The American Dog Whisperer

21/09/2025

IT’S ALL GOOD, BLAKE! 💙😊
Yesterday was a consult in Frankton, Indiana with this handsome, sweet, but timid boy. Yellow lab, Blake, is a charmer, but seemed hesitant, stoic, and a bit timid. His human family got a hold of me to find out what could be done to boost their newly adopted boy’s confidence as well as his desire to socialize!

When I arrived, I found Blake as advertised. Though he never ducked or winced when I went to pet him, he seemed uncomfortable with social interaction, choosing to keep a bit of a distance and rest on the floor.

I evaluated Blake on a number of levels, and discovered that he became energetic and interested when other dogs came over to play. I explained to his human parents that this would be the bridge we would use to develop Blake’s interest in people.

I further explained the importance of not speaking in high-pitched baby tones to Blake as this would make him even more nervous. I also encouraged Blake’s human parents to relax, and model the calm confident energy they wanted Blake to have rather than being overly worried about his unsure behavior. I emphasized that dogs quickly pick up on anxious energy from humans and this causes them to often withdraw or become nervous themselves.

At the end of the consult as I continue to coach Blake human parents, it was good to see Blake relax a lot more, and even begin to smile with a happy expression as we walked around the yard.

I have high hopes for Blake as his human parents implement some of the techniques and tips I showed them. He is a sweet, smart dog, and I am rooting for him!

You all got this! 😊👍🐾

20/09/2025

POWER BREEDS AND MY TODDLER 💙💪

My daughter Abby had quite the thrilling interaction this afternoon with a Cane Corso named Ethel and a pitbull named Dolly – both of whom I’ve worked with.

A reminder that it’s critical you let dogs know your “human puppy” is YOURS and is to be treated with respect and care or there will be an issue. Canine parents look after their puppies in this way, and human parents need to look after their little humans in this way when it comes to dogs.

It’s also important to monitor how your little one interacts with the canine world so the wrong messaging isn’t given.

If you need some guidance with this, reach out and let’s book a consult.

[email protected]

13/09/2025

THAT’S BETTER, BELLA & OLIVE! 😊❤️💜
Last week was a consultation on the north east side with these two pretty girls. They’re human mom got a hold of me because there’s been some trouble between them, including a couple of intense fights that had broken out.

When I arrived, I can immediately see that Olive was nervous and cautious, while Bella was excited and sudden in her movements. I explained that this mix of temperaments was most likely a recipe for trouble, and we would address it by teaching both dogs to follow house rules. Bella would need to be addressed if she got frantically excited, and Olive would need correction if she gave dominant signals to Bella – something she had been doing routinely.

As I explained and demonstrated the house rules, both dogs listened very well. Bella was extremely possessive and excited when it came to her ball, so I demonstrated how to “claim” this object and help her accelerate which would bring more calm to Olive. I also demonstrated in real time how to let Olive know she was not to give maternal/dominant corrections to Bella, but needed to defer to her human mom instead.

All in all, it was a very encouraging visit and good to see both dogs so responsive. It was also good to see that neither dog targeted the other in a hostile way while I was there. Their human mom did a great job following through on the body language techniques I taught her, and the dogs responded well to her.

I have high hopes for Bella and Olive and their relationship as their human mom lovingly but firmly holds them to the new system that’s been put in place. 

You all got this! 👌🐾

05/09/2025

ATTA BOY, ARLO! 😊💙🐾
Tuesday afternoon was a consult in Whitestown with handsome Doberman pincher, Arlo. His human mom got a hold of me concerned that Arlo was extremely reactive to other dogs, and even some people when she took him out on a leash for a walk.

When I arrived, I found Arlo to be an excited boy, but friendly and a little mischievous. A couple corrections were necessary to begin with, but Arlo was quick to listen.

I explained and demonstrated to Arlo’s human mom some key house rules he needed to follow in order to recognize she was in charge. He responded well to this, so we prepared to go outside so I could see his reactivity and address it in real time.

As we descended the stairs and walked outside onto the sidewalk, Arlo’s mom remarked that he already seemed a lot calmer. I explained that this was because he had seen authority from both she and I, and this helped him understand he wasn’t running the show.

During our time outside Arlo did begin escalating a couple of times, and this gave me the opportunity to demonstrate how to address his behavior. Arlo listened immediately, and comparatively little follow up corrections were needed.

