A warm woofing welcome to
Secretsย to a Good Dog!

My name is Colleen Safford and I
will be authoring this blog of fantastic dogginess. I am a
dog trainer, business owner, proud mama to a furry menagerie and mother
of two children.

My companies NY Walk & Train
and Far Fetched Acres have been providing award winning services (Toot!
Toot! "Best of NY" by New York Magazine!)ย  to
the fur kids of Manhattan for a decade. As a dog trainer, I
have been afforded the opportunity to help people and their dogs live a
happy life together. Writing this blog is yet another extension of that
and I’m thrilled at the opportunity.

Simply put, I am the lady who
addresses all the "buts," for dogs and the people who love them. Not
a day or lesson goes by where I don’t hear, "He’s so sweet and smart,
but…(fill in the behavior causing household woes for pet parent and dog
alike)."ย 

So, this blog is really about
buts. The buts that leave us scratching our heads for answers and
clarity in living with our dogs. Though addressing the buts takes a bit
of consistency and love, it’s something we can all do. Addressing the
buts is actually much easier than most people think.

How do we do it?
Sensible, simple, and humane dog training methods; modern dog
training. When trainers talk about modern dog training, we are referring
to methods that are free of force, coercion, and harsh corrections.
Recognizing that dogs are worthy of training methods that build a
healthy confidence and set them up for successful living and socializing
in this human world. ย ย ย 

Addressing the buts also requires
that dog trainers and owners recognize and understand that dogs have a
totally different concept of appropriate behaviour. They are, after all,
guided by their dog wiring; and this is when the other kind of butt
comes into play.ย  Your dog thinks it’s perfectly
appropriate and actually rather polite to sniff a tushie to say,
"Hello." ย It’s what his inner dog tells him to do.

Through this blog I
will come up with solutions and answers for your buts, with my
understanding of dogs, who loves to sniff butts. We’ll find the perfect
balance between your standards of living (shoes are not chews) and your
dog’s natural wiring (if I could just get me something to chew on!).
I’ve got the secrets to developing a good dog while still
keeping you both happy.ย 

So, check in frequently for tips,
tricks, answers to readers’ questions, and, at times, just flat out
dog-human hilarity, misunderstandings, and heart-warming stories.

I look forward to tackling your
buts!

I said buts, not butts! Remember,
this blog is about fun, effective, and humane dog training solutions!
NO real tackling involved.

Warm wags,

Colleen