Find a breed
Know the dog before you buy the week.
Original breed notes from Andrew Darov, a professional dog trainer. Search the library, then raise the puppy in front of you — crate, night, toilet, mouth.
Popular breeds
Sporting
Labrador Retriever A retrieving athlete who lives in your kitchen and will invent a job if you do not assign one.
Sporting
Golden Retriever A fetching, people-facing sporting dog whose gold coat does not lower the daily mileage.
Herding
German Shepherd Dog A handler-focused working dog that will patrol your Tuesday if you do not give it a clearer job.
Non-Sporting
French Bulldog A compact companion with a clown reputation and a respiratory system you do not get to ignore.
Non-Sporting
Poodle A water-retrieving athlete that people mistake for a decoration once the coat is clipped.
Herding
Border Collie A herding specialist that will assign itself the children, the traffic, and your left elbow if you do not give it a real job.
Toy
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel A toy spaniel that wants your sofa and still has a nose that will follow a crumb into the garden.
Hound
Beagle A pack hound whose nose will cancel your recall unless you pay better than the pavement.Expert advice
Puppy · 16 min
How to crate train a puppy without turning the crate into a cell Sizing, an open-door introduction, and the line between a protest and a panic. Nights are a different protocol.
Puppy · 15 min
Crate training a puppy at night: nights 1–7 without ignoring every sound A different protocol from daytime crate work. Ignore-versus-not, and what to actually do on nights one through seven. Puppy · 15 min
Potty training a puppy in a US yard or a UK flat One learning rule, two architectures. Outdoor grass in the US, pad or balcony tray in a UK flat, then the garden when you have one.
Puppy · 14 min
Puppy biting and nipping: an inhibition ladder that is not an aggression story A ladder for play mouths, a fence for real aggression, and no fake triage URL. Overtired puppies look “nasty.” They are often just late for a nap.
Training · 14 min
Classical vs operant conditioning in dog training Classical pairs events. Operant changes what the dog does next. “Balanced” is a tool list, not a third law. Run one loop you can name.
Training · 13 min
Markers and criteria in dog training A marker names the exact second. Rate of reinforcement is how often the dog wins. Raise criteria only when the current picture is cheap.
Nutrition · 13 min
Food as a reinforcer: meal, training pay, and the ration The day’s food is one pie. Training pay is a slice, not a second bakery. If food stops working, change the picture or the piece — do not invent a lazy dog.
Nutrition · 12 min
Body condition and rations as a trainer sees them BCS is a hands-on scale, not a vibe. Feed a complete-and-balanced food your veterinarian accepts, then watch the waist. This page will not name a brand.
Health · 12 min
When to call the vet: stop-training red flags If the body is the loudest fact in the room, stop the session and call a veterinarian. This page is a stop list. It is not a clinic and not a dose chart.
Health · 13 min
How a trainer and a veterinarian share a case The veterinarian owns the medical question. The trainer owns the learning question. Pain is not dominance. A seminar is not a veterinary licence.
Byline
Andrew Darov
Andrew Darov is a professional dog trainer. He graduated from a military academy and has practical experience training dogs to search for narcotics and ammunition. He owns a dog-care business, leads seminars, teaches cynologists and veterinary doctors, and writes this blog. These pages are not a diagnosis.
Every page on Dogmindlab carries this byline. Read the veterinary disclaimer and the editorial policy before you treat a protocol as a diagnosis.