29K9 Dog Training

03/18/2025

One of my favorite authorities in dog behavior, a real OG in the newer science based direction of training and behavior. Her book, The Other End of the Leash, was required reading at Catch Canine Trainers Academy and sent me in a different, better, direction about the relationships between dogs and humans. Here, she talks about the differences between wolves and dogs.

I’m looking forward to giving a talk in Madison on April 5th about comparisons between dogs and wolves (alongside a much-anticipated talk about wolves in Wisconsin by expert Adrian Wydeven). The photograph above came to mind while I was thinking about what to say. That’s me and Ayla at Wolf Park...

03/14/2025

We keep their number handy, you never know when you may need it. We had to call them for our first dog, paid their nominal fee and we were given advice on how to address the situation without having to make a trip to the ER vet that was over an hour away and required $500 just to walk in the door.

The ASPCA Poison Control Center (APCC) maintains a staff of veterinarians who work around the clock to help save the lives of poisoned pets.

03/10/2025

This is why we focus on relationship based training.

01/24/2025

There is always more to the story.

Yesterday, I shared a video post about an incident I witnessed where one of my neighbours repeatedly whipped his labrador across the face with a lead because the dog panicked when he was on a walk and he pulled in that panic.

It reminded me of something a lovely dog trainer colleague said that really stuck with me.

“It’s never just loose lead, is it?” she said.

It’s NEVER just loose lead.

And she’s right.

She said that over two years ago and for every single call I’ve had enquiring about loose lead walking, I’ve made a mental note of the times it really was just about loose lead.

Zero.

Zero times in two years.

Every single time I’ve had a call wanting to know if I can teach loose lead walking, it’s been about so much more.

Frustration. Impulsivity. Dysregulation. Fear. Anxiety. Panic. Lack of training.

Being a dog.

You’d be surprised by how many dogs out there are dogs and want to do dog stuff.

Pulling on lead is a symptom of so many other things.

But I’ll tell you one thing it’s not.

It’s not ever a problem on its own.

It needn't be work. I'm a big fan of a couple of very small hacks that turn dogs into happy heelers with brief, consistent practice.

But that work never starts with the lead. It starts by working out what's REALLY going on.

I wish more people knew that.

01/21/2025

I am always pushing for social learning for dogs. Where they can observe the world from a safe spot. It's a huge part of the treatment plans for fearful and/or reactive dogs. This is the well explained science behind why it is so important.

01/05/2025

The training world has lost a legend, a true pioneer. She revolutionized so many aspects of R+ training, she will be missed. Thankfully her work goes on thru the The Ranch and the Karen Pryor Academy. For this, we are very grateful. RIP Karen Pryor.

12/25/2024

Wishing you the happiest of holidays!

12/17/2024

    Pondering about what to write in this week’s post, I thought: I know! I’ll write an article about what dogs REALLY want for Christmas. Deep from within my dusty, cobwebbed brain, a thought emerged, like smoke arising from smoldering embers. Have I ever written about that in the past? Oh, s...

12/12/2024

12/06/2024

BEHAVIOURAL NEUTRALITY DOES NOT MEAN EMOTIONAL NEUTRALITY - BUT DO WE CARE?

Dogs who react to triggers through vocalising, lunging, pulling on the lead, growling etc etc etc are behaving that way because they feel distressed. Whether that distress be over excitement, frustration, fear, anxiety, conflict or a mix of a few, it's emotional distress.

If our goal is on stopping the behaviour then we need to look at alleviating the emotion behind the behaviour. Just stopping the behaviour and gaining behavioural neutrality means NOTHING if underneath the dog is still in distress.

Forcing a dog into "not reacting" by punishing them for expressing their emotions is not helping them. It may be helping the owners, as absolutely nobody WANTS a dog that over reacts to normal everyday things. But it's the dog in the deepest distress. It's the dog who is having a complete neurochemical reaction that overtakes their mind and body. It's the dog who deserves to feel better.

And a dog that is behaving "better", out of fear of pain or mistreatment, isn't a dog that is feeling better. In fact, they could very well be feeling worse.

And I really wish we'd start to prioritise a dog's emotional experience over their behavioural one.

It isn't impressive to me to see dogs being forced into behavioural neutrality when their body language is one of learned helplessness. In fact it just angers me because if the dog could write the review, I wonder what they'd say?

