The Dog Tutor

04/19/2025

It's time for some self reflection regarding my philosophy of "Relationship First".
Are you simply a roommate to your dog, or do you share activities with your dog that are solely for the enjoyment of your dog. In other words, do you fulfill your dog's needs or do you leave your dog on their own to create their own self fulfillment, somehow, while livivng within the constraints of your world. The latter, quite often, appears as what we label as "bad behavior".

Send a message to learn more

04/15/2025

Crate train your dog even if you won't be using a crate for them throughout their life. It's a skill that your dog may need during an overnight veteranarian visit or at a boarding facility. Be kind to your dog and give them the skills they need to be successful.

04/13/2025

I know it's been said a thousand times before.

The biggest fundamental downfall or error that puppy owners make is giving the puppy too much freedom too soon. Keep a leash on your puppy ALL THE TIME or keep your puppy contained when you can't directly supervise. Your puppy should earn their freedom through demonstrating response to your guidance and the ability to make good decisions. Only then do you start to "trust" them to make good decisions after learning what those decisions should look like.

Send a message to learn more

04/10/2025

Always follow through when you tell your dog to do something. If you allow your dog to defy the command or escape the situation you have taught your dog they can control YOUR decision making abilities. Do that repeatedly a few more times and you will create a defiant dog that is willing to try and escalate a situation because it has learned how to create an outcome that suits their thoughts. Instead we want to teach a dog that more valuable things can happen when you follow simple instructions.
This is part of creating proper "structure" when living with a dog.

Send a message to learn more

04/06/2025

How do you repair or rebuild a relationship with your dog?

I believe the fastest way to build a relationship with a dog is through play. When a dog plays, it is flooded with a lot of really cool biological chemicals that relive stress and create an intense sense of joy for a dog. If you become part of that equation, and the association with joy, then you become something different to the dog.

Send a message to learn more

04/03/2025

SERIOUSLY! Nows I'm seeing dozens of ads promoting "fixing" your dog's behavior by doing vagus nerve exercises. This is the solution flavor of the week. Is there no limit to the garbage and scams trying to pry money out of dog owners hands. All, once again, to prove that there is something wrong with the dog instead of the truth. Bad habits are allowed by humans, that are supposed to be in charge. Just train your dog. It's that simple. If you need help then ask a qualified dog trainer.
Make the most of your life with your dog, and your relationship with your dog. They are here for such a short time.

Send a message to learn more

03/16/2025

If you want to change something in your dogs behavior, then the first thing that has to happen is, you must change what you are doing.

02/14/2025

Well it was an interesting week with this little girl.
She is a 7+ year old sh*tzu/poodle cross with some intense fears, due to being abused as a young puppy. I could not pick her up or pet her before this week, without gloves, she was a full force biter with really sharp teeth!
Now we get to enjoy playing some fun games of tug, some good ol' belly rubs, and she loves having us pick her up and put her in our lap for snuggles.
She simply amazed me with her ability to still find trust with strangers.

02/02/2025

Today's topic, the zoomies! Oh what to do about those crazy zoomies. The evening ones are usually the most intense for most high energy dogs. Whirling around the house, bouncing off the furniture, eyes glazed over with excitement. Completely out of their mind. I know some of you can relate to that. The worst thing you can do is to suppress the behavior. You can try and turn it into a game of tug or fetch, which can be amazing. But if your dog is too stimulated to focus on play then you need another answer.
Identify some pattern of excitement that your dog does naturally, preferrably outside if possible, like running around the trampoline or fiepit or a tree. Encourage and build up the game as much as you can. You can start creating and building up some kind of running game for your dog if they don't already express one on their own. You eventually attatch a cue word or phrase to the activity and BAM you have an outlet for your dog.

Here's an example of what I mean, when you have everything accomplished:
When I still had Benny, he would come running up to us in the evening sometimes, vibrating and with that weird look in his eyes, and we would give him the trained cue words "do you need to go RUN AND RUN?". We would open the front door and he would explode off the front step, run laps around our tree by himself, until he was exhausted. He would then proptly turn around and walk past us, back inside the house with the biggest grin and longest tongue. Happy as a pig in a potatoe patch. It was a joy that we were thilled in watching for years.

Send a message to learn more

01/11/2025

Here is some helpful information for every dog owner

01/01/2025

What's the best thing to do when you bring a new dog into your home and you want to build a relationship...?
Play.
Play is a hard wired biological and fundamental need for a dog, as much as it is for humans.

12/21/2024

Do you use your dog's name when they do something wrong ?
" FIDO !! "
Don't use your dog's name as a punishment marker word and then expect a positive response next time when you call them. I stress clear communication with every client I talk to. It's the foundation of learning for your dog.

Send a message to learn more

12/21/2024

As I read a news article about a 64 year old man in the Drayton Valley area who has been charged with animal abuse and over 70 adult dogs and puppies are removed from his property I am deeply angered. What is it going to take to put an end to this outrageous cycle of animal abuse. Now suddenly we need to find someplace to house over 70 dogs in an instant. Who pays for this... the rest of society of course. If I created animal protection laws I would seize everything that man owns and sell the proceeds to care for all those dogs. I would make absolutely sure he rots his remaining days behind bars and never touches an animal again.
The bleeding heart law makers and inactive political representatives that run our country help create these kind of problems by doing nothing. Meanwhile the Albera SPCA is left to struggle with the aftermath.
Why is it so hard for us to do the right thing?
What will it take for us to stop pampering criminals in our society?

12/19/2024

The more I study and learn about the phychology and neurology of dogs, the more I understand human beings. It's kInda like getting a 2 for 1 deal I suppose.

12/15/2024

No trainer really wants the "worst case" scenerios. It's emotionally draining for both the dog and the trainer. If time and money were never factors in real life, it would open up options, but rarely is this the case.
A 7 year old dog that will bite you full force, every time you try to put a leash on it or interact with it in any manner, is definately a struggle. With a 7 year old dog this behavior is now so deeply reinforced that it is hard to even crack through the shell to create a new understanding for the dog. This particular behavior is not genetic for this particular dog. It comes from being abused as a pup and having humans demonstrate that humans are not a source of safety or love. Rewriting neural pathways is not something you find in an instruction manual or in a book. Each dog is unique and every dog deserves a chance to change for a better life.

I commend the owners for giving this dog the opportunity of life years ago. Surely if it would have ended up in a shelter, before they brought it into their home, it would have most likely been euthanized years ago.

Send a message to learn more

12/14/2024

If you want to change something about your dog's behavior (no matter what it is), they key is you have to make a change in yourself first. You are not a victim of circumstance. You are in control of everything regarding your dog, like it or not.

Send a message to learn more

12/04/2024

A dog's needs come first. Yes even if it goes against my usual advice. Case in point, I always recommend avoiding smaller fenced dog parks for a number of reasons. But when a client with a large wolfhound tells me that their dog does nothing but run, and run, and run, and run when they are at the dog park and I see an amazingly calm dog in their house, then I humbly and openly concede to letting them fulfill their dog's genetic needs if that is the only way they can achieve it at this time.

Being stuck in a human mindset doesn't equate to creating positive results for dogs.

Send a message to learn more

11/29/2024

Why does my dog do (x) ??
There lies the most popular question I get from clients. The (x) can be filled in with any of the behaviors that clients deal with and I can answer it with the same response. "Because they did it before".
And then comes the question "Why did they do it before?" Again a simple answer....
Because the dog was genetically inclined to do so and you, as the owner, let it happen and didn't prevent it or say NO to put a stop to it.
NO creates rules and rules create structure and dogs thrive with structure.