Focused Dog will be offering a Basic Manners class beginning on April 11th.  (Just after Easter)  We will be expanding to a six week course!  And it will be held on Saturday mornings at 900 at Sunset Park in Visalia.  Our last class was full so signup in advance by email at matt@focuseddog.com.  The fee is $125.

Something to Chew On So there you are walking up down the toy and chew aisle at your local pet store and wondering, “What’s good and safe for my dog?” It can be confusing with so much to choose from and maybe you don’t know where to begin. There’s a lot to consider when selecting a chew. For starters if you have a puppy you should know they are more susceptible to breaking teeth, but they’re also teething and have a great desire to chew.

Rainy Days Make Me Happy! I remember as a child in school looking forward to rainy days as it meant recess was cancelled and we were allowed to play fun games in class. Remember “Heads Up Seven Up?” Your dog may miss out on their daily walk on those rainy days but they can be just as enthused as me in grade school. Here are some things you can do with your dog indoors, when exercising outdoors isn’t an option: 1. Mentally stimulating games

Common Mistakes by Pet Parents We all make mistakes and that includes our dealings with our dogs. In fact I’ve made almost every mistake in the book in my past, before I knew better. So hopefully I speak from a position of humility. In today’s blog I’d like to draw your attention to five common mistakes made by Pet Parents in hopes it will help you steer clear of them. Punishing a dog for unwanted behavior. Whether it’s rubbing a dog’s

Pet Turf Recently our family made the decision to put Pet Turf in our backyard.  It wasn't an easy decision and there was a lot to consider.  In today's Focused Dog blog I'd like to pass along some of the things we learned along the way.  I hope it's helpful to you! Pros 1.  Here in California we're going through a water shortage, and one big plus is the water savings. 2.  Natural grass is difficult to keep looking good when you have pets.

Proper Etiquette on Walks There you are walking in your neighborhood and you run across the cutest dog you’d ever want to meet so naturally everything within you wants to head on over to say hi.  As you do you’re surprised by the dog’s reaction!  He growls or lunges at you!  Perhaps the thought that runs through your head is, “Well I guess that dog isn’t friendly!”  The reality is you made a big mistake in your approach that is all

Common Questions and Answers 1.  Is it alright for dogs to sleep with you and be on furniture? This is a matter of owner preference.  As long as the dog isn’t resource guarding their resting spot I see no problem in allowing a dog to be on the bed or furniture. 2.  If my dog eliminates in the house should I rub their nose in it and scold them? Never do this.  It’s quite likely such methods will lead to your dog becoming fearful of eliminating

Tips for the Summer from Focused Dog! As the temperature gauge is rising here in the Central Valley we’d like to take this time to underscore some do’s and don’ts to help your pet stay safe. Don’t Do This: *  Leave your dog in the car.  Even a quick visit into the store can be harmful to your dog in the Valley heat. *  Walk your dog on hot surfaces.  Hot asphalt can do great damage to your dog’s paws.  It’s always a good idea to

Begging at the Dinner Table There are quite a number of myths floating around these days concerning our dogs and one of them has to do with begging.  Does this sound familiar: “I don’t give my dog people food because I don’t want him to beg at the dinner table!”  But is that really true? You might be surprised to know that many positive reinforcement trainers, including myself, give so-called people food to their dogs.  And my dogs don't

Socializing Safely Those of you who are parents know that this is a dangerous world to be raising our children in.  We could point to the alarming trend of school shootings, or the very real danger out on the highways as they learn how to drive, or how about the risk of disease they face! As parents we’re concerned for their safety and rightly so.  We could take the route of never letting them out of the house while they are young, but I think