Jackie Pritchard Dog Training

01/12/2025

The pet professionals in your life should always be advocating for your animals. ❤️

01/12/2025

From the archives. Still important as ever.

I'd like to clarify some common misunderstandings out there about dog aggression.

I don't really believe in 'An Aggressive Dog'. It's not a personality trait or a guaranteed behaviour by that dog, nor does it tell us anything about how the dog is feeling or the motivation behind the behaviour.

Let's say it how it is.

Most aggression is a defensive response to a dog feeling under threat. The majority of dogs showing regular aggressive responses will also be experiencing pain, or another underlying medical condition such as thyroid or neurological abnormalities.

To delve a bit more into defensive aggression - many people see aggression as the dog threatening a person/dog. Hence they may feel angry and justified in punishing the dog. This is our OWN defensive response to feeling threatened, amongst other reasons. Understandable, yes; justified, no.

I often hear 'yes, but my dog needs to learn they can't growl/snap/bite'.

Aggression is merely communication and is almost always only utilised when the dog feels that other options are not available to them. The dog feels unsafe and will preferentially opt for flight/freeze options first as distance-seeking behaviours - i.e. they are asking the person/dog to give them space. If these are unsuccessful (i.e. the dog/person keeps on approaching) then the dog has no option but to opt for defensive behaviour to protect itself.

There are dogs that may seem to go straight for fight (defensive aggression) over flight/freeze. This is typically because a) we've missed the early flight/freeze signals; b) some breeds are predisposed to opt for defense first; c) they have learned that flight/freeze hasn't worked and only fight gives them the safety they need.

Even if you don't think your dog is justified in feeling threatened, we still need to respect that they do and respond accordingly to make them feel safe again.

If you punish or ignore the defensive behaviour and continue to keep the dog in that situation they are not coping with, you get dogs that go straight for the bite.

Your dog isn't 'bad' for showing aggression. They can't speak, remember - they're communicating in the only way they can, through their behaviour.

Finally, remember that dogs can read people extremely well, and can certainly read other dogs far, far better than we can. Aggression towards other dogs is commonly a reaction to what the other dog is giving off: distance-seeking signals, their own anxiety, underlying medical conditions, their neuter status .. all things we typically have no way of knowing when sat in a cafe, mixing with family dogs or out on a walk.

So, rather than stating 'my dog is aggressive', let's call it what it is. Let's reframe it to 'my dog is worried because that dog's too close/that person tried to touch him/that puppy continued to jump on him and ignored all his 'f**k off' signals'.

01/11/2025

Fantastic video on canine communication and body language. They try really hard to learn our language, we should do our best to learn theirs.

Bite prevention starts with understand what a dog is trying to say! Please help us spread the word!!If you're a trainer, a vet, a breeder or you work for a r...

01/09/2025

The analogy I like to use is…
Taking your dog for a walk and not letting him sniff is like taking your child to Disney World and not letting them go on any of the rides.

Please let your dog sniff!

Sometimes when I take my dog out for a walk, I just want to get it done. Check the task off of the never-ending to do list.
Sometimes it is REALLY difficult to have the patience to let my dog sniff and explore the world at his leisure.
Some days I just want to walk.

Here's the thing.
My 20-minute leash walk is doing VERY little to "tire out" my dog at the end of the day. The value he is getting from these outings is in the mental stimulation he receives when he sniffs (and sniffs, and sniffs, and SNIFFS), and exploring the environment he is in.

If I don't let my dog sniff, I am denying him access to healthy, normal, and beneficial canine outlets.
If I pull him along whenever he stops to smell something, I am putting my needs above his own, and making the walk solely about myself.

I'm not saying the walk is ALL about your dog, and your needs don't matter - not at all. But there is a way to find a balance between my needs AND my dogs, so we can both get what we want and need out of our walks together.

Let your dog sniff.
Let them take this simple and effective time to exercise their minds, and be fulfilled by the world around them.
Let your dog be a dog, and embrace their normal canine instincts and desires.
Press pause and just stop to enjoy your dog's joy as they absorb the world around them.

Your dog is going to be much more satiated physically AND mentally if you allow them to rehearse normal canine behaviors during these outings.

Let them sniff. Trust me - it's worth it.

01/08/2025

I was in Colombia a few weeks ago, and the dogs there were very different indeed. They had the freedom to roam and play. They joined us for hikes, then went home afterwards. They were not so much possessions as companions; their social skills were incredible.

I'm certain that (at least partly) this was because they were able to make healthy choices over their own lives.

01/07/2025

Canine body language
Know how to read your dog…it’s important.

01/06/2025

100% this 👇

Why yes my dog would LOVE to say hi, but I’m still going to say “no thank you” and move on. Why?

1. Because I want my dog to learn that every time we see people it doesn’t mean it’s a party for him. I’d like him to continue his focus on us together as a team and not create conditioned excitement and expectation every time we are approached by someone.

2. Because I don’t know what saying hi means to you. Will you politely touch him? Will you allow him space to move away if he wants? Will you put your face too close to his? I don’t want him to have a negative experience so I’m going to avoid that by continuing our walk.

3. Because maybe I feel overwhelmed or stressed in public places and conversations with strangers may make me uncomfortable, so even though you’d like to talk and meet my dog, I’m protecting myself too.

