dogtaoist

12/18/2025

20% off STORE WIDE prices. All custom, wear something different while promoting our brand. We are stocked!

All balance harnesses, crates, outdoor and dog trainer gear, Eddie Bauer down puffy coats, North Face, gloves, hats, everything discounted!!

Tomorrow Friday 12/19 , in store, no discount on services. Tangible items only.

12/12/2025

LEAD your dog with your body, leash, collar and context. Give them a minute. Without the patience to truly learn what your dog needs, they will NEVER understand your expectations of them. As their owners, you decide what type of pet you end up with, based on how they are raised.

Dogs aren’t turn key purchases or accessories. They must have your leadership to understand what you want. You must understand what they need.

All dogs have mushers secret or palm balm protection on feet for short walks in heat or cold.

If you want to learn more about the ecology, behaviors and training of dogs email us [email protected]

12/11/2025

This is why we train in a way modeled by Mother Nature. Which includes consequences, boundaries, trust, respect and successful practice at home and the facility. If you can’t put in the time and work, your neglecting both your dog and yourself. Dogs are a full time job. Are you a full time leader?
Would you listen to or follow you?
Are you emotionally balanced?
Do you yell at them?
Are you caught in a negative feedback loop lacking respect and trust?
Put in the time with your dog. The best trainers on the planet can’t build a relationship with your dog for you.
Your dog looks to you for boundaries and rules and that builds trust and safety!

11/25/2025

Everyday is new opportunity to begin a profound journey with your dogs.

Photo Jerry and his friend spotted reppn dog taoist 🐶🙏

Miss ya boys 🐶💕

11/17/2025

Dude’s on fire! 🔥 This!!

I feel for owners.

The current training landscape has done an exceptional job of “packaging” dogs as ONLY insecure, unsure, fearful victims.

And when the perception of our dogs is that of a one-dimensional fear-filled victim, the only thoughtful, kind, and appropriate approach would be to share soft, sweet assurances to help them feel safe and secure.

The thing is, anyone who’s been around many dogs, who’s not been completely brainwashed, and who’s willing to be honest in a time where honesty comes with a rather hefty price tag… will tell you that dogs come in all “flavors.” And many of those “flavors” aren’t the least bit insecure, unsure, or afraid.

It’s truly wild that we’ve managed to convince an entire dog owning population — millions of people who have their own eyes and brains and boots on the ground with their own dogs — that dogs are ONLY made up of shy, unsure victims, and should be trained and lived with as such.

Are there unsure, insecure, fear-filled dogs out there? You bet. Lots of them, and they absolutely should be met where they’re at and helped to find more trust, confidence, and security.

But what the world is absolutely committed to ignoring or dismissing is that there are also many, many dogs who are confident opportunists that have astutely analyzed the social landscape and come to the very correct conclusion that their owners are indeed doormats, and that walking all over them in order to get whatever it is they desire or enjoy… is absolutely on the menu.

And these dogs, like the unsure and fearful ones, should also, if the goal is to truly help them (and their owners), be met where they’re at. Unlike the others, these guys need help learning how to be polite, deferential, respectful.

It’s simple stuff. When you are soft, sweet, and permissive with a pushy, confident, “what’s up for grabs?” type of dog, you and that dog are going to struggle, terribly. And when you’re firm, no-nonsense, and come on strong with a soft, unsure dog, you and that dog are going to struggle, terribly.

The issue is that you’re being told one of these dogs exists, and is everywhere, and the other is made up nonsense from the past.

PS, I’ve framed this as black and white for the simplicity needed for the length restrictions on posts, and attention spans. The reality is far more complex. The majority of dogs are challenging, nuanced mixtures of insecurity and confidence, or fear and brattiness, depending on circumstances. It takes a trainer or owner to remove themselves from the black and white causes (programming) and to respond appropriately in the moment to whatever is being offered, in a fashion that is most likely to help the dog. The upshot? Dogs, like us, are a messy collection of personality, attitude, and demeanor qualities. Just like you aren’t one thing, neither is your dog. Approach accordingly.

11/17/2025

Perfection. Boom 💥

So many owners have been bamboozled by continuous fear-based, illogical, propaganda messaging to the point that they’re paralyzed from taking common sense action to resolve their dog’s behavior issues.

Let’s explore.

A dog appears on your walk. Nothing happens initially. Then your reactive dog stares, barks, lunges at the dog—you correct them. The reactivity stops. The trigger dog was there before, and after the correction. Only one thing started, stopped, controlled the correction… your dog’s behavior towards the other dog. Therefore the presence of the dog doesn’t predict, control, impact the consequence, and thus no negative association with the dog is created… but one is created with the reactivity.

Your dog jumps on a guest. You correct them for the jumping. The jumping stops. The guest was there before, and after the correction. Only one thing started, stopped, controlled the correction… your dog’s behavior towards the guest. Therefore the presence of the guest doesn’t predict, control, impact the consequence, and thus no negative association with the guest is created… but one is created with the jumping.

