Woof Meow Pet Tip for May 18, 2026 at Star 977 with Don Hanson – Beyond Bell Rubs No4
< Updated 2026-05-18 >
< The link to this page – https://www.forcefreepets.com/wfmwtip-2026-05-18/ >
MIKE DOW: – Welcome to Woof Meow with Don Hanson here on Star 977. When it comes to pets, how to best care for them, how to train them, and how to make that bond with your pet even stronger, do what so many people in Maine do: they go to Don Hanson at Green Acres Kennel Shop, 1653 Union Street in Bangor, and online at greenacreskennel.com, and at the ForceFreePets website at forcefreepets.com
DON: – In my last tip, I discussed how to create optimal conditions for your dog to learn. I want to continue that topic by emphasizing that training MUST ALWAYS be fun for both you and your dog. If your dog doesn’t enjoy training, they will be stressed and unable to learn. If you don’t enjoy training your dog, you are going to be frustrated and not very effective as a teacher. At ForceFreePets, we teach training exercises that are fun games for both you and your dog. One of my favorites to play with any dog is Puppy Ping Pong, which we use to start building a recall. It can be played with just you and your dog, or you, the dog, and as many family members as you want. After the break, I’ll discuss more about how the family can be involved in training the dog.
MIKE DOW: – Since 1995, Don has owned Green Acres Kennel Shop at 1653 Union Street in Bangor, offering pet food and supplies, boarding, daycare, and grooming. Learn more at greenacreskennel.com. Don also offers education for pets and their people at forcefreepets.com.
DON: – I encourage all family members to be involved with training your dog, especially if they all want the dog to bond with them and respond to them. Consistency of rules and expectations for the dog is very important. Often, family members complain that the dog responds best to one person and that one person is usually mom. That’s when I ask, who feeds the dog, who takes them out, who does most of the training? That’s when I usually hear “Mom does that.” That is when other family members understand that Sparky is very attached to Mom because she takes care of him and spends the most quality time with him. If everyone wants Sparky to respond to them, they need to spend as much quality time with him as mom. Lastly, never forget, you need to make training and all other moments with your dog fun! You can find more tips in my article and videos in my post Why Your Pet Wants You to Read Beyond Belly Rubs at the ForceFreePets dot com blog.
MIKE DOW: – Animal lovers listen for Woof Meow with Don Hanson each Monday at 4:20, and at various times during the week, only on Star 977
There are links to three short videos and an article where you can learn more about why I want you to read Beyond Belly Rubs at https://www.forcefreepets.com/readbeyondbellyrubs/
I maintain two blogs, where I write about a variety of topics related
to dogs and cats, or with a “Woof and Meow” theme. See what I did there? You can explore either by clicking on the links below. I also often share links to articles by others that I believe my subscribers will find interesting. If you like what you see, please subscribe. You can unsubscribe at any time. If you think friends and family members would like what I’m writing about, please share the link. – Don
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ForceFreePets Blog – https://www.forcefreepets.com/blog/
Green Acres Kennel Shop Blog – https://www.greenacreskennel.com/blog/
