Sydney Lupton, Cpdt-Ka - Paws in Harmony

09/05/2025

THIS! ☝️☝️☝️this explains so much of how I work as a dog trainer.

So much of the dog training world is still stuck in the 20th century. Behaviourists chanting “you need to learn about negative reinforcement” or “that’s a punishment - the dogs reduced his behaviour!”; or ethologists reducing dogs to hard-wired instincts based on village dog behaviour “you just have to learn where your dog came from man”.

Don’t get me wrong, both schools gave us something, but clinging to them as exclusive explanations does our dogs a disservice.

Guys - the science and practice has already moved on.

Tolman (1948) showed rats form cognitive maps — they weren’t just conditioned.

Garcia & Koelling (1966) proved preparedness — nausea links to taste, not tone or light.

Harlow (1958) demonstrated comfort mattered more than food.

Bandura (1961) revealed learning through observation without reinforcement.

Ulrich & Azrin (1962) saw rats working to attack intruders as a reinforcer.

LeDoux (1990s) mapped fear circuits showing emotion isn’t a simple reflex.

Vygotsky and Piaget taught us that minds are built socially and developmentally, not just reinforced.

Yet here we are: it’s 2025 and too many trainers are still peddling the idea that behaviourism (or ethology) is the whole picture. It’s not. Pet dogs are not machines, and they’re not village dogs.
They are living, thinking, feeling animals whose behaviour is shaped by cognition, biology, emotion, motivation, and social context. And we can use these studies to inform practice that works smarter and quicker and makes so much more sense to them!

That’s why at The JRH Academy, I refuse to flatten dogs into one narrow paradigm. What I teach is built on modern science - the whole picture and the experience I have applying it to create meaningful practice that works - so trainers can finally step beyond the tired “click & treat vs instinct & breed” debates and start doing right by the dogs in front of them.

If you’re ready to train beyond behaviourism, beyond ethology, and into the science of what dogs really are then this is your invitation. DM me with the word READY and I might even chuck in a discount. ###x love you!

09/05/2025

09/01/2025

Transformation is not born of perfection.
Always doing it right.
Never getting it wrong.
Never feeling lost.

I used to think Dog Training was all about perfection.
I held myself and my dogs to a high standard of performance -
Sit, stay, heel, down, come - perfect mechanics, perfect timing, perfect planning.
Perfect dog. Perfect life.

Until, in my Behaviour Consulting work with reactive and aggressive dogs, I learned something that changed the way I looked at my own depression and anxiety forever.

Transformation is not born of perfection.
Doing it right.
Never getting it wrong.
Never feeling lost.

When things get dark, when we feel lost in life, when we experience feelings of shame or rage, it's easy to judge ourselves.
It's easy to hide those parts of ourselves behind masks of perfection.
It's normal to want to run away.
It's normal to make it all want to stop.
It's normal to want to shove it all under a rug, for no one to ever find.
God Forbid - we are messy and someone sees.

In a society obsessed with picture perfection, there's not a lot of room for messy feelings.
For big barking fits, for meltdowns in the car, for moments of falling apart in the privacy of your own home.

And yet - our dogs see it all.
And they never ask us for less.
They never ask us to hide it.
They never ask us to speak up for ourselves less.
They are never embarrassed for being a messy and imperfect human.

To prepare ourselves for true transformation, deep healing and resolution - we must go into the darkest, messiest, most shame-filled parts of ourselves.
The darkness I felt during depressive episodes - running only made it worse. Hiding it only made it stronger.
It was only once I stepped out, walking alongside my fear, my shame, my anger - that I began to heal.
It was only once I began to shed light on the things I hid in the dark that I began to see there was healing and safety on the other side.

If you have a dog with big, messy feelings that bring about all sorts of discomfort in you - is there anything your dog is doing that you could explore a little more?
Does your dog say no a lot?
What does that bring up in you?
What's your relationship with saying no to others?

08/31/2025

URGERNT WE NEED TO GET THIS CAT TO THE EMERGENCY VET IN CRANBROOK can anyonw help wirh a ride?

Looking for the owner of this kitten. 2-3 month old tabby.

Found it in the middle of Highway 95 by Day Subdivision. It’s injured - and on hold wirh vetHE

08/29/2025

This week, I got to witness some REALLY incredible wins for my clients and their dogs. These moments are the BEST!

💓By stepping out, being brave and allowing their dogs the right to express themselves, my clients are getting to witness their dogs deepen into building trust with other dogs and humans. There is so much healing in that and I am honoured to bear witness to it.

☯️This week, I got to watch multiple clients get to engage in beautiful social walk opportunities - parallel walking, foraging, sniffing and exploring.

🐶What begins as our classic Paws in Harmony exercise in spatial zones, blossoms into butt sniffs, polite greetings and face kisses.

🎮From there, emerges the opportunity to feel safe. To build trust. To explore. To be curious. To play with one another!🕹

All of this is a a difficult thing to force through control or coercion. This has to happen organically. Play between two dogs (and really, between two humans or human-dog) takes trust. Deep trust. It doesn't happen overnight.

These photos may not look like much to you - but these photos represent a safe space, a sanctuary for dogs who don't need labels - dogs who sometimes feel overwhelmed, sensitive or overstimulated. Dogs who have big feelings. Dogs who are learning to trust again.

Our regenerative work deep dives into your dogs relationships and leaves no stone unturned. We're not looking for surface level obedience here (despite obedience cues being part of the picture) - this is deeper than that.

Our values are in everything we do at Paws in Harmony - when I wake up and start my day, I look to these pillars - these values - time and time again.

These values are in literally EVERY single THING that I do as a Dog Trainer and Human Being on Earth.
Every single day.

✅We all have an intuitive power to know deeply what our dogs need in each moment 🧠

✅By honouring the messy and imperfect parts of ourselves and our dogs, authenticity and vulnerability becomes our superpower in transformation 🫂

✅We lead with creativity and curiosity and allow each decision to flow in each moment 🎨

🧜‍♀️This is the Paws in Harmony way.

🧚‍♀️From here, the real healing can begin🧚‍♀️

Does your dog lunge, growl, bark, snarl, run towards or try to fight other dogs?
We can help you and your dog!
Send us a message and let's chat about what your dog needs from us.

08/29/2025

08/28/2025

We're all allowed to have big feelings every now and then.

I know lots of reactive dogs but many more reactive people.

08/27/2025

We’re all set for the 3rd of our 5 puppy preschool classes. Tonight, a fully secure and clean puppy playground in Kimberley is on the menu! Such fun to be had!