Fun Beyond Fetch: Innovative Enrichment Activities for Your Dog

The life of a pet can become pretty dull without plenty of stimulating enrichment activities, which can lead to a multitude of behavioral and health issues. Through daily enrichment, you can boost your dog’s mental and physical wellbeing, and help them live a happy, fulfilled life. The OC Working Dogs team has suggestions for a [...]

Unleash the Adventure: Staying Active with Your Dog

Dogs are more than just canine companions; they’re energetic, exuberant four-legged family members. To help your dog burn off all that energy, engage in daily activities that will not only improve their physical health but also strengthen your bond and provide mental stimulation. Here are some of our OC Working Dogs team’s top energy-burning activities [...]

6 Rules to Remember When Socializing Your Puppy

Welcoming a new puppy into your home is an exciting time filled with joy and anticipation. One of the most important aspects of raising a well-adjusted and happy dog is ongoing positive socialization. Socializing your puppy sets the foundation for positive interactions with other animals, people, and situations throughout their life. Here are six essential [...]

Choosing the Perfect Canine Companion: 9 Factors to Consider

As a dog lover, no decision is more important than choosing the right canine companion for your family. By carefully evaluating several key considerations when picking out the perfect pup, you lay a solid foundation for a successful, happy, lifelong relationship. So, before you make a spur-of-the-moment decision based on a heartwarming story and picture [...]

Next-Level Help: When to Consult a Veterinary Behaviorist

As dog trainers, the OC Working Dogs team strives to provide our clients with effective solutions for common canine behavior challenges, while strengthening and supporting the dog-owner bond. Part of this commitment involves recognizing the situations and scenarios in which professional training is not enough to address a dog’s emotional or psychological condition. In these [...]

Taking the “Oof” out of Woof: Why Dogs Bark

Dogs bark to communicate and express their emotions, but excessive, persistent, and inappropriate barking can make it difficult to enjoy life with your furry friend. In some scenarios, unmanaged barking can lead to surrender or rehoming, as dog owners face noise complaints and possible eviction or fines.  Sadly, because barking is a self-reinforcing behavior (i.e., [...]

5 Reasons to Train Your Dog With Positive Reinforcement

If you put five dog trainers in a room together, the only thing they’ll agree on is that the other four individuals use the wrong training methods. Often, the debate centers around the use of positive reinforcement versus conventional compulsion or correction-based methods, or a combination of the two, commonly referred to as balanced training. [...]

Smooth Moves: Selecting the Best Exercise for Your Dog

Dogs give us joyful companionship and, in exchange, they rely on us to keep them happy, healthy, and safe. One essential component of this responsibility is consistent physical activity—but one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to exercise and dogs. Further, inappropriate exercise can lead to serious consequences, including injury, pain, or life-threatening conditions [...]

Navigating Noise Anxiety: Understanding and Supporting Your Dog

Dogs possess keen senses and are exceptionally sensitive to their environment—especially any seemingly threatening or scary stimuli. Noise anxiety, formally known as noise aversion, is a common condition that affects dogs of all ages and breeds. Left untreated, this seemingly harmless phobia can negatively impact your dog’s quality of life, lead to physical injury, and [...]

5 Steps for Raising a Confident and Well-Behaved Puppy

Puppies bring joy and energy to a home, but without early training and socialization, their innocent puppy antics can soon change and become problematic adolescent and adult behaviors. The OC Working Dogs team believes that training is a lifelong journey and investment that begins the day you welcome your puppy home. This early and proactive [...]

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