Wild at Heart Dog Training & Behaviour Consulting

27/11/2025

I don’t have a Black Friday sale. I’ve always priced my books, webinars, guides and courses at what I think is fair. It’s been a long year for many of us, and the economy, stress and uncertainty are hitting everyone hard.

I also know that many people are avoiding Amazon right now. All three of my books are sold there. I understand the reasons, and I support anyone making the choices that feel right to them. But Amazon is the platform that allows me to keep writing. As a self-publisher, I earn far more from each sale on Amazon than through small independent sellers. When a small reseller sells my book, they make more from it than I do. It’s kind of the opposite of sustainable.

Shipping myself isn’t viable either. Anyone in Canada knows how brutal shipping costs are. This morning’s estimate from Canada Post for one book sent across the country was $26.32. That’s more than the book itself. Amazon avoids that problem entirely for both of us.

My online guides are $9.99 Canadian (about $7 USD). My webinars are also priced fairly, and I regularly give away spots to people who can’t afford to attend. I don’t talk about it often, but I also do a lot of pro bono work. I help shelters and take on clients who can’t pay. I don’t post about it or ask for credit. It’s just part of giving back and keeping this field honest.

Like everyone else, I’m doing the best I can in a tough time. I’m proud of these books. The second edition of Urban Sheepdog has meant a lot to many people. The sound sensitivity book is already helping dogs who were struggling. The reactivity book is a solid starting point for guardians trying to understand big feelings. I hope the price of $19.99 USD or $24 Canadian for a physical book you can keep forever feels fair for the work and care that went into them.

When you buy from me, when you watch a webinar, pay $9 for a guide, you're helping me. I'm a regular person, doing all the admin, content, client work, shelter support and more. I wake up every day and hit the grind, just like you. I'm just a regular person, doing the best I can.

So no, I don’t have a Black Friday sale. I'm not a big box store, a company with employees. I'm just me. If you choose to buy one of my books, whether for yourself or as a gift, please know that I’m genuinely grateful for every single copy that ends up in someone’s hands. I have to pinch myself everyday to remember that this is real.

If you're interested in the brand new Urban Sheepdog, you can order here: https://amzn.to/3Kx3yK0
If you're interested in the brand new book on sound-sensitivity, you can get it here: https://amzn.to/3LleuL2
The book to help reactivity is here: https://amzn.to/48eQP6w

27/11/2025

A lot of online chatter focuses on whether chasing counts as herding, whether car chasing is predation or fear, or whether a dog can “herd” another dog at all.

In Understanding Chasing, Herding and Predatory Behaviour, we peel back the layers and look at these patterns from the ground up.

If you work with or live with herding breed dogs, understanding how they move through the world can help you develop a treatment plan.

We’ll look at the differences between these behaviours, how to tell them apart and what you can do to help them.

Join me for the full breakdown, plus time for your questions.

Join me live on Thursday, January 15th, 2026 at 10 am Pacific.
Or register and get the recording afterward.

Register here:
https://wildatheartdogtraining.as.me/?appointmentType=86098435

26/11/2025

25/11/2025

What is Sudden Environmental Contrast?

If your dog reacts when someone stands up from a sitting position…
Or barks at one random person on the street but ignores a full crowd…
Or barks at a garbage can that wasn’t there yesterday…
Or startles when someone appears around a corner…

That’s Sudden Environmental Contrast.

It sounds odd, but it’s very common. Herding breeds feel it even more because they’re built to notice movement and changes. Their job was to spot the one animal doing something different from the rest. The same sensitivity that made an Australian Cattle Dog good at noticing a cow that broke from the group is the same wiring that makes your dog react to a person standing up, or a shape appearing in a doorway.

In the webinar, Sudden Environmental Contrast and How It Shapes Your Dog’s Behaviour, we’ll break down:

•what SEC actually is
•why it shows up so much in border collies, Aussies, Shepherds and cattle dogs
•what the dog is feeling in those moments
•how to support a dog who struggles with fast changes

You can join me live on January 22, 2026, at 10 am Pacific, or register to get the recording.

https://wildatheartdogtraining.as.me/?appointmentType=86098535

24/11/2025

Have you ever trained your dog in a way that went against your ethics, just because a trainer told you it was the right thing to do?

