Walk This Way Canine Training

10/30/2025

Baby learning the drop and recall cue come during play. Good girl!

10/25/2025

A great summary of why we shouldn't use aversive training equipment for our K9 companions since there are better ways to teach our dogs to walk with us by using positive reinforcement training methods.

KNOW ABOUT MY NECK!

A dog’s neck is really not that much different to ours.

In fact, it may be even a little more sensitive, as the outermost layers of the skin are thinner than ours.

In additional to the damage that using choke collars, prong collars, slip leads or shock collars cause in a psychological and emotional way, the physical risks are also often not acknowledged or understood.

Here are just some of the physical risks these aversive tools can cause –

The Vagus nerve runs down both sides of the neck and controls so many vital functions - heart rate, breathing, digestion, emotional regulation and communication between the brain and other major organs.

Pressure on the neck can compress the trachea, making it hard to breathe properly -decreases oxygen to the brain and other organs, potentially causing long-term damage.

Pressure can also damage the thyroid gland, injure nerves and muscles and bruise soft tissue.

Compression of the neck can cause intraocular pressure which affects vision.

The neck and cervical spine contain the spinal cord, where the nerves of the front legs originate. Excessive paw licking is often misdiagnosed as allergies, when it’s actually caused by pain.

Compression of the Esophagus – the tube that carries food to the stomach, can cause digestive and gut issues.

I find it really hard to understand why these tools are still so widely used and promoted.

What could possibly be admirable or intelligent in using force, inflicting pain, causing physical and emotional harm to control another sentient being, when there are far more effective, humane, ethical ways?

"The least I can do is speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves" – Jayne Goodall

10/25/2025

Louie is learning the pattern game 123.
It helps build attention, connection, loose leash walking, and to help with distractions or reactive behavior when seeing other dogs or people on a walk.

10/23/2025

Meet Miss Penny an Australian Labradoodle that just finished her training package.  Here she is learning about place training where she stays on a designated area until she’s released to get up. For example it can be helpful for when you’re trying to prepare food in the kitchen, when you’re having dinner and when you would like to take your K9 companion to a café to hang out.

10/16/2025

The adolescence /teenage phase of development for your dog can be very challenging for you the human as well as for your dog since their brain is undergoing a lot of physical changes causing behavioral changes. Just like with humans, the teenage phase with time and patience, this too shall pass 😊

BRAIN UNDER CONSTRUCTION
The challenges of the teenage dog.

There’s a saying that most parents of teenagers can relate to - "Parents of teenagers understand why some animals eat their young!"

The changes that happen in the brain of a teenage dog are not that different to a human teenager.

The brain undergoes a period of "pruning" and "re-wiring". This process can cause some parts not to work, work sporadically or work too much.

To describe it in the simplest of terms -the prefrontal cortex of a teenage brain is at the “back of the queue” in this process. It’s still “under construction” and still developing. This area of the brain is responsible for making “logical” decisions, controlling impulses, learning, remembering, problem solving and social interaction.

Because the prefrontal cortex is being reconstructed, the brain relies more on a part called the amygdala to make choices and react.
The amygdala is involved in the “big feelings” we may see - emotional responses like fight or flight, anxiety, excitement, reactivity, impulse control and instinctive behaviour.

Being aware of the physical changes the teenage brain is going through in the process of maturing, helps us to be more understanding and accepting.

Statistics show that many dogs are surrendered or re homed during the teenage stage as their owners no longer “like” the way their dog behaves, can’t handle them or just give up on them.

Please don’t give up on your teenage dog. We need to manage our expectations and frustrations during this phase.

Understand and acknowledge what is happening in their brain. Help them through this stage with patience, consistency, love and acceptance.

10/06/2025

Goose wants to know what’s next 🤣
School can be fun!

08/21/2025

Koda was adopted from Cincinnati Animal CARE and is having fun with jolly balls during his day training with me. Why settle for one ball when 2 are available😊

08/14/2025

This is a great summary of all the things to take into account with each dog as an unique individual that have different contributing factors affecting their behavior. We like to say train the dog in front of you.

THE RECIPE TO CHANGE BEHAVIOUR

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a recipe or instruction manual that when followed would guarantee to solve the problems of each and every dog and every situation?

There might be a general template that we can use to begin with, but there cannot be a specific recipe or a cookie cutter approach to change behaviour effectively or ethically.

Each dog and each situation have different “ingredients” that need to be assessed and considered. There are just far too many variables involved to use the same recipe.

Genetics, history, life experiences, environment, the individual dog, as well as the guardian or family situation and commitment, will all be different and have to be taken into account.

This is why ethical, suitably qualified dog professionals will often answer a question someone asks about dog behaviour by saying “it depends”, because it really does depend on all the different variables.

There are no quick answers, no quick fixes and no specific, cookie cutter recipes to bring about successful, lasting behaviour change.

Stay well away from promises or guarantees that there are.

07/20/2025

Covee is having fun pushing his Kong wobbler around to dispense his treats.
Another great enrichment idea is to place some of your dog’s kibble in a paper towel holder, close the ends in and let them shred to their hearts content.

07/15/2025

A great quick summary to be aware of the possible health issues associated with certain physical characteristics and genetic predisposition in different breeds.

The silent suffering that many dogs (ANY breed, but higher risk in some types) experience as a result of how we’ve designed them is a sad reality that is hard to think about because we love our companion dogs for how they look. They are to us, more than how they look. https://doggiedrawings.net/pages/dogs-of-the-world-book

Worth reading: What Should Dogs Look Like? By Dr. Jessica Perry Hekman.
https://open.substack.com/pub/companiondogproject/p/what-should-dogs-look-like?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Dr Alison Skipper: https://www.vethumanitiesuk.org/alison-skipper

https://functionalbreeding.podbean.com/e/dr-alison-skipper-the-health-and-history-of-brachycephalic-dogs/

Also check out this free download: https://doggiedrawings.net/products/buying-a-dog-ethically

If you are not a breeder and are interested in learning more deeply about breed traits, check out the Puppy Seekers Project

07/15/2025

Hey if you have ever wondered why when your dog is not wet why they do a shake off?
So important to pay attention to your dog’s body language and what it reveals.

JUST SHAKE IT OFF

A “shake off” is one of many types of body language and is one of the easiest ones to notice.

The shake off can provide us with important insight as to how our dogs are feeling.

Besides being a very effective way to get rid of dirt, bugs or water - dogs can remove up to 70% of water in one single shake off - the shake off is often seen just after something that a dog needs a mental reset from.

It’s a way to flush out adrenaline and could be compared to us taking a deep breath to reset our nervous system and calm ourselves down.

Dogs instinctively know they feel better when they just shake it all off!

It’s their way of saying “Phew, I’m glad that’s over, now I can put it behind me and move on”.

Shaking off is a positive way to calm down, reset and cope with stress – be that negative or positive stress.

It’s a healthy way of transitioning from one emotional state to another.

It’s important to be aware that shake offs may sometimes be caused by an underlying medical issue like an ear infection, allergies, itching or pain.

If you notice a shake off, look at what has just happened beforehand. This will provide a good clue as to what it is that your dog feels they need to reset from.