Same with your dog barking, growling at a child. You correct the dog for the unhealthy behavior towards the child. The barking, growling stops. The child was there before and after the correction. Only one thing started, stopped, controlled the correction… your dog’s behavior towards the child. Therefore the presence of the child doesn’t predict, control, impact the consequence, and thus no negative association with the child is created… but one is created with the barking, growling towards them.

Or your dog is barking in the crate. You correct them with an e-collar. The unwanted behavior stops. The dog was in the crate before and after the correction occurred. So it’s not being in the crate that started, stopped, controlled/predicted the correction, it was only the dog’s behavior (barking) while in the crate. Thus the barking is what the negative association is connected to not the crate.

Your dog is smart. It’s looking for ONLY what predicts and controls the consequence. And they gain clarity in that regard by experiencing repeatedly that it is only THEIR behavior that starts, stops, avoids the consequence… not the mere presence of the trigger. And thus they gain clarity that it is THEIR behavior that the negative association is associated with.

11/14/2025

So grateful and blessed to call the Monks of New Skete my friends, brothers, mentors and family.

Training with them this week was overwhelming and life changing. We are honoring Mother Nature and the training programs we have been practicing for over 50 years as a family.

I’m also so grateful for Father Bob and his grace and generosity and mentorship.

There may have been celebrity dogs there as well… I may have met them too 🤫

I’ll be going back soon to visit and train. We did so much fun training Progressing and becoming better an learning more every day.

11/07/2025

We are not obligated to strangers. We are obligated to our dogs.

If they don’t believe you, you’ll keep them safe from threats, you’ll get a reactive high arousal dog that doesn’t listen to commands.

Sean has a way of writing that really hits. So accurate and so honest.

If you’re working through reactivity issues, you have to remember you can’t ask your dog to give you something you’re actively sabotaging.

Allowing people and dogs to pressure your reactive dog (regardless of the cause of the reactivity) as your dog is trying to break old patterns and develop new, healthy responses (which is extremely challenging in the best of situations), will ensure that your reactive dog remains reactive.

But, if you do provide the latter — meaning your dog is confidently, calmly, and unapologetically advocated for, and isn’t put into unfair and overwhelming situations — then it’s absolutely fair to demand the former, meaning your dog responds appropriately to non-threatening, non-pressure-filled “interactions”.

If you’ll hold up your end of the deal, then you absolutely should hold your dog to theirs.

11/07/2025

Affection is a reward. Teach them to problem solve issues and obstacles and do not keep them insulated from what scares them.

The reward them with attention and petting, treats and kisses. Then repeat.

11/07/2025

Winter merchandise deliveries have started! New clothing, branded packs and dog sled accessories available now!

Open to the public tues-sat

Email [email protected]

11/01/2025

Such a great message. Love this!

My post about the Nervous System Reset received a ton of surprisingly positive responses. (Unusual when suggesting restrictions for humans and canines.)

But what stood out the most was that I received several comments from truly curious and truly stumped folks about one part of the reset list.

That would be the “Don’t allow whining, barking, demanding of attention” part.

What’s so surprising about this is that this is incredibly rudimentary knowledge—or should be. And it conveys just how successful the anti-punishment crowd have been in scaring and confusing owners away from using their common sense to stop simple nuisance behaviors.

And when I respond with what is necessary to address these (as well as even more serious behaviors), I know I’m almost certainly going to get some gasps and emotional upset.

I’ve got some rather unpleasant news for anyone thinking/believing you can stop unwanted behaviors via rewards, ignoring, or “giving in to the demand.”

The only thing which weakens or stops a behavior is punishment. (This is the science-based operant conditioning definition of punishment—not what you’ll find in Webster’s.)

Simply put, you have to find a way to apply a punisher (something the dog finds aversive) and connect it to the unwanted behavior. (All of this is easy info to get from a qualified trainer in person or online.)

Now this doesn’t mean abuse, or yelling, or hitting—what’s aversive is decided by the dog.

It could be a raised eyebrow and stern look, or a firm “no”. It could also be Pet Convincer (compressed air that makes an unpleasant sound), or sq**rt of water. Or it could be a bonker, or leash, or e-collar correction.

But the critical point is this: you have to make the unwanted behavior non-rewarding and unpleasant to engage in. It’s really that simple. Countless folks will tell you this isn’t the case. I encourage you to explore their approach and see if it works for you. If not (which it won’t), then simply apply the advice I’ve shared above.

PS, here are the mandatory caveats. Be sure you’ve exercised your dog physically and mentally via training and play (in a fashion which doesn’t create a neurotic dog), and ensure your dog doesn’t need to go pottie. If you’ve taken care of these, and your dog is still whining, barking, demanding attention, it’s time for…dun, dun, dun… punishment.

PPS, this prescription also applies to barking from the crate, jumping on people, counter surfing, pulling on-leash, reactivity, rushing the door when guests/deliveries arrive and many more. 🙂