Concerned Canines

18/03/2025

Still not sure how I feel about this...

10/03/2025

Here at Concerned Canines, we love all animals! Feeding the birds has become a morning meditation and activity for me and the dogs. And the dogs (and cats for their part) enjoy watching the birds and squirrels at the feeders. Caring for the birds has helped immensely not only with us navigating the grief of losing Phillip and Flynn, but has brought Jennifer and I countless hours of peace. So I wanted to share these with you, on the hopes that maybe you'll do the same and have a similar experience.

And a big thank you to our friends over at Wild Birds Unlimited for sharing not only their knowledge but also their passion for birds with us! If you haven't checked them out yet, please do so. It helps a fellow small business owner, as well as helping the local wildlife we all know and love.

05/03/2025

This dog has made excellent progress in just a few weeks. I'm very proud of him!

https://youtu.be/iw9SrXXwTks?si=XGj5gYHxqpXUrmr8

Marley is a 10y Beagle who had a hard time even going outside with any kind of confidence, much less control. He's doing amazing in his training! ...

25/02/2025

Marley showed some improvement very quickly! We'll be working with real dogs very soon.

https://youtu.be/cQxBz0nM26Q?si=cR6q4FBDNMBuNWHj

An example of owner-absent training services I offer. Marley is a frustrated greeter, when he sees other dogs (and sometimes people), he makes a big ruckus. ...

14/02/2025

It's Valentines Day - so I thought I'd share a little love. Our cats love our dogs, and Horus and Barley here show it! Barley, of course, is getting his breakfast cuddles. Horus always tries to get some extra cuddles during breakfast with the dogs too.

13/02/2025

It hit me, almost physically, this realization. Something had happened when I wasn't looking. I was with Flynn again...in the best way possible and in the worst way possible. Let me explain -

Flynn was around a year old when he began to develop serious dog reactivity. I was a very young trainer still, I had followed every socialization protocol I could find at the time (none of which were very nuanced) to make him dog friendly. One of the dogs I had exposed him too, a large grey poodle owned by one of the vets I worked for, went after him. I separated them, and made sure each dog but especially Flynn was safe I made a few other mistakes, exposing him to dogs I shouldn't have. I didn't help it. I made it worse.

And at some point, I said I have to keep my dog safe, so I stopped exposing him to other dogs unnecessarily. I could only imagine some large dog grabbing him and hurting him. I wasn't going to be responsible for that. Flynn was indifferent to people most of the time anyway, so he stayed at home. We did things close to the house. Sometimes on rare occasions, he helped me with a class - but I respected his threshold. I wanted to keep him safe, this dog I had come to love most in the world.

And I lost him to something in the home.

I endeavored not to do that with Barley, but Murphys Law took a personal interest in me. Nothing went right. I continued to work on Barleys socialization, then his reactivity. But I couldn't make the progress as fast as I would like it, so I subconsciously eased off of it. He began to feel more like Flynn. In the home, Barley is my go-to dog. He'll do it when Kristoff won't and he'll do it fast.

My schedule freed up today unexpectedly. And I decided to kick myself in the butt. I took Barley on a field trip, with the goal of just letting him get comfortable in a new environment. No big focus on counter-conditioning, just...letting him be him and explore his environment.

I drove over by the UWF trails, just to see how busy it looked and it was dead. So we got out, and walked a little over a mile down a trail before turning back. He did wonderfully. Downed on cue, did a few stays in a few spots when I needed to catch my breath. Only saw two people and barked a little. He did great. We'll definitely go back there.

But I realized on the walk back - I had done to him what I had done to Flynn, but inadvertently. I don't want Barley to get hurt by another dog. I don't want him to be scared or bitten by one.

But...I also have to let him live. I have to let him explore, and experience, and risk that so that he can have a more fulfilled life. I know I'm crazy, and overprotective. It's a daily struggle for me. Losing dogs the way we have...it makes you cautious, hesitant...

But I can't stop Barley from living just because I'm afraid of losing him...and I can't stop living either, just because of what I've lost...

God, I miss you, Flynn. I miss you every day. You would have hated this puppy...but I know you're still with us. And hopefully, I can learn from the mistakes I made with you.

13/02/2025

My wife got me a new wax warmer for my office space. I think it's actually really pretty. I chose a blue bulb (because duh) and I think it looks good.

05/02/2025

Hi everyone! After a technical issue, my interview with Sue Alexander from Dogs In The Park and The Dog Trainer's Crucible is finally up on YouTube! I apology for the quality. I ended up having to edit it on my phone, so I hope it came out alright. Go check it out!

https://youtu.be/aqKvFNX1UmU?si=bLWbXb_KPOS5gOUV

Hi everyone, and welcome to our flagship episode of Barks With Ben. In this series, I interview other dog professionals about a variety of topics. For this e...

30/01/2025

Hi everyone! I'm going to doing a series of recorded conversations with other dog professionals, discussing a variety of topics from training to care.

My first conversation is going to he with my friend and mentor, Sue Alexander from Dogs In The Park and The Dog Trainer's Crucible

Our topic is going to be "What Did You Expect - a discussion about breed related behaviors". If you have questions you'd like to ask Sue, feel free to drop them here or PM it to me directly! We're recording our conversation on February 2, and it will be released the following day on YouTube. I hope you'll enjoy it!

28/01/2025

If you'd rather listen on YouTube, here's the link! Again, give Lets Talk About Pets Podcast a follow on your platforms!

