The American Dog Whisperer

23/01/2025

WELL DONE, WID! 😊🐾💙
Yesterday afternoon was consultation on the southeast side of Indy with visually-impaired cattle dog mix, Wid. Wid’s parents got a hold of me because the little dog had shown some concerning intensity toward her human dad. 🥺

When I arrived and entered the home, Wid was frantic with excitement, and when let go of by her human mom, came rocketing toward me, jumping up against my legs and pawing me excitedly. (It was amazing how accurately she was able to detect my presence and location using just her nose and ears!) I corrected her appropriately as she continued to leap up on me. She then calmed down a bit and started lifting a pow up in the air and feeling toward me. That was acceptable, since her little paws had become her “eyes” given her visual impairment. ❤️

We sat down, and as I began discussing Wid’s history and behaviors with her parents, it became clear to me that Wid strongly claimed her human mom, and was uncomfortable with her human dad approaching. This meant I needed to coach the humans in the use of canine-style body language cues that would help Wid understand her human mom was not her puppy, and she needed to show respect to her human dad. 👍🏻

I did just that, also explaining and demonstrating a few rules that would help build Wid’s respect for both of her human parents. We replayed scenarios that had been troublesome for Wid, and I was delighted to see her respond obediently and quietly as she was asked to listen to a new set of boundaries. 🤗

Wid is a delightful girl, and learned to respect and make room for her human dad. Good girl! 😀🐾

Great job you all! Keep up the good work! 👌

20/01/2025

In case you missed my segment this morning on Life Style Live with rescue pom, Saffy…here you go! 😊🐾❤️

(P.S. I can help your fearful dog!🦮)

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Saffy, a five-year-old Pomeranian once confined to a breeding facility in Wisconsin, was terrified of nearly everything when she was adopted by her owner, Betsy Van Horn. From cars to the sound of elevators, Saffy’s early life left her wary of the world around her. To help ...

19/01/2025

Tomorrow morning during the 10 AM hour on Life Style Live I’m joined by Betsy Van Horn and her rescue pup, Saffy to talk about the most effective ways to help a dog who seems to be afraid of nearly everything! 🥺❤️

You don’t wanna miss it! Only on WISH-TV! 📺

14/01/2025

THAT’S BETTER, BUDDY! 😀💙
This afternoon was a consultation in the New Castle area with five-month-old brilliant, mischievous shepherd/lab mix, Buddy. Buddy’s human mom is in her senior years, and wanted some help addressing Buddy’s nipping, shoving, and generally disrespectful behavior! 🥺

When I arrived and was let inside, Buddy was extremely excited to have a visitor! When his human mom let him go, he immediately wanted to leap up on me, but thought better of it when he saw the way I was standing. He actually ended up backing off and barking at me instead! 😂

There were a number of scenarios that Buddy‘s mom experienced with him throughout the day, and which we needed to address. I explained that Buddy’s first language was body language, and this needed to be employed if we were to clearly communicate with him what we wanted him to be doing. 👌

Buddy‘s mom followed my directions extremely well, and in no time at all she was able to keep him out of the kitchen when she brought food out on the counter, and effectively ask for a zone of respect as she sat and worked a puzzle in her easy chair. “ I can’t believe it” I heard her say when Buddy was being deferential and obedient to her, instead of his customary crowding and harassing. 🎉

What a great improvement Buddy made in a matter of minutes! His human mom loves him a lot and is committed to introducing and enforcing boundaries that will make him the best adult version of himself possible one day! 🏆

Great job today, both of you! 😊👍🏻🐾

10/01/2025

AN INTERVENTION FOR YADI & BLUE! 😊❤️💙
Wednesday afternoon was a consultation on the east side of Indy with these two handsome boys. Senior hound, Blue, and pit mix rescue, Yadi, were having some difficulty getting along! 😯

When I arrived and was let inside, Yadi exploded into sharp barking and growling, even snapping toward me. He was extremely intense! I gave a couple of corrections, and though he eventually calmed down, he remained physically tense. I could see by the way he ran through the house and shoved into everyone’s personal space, that he was a dominant boy!

