GofidoGoodFido

04/12/2025

When you have a fearful dog, please do not be misguided to "fix" your dog using a tool like a prong collar or a shock. Sadly, some trainers even dress a dog with both at the exact same time. 😳

In thess cases, no one is listening to the dog. They only see the desired behavior they want and will do whatever they need to in order to do it. Who suffers? The dog!

Sure, if i slap one of these tools (or both simultaneously) around a dog's neck, I can appear to get the dog to do something he cpuld not do before. Why does he do it? To avoid the pain and discomfort of the correction.

Think about the Soviet Union soldiers under Joseph Stalin. Many wanted to avoid the fighting and likely death that awaited them, BUT Stalin was famous for standing orders to shoot and kill any deserter. This kept many men in rank and file. The ones who did attempt to run, they often fell victim to lead in their back.

The point: coercion does not produce desired results. In the case of a dog, prong and shocks often increase fearful behaviors overtime. Dogs become avoidant, shutdown, self-defensive, or desensitized to the sensation of physical pain. The use of this equipment can severely damage a relationship.

Sadly, we are a species of instant gratification. We want quick results. Look at all the people losing weight with the use of GLP-1. The desire to lose weight while only making minimal lifestyle changes means more then heeding to thr fact that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration continues to actively investigate the safety of this drug. I always advise people to wait 10 years for anything new on the market, if it is not picked up by Sokolove Law for a class action lawsuit, it is probably safe. Unfortunately, warnings mean nothing to a lot of humans who want what they want, now.

Please do not risk your dog state of mind. Build his confidence, help him. Do not ruin his mental health for what appears to be quick fixes. You would not like it if the tables were turned.
🐾❤️🐾

04/11/2025

04/05/2025

Dogs Can Learn Hundreds of Words.
Maybe “Balanced” Trainers Should Learn Just One: Respect.

Your dog might be smarter than a toddler, and the latest science is finally catching up to what good trainers have always known: Dogs have much more intellectual depth than we’ve traditionally given them credit for.

After an extensive worldwide search, researchers in a 2023 study led by Dr. Claudia Fugazza at Eötvös Loránd University identified 41 “Gifted Word Learner” (GWL) dogs from around the globe - these dogs showed they are capable of rapidly learning multiple object names.

The dogs underwent rigorous testing under controlled conditions that confirmed they truly grasped specific toy names, without relying on subtle cues or signals from their guardians. The study’s findings revealed remarkable cognitive abilities: these dogs mastered new toy/object names after only a handful of exposures.

On average, these dogs knew about 29 toy names during initial testing, but many quickly expanded their vocabulary. Several surpassed 100 object names, and one dog even learned 125 different names.

Interestingly, these dogs generally learned words spontaneously through playful interactions, not structured training sessions. This implies a natural aptitude rather than simply exceptional training.

Although Border Collies comprised over half the group, the researchers also found this talent in breeds like Pomeranians, Shih Tzus, Pekingese, Corgis, Toy Poodles, and several mixed breeds.

While no single upbringing defined these dogs, shared traits included intense curiosity, a deep love for play, and active engagement with their human guardians.

Notably, professional dog training backgrounds among the guardians weren’t necessary, highlighting that everyday people can cultivate extraordinary abilities in their dogs.

Research like this continues to reshape our view of canine cognition, suggesting we’ve significantly underestimated dogs’ intellectual and communicative potential. (Of course, those who follow this page will not be too surprised by these findings!)

More importantly, these insights have practical implications for training and interacting with our pets:

If dogs naturally flourish in positive, playful environments, it questions outdated practices relying on aversive techniques like punishment or intimidation. Harsh methods could undermine their potential rather than enhance it.

Ultimately, this study encourages all dog guardians to rethink how we engage with our pets. Rather than limiting them to basic skills, we should foster their innate curiosity and intelligence through enjoyable, enriching interactions.

Although the authors of this study suggest this remarkable ability might only exist within a small subset of uniquely gifted dogs, I think it’s much more likely that most dogs have this untapped cognitive potential. Given the right environment, motivation, and communication style, many more dogs might demonstrate similarly impressive word-learning skills. Future research will hopefully explore how widespread this talent truly is.

But it seems, no matter how many studies, or real world examples demonstrate the profound depth, intelligence, and emotional capacity dogs possess, there will always be trainers clinging desperately to outdated methods, still claiming that we need to shock, yank, or intimidate our dogs into compliance or scoff at the idea of dogs granting consent while being taught.

