Being Canine, Dog Behaviour and Training

03/07/2025

When things get tough in the world of dog behaviour, it’s worth remembering why we chose this path in the first place.

There’s still a long way to go in changing minds and opinions about the ‘best’ ways to care for and train dogs. After all these years, it’s frustrating that this is still the case but the work continues.

I still see the ‘at all costs’ mentality where it doesn’t matter which method is used, as long as it seems to ‘work’. Often, this mindset is held strongest by those who lack the background knowledge or understanding.

This approach can be damaging to individual dogs and catastrophic when those people have access to multiple dogs or work with dogs professionally.

As someone recently said to me, “it’s like arguing with a brick wall', no amount of educated, knowledgeable arguments can win.

For those of us who care more about truly understanding dogs than simply showing off our handling skills or exerting control, it can be tough. But we have to keep going and not lose heart when we come across those brick walls.

Changing minds isn’t easy but every step forward matters for the dogs we care about.

While we might sometimes feel defeated or hopeless, remember: we are not responsible for the actions of others, only for how we choose to respond.

“You have power over your mind not outside events. Realise this, and you will find strength.”
— Marcus Aurelius

02/07/2025

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/animal-emotions/202506/dogpedia-canine-curiosities-zoomies-red-rockets-and-more

Jessica Pierce discusses many areas of dog behavior and other dog-related topics and asks us to appreciate these amazing beings with curiosity, humility, and a sense of wonder.

25/06/2025

Reflections from Reading (and Living with Dogs)

Almost every book I read ends up connecting back to life with dogs. I don’t read fiction, I tend to lean towards books that teach me something, whether that’s about psychology, behaviour, learning, or how we show up in the world. And more often than not, the lessons apply just as much to our relationships with dogs as they do to anything else.

One such book is Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn. He reminds us that life doesn't just hand us the comfortable, the simple, or the expected—it gives us the full picture. The joy, the stress, the chaos, the complete vision.

And our dogs live that full picture, too.

They bring their whole selves—their instincts, sensitivities, fears, excitability, and ways of coping. Our role isn’t to control these responses, but to observe, understand, and respond with calm consistency.

When we bring a steady, thoughtful presence into our interactions:

We reduce emotional escalation—for both us and the dog
We begin to see behaviour as communication, not defiance
We become more effective at meeting needs without pressure or correction

Dogs don’t need perfection. They need awareness. They need us to slow down, to notice what’s really going on, and to support them through all of it—not just the bits we find convenient.

You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” — Jon Kabat-Zinn

24/06/2025

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” — Mahatma Gandhi

Why should we care about a dog’s emotions?

To care for another being is to accept a moral responsibility not just for their survival, but for their inner world. A dog may not speak our language, but they feel in ways that are no less real: joy, fear, anticipation, anxiety, love.

If we see dogs only as companions for our convenience, we reduce them to objects. But when we recognise their emotional lives, we begin to see them as sentient individuals, beings with preferences, needs, and the capacity to suffer or flourish.

Their emotions are not accessories to their behaviour; they are the root of it.

To care about a dog’s emotions is to reject domination in favour of relationship. It is to shift from control to connection.

Because how we treat those who cannot speak for themselves reveals the deepest truths about who we are.