I’ve worked with pet parents who don’t align with punishment—people who never imagined they’d use a prong collar, a shock collar, or hurt their dogs. So how do they end up there?

Studies show that people will harm others when instructed to do so by an authority figure. And dog trainers hold a lot more authority than we like to admit. We’re given enormous trust by families coming to us in very desperate times. Often, our advice is taken as gospel—even if it sounds or feels wrong. Even if it goes against everything the guardian believes is right.

Many trainers recognize that power and use it to gain influence, money, and followers.

In dog training, the trainer/client relationship carries a power dynamic that can be easily wielded in harmful ways—especially when a provider doesn’t have the education to solve the issue without punishment, or when they want to validate their own authority… or take your money.

It’s a dangerous combination: authority, desperation, and vulnerability. And when a trainer wants to take advantage of that, it’s all too easy.

The truth?

It’s easy to be manipulated when you’re desperate.
It’s easy to follow bad advice when it comes with a smile and a promise.
But it’s not your fault.

If you’ve trained in ways that made you uncomfortable, know this:
You are, after all, only human.
Forgive yourself.
It’s not too late to do better.

23/11/2025

Do you have a dog who seems to have issues around you, but not your spouse?

And has your spouse ever told you it’s “your fault”?

That your stress, your anxiety, or the way you handle situations has somehow created the problem?

There are a few reasons why this can happen.
And it’s rarely as simple as “the dog likes one person better” or “you’re causing it."

One reason is that some of us do react differently around things that worry us. If we tense up, hesitate, or change our behaviour, our dogs notice. They’re incredible observers. If they sense that we’re preparing for something stressful, they can respond in ways that look like reactivity or nervousness.

But that is not the full story.

Another very real reason is that dogs often show more of their big feelings around the person they feel safest with. Safety makes emotions possible. The same way children might hold it together at school and fall apart at home, dogs can look “fine” with one person and come undone with the person who feels like home.

There’s also a third piece that people forget. Some guardians are simply better at noticing subtle changes in their dog’s behaviour.

In my new book about sound sensitivity, I talk about a study showing that female guardians are more likely to have a dog that gets diagnosed with noise sensitivity. Not because they create it. Because they recognize it.

Female guardians tend to identify fear, stress, and subtle early signs more often. Male guardians may see the same behaviour and interpret it as “quirky” or “normal dog stuff,” or not realize that it's not okay.

So if your dog acts differently around you, or struggles more with you than your spouse, it doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong. It might mean they feel safer with you. It might mean you’re paying closer attention. It might mean you’re the one who sees what’s really going on.

Older guardians are also more likely to have their dogs diagnosed because they are home with them more often and identify issues as a result.

You can read all about it here: https://amzn.to/3LleuL2

16/11/2025

Herding breed dogs top the lists for the most expensive dogs in the world. In the second edition of Urban Sheepdog, I talk about the huge gap between border collies who are given away for free and the dogs who sell for the price of a brand-new vehicle. In 2021, a red and white border collie sold for $38,893 at just a year old. German Shepherds trained in protection have sold for over $230,000, with rumours of certain buyers spending far more.

So what makes a dog worth that much? Part of it is status, the same way people use luxury cars, handbags, and watches to signal wealth. But for many working farms, the price reflects real value. A skilled working dog is a tool as much as a partner. Just like a reliable tractor or a good hay baler can change the entire flow of a farm, a dog you can trust to handle stock safely and confidently carries just as much weight.

I think it's fascinating that a dog on a trial field, who might have been many thousands of dollars, can compete against a dog that was given away for free, and either one is a valid contender!

Don't forget to get the new, second edition of Urban Sheepdog here: https://amzn.to/3Kx3yK0

03/11/2025

The Quadrants of Learning (and How They Show Up in Herding)

You can read more in the brand new second edition of Urban Sheepdog. Order here: https://amzn.to/3Kx3yK0

Few things in dog training get mixed up as much as the four quadrants of learning, but they aren’t opinions or methods. They’re just a way to describe what happens after a behaviour, and whether that behaviour becomes more or less likely next time.

The other day, there was a post in a herding group with so many comments trying to unpack how the quadrants apply in herding. Some suggested it was all positive reinforcement, some said it wasn’t. Some thought herding is void of the quadrants.

Let’s unpack what is actually taking place!

