K&C Canine Life Skills LLC

06/08/2025

Wisdom Wednesday! Let’s about instant gratification and delayed gratification as it applies to dog training. Instant gratification is great for humans for things including internet speed, vehicles starting, and television turning on. On the other side of the coin, delayed gratification is good for humans for things such as learning a new job, learning to drive a vehicle, and starting a new business.

This brings me to ask, "Why do we have unrealistic expectations of our dogs? Why do we press instant gratification onto our canine companions?" The answer is that many people do not view dogs as beings who have feelings and emotions. I am here to tell you that yes, dogs do have feelings and emotions, yet they express both in different ways than humans.

Humans are allowed the time to learn new skills such as learning a new job, learning to drive a vehicle, and starting a business. Yet, we expect dogs to instantly learn how to sit, stay, come when called, greet people without jumping, etc. Dogs also need to learn their skills as a process (acquisition, fluency, generalization, maintenance).

This week's wisdom is to focus on delayed gratification rather than instant gratification for successful dog training results. Be patient and learn with your dog as you two are proceeding through the training process. You and your dog will learn skills together that will help you both in the long term rather than the short term.

As always, take care of each other, be your dog’s teammate, and work together.

06/08/2025

How did your dog make you smile today?

30/07/2025

Wisdom Wednesday! Did you know that there is a paradigm shift of dog training and canine behavior modification? Modern dog training methods have evolved from the days of the Alpha Dog and progressing to relationship building and bonding with your dog.

The Alpha Theory/Dominance Theory has been debunked. Many scientific studies have proven that punitive training methods lead to the emergence of new canine behavior issues or the exacerbation of current issues. The most damaging result of using punitive training methods is that human relationships with their dogs suffer.

This week’s wisdom is to rethink your relationship with your dog and embrace the paradigm shift by ending the battle of wills, be his or her human team mate and family member. Be proactive rather than reactive to help your dog to overcome canine behavior challenges.

As always, take care of each other, be your dog’s teammate, and work together.

23/07/2025

Please be kind to all dogs, especially the small dogs who need to shout louder to be heard. 😍

We often hear the phrases ‘small dog syndrome’ or ‘he thinks he’s bigger than he is’.
The truth is smaller dogs can get louder because they need to shout to be heard. Because they get it rough.

They get manhandled, laughed at and lifted from their feet without warning. The smallest often have the littlest control over their lives. These dogs are very aware of their size and that’s why they need to make sure they are heard.

16/07/2025

Wisdom Wednesday! Let’s talk about the Canine Ladder of Aggression. Did you know that the Canine Ladder of Aggression can be helpful to understand your dog when he or she is emotionally unsettled as well as preventing a bite or bout of reactivity from occurring?

The Canine Ladder of Aggression is helpful in many scenarios including during walks, car rides, and inside the home when there is the occurrence of outside triggers. Recognizing your dog’s body language indicators can help to prevent bouts of reactivity, intense emotional distress resulting in days of emotional discomfort, and help make life pleasant for everyone.

This week’s wisdom is to be observant of your dog ‘talking’ to you with their body language indicators. The sooner you recognize that you recognize your dog is indicating that he or she is in emotional distress results in less confusion or frustration for both of you. When in doubt, calmly and gently get you and your dog out of an emotionally distressing situation as you are able to do so.

As always, take care of each other, be your dog’s teammate, and work together.

Photo credit to Kendal Shepherd.

15/07/2025

Canine behavior issues are not disobedience. Canine behavior issues are your dog telling you that he or she needs your help.

12/07/2025

What is your dog telling you? Barking, growling, snarling, and body language indicators are your dog 'talking' to you.

09/07/2025

Wisdom Wednesday! Please be kind and don't give up on your dog when life gets a bit challenging! 🙂

09/07/2025

You need to be seen and heard. Your dog also needs to be seen and heard.

28/06/2025

Find your Zen as you embrace the dog training journey. Learning with kindness and patience helps beautiful life changes to happen.

18/06/2025

Wisdom Wednesday! Did you know that the absence of overt response(s) does always not mean that your dog is “Okay,” “Doing good,” “Fine,” “Doing well”? It is common for humans that when they no longer see their dog’s overt behaviors (i.e.: lunging, barking, growling) that everything is good. The reality is that that is only the tip of the iceberg.

Humans also need to be observant of the covert indicators that indicate that a dog is not handling the situation well. I advise to people to be observant of their dog’s body language including eyes, mouth, tail, and body posture. Yes, our dogs tell us a lot through their body language. In addition, humans need to be observant of physiological indicators including heavy breathing and drooling.

This week’s wisdom is to be mindful of your dog(s)’ covert body language indicators letting you know that he or she may not be “Okay,” “Doing good,” "Fine,” “Doing well.”

As always, take care of each other, be your dog’s teammate, and work together.

16/06/2025

Being your dog's leader is being your dog's advocate and keeping him or her safe.

Leadership: the most dangerous word in dog training “Leadership” is included in almost every dog-related book. Sometimes it is used in archaic and debunked ways, as in “Pack Leader.” Sometimes it i…