It’s baffling how some in the professional dog training world continue to deny the clear and repeated evidence: dogs thrive, learn faster, and become better partners when we communicate with respect and understanding rather than pain and fear.

At some point, those committed to aversive methods must ask themselves: if dogs are capable of extraordinary cognitive feats, why deliberately undermine their potential with methods rooted in intimidation and punishment and control for control’s sake?

The future of dog-human communication is here, and it starts by acknowledging and embracing the extraordinary minds of dogs everywhere.

Reference: Dror, S., Miklósi, Á., Sommese, A., & Fugazza, C. (2023). “A citizen science model turns anecdotes into evidence by revealing similar characteristics among Gifted Word Learner dogs.” Scientific Reports, 13:21747. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47864-5

03/30/2025

5 Things Your Dog Wishes You (and "Balanced" Trainers) Actually Understood

1. That “Guilty” Look Isn’t Guilt

Your dog isn’t feeling guilty about raiding the trash, they’re just reacting to your body language. Research by Dr. Alexandra Horowitz revealed that dogs display these so-called “guilty looks” in response to human cues like scolding, not because they’re remorseful. Dogs who didn’t even misbehave showed these expressions most when humans mistakenly assumed they had done something wrong. Understanding this prevents unfair blame, keeping trust strong.

2. Dogs Don’t Love Hugs (Usually)

Humans see hugs as affectionate; dogs often see them as restraint. Studies show around 80% of dogs exhibit stress signals like lip-licking, turning away, or showing the whites of their eyes, during hugs. Hugging restricts a dog’s natural instinct to move freely and escape perceived threats. Instead, your dog appreciates gentle pets or simply staying close. Respect their comfort, and they’ll trust you even more.

3. Sniffing Is a Dog’s Social Media

A dog’s nose is their window to the world. With over 200 million scent receptors (compared to our mere 6 million), sniffing provides dogs essential mental stimulation. Letting your dog sniff freely reduces stress, promotes relaxation, and even improves optimism according to recent studies. It’s not wasting time, it’s vital enrichment that boosts your dog’s overall happiness and well-being.

4. Punishment Hurts More Than It Helps

Science consistently shows punishment-based training methods like yelling or leash corrections significantly elevate stress levels and erode trust between you and your dog. Dogs trained this way often display anxiety and reduced learning efficiency. Positive reinforcement and neuro affirming approaches, using rewards, praise, and play while considering the dogs emotional state, is shown to achieve better long-term results, strengthening your bond without the harmful side-effects of stress or fear. Kindness doesn’t just FEEL good; it’s effective dog training.

5. Your Dog Experiences the World Differently

Dogs don’t rely on language or vision the way humans do; their worlds revolve around scent and motion to a greater extent than ours. They excel at interpreting your body language and emotional tone. A dog’s vision is specialized for detecting movement, while their powerful noses decode scents we can’t even imagine. Knowing this helps you communicate better, recognizing when your dog might be distracted by something important you simply can’t perceive. Words matter less to your dog than gestures, scents, and actions.

Knowing these scientifically-backed truths about guilt, hugs, sniffing, punishment, and perception, will help you interact with greater empathy and effectiveness. Dogs don’t speak human, but they’re always telling us what they need. When you listen, you’ll see just how much closer you can become.

Sources and more info:

• How to Transform Your Walks By Understanding Your Dog’s Nose: https://youtu.be/MfFlhcnFOcs

• How Dogs Perceive the World: https://youtu.be/F8mJet68AFk

• What Really Prompts the Dog’s “Guilty Look”: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090611065839.htm

• Dogs Don’t Like Being Hugged: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/canine-corner/202405/new-research-confirms-dogs-really-dont-like-being-hugged

• Importance of Dog Sniffing: https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/is-sniffing-a-dog-s-version-of-social-media/

• Training Methods and Dog Welfare: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/12/201217095536.htm

Follow to join the Dog Training Revolution 🙌 more sources and info at zakgeorge.com

03/25/2025

03/23/2025

Let me say this louder for the people stuck in behavior advice from the 90's 📢

YOU CANNOT REINFORCE FEAR.

Fear isn’t a behavior—it’s an automatic, emotional response, like a fire alarm going off inside the brain.

Offering comfort and safety when a dog is afraid doesn’t ‘reward’ the alarm—it helps relieve the panic.

The outdated belief that reassurance strengthens fear is simply false.

It's not my opinion.

