Dogs Behaving Better

22/11/2025

Positive reinforcement training makes dogs happy and eager to learn.
The old ways don’t.
Choose positive.

A lot of talk about training philosophies on social media in the last few days … so I want to add my 2 cents, too.

Deciding what training approach to take is really not so difficult. It can all come down to simply asking:

“How does my dog feel when we’re training?”

And in order to answer that … just look at your dog. Are they thrilled to be working with you? Are they excited to be your partner?
Or do they look like “Oh dang, I hope no 💩goes down today”

When a mistake happens (and yes they will happen at some point) - do they eagerly bounce back into starting position to try again?
Or do they look apprehensive and afraid of the consequences?

When you finish a session, does your dog seem elated and proud of themselves? Or do they look like “Thank god this is over”?

And speaking of ending a session … the vast majority of your dog’s time is spent NOT being trained by you.

So how does your dog feel during THAT time?

Are they happy to be in your presence? Do they seek out your company, do they ask you to play, are they excited to be around you? Do they come to you when they’re afraid and unsure of something?

The next time you wonder which way you should train, just ask yourself …

💚 “Am I making my dog smile?” 💚

Because if the answer is no, it’s time to change things 🙂

19/11/2025

Shock and prong collars are equally aversive and risk long-term damage that most guardians don’t perceive.

In case you haven't seen, there's a proposed USD 1.9million settlement in a class action lawsuit in California about "gravely dangerous" shock collars. Amongst other things, the court filings say “In reality, Shock Collar Products are far from safe and harmless. In fact, the use of electric shocks is gravely dangerous to the pets’ physical and psychological well-being.” The class action is about different kinds of shock collars (bark-activated, barriers, fences) and Californians who purchased a shock collar between October 1st 2018 and October 31st 2022 are eligible for the settlement.

Details via the link in bio or https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2025/11/shock-collars-in-dog-training-are.html

19/11/2025

Helping dogs Feel Better is the best way to make them Behave Better.

There’s a common misconception that dog trainers must have well-trained dogs themselves.

However, the truth is that positive dog trainers are passionate about helping dogs who need it most.

We work with those who struggle and need support, and we celebrate dogs expressing themselves freely, not through rigid training.

Our aim is to give them the best possible freedom and a fulfilling life.

04/11/2025

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOewwywjVxC/?igsh=MTh1aXM4YTE4Nmludg==

01/11/2025

I did not know huskies can really dance!

01/11/2025

Hahaaaa

31/10/2025

Dogs and candy don’t mix.

Every Halloween, veterinarians see a spike in emergency visits from pets who’ve eaten candy or festive treats.

Chocolate, xylitol (a sugar substitute found in many sugar-free candies), and even raisins can be toxic to dogs and cats.

Candy wrappers and decorative packaging can also cause choking or intestinal blockages.

Taking a few extra precautions can prevent a scary trip to the emergency room. Keep your celebrations fun and safe for everyone, including your furry family members!

28/10/2025

If you (selectively) let dogs greet on leash, keep those leashes loose and greetings very short. Not for dogs who may react negatively!

SECONDS COUNT
This post is not advocating that dogs meet every other dog, but rather about how to go about it in a safer way, if and when it does happen.

The 3 second rule for dogs meeting each other is used as a guideline to help foster positive introductions, prevent either dog from feeling overwhelmed or trapped and prevent any potential reactivity and stress.

A short 3 second introduction is enough time to provide important information to both dogs.

Enough time and information for dogs to decide – “are you a threat?”, “do I like you?”, “do I want to learn more about you?”, “do I really dislike you?”, “do I want you to go away?” etc. Both dogs may not feel the same way – one may not be happy to engage while the other may want to.

All interactions should ideally happen like this, not just initially. Just like us, dogs can have off days – things like pain, trigger stacking, lack of sleep or a host of other reasons can influence a dog’s emotional state and whether a dog wants to interact or not.

There are countless times I have witnessed meetings or introductions between dogs that have gone on just a few seconds too long and have not ended well.

This can have long lasting effects on future behaviour when meeting other dogs.

Understanding body language is critically important. If we are going to share our lives with another species, protect them, advocate for them and help them feel safe, then we need to understand and respect their language.

The examples in this post of red and green flags are just a few general ones to look out for – there are many more and these will differ depending on the individual dog, context and circumstances.

Here are some resources that provide more detailed information about body language –

The Veterinary Behaviour Centre
https://bit.ly/4hwC8k1

On Talking Terms With Dogs - Calming Signals, 2nd Edition by Turid Rugaas
https://bit.ly/4oftWqW

Make sure those first 3 seconds count – they can make all the difference.

24/10/2025

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQEn25rDaR5/?igsh=MW50bnpyNHJvZWhleg==

24/10/2025

Where’s your dog, on the spectrum?

DON’T FORCE ME TO BE SOCIAL!

It may be really disappointing or frustrating when our dogs are not the social beings we expected them to be.

Many people assume dogs should just naturally get along with other dogs, after all they’re the same species.

Some believe the “unsociable” dog has a behaviour problem that needs to be “fixed”.

Early, appropriately timed and proper socialisation is really important, but sometimes despite all of this, some dogs are just not that sociable or socially selective to varying degrees.

Sometimes this can be improved, especially if the cause is from a negative experience, but genetics, breed tendencies, individual personalities, health and age all contribute to tolerance and sociability, which also change throughout a dog’s lifetime.

If we, as a human species, don’t get along with everyone we meet, how can we expect our dogs to?

Do we label or try to fix every person that has an argument; doesn’t make friends with everyone they meet, dislikes some people, or just prefers not to be social as having a problem that needs to be fixed?

Why is it so easy to accept that every individual person is different than to accept that every individual dog is different?

When we have done what we can to improve our dogs’ social skills, we need to accept and acknowledge our dogs for the individuals they are, allow and respect their choice of whether to be sociable or not and never force interactions that dogs are not comfortable with.

21/10/2025

Figuring out the Why is essential. They're expressing an emotion or a need. We can teach another behavior to get that need met.

"If you're having issues with your dog barking, it really helps to know why they're barking." That's because dogs can bark for many reasons. If they are barking from fear, for example, you'll want to do something about that to help your dog feel safe. But if they're barking because they want something, we call that demand barking. In the latest episode of The Pawsitive Post in Conversation, and I chat about demand barking and what to do about it (if you want to do something). Listen wherever you get your podcasts, watch on Youtube, or read a transcript on my blog. Link in bio or:

Youtube: https://youtu.be/NzBpTlNLeWk
Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2183505/episodes/17992672
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/demand-barking-in-dogs-and-what-to-do-about-it/id1685998335?i=1000731793456
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3j2eNhlV4JHfp53O9gM63J
Blog post with video, audio, and transcript: https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2025/10/demand-barking-in-dogs-and-what-to-do.html