Look into the dogs eyes and you'll see a world of emotion. You can either be on their side, facing the emotion together as a team, or you can abandon their right to be an emotional being and just focus on getting them to behave the way you want them to.

I am reminded again of one of my clients who said "I'd rather be a fool for being kind...". It isn't wrong to want an answer to a problem but it's not just about the end result. How you get there and what damage is done along the way matters.

12/02/2024

11/25/2024

Excited to announce that I completed the course Leash Reactivity Mentorship for Professionals. I am always trying to learn more and do better for my clients and Jessica Wheatcraft's gave me a new skillset to do just that.

11/18/2024

We offer choices Directions on walks, play, where they want to chill, what training exercises we are going to work on, games we play, if they are in the mood to eat right then. What choices do you offer? Share in the comments!

Choice refers to the options available to an individual (or animal) when making a decision. It involves selecting from various alternatives and is a vital part of empowering our pets. Check out the slide for examples of how I offer choices to my own animals. In the comments, I’d love to hear how you provide choices for your pets!

11/16/2024

Advocate for your dog...you are their voice. If you believe the pain is affecting them, speak up!

"It doesn't matter what the x-ray says is 'mild'; what matters is how he is experiencing it as the patient".

A diagnosis of mild hip dysplasia doesn't necessarily mean a dog is experiencing mild pain.

Pain is a subjective experience and if you've got a dog that tends to experience things deeply and sensitively, mild to others may actually feel very significant and severe to them.

We cannot tell a dog how much pain they're allowed to feel.

A meeting with a veterinary professional about a client this afternoon who just GOT IT. The quote above is theirs. What we need to be looking at is the individual dogs behaviour and experience on a day to day basis, not severities according to x-rays etc.

Dogs are individuals and categories of "mild", "moderate" and "severe" can only be used for physiological indicators, not experiential assumptions.

Pic of my Lily who has had her own structural difficulties flagged up as well. We will be doing some supportive therapies to help her with these because although she doesn't present like she's in pain with her behaviour, she does with her movements and postures.

Every dog is different.

Respect their individuality outside of any labels that may be given to them 🐾💜

11/13/2024

It's been crazy at our house the last few weeks thanks to much needed construction on one of the bathrooms. This meant keeping the animals safely secured so that they didn't interfere with the work (great danes think they are the best helper dogs ever) as well as making sure no one escaped due to doors being left open. This has meant restrictions from normal daily activities.

Our pets love predictable routines, it helps them feel safe. As the project winds to a close Zoinks has been showing some signs of anxiety (something we've worked to keep managed since her health challenges started) and yesterday after a full dinner she was acting hyper and hungry, getting her nose into places she normally leaves alone. To help her out I started our go to game of Up/Down but she wasn't able to focus on the game. So we went to a game of Find It which allowed for more movement. While this brought things down she was still showing signs of stress and was too 'wired up' to work on relaxation without creating more stress. I brought out an old favorite that would let her do a little tearing up while getting a reward. Grabbing a papertowel tube (we save them), I crimped an end end filled it with kibble, then crimped the other end. She had a blast tearing it up while getting rewarded with her kibble. (If your dog isn't on a special diet you can opt for treats or a combo of treats and kibble.) This was just what she needed and was soon able to relax and fell asleep surrounded by bits of cardboard.

11/05/2024

This. I can't say it loud enough. If your dog has to be threatened with pain in order to be able to go for a walk something is wrong.

Occasionally someone pops along here with the idea that I have no practical experience with dogs, couldn't handle a working dog and that's why I don't understand why 'tools' are needed for some dog breeds.

I was in a bite suit and operationally searching for live explosives with dogs decades ago. Working breeds are easier to train with positive reinforcement because they are literally born to work. Dogs don't need prong collars - poor trainers do - because they haven't learned or skilled up enough.

And if you can't teach a companion breed to volunteer something, by using a marker, you have a long way to go with your training. I would say you're not a dog trainer, because that's brain work. A prong collar is not brain work.

If you think you need to expose an innocent dog to a prong collar you don't. You need to learn more.

It really is as simple as that.

And here endeth the lesson.

All dogs deserve safety.

It's a welfare right.

Don't poke the bear.

I am the bear 🐻😅