Hound, Blue, was in the bedroom behind a baby gate, and he looked pretty bored with my arrival. 😄

I say down with the human family and had a conversation about the dogs’ history, incidents with each other, etc. It became quickly apparent that Blue had claimed the human mom very strongly, and this was causing some of the issue. Also, there was the matter of a toy that Yadi and Blue had fought over. This incident had seemed to cement a rivalry between them. 😢

I explained that the humans needed to earn the right to utilize parental authority, and to get this done I introduced some specific rules and boundaries the dogs needed to follow in the home. I also coached the family of the use of canine body language signals that would help the dogs clearly understand what was being asked of them. It was great to see both dogs respond to this! 🎉

Though we had Yadi and Blue on separate leashes and made sure they didn’t get tangled up together, neither dog seemed too interested in the other. It was a relief to see they weren’t constantly targeting each other, though Blue was by far the dog giving more challenging l states to Yadi. When he did, I gave him a quick correction until he turned the other way. 👍🏻

I emphasized the need for the human parents to accurately read the dogs’ wordless communication to each other and interfere when necessary. As we began doing that, both dogs responded well especially-young Yadi, who obeyed me to a fault! 😀

It was a pleasure to meet Blue and Yadi and their kind human family members. I truly believe the dogs will enjoy more harmony with each each other as the humans take more leadership, and begin addressing the dogs for sending wordless, dominant messages to each other!

You all got this! 😊👍🏻🐾

08/01/2025

MY, MY, MANDY! 🙃❤️🐾
Yesterday afternoon was a consultation at Marquette in Indianapolis with adorable, frantic guest greeter,, Mandy. The little cavapoo’s human parents reached out to me because Mandy “mauled” newcomers with excitement as they stepped into the home. Nothing seemed to work when it came to trying to calm Mandy down. She leaped all over people‘s legs, running and jumping off of furniture and returning to the guest to leap all over them again. 😯

When I arrived, Mandi was as advertised. She vaulted up her repeatedly on my legs, spinning and running and returning to leap on my legs all over again. I had to get pretty serious pretty fast to let her know she needed to settle down—and I MEANT it! Once we crossed this threshold, Mandy quickly began controlling her energy and approaching me with respect. It was VERY encouraging to see! 😀

I sat down with Mandy‘s kind human parents and explained that certain rules and boundaries needed to be put in place in the home so Mandy would recognize the humans were running the show! That would enable them to control her behavior when guests arrived. I coached the humans in the use of canine-style body language cues that would help Mandy understand more clearly what was being asked of her. 👍🏻

The acid test came when a kind neighbor came over and knocked on the door. When I answer the door and invited the guest inside, Mandy was good as gold, following all my cues as I asked her to stay calm and be respectful to the guest. What an amazing improvement! I was very proud of her! ❤️

I then asked the guest to re-enter the home, and had Mandy’s mom go through the greeting protocol I had just established. Mandy was respectful and listened and backed away from the guest when her human mom asked her to. Yay!! 🎉

Mandy had a real issue with pulling like a sled dog when she was taken out to walk, so we stepped out of the home and I demonstrated how to ask Mandy to focus, and control her energy as she walked—and as she encountered people as she did. She did absolutely fantastic! Her parents amazed looks were very rewarding for me to see! 😊

It was a pleasure to meet Mandy and her charming human parents. I have no doubt in my mind that Mandy will continue to impress with her behavior, and make even greater strides as a human parents lovingly but firmly continue to practice the principles I showed them yesterday. 👌

You all did great! 😃🎉👍🏻🐾

08/01/2025

NO MORE FEAR FOR SAFFY!! 😃❤️🐾
This afternoon was a follow up visit to check on pretty pom, Saffy, whose human mom had rescued her after Saffy’s terrible early years as a breeding dog. 😢

During my initial visit, I observed that Saffy was afraid of nearly everything including people passing by, doors opening, leash walking, and the list went on. a coached Saffy human mom through a program that would help build Safi‘s confidence, and boy did Saffy’s mom follow through!

When I arrived today, it was almost as if I was looking at a different dog. Safi‘s posture was erect, tongue out, eyes bright, curious and investigative about everything. Wow! Safi’s mom told me that the little dog had become a joyful, curious little being who now enjoyed a huge measure of confidence. What am encouragement!