In this episode, we are joined by our special guest professional dog trainer, Ben, with Concerned Canines. We explore the complexities of aggressive dog bree...

24/01/2025

Check out this ancient dog art!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17o9FgaQpg/

Five Assyrian dog figurines, made of clay with pigments, circa 650 BC. Names inscribed on the figurines represent protective qualities. Now on display in the British Museum.⁣
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Each dog features its own name, emphasizing their symbolic roles in warding off evil and protecting households. Figurines like these were often buried beneath thresholds or placed in foundations to guard against evil forces.⁣
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“Expeller of evil” (mušēṣu lemnūti) with white pigment and red spots⁣
“Catcher of the enemy” (kāšid ayyāb) with red pigment⁣
“Don’t think, bite!” (ē tamtallik epuš pāka) with white pigment⁣
“Biter of his foe!” (munaššiku gārîšu) with turquoise pigment⁣
“Loud is his bark!” (dan rigiššu) with black pigment⁣
⁣

14/01/2025

I don't think this really surprises anyone

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/your-stress-levels-affect-your-dog-study-7425602?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1azoW36pFt2qzfghzmQKkccGmsCRwCcwa-zN2mStDqf47syF37AOvLUMc_aem_cTTqH-JO48FqUnoI0Q1Y3g

Dogs have lived alongside humans for thousands of years. They have been used to hunt, guard, herd and perform many other tasks, but today they mainly act as companions.

14/01/2025

Let's talk about this for a moment: what does a breed being the smartest mean?

The testing for these claims usually involves problem solving tests. Intelligence is assessed on the dogs ability to solve the problem without human intervention. Does this mean that other dogs aren't intelligent? No.

Does intelligence always mean obedient? Definitely not. As a trainer, I can honestly say that having a smart dog is more of a challenge than one that isn't.

My boys are both members of two breeds listed, Border Collie and Poodle. Let me tell you a little about their intelligence.

Barley has typical Border Collie intelligence. He's very obedient, but he can also anticipate what my next move is for both of us, and usually beats me to it. He's also a great problem solver, but learns quickly if there's a problem I don't want him to solve.

Kristoff isn't a great problem solver, and doesn't always want to be obedient. He is unmatched in his ability to read other people and other dogs, and frequently adjusts his behavior accordingly. If I'm working with a clients dog that is scared or anxious, Kristoff is excellent about giving that dog space without me asking for it.

All dogs are smarter than we giv them credit for. But like humans, dogs have specialities that they may excel at better than other dogs.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19ozUz6AGS/

Smart Puppy! 🐶 🧠 Border Collies are the smartest dog breed, followed by Poodles, German Shepherds, and Golden Retrievers, according to canine researcher Dr. Stanley Coren.

11/01/2025

"A lot of trainers in this area seem...very militant...you're not like that..."

This a terrible picture of an absolutely wonderful moment. Khasha, the min pin that is waiting by the bench, is training to be a service dog for her handler.

Her owner was told by other trainers that her dog had no confidence, and was too small to use a shock collar on. She was thought to be dog reactive, but she has shown confident, calm behavior with other dogs. And there were a lot today.

As we were leaving, we saw another trainer with a prong collar on the dog, and had backed the dog up to a set of stairs. His instructions to his client, "Give a small tug, and say down. He's got nowhere to go if he doesn't want to fall down the stairs, so he'll have to lay down." The look on the dogs face was one of resigned helplessness, this dog being forced to down in a public walkway simply to feed someone's ego. No acknowledgement of a dog that is stressed. Just a tight prong collar and a dog that looked like he had given up. That's when my clients remarked, "We've talked to other trainers. A lot of trainers seem very...militant...you're not like that..."

Because when I say I'll do everything I can to help your dog, and what's in the best interest of your dog, I mean it. For some people, it's about control. For me it's about compassion.

10/01/2025

When your dog is so bougie that he won't eat scrambled eggs, but somehow knows the word "omelet"?

Give him scrambled eggs and he'll turn his nose up. Give him an omelet with a pinch of cheese, and he'll practically beg for it.

More content is coming folks! Sorry for the radio silence. It was a long holiday season, but I hope all of you made it through okay!

28/12/2024

There's a new paper about sniffing!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17wNZ8XWh8/

New paper out! Jade of Animal Behaviour Matters has a new publication, the first part of her PhD research into scent activities for dogs! 🐕🐕‍🦺📚

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168159124003332?via%3Dihub

26/12/2024

It is impossible to be entirely objective about yourself or your dogs. Objectivity is necessary when working through behavior problems in dogs. I knew I'd struggle some with Barley, but I wasn't ready for how much I'd actually would.

I can blame any number of things, and you'd agree with me that those things would have a negative effect on my early training with him.

The truth of the matter is that it really just was my fault. I wasn't ready for him, despite what I told myself. I was and still am mourning Flynn, and that put up a barrier between us - and one that only I could dismantle.

Losing Phillip sparked something into life, though, and I got serious about it. One of the things that has helped me is reading other books about border collies. Not necessarily books on technique, but rather experience. John Katz's book, The Dogs of Bedlam Farm, has helped me immensely with this endeavor. It's an older book, and I came across it entirely by chance at a library sale.

But it moved me a lot. Barley had a wonderful Christmas, despite the best efforts of our rude neighbors behind us. And he continues to improve. And I'll continue to grow...and maybe, one day, I'll look back on all of this and smile...