Arlo did fantastic, and his human mom did too! I’m convinced Arlo will continue to be a model citizen as his human mom lovingly but firmly requires him to listen to her and regulate his behavior.

Great job, you two! 😊👍🐾

02/09/2025

THAT’S BETTER, BENNY! 😊💙
This afternoon was a consultation in Lafayette with handsome boy, Benny. The little guy was a model citizen in many respects, except for one…he was extremely reactive to other dogs he encountered while on walks! That’s why his human parents got a hold of me for help.

When I arrived, Benny was pretty laid-back overall. He jumped up a bit, but a quick correction took care of that. I refused some rules and boundaries that needed to be enforced at home so they would understand his human parents were the ones in charge. This would help him listen while walking in the distracted environment of the neighborhood. I coached his parents and the use of canine style body language cues, and Benny was quick to comply with the program.

We then went outside so I could demonstrate in real time how to read Benny’s escalating body language, and administer canine corrections when necessary. Again, Benny was a quick study in rolling with the program, and calm down quickly and dramatically as we approached another dog. He did awesome!

It was a pleasure to meet Benny and his kind human parents. They love him a lot and are committed to introducing some boundaries so Benny can relax, meet other dogs, and enjoy his life to the fullest!

You all did great! 😊👍🐾

19/08/2025

FINE TUNING MR. FLACKO! 😊💙
Last weekend was a visit in Greensburg with this adorable little guy. His human parents needed some help dialing Flacko down a bit. Though he was typically Mr. Cuddly, and a real charmer, he could react quite strongly to knocks on the door, folks passing by outside, and a handful of other stimuli.

When I arrived, Flacko barked at me like crazy. But once I stepped inside and gave him a quick correction he stopped right away, showing body language signs of complete compliance.

I sat down with Flacko’s charming human parents and explained how to read and interpret his body language. I explained that he was showing signs of claiming both of them, and this is why he could intensify so quickly. I also coached them in how to de-escalate Flacko by forbidding him from claiming them – and especially when he was escalating his behavior.

As I explained and demonstrated some various rules and their enforcement, it was great to see Flacko comply so quickly. He is a smart little dude, and caught on a rapidly to what I was asking.

All in all, it was a very encouraging visit with Flacko and his kind human parents. I am confident the little guy has what it takes to be an upstanding dog citizen as his human parents lovingly but firmly hold him to the newfound boundaries.

You all got this!

07/08/2025

READY FOR SOME FRIENDS, RANGER? 😁💙
Tuesday afternoon found me back in Fishers for a follow up visit with young Australian Shepherd puppy, Ranger. The dominant little pup had done great during my initial consultation with him, now it was time to teach him to respectfully navigate the social expectations of other dogs.

To help in this quest, a friend of Ranger’s family came over with her three dogs – a six month old German Shepherd pup, a senior working German Shepherd, and a working Anatolian Shepherd.

I began by introducing Ranger to the German Shepherd puppy. Both dogs showed controlled behavior when first meeting, and were soon playing happily. I demonstrated how to referee their interaction to ensure they understood the humans were in charge of Intensity of the play!

Next, the senior German Shepherd was brought in, and I coached the family through requiring Ranger to be respectful so the older Shepherd would not become defensive and snappy at. The encounter went very well, and I was encouraged by both dogs’ responses.

Last but not least was the sweet tempered Anatolian Shepherd, who was thrilled to make the pup’s acquaintance. They got along famously right away!

For the last 15 minutes of the consult we let all the dogs out in a moderately sized yard, where I explained and demonstrated how to manage the pack’s social interactions when things were more free. All the dogs did did well. 😊👍🐾

As I prepared to wrap things up, Ranger became extremely excited and over threshold, so I made a few corrections and we gave him a break from the deluge of sudden socialization.

It was a pleasure interacting with Ranger and his newfound friends. All the dogs did admirably well, and the humans did too!

Great to see you all again! Keep up the good work! 👍🐾

28/07/2025

In case you missed my live television segment Saturday morning on WNDU…here you go!

The Indiana-based trainer of both dogs and their owners offered a timely tutorial on introducing a toddler to a dog.

