For some dogs, tail chasing becomes an obsession. This is often true in the Bull Terrier. Since Obsessive Compulsive Disorder comes out in other ways in this breed, such as playing with balls, it’s thought to be a genetic trait. These dogs will sometimes be so obsessed with their tail or ball, they won’t even stop for food. The human drug Prozac has proved to be helpful with this. Also, increasing exercise and eliminating anxiety-provoking events, such as confinement, may help.

But non-compulsive chasing can just be a cry for attention – my pit bull Hudson knows he gets applause for the goofball that he is if he chases his tail and stops after getting a treat for his performance.

Kelly is a pet writer. She lives in the Boston-area with her three pit bulls and one neurotic cat.

Thanks to the AKC’s Canine Good Citizen Program, good dogs everywhere (mixed breeds included) can try their paws at certification. After they pass, not only can they include the prestigious “CGC” after their name, but they may be able gain special access too. For example, a landlord may consider renting to a family with a certified Canine Good Citizen versus one without the certification.

The test is also a prerequisite for working and therapy dogs, and it’s simply a great foundation upon which to build upon. Learn all about it here.

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As a dog owner, she’s curious to learn why dogs do the things they do and what they know, and as a cognitive scientist, she’s curious about understanding them on another level. Horowitz explores our understanding of the dog’s world view with practical application for the people who love them. Read a few excerpts from the book at the author’s site here.

Woof Report is a free weekday email newsletter with pup-perfect dog care tips, news, products & more! Sign up at www.woofreport.com or become a Facebook Fan.

Since good timing is at the heart of any training, check out this fun reflex tester to check your timing. Experiment with different colors and see if your speed improves.

Of course, the best way to practice your training skills is by clicking your dog for good behaviors! Happy clicking, Dogsters!

Casey Lomonaco is an accomplished dog trainer and the proprietor of Rewarding Behaviors Dog Training. She contributes to PetExpertise.com and Dog Star Daily and you can follow her on Twitter here.

Fill your treat bag with uniformly sized treats. With treat hand at home base, click the dog, treat hand moving from home base into bag then deliver a treat to the dog’s mouth. Repeat until you are comfortable with both hands, and until your dog is eagerly looking to you for reinforcement following each click.

Casey Lomonaco is an accomplished dog trainer and the proprietor of Rewarding Behaviors Dog Training. She contributes to PetExpertise.com and Dog Star Daily and you can follow her on Twitter here.

Once you feel comfortable with the clicker, work on your timing. There is a great video on www.clickertraining.com of author Tia Guest’s dog sitting. Watch the video and practice clicking, then delivering a treat to the cup after you click each sit, always making sure that your treat hand is at “home base” until after the click.

When your timing is good with the video, move on to the next step – putting it all together.

Casey Lomonaco is an accomplished dog trainer and the proprietor of Rewarding Behaviors Dog Training. She contributes to PetExpertise.com and Dog Star Daily and you can follow her on Twitter here.

One cup will be filled with treats, the other cup will be empty. Start with treat hand at “home base,” then grab one treat from the cup, deposit into the empty cup. Practice with both hands. Your treat hand should go back to home base after you deposit each treat into the cup. Repeat the process, this time taking treats from a treat bag and delivering them to the cup.

Now practice with your dog. Treat hand starts at home base, then grabs treat from cup, deliver to dog’s mouth, back to home base each time. Practice with both hands, and practice with both the cup and treat bag until you are comfortable. Also practice dropping treats to the ground for your dog to retrieve.

Casey Lomonaco is an accomplished dog trainer and the proprietor of Rewarding Behaviors Dog Training. She contributes to PetExpertise.com and Dog Star Daily and you can follow her on Twitter here.

Casey Lomonaco is an accomplished dog trainer and the proprietor of Rewarding Behaviors Dog Training. You can follow her on Twitter here.

Radio show host and pet expert Tracie Hotchner is the author of The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible. Click here to follow her on Twitter.

Capturing is a very effective, easy and dog-friendly training technique that is fun and easy for both dog and human to understand. Its applications are virtually limitless, as dogs offer thousands of behaviors every day that are just screaming for some vigilant owner to capture and put on cue. Happy capturing!

Casey Lomonaco is an accomplished dog trainer and the proprietor of Rewarding Behaviors Dog Training. You can follow her on Twitter here.