The Dog Talker LLC

09/13/2025

09/04/2025

What is Behavioral Diversity?

At the heart of the Total Welfare Model is the idea that we can learn a great deal about a dog’s well-being by looking at the range of natural behaviors they are able to show when their needs are met and their instincts are honored.

The broader and more balanced this repertoire, the stronger the indication that a dog is experiencing a good life.

Examples include:
▪ Sniffing, tracking scents, digging, or pawing to explore
▪ Parading with a toy to invite interaction or show off
▪ Caching toys or bones in the yard or cushions
▪ Wrestling, ambushing, or play-stalking canine friends
▪ Rolling in the grass or basking in the sun

Navigating obstacles, perching, investigating, or patrolling with confidence
When a dog’s range narrows too much, welfare may be compromised. Why? Because without access to robust natural behaviors, dogs are restricted in some way. It may be their health, nutrition, environment, or interactions. Something is stopping them from doing enough “dogging.”

That’s a shift for the dog world to think about. We are so often asked to make dogs do less dog stuff. But true welfare means helping them do more of it.

This is what Total Welfare helps us learn to do: see dogs as dogs, meet dogs as dogs, assess dogs as dogs. With modern animal welfare science, we can move out of the dark ages and into a future that supports the whole picture of canine wellness and the Good Life they deserve.

The Total Welfare App helps track the breadth of natural behaviors as one part of the overall welfare picture, giving us greater confidence in understanding whether a dog is truly living the Good Life.

06/09/2025

Anybody know this dog or the owner? He or she is running around currently on May Street. Very friendly dog has a rainbow tag on its collar but no name or phone number I cannot take the dog in because of my two dogs.

04/11/2025

In these times, where EGO rules the world more than ever before, be it worldly affairs, or dog training, it’s time to pause.

There are many opinions and heated discussions about how to train dogs.

At The Dog Talker, we passionately believe that rather than focusing on training as a solution to resolving dog behavior problems, we need to start somewhere else.

If we are truly to evolve as humans, and as dog parents or dog trainers, we need to start on a blank page. We need to start at POINT ZERO. This is the point where we let go of all our preconceived ideas and constructs of dogs and dog training.

POINT ZERO is where we stop looking at our dog as a training object we feel we have to constantly control and modify. It’s the only place where we, as spiritual beings are able to look into the eyes of our dog, another kindred spirit, and really SEE and understand WHO is in front of us.

To really see and understand our dogs, or anything else in this world, we need to first unplug our own EGO. We need to unplug our constant urge to control everything and everyone. We need to gaze without judgment. We need to listen without prejudice. We need to engage without control.

We need to take our dogs by the paw and lead and guide by example. We need to learn to be amazed by the extraordinary being our dog truly is and let them be and do.

In short, we need to unplug dog training and instead employ curiosity and understanding.

And this all starts at POINT ZERO.

If you are ready to start on a blank page and develop a whole new relationship and way of looking at and engaging with your dog, contact The Dog Talker today.

04/03/2025

If you want to truly help and understand your dog, there is one thing you should do today:

Get a LEGS assessment, a deep dive into your dog’s Learning, Environment, Genetics & Self from a Licensed or Certified Family Dog Mediator.

Why? Because it matters. Because the 4 LEGS is WHO your dog is and because the 4 LEGS support your dog’s behavior at all times.

Without a deeper understanding of the cracks in the foundation, how will you know if your house will continue to stand or what repairs may be needed?

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04/02/2025

Most people want a dog who walks nicely on leash, who doesn’t pull and who isn’t reactive to his surroundings.

But are we asking too much? Have we been focusing too much on the other end of the leash for too long?

Given the fact that our dogs are living as captive species in our homes, with needs that in the majority of cases are not being fully met, and the fact that most dogs spend an enormous amount of time indoors and alone for many hours - is it any wonder that our dogs have a lot of pent-up energy when finally they get to go for a walk?

Because we humans live very busy lives, our dogs may only get a very short walk to relieve themselves. Many dogs don’t get a walk every day. Some dogs are not walked at all, for many different reasons.

Have you ever thought about what the purpose of the walk is - to you and to your dog?

How do you FEEL about walking your dog? Is it just another item to check off on your list for the day? Is it something you enjoy? Is it something you dread? Is it something you want to do, or don’t want to do?

Are you frustrated, stressed, in a hurry on walks? How YOU feel, your ACTIONS on walks matter greatly as your dog mirrors your behavior.

Most people understand that exercise is important and beneficial to both humans and dogs, but is the walk only about exercise?

Have you ever thought deeper about what the purpose of the walk is…. To YOU and to your dog?

If not, or if you would like to learn more about it, perhaps help your dog navigate walks better-

👉Then go to our website and grab our 26 page e-book, “How to navigate life better with your leash reactive dog“. This book is an eye-opener. It’s not meant to be a passive read, but rather a workbook for you and your dog to benefit from. It is meant as a resource and helpful tool to encourage you to think deeper about the walk with your dog.

This book is helpful to ALL dog parents, regardless of whether your dog is reactive or not.

03/26/2025

If your dog is unmanageable or uncontrollable unleash, the first thing you wanna do is invest in my e-book on reactivity “How to navigate life better with your leash reactive dog”, then you wanna check your equipment. Walk your dog on a comfortable harness with a handle don’t walk your dog on a retractable leash no too short of a leash. You definitely don’t want to be putting him on a prong collar or a shock collar either because then you will be concerned about what he’s learning on the walk and how much more reactive he may become

remember, who the walk is for… Your dog not you! This is your dog’s only chance to explore the outside world to explore new smells new sensory inputs. You have your free will and free choice you can go for a walk or go outside anytime you want your dog cannot. So put your ego aside and let your dog have the walk. He deserves. Try not to pull or yank at your dog. Try not to get mad at your dog. Try not to get frustrated at your dog. Let your dog sniff every inch of the way get a longer leash and learn how to use it, so your dog can be allowed to sniff and you don’t have to be pulled in each and every direction.