One little fear did remain, however, and that was…STAIRS! So today I introduced a customized strategy to help Saffy deal with her fear of stairs and staircases. The little dog seems genuinely panicked as I worked with her in the building staircase, opting to try and leap off multiple stairs in order to reach the landing more quickly. This was unsafe for her, so I recommended her human mom order some of the smaller, carpeted pet stairs for her home so we could work safely with Saffy in an environment where she felt more comfortable.

I was beyond thrilled to see the amazing progress Saffy has made under her human mom’s loving leadership. Oh by the way…Saffy and her human mom will be joining me January 20th on WISH-TV’s Life Style Live to tell their story! Stay tuned for more details! 📺

You’re doing great, Saffy! 😊❤️

04/01/2025

SOME GUIDELINES FOR MAGGIE, BUSTER (& ROCKO) 😊💜❤️💙
Yesterday afternoon was a consultation in Greenfield with these three charming packmates. Their human mom got a hold of me wanting some help with 7-month old pit puppy Maggie’s intense energy and fierce spats with senior pit, Rocko.

When I arrived and was welcomed inside, all three dogs were very excited. Nine-month-old massive boxer, Buster was a bit standoffish at first, staring at me intently and showing some hesitancy to come up.(I would end up winning him over before the consult was over. 😊)

As I began interacting with the dogs, what became immediately clear is that Maggie was intense and in charge, running around and reminding the other dogs of that fact! I explained that it would be necessary for the humans to adapt their body language and tone of voice in order to appear more parental. I further introduced some key house rules the dogs needed to follow in order to understand the humans were the ones running the show! Along with this, I coached the family in the use of canine-style body language cues that would help the dogs understand more clearly what was being asked of them. 👍🏻🐾

Though there was a bit of pushback at first, all ofthe dogs ended up rolling with the process and subduing their frantic energy in very short order. It was amazing to feel the peace that descended on the home! ✌️

I paid special attention to teaching the dogs not to claim specific toys and food as this had started to create problems. I explained that it was important to humans laid claim to everything so rivalries would not initiate and intensify between the dogs when it came to high-value items. 👌

But my favorite part of the consult by far was the simultaneous kisses Maggie and Buster decided to plant on me at random intervals. That was the best! 🥰

It was great to meet Maggie, Buster, Rocko, and their kind human family. I have no doubt the dogs are going to continue to enjoy more peace and harmony as the system I introduced yesterday is lovely but firmly enforced by the humans. 😀

You all got this! 😊👍🏻🐾

01/01/2025

A huge thank you to everyone who cared and shared! Black dog has a home!! 💙

"Saving one dog will not change the world, but surely for that one dog, the world will change forever.”

We are thrilled to announce that after 250+ days at the shelter, Black Dog, now known as Lucky, has been adopted! This handsome, goofy boy finally has a home and family to call his very own! He is going to have a very Happy New Year!

Columbus Animal Care Services would like to thank Nathan Lowe, The American Dog Whisperer, and WISH-TV for introducing Black Dog to viewers and encouraging his adoption before the holidays. We appreciate your support!

Special thanks to Black Dog’s new family for opening their hearts and home to this sweet pup!

29/12/2024

SIMMER DOWN THERE, SHADOW & GABBY!
🙂💙💜
Yesterday afternoon was yet another consultation in the Milroy area with these two good-looking pack mates. Shadow had recently been adopted from Rushville Animal Shelter, and immediately grew possessive and overly protective of his human mom. This became a real issue when he began charging at anyone who came inside the home – even when they were invited! 😳

When I arrived and was invited inside, Shadow and Gabby were both being held back from rushing me. When I determined the edge had come off their intensity levels, I instructed their human mom to let them go. They both rushed up, Gabby in a more friendly way, and Shadow in a more tentative, suspicious way. Both dogs barked a lot through this process, and I had to start making immediate corrections to get this to stop. 🥹