28/07/2025

HEY COOL IT, HARVEY! 💙😅
Yesterday afternoon was a consultation in southern Indiana with this handsome senior boy. Harvey’s human parents got a hold of me for some help because little Harvey, while cool calm and collected when it came to people, absolutely lost his ever-lovin’ little mind when it came to other dogs. His human parents had spent lots of money on training to try to help this, but nothing seemed to do the trick.

When I arrived and came inside, Harvey sauntered up casually, wagged his tail a bit sniffed me and then was pretty much done with the greeting. I liked him right away. 😊

I first reviewed a few of the house rules Harvey needed to be following in order to view his human parents as the ones in charge. Because his human mom was a horse trainer, some of these principles were already being followed, while others needed to be introduced and/or dialed in a bit.

Once we were done with this portion of the consultation, I indicated it was time to take Harvey outside so I could see his reaction to the neighboring dog.

When I tell you that Harvey lost it when he saw the neighbors Rottweiler… I really mean it.

He lost it.

All my attempts to correct him were met with redirection of aggression toward me, and a doubling down of his snapping growling and lunging toward the Rottweiler.

I increased my corrective intensity even more, and this time Harvey faced off with me, coming at me three or four times. I held my ground, and suddenly—it was over.
Harvey was done. He gave me a pleasant look, and started ignoring the Rottweiler. I had won the encounter. Won the right to say who controlled the yard space.

I then had Harvey’s human mom grab the leash from me to make sure Harvey would stay in his calm state when she had a hold of him. When he started to accelerate, a quick correction from his human mom stopped the process and he mellowed out again.I can’t tell you how awesome that was to see!

We took Harvey on a little walk after that. WhenI he spotted other dogs, he would start to intensify slightly, then think better of it, and continue on his way. What a victory!

Today I got an email from Harvey’s human mom. She said she and her husband have continued to enjoy great success with Harvey’s behavior, and on the few occasions he has started to accelerate, a quick correction has been all it takes for Harvey to settle right down.

It was a great visit with Harvey and his human parents—and so gratifying to see Harvey’s behavior change so quickly after so many years of frustration and financial expenditure to try to help him.

Way to go, Harvey! 😊💙🐾

26/07/2025

Getting ready to go on around 7:45 AM.

If you wonder how kids and dogs should first be introduced, this is a segment for you! 🧒🐾

My thanks to veteran anchor and friend, George Mallet for the invite!

26/07/2025

Tomorrow morning, it’s a triple feature with a segment featuring my daughter Abby and I demonstrating how little ones should meet a dog for the first time! 🦮❤️

You can catch the segment around 7:30 AM on WNDU, on Pet Pals TV during the 9 AM hour on WNDY, then during the 10:30 AM time slot on WISH-TV!

20/07/2025

DIAL IT DOWN, DASH! 😊🐾💙
This afternoon was a consultation in Fishers with handsome Rottie, Dash. Dash’s human parents hired me some years back to help balance out the energy of their Rottweiler, Franklin. Franklin was doing well, but newcomer Dash had some dominant tendencies and this was causing trouble in paradise!

When I arrived, I could instantly see that Dash viewed himself as the one in charge of the room. His ears stayed up, his tail remained upward and stiff, and he encroached forcefully on my personal space. It took a few minutes of intense interchange with Dash before he realized he wasn’t going to push me around. As for Franklin, he remembered me right away and was very respectful and deferential to me.

I walked Dash’s human parents through some of his dominant body language manifestations, demonstrating in real time how to address him for these, and let him know the humans were running the show.

One important exercise we did was to have a neighboring family knock on the door and walk inside so I could demonstrate how to de-escalate Dash and demand respect from him toward the newcomers. Though Dash challenged me at first, he rapidly downshifted his energy and gave me the space I was asking for in front of the guests. He did great!

One more critical area I coached the humans through was addressing Dash’s obsession over his large backyard ball. When it came to this object, nothing else in the world existed for Dash. I demonstrated how to “claim” the ball from him to help him de-escalate and play with free but non-neurotic energy. It was clear Dash felt entitled to grab the ball whenever he wanted, and he challenged me very strongly about this. But I held my ground with him, and he began honoring the ask.

It was a pleasure interacting with Dash and Franklin and their human parents today. Everyone did really well, and I’m convinced Dash will show great behavioral progress as his human parents take stronger leadership with him.

Great seeing you all! You got this! 😊👍🐾