•Positive reinforcement: You add something the dog wants, and the behaviour increases. Example: You give your dog a treat for sitting, and they sit more often.

•Negative reinforcement: You remove something the dog doesn’t want, and the behaviour increases. Example: You loosen leash pressure when your dog stops pulling, so they learn that staying close makes the discomfort go away.

•Positive punishment: You add something the dog doesn’t want, and the behaviour decreases. Example: You say “hey!” sharply when they jump up, and they stop jumping as much.

•Negative punishment: You remove something the dog wants, and the behaviour decreases. Example: You stop the game when they bite too hard, so they learn that rough play makes the fun end.

That’s all it is.

“Positive” and “negative” mean add or remove, like math. It’s not “positive is good” and “negative is bad.” “Reinforcement” means the behaviour goes up. “Punishment” means it goes down.

Now, picture a herding dog on stock. The learning theory is happening constantly:

When a handler steps in toward the dog, swings a stick, or uses a sharp tone, that’s positive punishment: something unpleasant is added to make the current behaviour (like diving in too close or gripping) less likely.

When the dog changes their behaviour and backs off, gives space, finds balance, and the "pressure" or correction stops, that’s negative reinforcement: the removal of something the dog finds aversive makes that better behaviour more likely next time.

When a dog works well and the handler lets them keep working or praises quietly, that’s positive reinforcement. The praise is added, and we're using the sheep as the reinforcer: something the dog wants is added, and the work continues because the dog’s choices keep paying off.

When a dog loses the chance to work because they ignored cues or got too wound up, that’s negative punishment: the thing they wanted most (the sheep) disappears, so that behaviour is less likely.

The Sheep Are Learning Too!

Learning theory doesn’t just apply to the dog. The sheep are also responding to consequences in real time. Every movement from the dog or handler changes what they feel, want, or avoid, and that shapes their behaviour too.

Negative reinforcement: When they move away from the dog, and the dog eases up on its intensity, the "pressure" from the dog decreases. The removal of that discomfort (the dog’s eye, movement, or proximity) makes them more likely to respond in the same way next time.

Positive punishment: If they challenge the dog or refuse to move, and the dog rushes in, grips, or blocks hard, something unpleasant is added. That makes the bold behaviour less likely.

Negative punishment: If a sheep drifts too far from the group and loses the safety of the flock, the loss itself is punishing, and they’re more likely to stay closer next time.

So while the dog is learning how to influence the sheep, the sheep are learning how to respond to the dog.

The whole system is built on feedback loops of what they call “pressure and release”, which is really just the quadrants!

It's happening to the humans, too. We buy a bunch of sheep, realize how expensive hay is, lose money and stop buying sheep, that's negative punishment (the loss of something good ($), which decreases my behaviour in the future!

02/11/2025

Looking for a gift for a dog friend or yourself?

31/10/2025

As the author of a book about sound sensitivity in dogs, it makes sense that I’d be especially concerned about fireworks. But as a dog guardian, and as someone who cares deeply about wildlife, it’s also something I’d love to see stopped altogether.

I live in a small, environmentally aware community where people try hard to protect the land and wildlife. Yet despite many of us asking for a change, fireworks still happen every Halloween.

Last night, I was lying in bed with my dogs all around me, the window open for fresh air. The fireworks started. Luckily, my dogs aren’t sound-sensitive, and we’re far enough away that the noise isn’t overwhelming. But even from more than a kilometre away, the booms were loud.

Studies have shown that fireworks disrupt wildlife. Birds abandon nests, migratory routes are thrown off, and stress levels spike in many species. Even here, where we don’t have nesting birds this time of year, we still have migratory birds passing through, as well as deer and countless other animals who share this space with us.

And then there are our pets and the people who struggle deeply with the sudden explosions and the stress that follows. At the shelter, we always saw an increase in stray dogs the day after fireworks. Many had bolted in panic and ended up far from home, others ran into traffic and didn't make it back.

It’s time to start asking what these few minutes of entertainment are really worth. Personally, I think that when we say we value supporting people and pets who struggle with noise and anxiety, but then make big exceptions a few times a year, it doesn’t make much sense. If we know something causes distress, why do we keep doing it just because it’s tradition?

If you'd like info on why noises affect your dog so much, or if you want to learn how to help them, you can order Understanding Your Sound-Sensitive Dog here:

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