You have your thrills and your experiences you get to go places every day if you want, your dog doesn’t. Let your dog be a dog, depending on the breed you have he may be motivated by chasing squirrels or chasing cars.

Talk to him and calm, upbeat tones, explain to him what he sees in his environment just like you would with a toddler

Be your dogs, active parent, be his advocate be his protector. He’s got your back. Do you have his?

Get my e-book now and learn why your dog may be reactive and how to change the purpose of the walk.

03/20/2025

Reactivity can be modified with training, lots of training, but it takes time… A long time. You can use all kinds of tools…look up ‘how to’ on YouTube, read books about it, or contact a professional dog trainer.

The thing about training is that you will get conflicting advice, depending on what kind of methods the dog trainer uses, and the same is true when you try to look it up online.

The thing about training also is that reactivity is not a training problem. The thing about training is that we seem to think it’s OK to go in and change our dog’s behavior without considering the implications of doing so.

The thing about training is, I repeat, the fact that dog behavior problems are NOT training problems, but WELFARE problems.

The thing about training is that it’s not our dog’s behavior we should be concerned with changing - but rather the dog’s environment.

The thing about training is that it doesn’t take into consideration the big WHY your dog is reactive in the first place.

The thing about training is that it often doesn’t take into consideration your dog’s genetic make-up and the fact that different breeds will react differently to stimuli in the environment.

The thing about Training is that it fails to take into consideration, one very important piece of the puzzle = YOU, the dog’s parent.

What about your behavior, your body language your tone of voice? The fact is your dog mirrors your behavior and so to help your dog learn how to navigate triggers better - let’s start with number one = YOU, the dog parent and give YOU tools to work with!

Another key factor that has been missing in dog training is the PURPOSE of the walk. What is the purpose of the walk to you, the dog parent? And what do you think the purpose of the walk is to your dog?

Dog training has been so consumed with focusing on the dog, when in fact, your dog learns from YOU. By changing YOUR behavior and becoming what I call ‘An ACTIVE Parent’ to your dog as you are to your child, and by changing the PURPOSE of the walk, you are on your way to success! It really is very SIMPLE.

03/19/2025

03/11/2025

Just 🔥HOT🔥 off the press:

Our new ebook, ‘How to navigate life better with your leash reactive dog’ is now available for purchase on our website!!

This is a WORKBOOK for ALL dog parents, regardless of whether you have a reactive dog or not. It contains a 7 Day Walk Diary to encourage you to think more deeply about HOW your behavior, thoughts, and emotional state affects your dog’s behavior - and to write down your thoughts & feelings prior to, during, and after the walk.

In other words, this book encourages you to DO something, not just read it passively.

The book covers the many reasons why so many dogs are reactive and discusses HOW you can help your dog navigate walks better - by using the tools given in the workbook. There are tools for both ends of the leash.

In this book, you learn HOW to change the PURPOSE of the walk, which is CRUCIAL for success!

The workbook is meant as a guide and reference book for dog parents who are struggling with their reactive dog - but also as a helpful resource to use alongside the services we offer at TDT.

The exercises in the book are meant as helpful tools to help you think about how to create WELFARE and psychological WELLNESS for your dog (and yes, you too), and thereby significantly reduce your dog’s level of stress and arousal.

This book is not intended to be a magic ‘how to’ recipe on resolving or fixing dog reactivity, as dog behavior is much more complex than so. But by getting a better understanding of WHY dogs may be leash reactive, and following some basic daily exercises, you can be on your way to improving your dog’s life as well as your own.

Moreover, I have created a Reactivity Checklist, (4 pages) as a companion to the ebook with some more valuable info and resources.

YOU get BOTH of these downloads with a 10% discount when you buy both. See bio for website link. Use code EBOOK10 at checkout.

02/04/2025

Nothing better you can do for your dogs than just BEing with them outside…. Connecting to nature. It’s good for your soul, good for their soul❤️❤️🐶🐶🙏🥰🤗

That is all.

01/14/2025

This was posted just now from Caitlyn the dog’s family!Our hearts are shattered but we rejoice in knowing that Caitlyn knew love for many years.

We are devastated to share that our sweet Caitlyn peacefully passed over the rainbow bridge on Sunday surrounded by love. She suddenly became ill in the last week and was diagnosed with an advanced and aggressive cancer. As was her nature, she fought until the end. Caitlyn was a beloved and now deeply missed member of our family. She loved us as much as we loved her and we will never forget her. For us, this is a reminder of how fleeting life can be and that we should all value the time we have with our loved ones because tomorrow is not guaranteed.
We are eternally grateful to the Charleston Animal Society for entrusting us with the care of our beautiful and loving girl. Without the incredible work of the Charleston Animal Society and organizations like them, stories like Caitlyn's story would not be possible. They do incredible work everyday and are a vital community asset that needs our collective support to continue their mission.
People would often say to us how lucky she was to have found us when the exact opposite was true. She was a tremendous blessing and a gift to our family that we cherished and loved everyday. We remain very proud of the work done on her case and the ongoing work we are involved in related to animal welfare and combating cruelty.
However, as proud as we are of bringing justice to her, what we are proudest of is being her family and having had her in our lives for as long we did.
- Ted, Danielle, Regin, Sully