One thing I have come to realize is the effectiveness of a strong “No.” It is useful in so many different situations. From “No, leave that alone” to “No, stop barking at that squirrel,” the word “No” seems to work like a charm.

One example happened a couple days ago when I was walking Tigra, a German Shepherd who loves Frisbee but does not like other dogs. Just like when we are walking any of our pups, I was on high alert to stay clear of people and dogs. We were a couple steps away from returning to the house when, from the corner of my eye, I saw a dog run out of one of the houses we had just walked past. Tigra didn’t notice so I picked up the pace to get back to the house quicker. The dog saw us and started running towards us. At this point Tigra saw the dog and started to get upset. We were a couple steps away from the door when the dog ran around the corner of the house. I turned around, looked the dog in the eye and gave a stern “No.” The dog immediately turned around and ran the other way. It wanted to play but quickly realized Tigra wasn’t all for fun and games.  I was so happy the pup got my message loud and clear!