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Your Dog's Friend

A NONPROFIT IN ROCKVILLE, MD WITH FORCE-FREE, POSITIVE DOG TRAINING, WORKSHOPS & ADVICE

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News

Randolph Road Closures & Detours in July

July 13, 2015 by E. Foley

Map of the area near Your Dog's Friend, pinpointing the closure at the train tracks on Randoph Road

Randolph Road in Rockville to be Closed for CSX Track Maintenance:
Full Road Closure to be in Place from July 18 to July 26, 2015

For students coming to the training center in July, please be aware that if you normally cross the train tracks at Randolph & Nebel Street, you will have to follow the signs for the detour. This will likely add more travel time, so leave a bit earlier if you can to ensure you can arrive to class and not miss anything.

The detour will likely take you on Nebel to Parklawn and be slow due to all the extra traffic.

Here’s a (hopefully faster) route to try: Take Rockville Pike (355) North. Make a right on Twinbrook and a right on Parklawn. YDF will be on your left if you come this way.

Map of the area near Your Dog's Friend, pinpointing the closure at the train tracks on Randoph Road

Filed Under: News

Get Dog Food Recall News Immediately by Email

March 31, 2015 by E. Foley

Dog with bowl of kibble
Dog with bowl of kibble
Photo by BigKid on Flickr

The unfortunate truth is that sometimes, batches of dog food are recalled. Often, these recalls are for safety concerns, so it’s important to get the news as quickly as possible in case your dog’s food is affected.

Dog Food Advisor offers a free service for dog parents. Sign up for their email list and they will send you an email as soon as a recall is announced.

 

Filed Under: News Tagged With: food, safety

5 Steps to Positive Dog Training

October 14, 2014 by E. Foley

Photo by bullcitydogs on Flickr
Photo by bullcitydogs on Flickr

You don’t need a psychology degree to understand positive, rewards-based dog training. This article from our Newsletter Archives describes the five simple steps to create a lifelong bond between you and your dog.

The first step? Decide with your family what behaviors you want your dog to learn and what word(s) you want to use to cue that behavior.

  • Sit
  • Down
  • Off
  • Drop It
  • Leave It
  • Wait
  • Stay

The next steps can be found in our Newsletter Archives!

Read More

Basic Manners Classes at Your Dog’s Friend

If you’re in the Rockville, Maryland area, we’d love to have you and your dog join us for Basic Manners class! Or, if you have a puppy, join us for Puppy Kindergarten!

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Filed Under: Behavior Tips, News Tagged With: basic manners, positive training

Overcoming Your Dog’s Distractions

September 30, 2014 by E. Foley

distractionsYour dog may perform actions like Sit, Down, or Shake at home or at your training school, but does his ability to do those things go out the window when you’re outside?

Distractions come in many forms. They are most difficult to overcome when they occur in clusters. Rarely is your dog faced with one distraction at a time.

In this article from our Newsletter Archives, read about the dozens of distractions your dog faces when you are out in public.

Read More

Related Classes at Your Dog’s Friend

If your dog could use some practice working with distractions, we have several classes that are helpful.

  • Advanced Manners (strengthens basic skills and adds pair cues – “leave it!” and “come!”)
  • Out & About (outdoor obedience skills)
  • COME: “Oh, did you mean me?” (recall skills)
  • Distracted Dog Class (building focus skills)
  • Reactive Dog Class (for dogs who bark & lunge at other dogs)

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Filed Under: News Tagged With: basic manners, coming when called, distracted dog, focus, obedience, socialization

Positive Training Without Food

September 23, 2014 by E. Foley

Photo by speshulted on Flickr
Photo by speshulted on Flickr

Positive training naysayers will say things like:

  • “The dog only does what it’s told because it wants the treat.”
  • “If you don’t have treats on you, the dog won’t work.”
  • “The dog doesn’t respect you; it just wants food.”
  • “What happens if you don’t have treats on you?”

The good news is that while positive training works extremely well with treats (and even later if you don’t have treats on your person), it can also work well with other things your dog finds reinforcing. In this article from our Newsletter Archives, read more about other ways you can tell your dog, “GOOD JOB!”

