Author Archives: melissaduffy

Service Dogs: Taking Your Dog Everywhere

Posted on December 31, 2011 by melissaduffy

Sometimes things are just different when a dog is involved. I was at the grocery store with my service dog when some lady walked up to me and said, “I wish I could take my dog everywhere I go.” The … Continue reading →

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What Makes a Good Dog?

Posted on December 11, 2011 by melissaduffy

We hear it so often. “He’s such a good dog.” People say it with that look on their face, I’m sure you’ve seen it! That dreamy “you know what I mean” look. And they say it with such finality on … Continue reading →

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National ‘Leave It’ Week

Posted on November 27, 2011 by melissaduffy

Recently, I took my puppy to visit family. Family with a toddler. Toby hasn’t been around young kids a whole lot. He stares at them like aliens when we see one. Living  with a toddler for a week was an … Continue reading →

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Slow Progress with Toby

Posted on November 3, 2011 by melissaduffy

Many of our students know Toby, the big orange puppy, he’s been demonstrating in just about every class for 3 or 4 months now. I’ve been working a little bit on agility with Toby, trying to build some confidence. Our … Continue reading →

Posted in Dog activities, Dog behavior, Trainers' dogs | Comments Off

It Ain’t Easy Being Fluffy

Posted on October 26, 2011 by melissaduffy

Imagine your first day at your new job. Your new job where you have no idea what your job is. A complicated job. You’re bound to make mistakes!  It’s not fun. How many times would your trainer need to explain … Continue reading →

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Assuming the Worst

Posted on September 15, 2011 by melissaduffy

Having a terrier has its own special challenges. Dinky is different than a lab or a golden, of course! She was made that way. Consider how many generations of breeding it would take just to shrink a dog and get … Continue reading →

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Lackluster Obedience: Time to Teach a Trick!

Posted on June 19, 2011 by melissaduffy

Dinky’s recalls have slowed down and she takes her time getting comfy when I tell her to lay down. She hasn’t been defying me like a juvenile, she’s just been un-enthusiastic about work. If I call her and she takes … Continue reading →

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He’s not a picky eater–he’s full!

Posted on May 6, 2011 by melissaduffy

I want to feed my dog more food than he needs. I don’t know why I do it. It makes no sense; Goliath only needs ½ cup of food, so why do I want to give him ¾ cup? I … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 11 Comments

Misadventures in Puppy Raising: Introductions

Posted on April 4, 2011 by melissaduffy

Introducing your current dogs and your new puppy is an important and major event! It seems like there should be some drawn out and gradual process–some sort of formal arbitration like a corporate takeover where everyone talks a little about … Continue reading →

Posted in dogs, Trainers' dogs | 646 Comments

How My Dog & I Got Here

Posted on March 24, 2011 by melissaduffy

Hello World! My name is Melissa and I am an assistant trainer. I’m 27, married, and madly in love with dog training. I currently have three dogs, Dinky (10 years old) and Goliath (15 years old) are both Rat Terriers, … Continue reading →

Posted in Dog Trainers, Dog training, Trainers' dogs | 326 Comments