As it turned out, both dogs had a habit of explosive barking, and this is the issue we focused on while I was there. I showed the human family members how to claim guests and the front door area, as well as how to address both dogs the way their canine parents would. I also spent some time deconditioning Shadow to the sound of knocking on the door. In a matter of minutes, Shadow radically de-escalated his reactivity. At this point, Gabby was the one who was a bit more stubborn and determined to continue barking. This necessitated I focus on correcting her, and she then quickly decided to go ahead and listen to the process too. 😊

I worked on a few more key areas with the dogs, including giving a zone of respect around humans when they ate, and not being forceful in people’s personal space. Both dogs did great! 🎉

It was a pleasure to meet Shadow and Gabby and their kind human family. I have no doubt both dogs are going to make great progress as the principles and techniques I showed their family are lovingly but firmly implemented. 👌

You all got this! 😊👍🏻🐾

28/12/2024

A VISIT WITH FINLEY AND BEA! 😊🐾❤️💜
Yesterday afternoon was a consultation in Milroy with these two rambunctious puppy pack mates. I had come to see their five other pack mates about four years ago and things have been in pretty good order ever since. But with the addition of golden retriever, Finley, and mixed breed, Bea, things had gotten a bit chaotic again. 🥹

Finley, while sweet as sugar pie, was jumping all over folks when they came inside the house. Four month old puppy, Bea, was way too intense when it came to food, and showed signs of social and society and dominance. I have my work cut out for me!

When I arrived, the dogs were in the backyard, as I approached the chain-link fence, all barked. When I came near enough for them to smell me, most seemed too remember me from my initial visit years ago. A notable exception was Bea, who barked fiercely at me, snarling and charging the fence, then backing up. She did this repeatedly. 😳

When I came inside the house, I asked for Bea to be brought in first. She was immediately tense and nervous and tried to stay away from me. The rest of the dogs were then let in. Most trickled off and settled down. Bea stayed tense, while Finley moseyed happily around, nosing into everyone’s personal space. 🙃

It became obvious the course of conversation that Bea was strongly claiming her human mom. I went over the fine points of body language to help be understand she could not do this anymore. Bea had been staying away from her human dad and gluing herself to her human mom. I explained that this was due to a possessive claim. This was due, in part, to Bea’s mom allowing her to sit on top of her, as well as some high-pitched baby talk that convinced Bea her human mom was actually her human puppy! 😳

I had Bea’s human mom reverse the script and claim Bea’s human Dad. It was amazing the difference this made! Bea pretty immediately warmed up to her human dad and allowed him to approach her. Boy was that encouraging!

Sweet, high energy Finley tried multiple times to shove into my personal space, and I demonstrated how to address her for this. She quickly calmed down and began regulating herself—which was good to see!

We covered a lot of ground during the consult, but one specific area we focused on was teaching the dogs to stay away from the little humans in the family while they were eating. This took a little bit of doing, but the dogs finally got the message that they had to keep back rather than sticking close and attempting to snipe food from the littles! 😊

I have no doubt Finley and Bea are going to make great progress in their behavior going forward as the principles and procedures I went over yesterday are lovingly but firmly enforced. 👍🏻

Great to see you all! You got this! 😊👍🏻🐾

21/12/2024

A REFRESHER FOR ROSIE AND GRACIE! 😊❤️🐾
Yesterday afternoon found me in Westfield for a follow-up visit with these two charming sisters. The girls had been doing great since my sessions with them, due, in large part, to the family following up dutifully on the homework I gave them!

But…a bit of trouble had begun in paradise – paradise being the beautiful new home the family had moved into! The dogs had begun reverting to some unwanted behaviors, and it was time to get things shaped back up! 👌

I reviewed some key canine body language signals that needed to be fine-tuned, and explained how to utilize them more effectively. I also created some adapted strategies for addressing food obsession and tension, as well as extreme reactivity to activities in the neighborhood. 🥹

The dogs were good as gold while I was there, and their human mom noted that they were on their best behavior because of my presence there! 😀🏆

It was a pleasure to see Rosie and Gracie and their kind, fun human family members. The family is doing a wonderful job with their furry charges, and I’m confident there’s going to be even further behavioral progress made! 👍🏻

Keep up the good work, you all! 🎉

19/12/2024

In case you missed my segment this morning with Animal Care Services adoptable boy, “black dog,” here you go!

Black Dog, a friendly and trainable dog, is looking for a forever home. Learn about his journey and the opportunity for a free dog training session.

19/12/2024

TOMORROW MORNING…📺
Tommorow morning on Life Style Live, I’m joined by adoptable shelter dog, “black dog,” a long-time resident of Animal Care Services in Columbus, Indiana.

Tune in during the 10 AM hour, only on WISH-TV! ☀️🐾

17/12/2024

GOOD BOY, GUNNER! 😊💙
Yesterday afternoon was a consultation in Carmel with smart-as-a-whip Keeshond, Gunner. His human family got a hold of me wanting help addressing some stubborn behaviors! 😊

When I arrived and came inside, Gunner yip-yapped like crazy. When I attempted to quiet him, he intensified his barking and added a bit of growl to it as well! So I had to get prey no-nonsense before Gunner understood he needed to relax and stop reprimanding me for my presence there. 🙃

I sat down with Gunner’s kind human parents and explained that they would need to become the parental authority figures in Gunner’s mind so he could relax and quit reacting so strongly to everything. Gunner was especially reactive to his human dad‘s movements, running after him and barking at him frequently as he moved through the house. I explained and demonstrated some canine body language signals that quickly helped Gunner understand he needed to back off and allow his human dad to move about freely without harassment! 😇

I further explained and demonstrated some house rules Gunner needed to follow in order to build a reservoir of respect for his human parents. As I introduced these rules, Gunner wasn’t thrilled to say the least. But in the end, he complied with everything and begin relaxing more and more. 👍🏻

Before I left, we took some time to teach Gunner to lower his intensity levels when it came to animals appearing on the television set. This took some doing as Gunner was extremely reactive to barking dogs and other creatures on the “boob tube.” But eventually, he calmed down dramatically, emitting an only very low complaining murmur once in a while that I let slide. 😀

It was great to meet Gunner and his kind human parents. The little guy is sharp as attack and I have no doubt he is going to make great behavioral strides as his human parents hold him to the new system I introduced them to yesterday. 🤩

You all got this! 😊👍🏻🐾

P.S. I couldn’t decide which of these two pics of Gunner to include in my post – so I’ve included them both!

17/12/2024

SETTLE DOWN, SUGAR! ❤️😊
This afternoon was a consultation the Carmel with this 11 year-old firecracker of a dachshund. Sugar’s human family got a hold of me wanting some help with Sugar’s short-tempered reactions when someone tried to make her do something she didn’t want to. There were little humans in the house, and their parents wanted to make sure she understood she needed to be careful around the little ones and control her intensity! 🥺

Sugar and her senior pack mate, Moose were behind a baby gate. Sugar barked ferociously at me even after I knelt down to lower my elevation. She continued to bark and growl at me after she came out of the gate, which necessitated me addressing her in a no-nonsense manner. She quieted for a minute or two, then jumped up on the couch and started barking and growling all over again. We went through a few cycles of this until Sugar finally understood I wasn’t going to back down to her statements. She wanted me gone, and she wanted me gone NOW! 🙃

I sat down with Sugar’s human mom and explained that the little dog become very unhealthily possessive of the family members and was very reactive as a result. The remedy to this would be to teach Sugar that the humans were running the show and she needed to relax and let them do their thing! 🤩

I explained and demonstrated some house rules that would help Sugar realize the humans were the parental authority figures. I also coached Sugar’s mom in the use of canine body language signals that would help the little dog understand more clearly what was being asked of her. Sugar started responding to everything well, and it was encouraging to see! She relaxed more and more as the consult wore on. 🙂

As for Moose, he turned out to be more stubborn than Sugar! The senior Catahoula leopard dog is an absolute sweetheart, but decidedly stubborn and with a mind to do only as he sees fit. So things had to get a little bit no-nonsense with him before he understood he had to follow the protocols too! 🙃

It was great to meet Sugar and Moose and their kind human family. I have no doubt there’s going to be great behavioral progress made as the system I introduced today is lovingly but firmly enforced.

You all got this!😊👍🏻🐾