Water! Shade! If you have lived in NY for any period of time, you know the drill. We are sharing a short list of ideas for beating the heat and over-heating in these very warm months!

• Frozen treats! Ice, frozen pumpkin puree in a Kong, or frozen blueberries can help your dog cool off.

• Cooling bandanas, vests and mats are great for prolonged outside exposure.

• Limit physical exertion and watch for rapid panting.

• Water! Always have water for your dog to drink, and splash a little on their underbelly or neck to help them cool off.

Shorter walks are ok! You have permission! You can use indoor enrichment with food puzzles, snuffle mats, training games and homemade agility or tricks to enrich your dog's life on hot days.

Know your dog; some dogs do better in the heat than others. Of course, they are individuals. Observe closely: Are they stalling on a walk? Lying down a lot? Moving more slowly? How much are they panting and what is their body posture? Be careful, some dogs will overexert themselves and overheat leading to heat stroke. It's our job to help them not to make that mistake.

If there is one thing that being a dog trainer has taught me, it's that dogs and all living beings will surprise you. Quieting your expectations and keeping an open mind can give your dog the space to make a new choice or have a new response. We all get into ruts of behavior; what is your rut with your dog?

We were 4 weeks in to separation training and with very diligent work, my clients were doing an impeccable job at following instructions every day. I was disappointed that the results weren't clear, but that is how it is sometimes. You just have to stay with the dog and let them go at their own pace. Wouldn't you know in that final assessment, the dog went from tolerating 5 minutes to an hour and a half! Positive reinforcement for all of us. There is no "typical" timeline for success with separation related issues; every dog is very different. Some dogs will never jump in duration like this and instead progress slowly and incrementally. It is special though, when we get these big wins!

Using food in training has many functions. The most well known of them is as a reward for behavior. But dogs, and all beings, do not only operate through rewards and punishments. Food can soothe anxiety. Food can also create a strong association when paired with something in the environment. After all if we are eating, then we are surviving, and that's a good thing! We can reinforce behaviors with other rewards, such as play or freedom, but when it comes to big emotions food is often one of our best and most accessible tools.

Dharma Dog NYC is adding new services! We are putting our love of nature and dogs together. Our new hiking service involves exercise, training and healing benefits for dogs. Whether you want to work on recall, generalizing manners to new locations, or give your dog decompression time because they are stressed out by the city, we've got you covered!

Covid took us off the leash and onto our computers. Especially for separation anxiety and for coaching foundations for manners, this turned out to be a big win for training. That said, if you are crunched for time or frustrated by your dog's learning curve, you now have the option of day-training packages. These packages include training hours with us while you work or do your thing, and then a follow-up transfer session to give you the skills to pick up where we left off.