Fox Hollow Dog Training

10/12/2024

Our Monday friends had so much fun this morning romping in the snow before the rain came this afternoon 🌧️
Amara and Piper decided couch snuggles were better than the rain!

04/12/2024

Hina joined the Wednesday crew this week! Piper showed off her super warm jacket!

03/12/2024

Chilly Tuesday play!
Cali and Hazel M were matching in warm orange jackets today! They didn’t care how chilly it was since they were so toasty in their coats!

26/11/2024

Today was a cold and dreary day outside. The pups still played a lot! Inside action shots never come out clear 😩 but I did get some still shots from the pups that would cooperate 😂

25/11/2024

Monday Fun Day! Today was Sam’s last day volunteering with us for awhile! All the Monday friends will miss him, and hope he can come back soon to hang out and train!

25/11/2024

This is definitely a thought provoking and triggering piece for many folks to read and digest.
Adam has listed out in an easy to comprehend way how white supremacy does connect to many aspects of our daily lives.
I am super guilty of many of these things, we all are! We don’t do better until we know better.
So if you have big feelings about this post that’s totally valid, but sit with them for a bit. Ask yourself why?
I did and in doing so I’m able to have more compassion not only for the dogs in my life but for other humans.
Will I be perfect? Hell no!
No one ever is, but the act of growing and learning means we are human and it’s important to do.
What are your thoughts? Do you have any specific struggles from the ones listed? I do!

25/11/2024

21/11/2024

I’m gonna be real, the only dog who wanted to play outside in the rain today was Remy 😂 everyone else wanted to come in and either curl up on the couch or play in the dry warm barn 😂

21/11/2024

Sorry about dropping the ball on posts!
These are Tuesday and Wednesday friends! I will make sure to post them in our online community as well!

18/11/2024

The pups really enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather!
Everyone was excited to play fully outside 🥰

15/11/2024

I won’t use and do not recommend choke chains, prongs or shock/e-collars for training.

You would be surprised what connections dog make instead of the one you’re trying to build.

I will not shame you if you felt these were your best or only option from other trainers or your own research. It’s quite murky out there as far as dog training.

I am here to support you to move away from those tools and build a better relationship with you dog 💛

“When used correctly…”

I hear this phrase a lot when it comes to justifying prong collars, choke chains, and e-collars. These tools have been gaining popularity lately, partly due to the visibility they get on social media.

So I think it’s really important that people understand what these tools actually do and how they work, especially if they’re considering using them for their own dogs.

The key thing to keep in mind is that these tools work because they’re aversive. They cause pain or discomfort, which is why they’re effective. This isn’t just an opinion; it’s rooted in learning theory:

✅ Positive Punishment: An unpleasant consequence is added to decrease an unwanted behavior.
👉 Example: If a dog jumps up, a shock might be applied to make the behaviour less likely.

✅ Negative Reinforcement: An unpleasant stimulus is removed when the dog performs a desired behavior, increasing the likelihood of that behaviour.
👉 Example: The shock stops when a dog sits, reinforcing the sitting behavior.

In other words, for these tools to work, they have to be unpleasant enough that the dog wants to avoid or escape them. This is known as “avoidance and escape conditioning.”

I think it’s very important to be intellectually honest about this. I see a lot of misinformation being spread around, which can be dangerous, and it prevents dog owners to make an informed decision on how they want to train their dogs and why.

So why do people still use and recommend them?

Well, because they do work, but perhaps not everyone (sometimes even professionals) is fully aware of the downfalls that comes with their use.

⚠️ Some trainers may not fully understand how these tools work and might genuinely believe this is the best (or only) option to help a dog.

⚠️ Others might know exactly how these tools work but avoid being upfront about it because it’s easier to get fast, visible results with aversive methods. They might worry that if clients understood the true nature of these tools, they’d be hesitant to use them.

⚠️ Or, it might be that the client is aware of how they work, but they feel they have no other options. Perhaps they have worked with positive methods before without success. This can happen when training is not the best way to address a problem. For example, there is an underlying physical problem causing or contributing to the behaviour, and/or fear, anxiety, frustration need to be addressed first.

💭 An experienced trainer will be able to recognise when a dog’s behaviour might stem from underlying issues, such as pain, anxiety, or frustration. If they can’t address these directly, they should refer you to a vet behaviourist or clinical animal behaviourist for a thorough assessment — or collaborate with them to ensure your dog gets the support they need.

I’ve worked with cases where simple changes to a dog’s routine and environment significantly improved their quality of life and behaviour. I’ve also worked with dogs in pain, and while training helped manage certain situations safely, the real difference came from collaborating with vets and vet physiotherapists to address the pain first. (Thank you to all the clients who trusted me on this journey!)

I understand how tempting it can be to look at quick fixes online and want the same for your dog. Reactivity issues solved in one session? 🤔 Who wouldn’t want that?

But remember:

🚫 Quick fixes often rely on aversives.
🚫 They rarely address the underlying issues driving the behavior.
🚫 They can disrupt your relationship with your dog and lead to further problems.

The ‘fix’ might look simple and quick, but what about the long-term consequences?

I would also say that adding pain or discomfort to a dog who’s already struggling — whether that’s from fear, anxiety, frustration, or even physical pain — is, in my opinion, unethical and not the most compassionate approach.

If you’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed, I get it. It can be tempting to turn to quick solutions. But I promise, there are better alternatives out there — methods that won’t compromise your bond with your dog or add stress and discomfort where it’s least needed.

You have a choice.

Even if social media makes it feel like everyone is using these tools, there are professionals who have been helping dogs successfully with kinder alternatives for decades.

Training doesn’t have to be about pain or fear. It can be about building trust, confidence, and a stronger bond with your dog.

You can choose compassion and still improve your life with your dog.


For more information on this topic, I’ve put together a list of references and helpful resources here:

Burch, M. and Bailey, J. (1999) How dogs learn. Wiley.

Hiby, E. F., Rooney, N. J., and Bradshaw, J. W. S. (2004) Dog training methods: Their use, effectiveness and interaction with behaviour and welfare. Animal Welfare, 13(1), pp. 63–69.

Mills, D.S., Demontigny-Bédard, I., Gruen, M., Klinck, M.P., McPeake, K.J., Barcelos, A.M., Hewison, L., Van Haevermaet, H., Denenberg, S., Hauser, H., et al. (2020) Pain and Problem Behavior in Cats and Dogs. Animals, 10(2), 318.

Reid, P. (1996) Excel-erated Learning. James & Kenneth.

Vieira de Castro, A.C., Fuchs, D., Morello, G.M., Pastur, S., de Sousa, L., et al. (2020) Does training method matter? Evidence for the negative impact of aversive-based methods on companion dog welfare. PLOS ONE, 15(12).

15/11/2024

We had special guest Piper with us today! She knows little Leo outside of school so they were very excited to see each other today!

14/11/2024

14/11/2024

Today was chilly! As it gets colder we do a lot of moving between outdoor time and indoor play. Dogs aren’t good judges of when it’s too cold to play. We are working on teaching them to come in for breaks now, so on days it’s too cold to be out long later they will be accustomed to the skill!

12/11/2024

Today the wind was BLOWING 🌤️🌬️
As usual the dogs didn’t mind! Although I could tell they were excited to come into the barn with the heater!

10/11/2024

Money is great, do not get me wrong! But I am also willing to trade for services! Barter and trade is still good in my book.

06/11/2024

Ah to be a dog and not understand why Finn is tired after staying up until 2am watching the polls.
It was a very low key day due to exhaustion and depression. The dogs didn’t mind!