Becoming Maverick

12/20/2025

Local clients. Click the link to read more

A fatal case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been confirmed in a dog in Alberta — the second confirmed case in Canada. While HPAI primarily affects birds, it can also infect domestic animals, including pets, through contact with, or ingestion of, infected wild birds.

What you can do to keep your pet safe:
- Keep pets away from wild birds and carcasses,
- Avoid feeding raw poultry or unpasteurized milk,
- Contact your veterinarian if your pet shows respiratory or neurological symptoms.

Cats are particularly vulnerable, with cases often linked to infected birds or raw pet food. Farm cats can be early indicators of HPAI on dairy or poultry farms, so monitor their health closely.

Learn more about HPAI and how to help protect animals by visiting the Government of Alberta website: https://www.alberta.ca/h5n1-avian-influenza-in-alberta

08/30/2025

Life and training are not mutually exclusive. They are interconnected and interwoven into our experience and relationships. Everything I’ve learned in all areas of my life I apply to “dog training” and better educating my students. Everything in “dog training” I also apply to everything I do and teach. Always learning and improving, while finding better ways to navigate this thing we call life, training, and my understanding of it all. That’s what you will learn.

08/30/2025

Working on our body conditioning. Two years ago we began implementing intentional movement to improve range of motion and improve imbalances in Mavericks hind end. No different than what we call a “work out”. Then we go back to hunting gophers, it’s our routine. I’ll video our circuit next, always fun being with my best buddy.

08/23/2025

Last week I found myself unsettled by the advice my client was given from her puppy's breeder on how to help stop jumping.

The owner informed me their breeder told them to step on their puppy's back paw to teach them to stop jumping...

Please DO NOT do this. You will break your dogs foot and/or toes as well as the trust and bond you are wanting to build with your pup.

With all the arguments online about "methodology" and slander campaigns about aversive tools, people are distracted and missing the point (and the big picture).

Uneducated improper advice is dangerous. Stepping on your puppy's (or dogs) foot to teach them not to do something is abusive- period. It will negatively impact the dog's psyche as well give them a broken foot.

This advice is not appropriate nor accurate behaviorally in any context. It will not help teach them in any capacity.

I have been thinking of all the puppy owners who have been told this advice and who take it seriously (as many do when provided by a professional). The poor owners and the poor dogs.

If you know someone who has been told this advice, please inform them immediately. If you have been given this advice yourself, I am sorry you were mislead. Although in many cases it is unintentional and those providing the advice genuinely believe in the advice they provide, it shows there are greater flaws in the industry. We can do better and it starts with education.

Our goal at Becoming Maverick is to spread proper education to owners and canine professionals. Education that improves the quality of life and care of the dogs, owners, and ourselves.

When we know better, we do better.

*photo is not of client puppy. Photo is of Maverick, my Siberian Husky companion who began this entire movement. He is held by my Nana, this was the first time they met-- it highlights the beginning of a bond and beautiful relationship.

08/22/2025

Not all dog boarding is made equal!

I take great pride in the care and fulfillment I provide all dogs who come through ❤️.

I am canine first aid certified and was a vet & vet tech assistant. Hands in experience in the medical room providing quality medical care for dogs and animals of all sizes.

When your dog comes for boarding, they get much more than a “overnight stay”. I work with each one as I do my training dogs engaging in play, nose work, agility, pack walks, social time, and body work.

Each day I check their ears, teeth, eyes, nails, and physical gait - how they walk, move, feel and chart it.

If I see infections, cuts, wounds, long nails, ear blocks, limping, muscle weakness, compensation — I chart it and relay the information back to owners with recommendations. These include movement/ stength exercises, nutrition changes, engagement games etc.

If ears are dirty, I clean them. Nails long? I trim them. I use the same quality products I buy and keep on hand in my medical cabinet. I extend this to all dogs in my care.

When your dog is my care, I care for them as I do my own.

My goal has always been improve health, wellbeing, and relationship for all dogs and owners alike. It will remain this way.

When you are looking for boarding and searching for “low prices” make sure you know what you are getting (or not getting).

I provide exceptional care because I refuse to ever give less than what I know your dogs, and you, deserve.

If you are a client of mine, thank you— you are family. If you are not yet a client, I look forward to caring for your dogs, helping you, and welcoming you to our pack family 🫶🏼.

-Below is a photo of a recent boarding client whose dog experiences chronic ear infections. This took me 34 minutes to clean—- with me, dogs have the luxury of time to go slow (not a 15 minute appointment). All for their comfort. If you own a doodle or poodle— please clean their ears!

07/25/2025

Trust the experts 🫡😆

07/16/2025

A lesson I pass on to my clients and students,

"This research explanation is one of the elements of comprehending that human “words” and language, from a paired visual/symbolic and abstract standpoint, do not equate to the same meanings or potential communications to dogs. They do not hold the same understanding of sounds that humans do. This is why I tell students “if you want to learn how to talk (communicate) to a dog, shut your mouth. It is just monkey chatter.
Stop fussing with your dog"- Nelson Hodges.

I am honored to work with and learn alongside the best. It’s what makes me better.

If you love this stuff as much as I do, check out our podcast “A Dog’s Eye View”. Hear straight from the experts themselves; from world leading professionals in the industry to those in your neighborhood. Available on Spotify, Apple & Amazon Podcasts.

If you want to learn more of Nelson’s teachings, visit his website (tagged in comments) & search his name in podcasts and it will bring you everything you wanted to know— and more.

If you’re local to the Calgary & Cochrane area and are looking for help with your dog, or simply want to advance your knowledge & skillset, we’d love to hear from you!

Visit www.becomingmaverick.com,

How does the brain transform a thought into a spoken sentence?

A new study from NYU sheds light on this intricate process. Using high-resolution electrocorticography (ECoG) and machine learning, researchers recorded brain activity in epilepsy patients while they named single words and described cartoon scenes using full sentences.

They found that while neural patterns for individual words remain stable, the brain shifts how it processes those words depending on their role in a sentence. In areas like the prefrontal cortex, especially the inferior and middle frontal gyri, the brain not only recognized the word itself but also tracked its grammatical function—such as subject or object—and its position in the sentence.

When forming complex structures like passive voice (“Frankenstein was hit by Dracula”), both key nouns remained active in the brain throughout the sentence, revealing how our brains hold and juggle multiple linguistic elements at once.

The study suggests that the order and structure of language may reflect how efficiently our brains handle grammar, potentially influencing language evolution itself. This research deepens our understanding of language production and highlights the brain’s remarkable ability to coordinate thought and speech.

Follow Science Sphere for regular scientific updates

RESEARCH PAPER 📄

Adam M. Morgan et al, "Decoding words during sentence production with ECoG reveals syntactic role encoding and structure-dependent temporal dynamics.”, Communications Psychology(2025)