News:

Just a reminder that I will be in Fort McMurray with Kristie Russo, our CET in Fort Mac, on Saturday March 6th for a full day seminar. For further information, click here.

Tune into Entertainment Canada on Thursday evening.....

'Best In' photo topic for March 2- March 15 is:

Best in 'Senior Dog'

Please submit your photos to Daniela at daniela@bradpattison.com. Within your e-mail, please include your name, phone number, dog's name, age and location.
Our team members will pick the winner for each week and post the picture in the gallery. At the end of the year, we will leave it up to you, the viewers to cast your vote on which 'Best In' photo wins. Hustle Up™ prize gear will be given to the top three voted.

Thank you to all those who sent in pictures for 'Best in Cuddling'- so many great pictures to choose from! But after some debate...

Winner- Miss Maggie (border collie) Mr. Gilbert (cat) from Calgary, AB

Honorable mention- Aragon and Rohan from Muskoka, ON

These pictures, are also posted in the 'Best In' segment of the Gallery.

Viewer Question of the Week:

Q: Please help, my mom is very controlling and she tells me how to train my dog. At the moment my dog, 8 months, is nipping and my mom keeps telling me that my dog is biting and it will become more of a biter and I should have it put down. This breaks my heart and I need to know if I have a dog that should be put to sleep.

A: First of all, stop fretting and do not get all up in arms with your nipping dog. I need you to stop, breath, think, then act. Clear your head and look at the situation that your puppy is in and understand what your puppy needs.

Lets clear the air on defining what a nip is and what a bite is. A nip is laying the teeth on you, but not breaking skin. A bite is when the dog actually breaks the skin and has caused harm.

Many dogs need to be educated as to how much pressure when biting dog down is too much pressure. If your puppy has not broken skin, then you do not have a puppy that is presently biting.

Make sure your puppy is getting a lot of exercise and knows the rules about using its mouth. One thing to do is to teach your puppy about using it's mouth is to to let go immediately. If you are playing tug o war and you want to end the play, you will need to say 'Ouch!' quite loudly and in a high pitch. This is similar to the vocal communication puppies and dogs will exhibit when playing rough. Teach your mom the new play rule and have her do the same thing. Also, end the play time on your terms, not the puppies terms.

Keep in mind that this is a starting point. With any training, consistency is key.

Video of the Week: