Wild at Heart Dog Training & Behaviour Consulting

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

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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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29/10/2025

28/10/2025

Every breed we see today has a backstory, and often a battle.

Behind the breeds we know and love are decades of politics, ego, and human decision-making.

Kennel clubs, working registries, and breed clubs have argued for generations about what defines a breed. Function or form? Instinct or appearance?

Border Collie registries fought to stay independent, fearing that recognition by major kennel clubs would shift breeding toward a rigid look instead of working ability. They weren’t wrong to worry; history shows what happens when standards shift from performance to looks.

The Belgian Shepherd began as one breed with four coat types, just like black Labradors and Yellow Labradors are the same breed. But later, Belgians were divided into four separate breeds by some clubs: the Malinois, Tervuren, Groenendael, and Laekenois. My own dog, Zelda, had a Groenendael father and a Malinois mother. Their litter produced three varieties. But in the US, they are considered separate.

German Shepherds were bred into drastically different body types, with sloped backs designed for the show ring but far removed from the sound, athletic structure of the original working dogs.

Even in Border Collies, colour trends like merle are believed to overshadow the purpose these dogs were bred for, with concerns that breeders are selecting for colour, not workability. Many colour breeders disagree, saying their dogs work just fine.

We’re also seeing new divisions: "sport line" dogs bred for speed and precision rather than traditional farm work. It’s the same process our dogs’ ancestors went through, shaped by the environment and expectations of the time, but now, instead of sheepwork and the borderlands, it's speed, jumping and agility rings!

If you look closely, every breed carries traces of those choices. The internet thread debates are the same as the ones in dark pubs of yesteryear, as breed enthusiasts argue in friendly banter about what breed, lines, colour and traits are best.

For a deeper look at how human influence shapes the dogs we live with, read the new Urban Sheepdog (Revised & Expanded Second Edition), available worldwide on Amazon. https://amzn.to/3Kx3yK0

25/10/2025

The phrase “herding breed” makes it sound like one job, but it actually describes a wide spectrum of instincts and working styles. Some dogs gather. Some drive. Some tend. Some do a mix of all three. And some are closer to hunting dogs than true herders.

We often picture herding as one thing — a Border Collie crouched low, silently circling sheep — but not every herder works that way. Their methods, posture, and energy can look completely different. And those differences matter when we talk about behaviour, motivation, or even play.

In the home, the very traits they were bred for can look like problem behaviours. I’ve been called in countless times to stop a dog from barking, nipping, staring, or policing other dogs and people — all things that, in their original context, were assets.

As herding breeds become more popular, we’re seeing more obscure breeds show up in everyday life. Some of these dogs — aloof, vocal, alert and sometimes uneasy with strangers or other dogs — can be more than the average home expects or is prepared for.

I talk about all of this, and more, in Urban Sheepdog!

You can find it on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3Kx3yK0
Don't forget to check out my other books, Reactivity in Herding Breed Dogs and Understanding Your Sound-Sensitive Dog!

23/10/2025

What does a name say about your herding breed dog?

In the new, updated Urban Sheepdog, I talk about one of my favourite bits of sheepdog lore: names.

Did you give your Border Collie a traditional working name passed down through generations, like Meg, Cap, or Tweed?

Or is your Cattle Dog named Bluey, a name that started as Australian slang for redheads, became a classic heeler name, and has now come full circle thanks to pop culture, with the cartoon inspiring a whole new generation of Blueys?

Mozzie’s name comes from Australian slang for mosquito, a nod to her ancestors’ homeland and her bitey play.

Griff’s name… well, I wanted to name him after the Welsh dragon, but "Y Ddraig Goch" felt like a bit much. Griff just seemed to click.

"Over time, certain names become legendary and echo through pedigrees and trial fields alike. Some handlers deliberately reuse them in their own kennels, hoping to carry forward not just bloodlines but luck. Others avoid them out of superstition, believing you can’t recapture what made the original dog great. Names, in this way, become talismans as much as identifiers: they signal continuity, tradition, and sometimes a gamble that a word can carry power into the next generation.

When you look at different registries, the names themselves often reveal their origin. ISDS and CBCA dogs tend to carry the plain, traditional call names we’ve been talking about—Meg, Cap, Moss, Jill—names that have been around for a century. In the U.S., though, the ABCA register often reads differently. The names stir up images of ranches rather than the Yorkshire dales: Tex, Rowdy, Hats Off Bill, Sluefoot Sue. The naming reflects the culture—sheepdog plainness on one side of the ocean, cowboy colour on the other.

The show and sport culture went in the opposite direction. In kennel clubs, dogs are registered with long, elaborate names that carry kennel prefixes, wordplay, or themes chosen by the breeder. A Rough Collie might be called “Sunnybrook’s Legacy of the Highlands,” even though her call name at home is Daisy. Sport breeders do something similar, though with their own flair—names often lean playful, flashy, or competitive, like “Flyin’ High Zoomie Rocket” or “Catch Me If You Can.” Or shorter names like punchy one-word call names that sound like they’re already mid-stride: Epic, Boost, Sprint, Keen.

These names serve as both branding tools and identifiers, linking a dog back to its breeder, kennel, or performance reputation. They tell a story before the dog ever sets paw on the field or in the ring. To me, they sound like thoroughbred names coming out of the gate at the Kentucky Derby!"

You can order the new Urban Sheedog here: https://amzn.to/3Kx3yK0

23/10/2025

Is your dog sound-sensitive? What do they react to? Sneezes? Beeps? Dings?

If your dog startles at small noises,like a phone ding, a sneeze, or a door closing, they are not “overreacting.” Many dogs experience these sounds as an intense hit to the brain. What seems small to us can feel huge to them.

If you want to understand the science behind it, check out my book Understanding Your Sound-Sensitive Dog, available on Amazon and Kindle:
https://amzn.to/3LleuL2

22/10/2025

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