Nicole WildeFeb 21, 20193 minWhen “Come!” Means “Run the Other Way!”Here’s a conversation I’ve had many times over the years with owners of small dogs: “He won’t come when I call him. He’s so stubborn!” ...
Nicole WildeJun 5, 20183 minThe Truth About ConsequencesI was sitting across the kitchen table from my dog training client, trying to get a word in edgewise. The woman herself wasn’t the...
Nicole WildeMay 22, 20183 minThis Whole Pack Leader ThingIf you hear a whistling sound, it’s the steam coming out of my ears because I’ve just heard yet another person state that someone else’s...
Nicole WildeApr 10, 20184 minRewarding Bad BehaviorEvery dog trainer would like for their dogs to be compliant 100% of the time. I mean, we’re trainers, right? But dogs are not robots, and...
Nicole WildeApr 24, 20174 minGet Off Yer Butt and Train Your Dog!Warning: This one’s likely to be a bit of a rant. Early this morning, I took both of my dogs out as usual. We frequent a nearby park that...
Nicole WildeDec 27, 20162 minDog Training by OsmosisThis morning, as I was making my breakfast smoothie, Bodhi and Sierra were hyper-attentive as usual. Why, you might wonder, were they so...
Nicole WildeJan 7, 20163 minR-E-S-P-E-C-T Find out What it Means to Me—in Dog TrainingA woman I know once told me, “I’d rather be feared than respected.” That was her honest opinion, whether it involved people or animals....
Nicole WildeNov 2, 20153 minThe Most Important Thing You Could Ever Teach Your DogAsk 100 dog owners what they feel is the one most important thing to teach their dogs, and you’ll get a variety of answers. The owner of...
Nicole WildeNov 4, 20143 minDo You Want a Well Trained Dog, or a Happy Well Trained Dog?If you scroll down my personal Facebook page, you’ll find lots of photos of my dogs. There’s Bodhi standing atop a hill in the early...
Nicole WildeOct 21, 20143 minWhat is “No!” Really Telling Your Dog?This past weekend my husband and I saw the film Whiplash. The story centers around a teenage music student whose teacher is…well, I can’t...
Nicole WildeMay 20, 20143 minKnowing When to Break the RulesIn photography, there’s something called the Rule of Thirds. It has to do with composition. If you digitally overlay a tic-tac-toe grid...
Nicole WildeMay 12, 20142 minDog Trainer Wars: Can't We Come Together?I recently taught a weekend seminar in the Dallas Fort Worth area. The hosts were great, the venue was nice, and it was a great...
Nicole WildeApr 23, 20142 minCan You Hear Me Now? Getting Your Dog to Come When You CallA woman stands in the middle of a park calling her dog. The dog, oblivious, continues to play with his friends. The woman calls out...
Nicole WildeFeb 25, 20142 minFor Dogs, Learning is 24/7How much time do you spend each day training your dog? If you answered “30 minutes,” “An hour,” or even “Three 10-minute sessions,”...
Nicole WildeNov 6, 20124 minWhat do Dog Training and Blackjack Have in Common?Have you ever played the card game 21, also known as Blackjack? Once you’ve been dealt a hand, you get to decide whether to stick with...
Nicole WildeOct 30, 20123 minDid Your Dog Really Blow You Off?I’ve seen it way too many times. An owner has asked a dog to do something, and the dog doesn’t do it…so the owner repeats the request...
Nicole WildeOct 24, 20124 minA Solid Recall with Seconds to SpareThis morning Bodhi and I took a hike in the hillsides surrounding our local park. It was one of those lovely walks where he barely pulled...
Nicole WildeJul 25, 20122 minIs Reality Too Boring for Reality TV?Every now and then I get a call from a production company that’s looking for a trainer or behavior person for a new television project....
Nicole WildeJul 18, 20122 minIs Your Dog Being a PAIN?I can barely concentrate long enough to write this blog, as I’m in serious pain from a root canal. Not just any root canal, but one where...
Nicole WildeJun 27, 20124 minTraining (Almost) NakedOkay, get your mind out of the gutter—this isn’t about some new-fangled technique where you strip down to your underwear in an attempt to...