A few months ago Trooper, one of my Collies, tested  positive for Lyme Disease. Thankfully my vet had decided to start testing dogs in Chicago for Lyme Disease after she saw a few cases recently. He must have caught it during one of our infrequent visits to a friend's cabin in Wisconsin. All three of my dogs have had ticks even with preventative topical solutions applied beforehand. After numerous blood tests it has been determined that Trooper will be completely fine and we intervened early enough.

This is a quick and easy training exercise for dogs of all ages. 7-week-old puppies can learn this as easily as older dogs. This is also one of the most important behaviors your dog can learn.

I am constantly amazed at how many new dog walking services pop up all over Chicago. I would imagine this is consistent with other big cities. With downsizing and people's desires to run their own business, dog walking is often a natural fit for the dog lovers of the world.

I was in the park with my client and we were working on off leash control strategies with his rambunctious one-year-old Border Collie mix. Jake was not too interested in anything at the moment besides the squirrel jumping from branch to branch in a big oak tree. My client was calling Jake repeatedly before I asked him what he wanted Jake to do when he called his name. My client told me that he wanted Jake to come to him when he called. I then asked him if he wanted him to come to him every time when he called him. "Yes, he said, but I sometimes want him to look at me when I say his name so I get his attention so then I can ask him to do something else."

It is not uncommon for dogs to refuse to walk sometimes when they are outside. They might just "put the brakes on", or they might sit or lie down.

I just returned from a trip out of town to visit my wife's family for Thanksgiving. Fortunately our friends and family that we stay with allow us to bring our dogs with us when we spend the night. We also spent the last night in a hotel that allows dogs. We even brought our three dogs to Thanksgiving dinner. Their behavior always makes me very proud. They were gentle with the kids, they did not try and steal food and they played appropriately with my brother-in-law's puppy.

Looking for an indoor activity to work on with your dog when the weather prohibits extended training and exercise? Try proofing behaviors that you have taught your dog.

It is important to set up provisions for a long-term confinement area even if you don’t think you are going to use it every day. There will be times (and there should be – dinner and a movie with your loved ones!) that you will need to leave your puppy for a longer period of time than he can hold it. If you haven’t thought about this ahead of time, you will be stuck, or worse, your puppy will have an accident in the crate or destroy something in your home.

Have you ever gotten bored working on "Sit, Down and Stay?" Sometimes it helps to have some suggestions for ways to make training a bit more interesting. Here are some simple ways to keep it fun for you and your dog.

Housetraining a dog can be a very frustrating experience. Especially if you had a dog in the past that was unusually easy to housetrain, your current dog might seem "flawed" or you might be at your wits end. Here are some general tips to keep in mind and some ideas to try if you are frustrated with your puppy.