4. Because we’re in a rush and have to get something done quickly.

5. Because I said no. Even social, sweet, friendly dogs and their handlers have every right to say “no” to a request to meet and be touched by people. This shouldn’t just apply to reactive, worried or bubble space dogs. Dogs are not public property, and saying “no thank you” to touching my dog shouldn’t be regarded as rude or unkind, any more than if a stranger asked to hold my baby.

Please normalize hearing “no” OR even better, normalize ignoring more dogs in public. Let them carry on with their handler and admire them from a far. It would do a world of good for dogs and humans everywhere, trust me.

- Helen St. Pierre

01/06/2025

Fantastic communication skills on the shepherds part! Adolescent pup isn’t listening so well to the warning signals.
This would be a good time to step in, help the shepherd out and teach the younger dog some better listening skills.

01/05/2025

Dog People

01/05/2025

💪🏼 8 WAYS TO BUILD CONFIDENCE IN YOUR DOG‼️
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Building confidence can be trying for dog owners of anxious dogs, but it can be done and the payoff is huge when the results are noticeable!
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1️⃣ CREATE PREDICTABILITY
Scenarios where your dog is anxious should have a pattern.

Example 👉🏼 Greeting people causes your dog some stress.
Each person that greets the dog should learn a behavior to perform or ask for such as scattering food or asking for a target to a hand or foot instead of reaching to pet the dog.

If this becomes the norm for greetings the dog will gain confidence in greetings not being so stressful because she will know what is going to happen during those greetings.

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2️⃣ USE MANAGEMENT EFFICIENTLY
Management can be a tool that helps in areas where training can't take place, shouldn't or makes the specific situation easier on all involved.

Example 👉🏼 Your dog stresses when people come into your home.
Put your dog in a place in your home where he feels safe & isn't exposed to people entering until that is something you can work through with training & other skills.

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3️⃣ GIVE SNIFFING THE UPPER HAND
Exercise is perfect when done properly & the correct exercise is chosen for each specific dog & case. Sniff walks are something all dogs can do & while walking!

Example 👉🏼 You want to exercise your dog but going around the block isn't do-able at the moment.
Put your dog on a long line, walk in front of your home & toss a handful of your dog's food or yummy treats in the grass for him to sniff out. Sniffing is calming for dogs & this can help while also allowing you to do some walking. You can also walk short distances while allowing your dog to sniff all the things, you know be a dog!

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4️⃣ PROPER PLAY
Play is a great stress release & is hugely beneficial to our social companions. Learning proper play will build your relationship & build confidence.

Example 👉🏼 Teach your dog to play tug with you, drop it on cue & start when you say. Let her win some & lose some, but lots of wins. Throwing a ball over & over isn't great play as it builds arousal so there are lots of other types of play we can do with our dogs.

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5️⃣ TEACH USEFUL CUES & UTILIZE POSITIVE TRAINING
Using positive training & teaching your dog to respond to different cues will benefit you & him in all sorts of areas of life.

When your dog knows cues, responds & gets rewarded, his confidence will go up. It will also help in situations so you both know what to do & how to respond.

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6️⃣ PROPER SLEEP
Sleep is just important for all living beings! Dogs should sleep at 12-18 hours a day, depending on age. This includes day & night. So your dog should get a lot of sleep throughout the daytime for proper brain rest & lower stress levels.

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7️⃣ AUTONOMY & CHOICES
This would be where you listen to your dog & respect what they are "telling" you while also allowing her to make safe choices about what is comfortable for her.

Example 👉🏼 Your dog doesn't like sitting next to you while you pet him. Let him move to a spot he wants to or just don't pet him at all if he's showing signs he doesn't want that in that moment.

Example 👉🏼 Your dog starts to show signs of not really wanting to be on a walk with you, then don't go on that walk or head straight home if you're already out.

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8️⃣ CONSISTENCY!
All of the above things won't matter if you cannot be consistent. In fact it could be more harmful in the long run if you do somethings one way one day and differently on another day. That will negate #1 and cause unpredictability!
🔑 So consistency is key!

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Stacy Greer, CPDT-KA
🐕🐩🐕‍🦺🦮

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© 2024 Stacy Greer

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01/04/2025

Truth! Obedience is not the answer to behaviour problems…ever.

There is a common misconception that if we just drill concrete skills (aka Obedience Skills) hard enough, or often enough that it will prevent behavior problems. This is not how behavior works. At best drilling a dog through obedience skills might mask the problem, but it doesn't change their underlying emotional cause of the problem. A dog who is reactive and behaving aggressively in response to their fear, discomfort or perceived threat will not suddenly stop feeling those Big Feelings because he's been demanded to sit, or down through them. A dog who starts a conflict with another dog due to over arousal or frustration , or even redirection, will not suddenly stop feeling all those overwhelming feelings simply because they are drilled in a heel for ten minutes. Concrete skills can have their place, and their uses. But they are not skills for behavior change. They provide a mask for behavior that can cause a false sense of security in terms of whether or not the dog has truly experienced an emotional change towards the stimulus. That can be pose significant risk in terms of aggression presenting behaviors, as it will appear the dog's sudden snap came "out of no where."

When your dog is experiencing a behavior concern, it is because they are having an emotional problem in response to certain stimuli. This is not personal, and it is not a problem that can be resolved by simply drilling the dog to sit more frequently. Under going genuine behavior modification takes time and an effort to address the underlying emotional cause of any behavior disruptions your dog is experiencing.

01/04/2025

Excellent post about scenting, tracking, chasing and predation.