This is simply neurobiology.

Many individuals—particularly those who claim authority as dog trainers or professionals but lack formal education in animal behavior—often advise ignoring a dog’s fearful behavior.

This advice stems from outdated, dominance-based models.

These models incorrectly attribute fear-driven behaviors to a lack of leadership, control, or “alpha” status. Because they misunderstand fear responses as challenges to authority or as behaviors to be suppressed.

Sadly, they fail to recognize fear as an emotional state requiring support and co-regulation.

Instead, they focus on extinguishing behaviors.

When we offer comfort to a dog experiencing fear, it’s common to see the dog seeking even more reassurance.

To an uneducated eye, this may look like the behavior is worsening.

However, what’s actually happening is that the dog is beginning to trust the human as a source of safety and regulation.

This is a positive indicator of relationship-building and emotional resilience, laying the groundwork for longer-term behavioral stability.

🚨 PLEASE SHARE THIS to help others understand it's okay to comfort a scared dog!

And follow .plus.dogs for more truthful dog behavior advice

03/11/2025

No matter where you are on your dog training path, whether you’re just starting to explore modern science-based methods or you’re a seasoned professional questioning past approaches, we’re here for you. Learning isn’t about perfection, it’s about curiosity, openness, and growth.

Every guardian, trainer, or enthusiast seeking to understand dogs better, improve their relationship, and advocate for humane, ethical training methods has a place here. We encourage curiosity, value questions, and embrace the continuous pursuit of knowledge.

02/22/2025

Brace yourself for the most overused, underexamined claim in dog training:

“I use all four quadrants.”

Balanced trainers love to say it like it’s the ultimate mic drop.

That’s not a flex. It’s a misunderstanding of what modern dog training is actually about.

Just because operant conditioning describes four quadrants doesn’t mean good training requires using them all.

Operant conditioning is the science of how behavior is shaped by consequences. It describes four possible outcomes:

1️⃣ Positive Reinforcement: Adding something good to increase behavior (giving a treat for sitting)

2️⃣ Negative Reinforcement: Removing something unpleasant to increase behavior (loosening a tight leash when the dog stops pulling).

3️⃣ Positive Punishment: Adding something unpleasant to decrease behavior (using a shock, prong or choke collar to stop reactivity).

4️⃣ Negative Punishment: Removing something good to decrease behavior (ending play when a dog gets too rough).

The key here? This describes HOW learning happens, but it doesn’t tell us what’s ethical or humane.

If your only measure of success is whether the behavior changed, you’re overlooking what truly matters.

Some trainers treat the quadrants more like a menu than a compass, selecting from each quadrant as if good training means using them all, rather than understanding which direction actually leads to trust and learning.

Many in my field act as if using all four quadrants makes them more “scientific.” But the scientific evidence doesn’t say we need to USE all quadrants, only that they exist.

And treating dogs like input-output machines - Behavior in → Reinforcement or
Punishment out → Behavior changes… misses everything that actually matters.

If you focus only on the quadrants, training becomes transactional. The goal shifts from building trust to just getting a behavior at any cost.

This is a common and critical misconception among balanced trainers, and it’s important to be aware of it when choosing a trainer or behavior expert.

They believe the quadrants give them scientific cover to use intentional fear, pain, and discomfort.

But here’s what they fail to understand:

Just because something produces a behavior doesn’t mean it builds trust.

If your dog is only behaving because they’re afraid of what happens if they don’t, that’s not ethical teaching. That’s coercion.

A neuro-affirming approach shifts the focus entirely, and this is at the heart of the divide in professional dog training today.

Instead of asking, “How do I get the behavior?”, it first asks, “What is my dog experiencing?” That’s a critical distinction.

Because dogs don’t just learn through reinforcement and punishment. They learn through context, feelings, past experiences, and social relationships.

No dog lives inside a quadrant chart. And no trainer should train like they do.

A trainer’s skill isn’t measured by how many quadrants they use. It’s measured by how well they understand behavior.

And behavior isn’t just reinforcement and punishment. It’s an expression of emotion, motivation, experiences, and environment.

Anyone can suppress behavior with punishment, it takes no skill. But in an unregulated industry, it’s no surprise that the easiest, most heavy-handed method, harsh corrections, is the most overused, even when it shouldn’t be used at all.

But training in a way that builds confidence, strengthens the relationship, and avoids unnecessary distress, that’s the real work and the standard this industry should uphold.

