How to choose the right puppy for you! Bringing home a puppy is an incredible and exciting event! My goal is to help you choose the right dog for you. Believe it or not, there are a lot of potential pitfalls when choosing a dog. As a professional dog trainer, I often see clients that choose either the wrong breed or the wrong dog for their lifestyle and I want… Read More
You’ve just gotten your new pup and are excited to start your lives together! Now for the first and maybe most important task; naming them. This should be a fun activity shared by the family, but there are a few things that you should consider when doing so! The best dog names are those that are one to two syllables. Not only are they easier to say, but also trouble-free… Read More
Today is the day! It’s the day you and your family have been waiting for! You finally get to bring your new puppy home! Puppies are oh so cute, and oh so little! They trip and fall over their feet which they still aren’t sure how to control. Don’t forget about the puppy breath that is always accompanied by those razor sharp teeth. Often times we have wanted our new… Read More
Getting a new puppy is always an exciting moment for a family. Once you get the new bundle of joy home, you might be wondering, “What did I just get myself into?” Don’t worry, this is a common sentiment and there are a few simple things you can do from day one to make sure you get off on the right foot. Our training style at Suburban K9 is similar… Read More
Choosing a method of dog training is extremely important. If you chose a method compatible with your worldview you are more likely to follow through and put in a lot of enjoyable hours training your dog. If you train your dog consistently you will both have a much better life! Much like our article on the science of dog training, this is a topic that could garner a large amount… Read More
As the proud owner of a new puppy you are probably dealing with two very common “issues” that are typical of young dogs. Cute little puppies can easily test your patience as you are trying to potty train them and teach them not to bite everything in sight, including you! Raising a puppy takes work, but with a little knowledge and some specific rules it can be much easier than… Read More
When I was an up and coming dog trainer, the psychology of training animals absolutely fascinated me. We are two different species yet we need to communicate on a daily basis! How do we get there if we don’t speak the same language? By touch? By food? There were so many questions and an overwhelming amount of information to be found. I’d spend hours researching and reading theory. In this… Read More
Hide and seek is a great game to play with your pup. Not only is it fun for both of you, but it is great exercise and gives your pup a lot of mental stimulation. Hide and seek requires your dog to use their brain in a way that they don’t often do. They have to think critically and also learn to use their nose. This helps tire them out… Read More
If you have been reading these training articles, you have assuredly seen a theme of exercising with your pup. After all, nothing says ‘responsible dog owner’ as much as going for the obligatory daily walk. Not only are daily walks needed, but they are fun! We encourage all dog owners to walk their dogs each day, starting from a young age. Going on a walk is good exercise, it helps… Read More
We have noticed a ton of families deciding to get a new puppy during the COVID-19 quarantine. With everyone being home, it is actually the perfect time to add a new pup to the family! With much of the country under shelter in place orders, parents are now working from home and children are adjusting to e-learning. This means the most difficult part of getting a puppy, potty training and… Read More
When you bring a puppy home the first thought on your mind is probably having fun! Afterall, the reason we get dogs is that we love them so much and they bring untold joy to our lives. Our goal as dog trainers is to ensure that clients and their dogs have the best possible lives together. To achieve this goal we focus on helping people raise a puppy correctly from… Read More
What is Littermate Syndrome? As mentioned in our “Picking a Puppy” article, littermate syndrome is a serious behavioral condition. Littermate syndrome develops when two young dogs end up bonding too tightly with each other. It may sound like an ideal scenario when dogs are such close friends, but major issues can arise down the road. The problem is that their relationship with each other can stop them from creating proper… Read More
You love your dog and would probably do anything to keep him safe! In order to give your dog the best life possible, it is crucial to find a way to keep him contained in your yard and out of undesirable locations. Luckily, depending on your specific situation there are many great ways that you can do this. Options include a physical fence, an electronic fence, and boundary training. Each… Read More
Anyone out there that has baked bread has heard of proofing your dough. It is the final step of allowing the shaped dough to rise before baking. Proofing is also a term that is used in dog training and much like in baking, proofing is one of the final steps before completing the training process. Proofing your dog’s behavior is simply a fancy way of saying that you are teaching… Read More
Training dogs with treats is a polarizing topic in the dog training world. Some trainers say that it is awful and others will tell you that if you don’t train with treats then you must be cruel. The truth about treat training a dog is that there is a time and place for it. The two main times that I will use food rewards to train a dog are when… Read More
BREEDERS – MAKING A RELATIONSHIP When researching breeders, it is important to keep in mind that not all are the same. Just because an individual calls themselves a breeder does not mean they are the right fit for your family. Make sure to find a responsible breeder by doing your homework. MEET THE BREEDER PHONE SCREENING How long have they been breeding? Does the breeder have references?… Read More
Socializing your puppy is one of the most important things you can do for them. Socializing is simply the process of teaching your puppy what is normal in the human world. The good news is that this is not hard and will be a fun and positive experience for both of you! Unfortunately many people wait too long to socialize their dog and set them up for a difficult… Read More
Separation anxiety is something we as dog owners try our best to avoid in our canine companions. Though we can do many things to be proactive and try to avoid this, there are times when young puppies exhibit this behavior when we first bring them home. When figuring out if our new puppy has separation anxiety or not, we want to be observant of a few key behaviors that exhibit… Read More
Suburban K9 Trainers Official Product Review: Goughnuts
Suburban K9 Dog Trainer’s Official Review: Toppl Tough Chew