Read More

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Filed Under: News Tagged With: play, positive training, rewards, toys, treats

Cesar Millan & Dominance

September 9, 2014 by E. Foley

Photo by puck90 on Flickr
Photo by puck90 on Flickr

Those of you who watch Cesar Millan’s television show are familiar with the concept of dominance. Fifteen years ago, most dogs were trained using this concept, which led to training based on force and submission. As Dr. Sophia Yin, DVM, MS explains on her website: Traditional training techniques are based on the idea that we must become the dominant leader and rule our pets the way a wolf would rule a pack. That is, they assume most misbehavior in dogs is due to the dog trying to be dominant and then they employ techniques that they think a wolf (since dogs are seen as having a social structure similar to wolves) would perform in a wolf pack. Since then, however, research on both canine learning and the social structure of wolves has led to new, scientifically-based methods of dog training that differ from those used by The Dog Whisperer and other traditional trainers[…]

Read the rest in our Newsletter Archives

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Filed Under: News Tagged With: calm submissive, cesar millan, dog whisperer, dominance, pack leader

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Dogs don't speak with words. They speak with their bodies. They are talking ALL the time. An excellent video by TheFamilyDog.

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yourdogsfriendtraining

Nonprofit that educates & supports dog parents in MD, NoVA, DC, & beyond.
Force-free dog training
Classes, free webinars, advice & referrals

Your Dog's Friend
Early to mid Feb Puppy Party sessions are posted f Early to mid Feb Puppy Party sessions are posted for registration! 🐶 🎉 
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Link in our bio or visit YourDogsFriend.org/Puppy-Party. 
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#puppyplay #puppyparty #funforpuppies #rockvillemd #dcpuppy #mocopuppy #newpuppy #puppyparents #positivereinforcement #puppytraining #puppybehavior #confidencebuilding
Last Saturday’s webinar with @jwdogtraining all Last Saturday’s webinar with @jwdogtraining all about small dogs is up on our YouTube channel! Catch it if you missed it, watch it again, or share with friends! Link in bio. 😀
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#smalldogs #tinypup #littledog #happypup #certifiedtrainer #kpactp #dogtraining #positivereinforcementdogtraining #keepyourdogfeelingsafe #dogbodylanguage #dogbehavior #dogtraining #pomeranian #papillon #chihuahua #shihtzu #yorkie #bichonfrise
Puppy friends, we’ve just added a >20 lb Puppy P Puppy friends, we’ve just added a >20 lb Puppy Party for this Wed Jan 27 at 3pm with @metropolitandogllc ! 
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Go to link in bio or YourDogsFriend.org/Puppy-Party to learn more & register.
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#puppyparty #puppysocialization #happypuppies #dcpup #mocopuppy #rockvillepuppies
Friends with or expecting new puppies, we are sorr Friends with or expecting new puppies, we are sorry that the start dates for Puppy Kindergarten got so far out for a while there! We have new openings as soon as Tues Feb 2nd right now and would love to e-meet you and your puppy! Link to register for online Puppy K is in our bio, along with a link to read about some of the benefits of online training. 
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#onlinepuppykindergarten #puppykindergarten #puppyk #newpuppy #newdog #rescuepuppy #happypuppy #cutepuppy #positivereinforcementdogtraining #onlinepuppytraining #joinusfromanywhere #puppymom #puppydad #welcomehomepuppy
Free “Low Stress Handling at Home” webinar Sat Free “Low Stress Handling at Home” webinar Sat Feb 6 at 2PM ET with @abwellnesscenter Veterinary Behaviorist Dr. Amy Pike! 🙌
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Veterinary Behaviorist Dr. Amy Pike will explain how to handle your dog for everyday maintenance – like grooming, brushing teeth, giving pills, etc -in a way that will reduce your dog’s anxiety. High anxiety in these and other situations could potentially cause both immediate and longer-term behavior problems. If that surprises you, come hear why.

Speaker: Amy Pike, DACVB, @abwellnesscenter 

To register, visit link in bio or go to YourDogsFriend.org/Free-Webinars
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#freewebinar #lowstresshandling #lowstresshandlingathome #veterinarybehavior #veterinarybehaviorist #fearfree #grooming #nailcare #dognailtrim #dognailcare #doggrooming #dogtoothbrush #doghusbandry #fearfreedoggrooming
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