So the next time someone proudly declares, “I use all four quadrants,” ask yourself:

Are they demonstrating real expertise?

Or just revealing how little they actually understand about ethical, effective training?

Interesting articles and research relevant to this:

1. Improving Dog Training Methods: Efficacy and Efficiency of Reward and Mixed Training Methods https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349459195_Improving_dog_training_methods_Efficacy_and_efficiency_of_reward_and_mixed_training_methods

2. Balanced Dog Training vs. Positive Reinforcement https://www.petmd.com/dog/training/balanced-dog-training-vs-positive-reinforcement

3. Is Balanced Training Fair to Dogs or Is It a Cop-Out? https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/animal-emotions/202409/is-balanced-training-fair-to-dogs-or-is-it-a-cop-out

4. Does Training Method Matter? Evidence for the Negative Impact of Aversive-Based Methods https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7743949/

5. Balanced Training vs. Evidence-Based Scientific Dog Training https://dogbehaviorist.com/2023/03/23/balanced-training-evidence-based-scientific-dog-training/

6. Effective Dog Training is Reward-Based, Not Balanced https://spca.bc.ca/news/say-no-to-balanced-training/

02/20/2025

https://www.gofidogoodfido.com/blog/january-goals-a-wonderful-journey

There’s something so invigorating when we declare a new goal, and what better time than a new year when we leave the past year behind us, looking forward to new stuff that we think will be way different this year than last.

02/19/2025

Thank you, George!

To the American Kennel Club,

For decades, you have positioned yourselves as a leading authority on dogs in the United States.

With that position comes immense responsibility, to ensure that policies and practices reflect the best available science and prioritize the well-being of the animals entrusted to us.

Yet, when it comes to modern, science-backed dog training, your policies remain alarmingly outdated and increasingly at odds with every major behavioral science organization worldwide.

Let’s be clear: there is no credible scientific body that supports your stance on allowing aversive training methods, including shock collars, prong collars, and coercive techniques.

The American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (ACVB), the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB), the British Veterinary Association (BVA), the European College of Animal Welfare and Behavioral Medicine, and even your counterparts, The Kennel Club in the UK, have all reached the same conclusion: aversive training methods are harmful, unnecessary, and counterproductive.

And yet, you continue to stand in opposition to legislative efforts aimed at protecting dogs from these outdated practices.

In 2025, you actively lobbied against New Jersey Senate Bill 3814, which sought to establish humane, evidence-based regulations for dog training by eliminating cruel and scientifically discredited aversive methods.

You opposed Bill 3814 to protect aversive training methods, yet had no issue with its exemption allowing violent and inhumane practices in police dog training. Your priorities are clear, and they are not in the interest of canine welfare.

Instead of embracing this opportunity to lead, you defended archaic techniques that have been shown to cause fear, distress, aggression and unnecessary harm.

You labeled the bill “restrictive,” insisting that trainers need “flexibility” in their methods, even when those methods violate the overwhelming body of research demonstrating the dangers of aversive training.

This is not leadership; it is negligence.

Your current stance is not merely outdated, it is dangerously out of step with scientific consensus and directly undermines canine welfare.

Research consistently shows that punishment in training increases stress, anxiety, and aggression in dogs while offering no advantages over positive reinforcement.

So, why does the AKC continue to defend the indefensible? Is it a reluctance to evolve? A desire to appease outdated training factions? Or a fundamental misunderstanding of the science that governs animal behavior?

Whatever the rationale, the consequence is the same: you are obstructing progress and putting dogs at risk.

Contrast your actions with those of The Kennel Club UK, which has embraced modern science, championed humane training, and lobbied for a complete ban on electric shock collars in England.

They took this stand because they recognized that dog welfare must come before outdated traditions.

The question before you is not a complex one:

Should the public trust the overwhelming consensus of the world’s most credentialed veterinary behavior experts, or should they believe that the AKC alone possesses knowledge that somehow eludes the world’s leading experts in animal behavior and welfare?

It’s time to modernize your stance to one that prioritizes dog welfare by eliminating harmful training methods.

Take a leadership role by publicly rejecting shock collars, prong collars, and coercive techniques.

Align your policies with the overwhelming scientific consensus that positive reinforcement is not just the most effective method, it is the ethical path forward.

History will remember those who led the way and those who stood in the way.

Zak George

Sources for more info
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SW-sUZ8bhZxXqKGv1qz9wLVqfTy9wzbdY_suFGG_OrA/