relentlessly on the leash isn’t just an inconvenience; it can have an impact on your dog’s well-being. The good news is that there’s a solution: selecting the right harness. You can regain control and transform frustrating walks into enjoyable adventures. Let’s explore t ..read more

Taking great photos of your beloved dog can be a delightful way to capture their personality and create lasting memories. However, it’s no secret that getting dogs to pose for the camera can sometimes be a challenge. That’s where positive reinforcement dog training comes in. By using this gentle and effective approach, you can set your dog up for success and get stunning photos that truly showcase their unique charm. Let’s explore how to employ positive reinforcement training to help your dog shine in every shot. Joyfully Fetching – Photo by Kara Hamiliton Building a Positive Association: Ju ..read more

Fleece Navidad? With the holidays coming up, maybe you want to make your dog an extra special gift with your own hands? And hey, if you make more than one, you could turn it into a donation for shelter dogs… either way, we have an awesome DIY project for you! These hardy fleece rope toys are the BEST for tug games. Here are the materials you’ll need: Fabric scissors Polar fleece type fabric (check your local thrift stores and upcycle a blanket!) You’ll want long strips – at least 45″ for an (approx.) 2 ft tug. You’ll need 4 strips 3-5 inches wide, depending upon how thick you want your final ..read more

Summer is here – 7 Tips for Safer Travel With summer here, you may be thinking about taking your dog on some new adventures out of town. You could have an unforgettable experience – but hopefully not for the wrong reasons! Here are some easy things you can do to make road trips with your dog a success. Joy in front of El Capitan at Yosemite National Park. My dog Joy loves to travel because I’ve helped her love it, all her life. Even when she was a puppy, we went many places to have fun, make friends, and train together with lots of play and rewards. Recently, I made a plan to go on an extend ..read more

Earning Certifications, Getting Hired, There’s A Lot to Be Excited About! We want to send out a big congratulations and a Thank You to so many of the students and mentors who have shared great stories with us so far this year. We are thrilled for your success! In celebration of another great year, we put together a collection of photos and quotes from you, our community of students and mentor trainers. Cheers, it’s your passion and success that drives us every day… “I passed my CPDT-KA exam!!! I owe it all to CATCH. Please tell the team I said thanks so much for all the awesome mentorship and ..read more

Meet Featured Student Chris Weber and Murphy the Belgian Malinois Chris started out as a Sherriff and wanted to advance his knowledge of training and behavior, so he began studying with CATCH. He was a hobby trainer previously and does some fun Schutzhund training with his dogs. After deepening his knowledge of training and behavior, the sheriff’s department promoted him to K9 unit. Fantastic work, Chris! “My learning experiences have impacted how I look at dogs each day in a number of ways. One example would be how I see dogs in public. I tend to watch the dogs’ body language more now to see ..read more

Seven Separation Anxiety Myths by Nicole Wilde As a canine behavior specialist, I’ve seen my share of dogs over the years who suffered from separation anxiety. The vast majority of my clients have been able to modify their dog’s distress when left alone, and I felt confident in my knowledge of the issue. Then my husband and I adopted a two-year-old husky mix from our local shelter, and everything changed. ​Sierra didn’t exhibit the classic signs of separation anxiety, namely, destruction, urination and/or defecation, and vocalization. We’d leave her loose in the house alone and return to find ..read more

In-Home Rivalries Between Dogs are Common How to Train Beloved Pets to Live Together Peacefully CATCH School Director, David Muriello, CPDT-KA, SDC, will be presenting at the Association of Professional Dog Trainers Conference this October. One of the talks he’ll be leading is called Making Multi-Dog Magic – Instead of Canine Conflict. This is about a common situation that dog owners (and their trainers) face: Bringing a new dog into a home with one or more dogs can easily create high stress and bloody battles over resources. Trainers need to understand the many factors we can control that wi ..read more

You could socialize your pup to everything under the sun and still miss out – if you skip the dark. Don’t Be in the Dark On This There is nothing like the pure joy of knowing you are going to bring a new puppy into your life. And then there are the technical details. Ever the eager trainer, I printed out puppy socialization checklists from three different leading organizations. I consolidated them all into one list to make sure I was covering everything possible. Within a couple of days of working with my 8-week old pup, I realized there was a critical element missing from all the lists! At ..read more