Walking with a Friend

10/26/2025

There are some great ways to prevent food aggression, but messing with, taking or putting your hand in your dogs food is not one of them.

The more we mess with our dogs stuff, the more likely they are to become defensive around it. Just like we might!

10/26/2025

10/26/2025

10/23/2025

10/23/2025

No dog needs “corrections.”

Corrections don’t teach. They only scare, startle, or interrupt. At best, they suppress behavior. At worst, they damage trust.

So what do we do instead?
We learn to understand why dogs do what they do.
We get better at reading body language.
We manage their environment.
We teach them what to do instead.

It’s never about “fixing” the dog.
It’s about us doing better for them.

Need help with your dog's behavior? Schedule a session today!

10/23/2025

Please join us THIS Sat, Oct 25 at noon ET in our Welcome Home, Pup! webinar with Marnie Montgomery, PMCT4, CPDT-KA, ! 🐕

Sign up for free at YourDogsFriend.org/Webinars

Learn how to help your new pup feel safe, prioritize training skills, and develop routines.

There will be time for Q&A!

10/19/2025

Wanting control from dogs is more about your convenience rather than about understanding what your dog is desperately trying to tell you.

Barking is communication. It’s up to you to be curious about why they are barking. Are they demanding your attention? Do they need to go out to potty? Are they seeking your attention because they are anxious or excited or frustrated?

Wanting to stop behaviors because it’s annoying, you don’t have time, or you just have no idea what to do is telling the dog they don’t matter.

Shifting your mindset is the most effective strategy for a deeper connection with dogs.

After all, you wanted a dog so you owe it to them to learn their language.

10/19/2025

Why do we continue to push them?
Distressed barking in carparks because they would be "bored" at home.
Sitting in bars while they cower under a table to "help them become exposed to life".
Walking around busy hardware stores where they're confronted by machinery, people, dogs and smells and they're completely overwhelmed.
So why do we persist?
We've seen (or think we have seen) a glimmer of relaxation in that chaos.

We crave fast results and visible “progress”.
We take the smallest piece of calmness and stillness as a positive.
Those glimpses of coping aren’t always comfort.

Far from it for many.

We've often misread just how comfortable they are and we think that's enough of a signal to push them far more.

It's not.

So how long do you have to do the bars, cafes and stores before they just accept new environments?
For many in just those scenarios, pushed that much, they may never accept them.
You'll be doing the same in 2 months and still doing it in 2 years.
Or, their world will quickly become much smaller because their reactions will be stronger to the point they will screech, lunge or feel they have no choice but to use their mouth.

We need to stop throwing them in the deep end when they can barely cope "paddling" around.
They need careful exposure, not just exposure.

It's the old "they can, but should they" debate.
Not much of a debate for me.

10/16/2025

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.

10/12/2025