- For a teething puppy, put a bag of (full-length) carrots in the freezer. They love to chew on them, and the cold soothes their gums.
- If you walk your dog on an extendable leash, give your dog a cue each time before you hit the lock button. Your dog will quickly learn to stop when he hears the cue, before the leash locks up, and avoid getting a jerk on his neck. For Bagel, I say, "Lock down!" before I lock, and "Free!" before I release.
- If you can't let your dog of the leash because she won't come when called, get a 30 foot cotton lead, and attach it to a chest harness. This way she'll feel like she's running free, but you'll have a backup plan, and a 30 foot head start. Just remember to tie knots every few feet on the lead, so you don't burn your hand if you grab it.
- Stuff a kong with wet dog food and freeze. Then submerge the frozen kong in a tupperware filled with water, and freeze that. Now you have a time-release treat for your dog! As the water melts your dog will have a cold drink, and in a few hours, he'll be able to get the kong out.
- For dogs who love to shred: stuff a kong, and then put it in a toothpaste box. Put that in a cereal box. Put that in a paper bag. Stuff that into a larger box. Hand it over, and watch the paper fly! It can keep your dog busy for a good 30 minutes, and it only takes 30 seconds to sweep it up.
- Every time your dog goes #1 outside, say "Potty!" Every time she goes #2, say "Poo poo!" This creates the strongest possible association between the word and the behavior. That way, when you need your dog to go in a hurry, you can say the word, and she'll know exactly what to do.
- If your dog doesn't catch balls on the fly, but you're sure that he could, you can teach him. Start with a very light object, like a tissue, that will fall very slowly. First, just hand it to your dog, and give him a click and a treat if he takes it in his mouth. Once he has that part down, drop it from just an inch or two higher. If he snatches it out of the air, click and treat. Once he can do that, slowly advance through heavier objects, like a crumpled paper towel, a wash cloth, a stuffed animal, and then a ball.
- If your dog has food allergies or a sensitive stomach, you can use wet hypoallergenic dog food as a training reward. Just put it in a squeeze tube.
- When you're house training your dog, hang a chart on your fridge, where everyone in the house can record when your dog has an accident: date, time, where in the house, when was the dog out last, where were the people, and what the dog was doing just before the accident. You'll be surprised at how quickly trends become apparent.
- Don't have your clicker on you? Say "click" instead!
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