At Crossbones Dog Academy, we work with a lot of puppies! Over one hundred puppies come to us each year for Puppy Day School and group classes. As a result, we get to talk to a lot of people about puppy raising. Over the past few months, we have noticed a very concerning trend. Some [Read more...]

Are you a responsible puppy owner? The American Kennel Club's STAR Puppy program is designed to reward owners who take their puppies to training classes. "STAR" is an acronym for the four critical parts of puppy raising: Socialization, Training, Activity, and Responsibility. The AKC recognizes that well-trained puppies make better companions and are less likely to [Read more...]

{{ UPDATE 2018: This is an old blog post! For the most up-to-date details and unbroken links, please visit our Flex Class page for everything you need to know. }} We've held group dog training classes here in Providence for over two years now. We have always been interested in feedback from our wonderful students. Some of the [Read more...]

This week, my dogs got to test out the latest freeze-dried product from The Honest Kitchen, and it's definitely different from any treat we have tried before! Their latest and greatest treat is Nice Mussels. As the name suggests, they're, well, mussels! (Full disclosure: we received free product in exchange for a review.) Nice Mussels contain only one [Read more...]

Loose leash walking is one of the most important skills to master before taking the CGC test, because it is a part of several test items. In last week's blog post, An Overview of the AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Test, I described the ten elements of the CGC test. Preparing for this [Read more...]

Every September, the American Kennel Club sponsors Responsible Dog Ownership Days. On that note, I would like to discuss the Canine Good Citizen program, which rewards responsible dog owners across the country. As an approved AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator, I am often asked about the requirements for passing the test. What does it take to become [Read more...]