All About The Dog

08/10/2025

Thanks to Too Smart Dogs. as we wait.

05/10/2025

Fort Wayne IN and surrounding area. For years AATD had been talking and promoting the knowing of how dogs communicate. Now is the time to learn more on the subject. The number 1 reason to know their signals is safety. Keeping you, your children, your other pets anyone. To observe their signals and respect their signals. Let the learning begin through these sessions.

We are nerding out over here and we hope you are just as excited! Join us for a 4-part series: Canine Communications 🐶

Series 1: Canine Body Language

📅 Thursday, October 16 from 5:00 - 7:00 pm

📍 Fort Wayne Animal Care and Control Adoption/Education Center
3020 Hillegas Rd, Fort Wayne, IN

Open to dog owners, animal welfare workers, veterinary staff, volunteers who work with dogs, fosters who work with animal rescues, and people in general who love to learn. Please keep your dogs at home - this is a humans only class.

This is an interactive, classroom style 2-hour canine body language session. Participants will review photos, videos and discuss canine body language. The instructors in this series do not give behavior or training advice. These sessions are designed for learning different aspects of how dogs communicate with their body language. We hope participants walk away being able to understand and recognize basic body language for their dogs or dogs they help in everyday life.

We are asking for a $15 donation to the Angel Fund to attend. **Courses are non-refundable**

Limited space available. Register online today: https://igfn.us/form/a4ESgg

Stay tuned for announcements on when the future series will be!

29/09/2025

There are plenty of myths around play, and while some hold truth, others need a closer look. Tug, for example, often gets a bad reputation, but when played with care and context, it can be one of the most powerful ways to build connection, teach communication, and offer a natural outlet for your dog’s needs.
Yes, accidents can happen if tug is too intense or used in the wrong moment, but with structure and consent, it becomes a beautiful, bonding ritual.

Ball play, on the other hand, can carry more risk than many realise. Repetitive chasing, sharp turns, and mid-air twists can lead to injuries, and some physios and vets are now linking excessive ball play to early onset arthritis. Even tennis balls can wear down your dog’s teeth over time.

If you’d like advice on safe, enriching play or want help choosing the right toys for your dog’s body and behaviour, come and see me at Holsworthy Pets every Monday. The team at Holsworthy and Stable Door Pets are there Monday to Saturday, always ready to help.
Your dog’s wellbeing is our priority, and play should support it, not compromise it.

27/09/2025

More short quotes of the speakers at the Aggressive Dog conference are available for you to read on their page.

“We want to think about providing for greater expression as opposed to greater suppression.” - Kim Brophey

When dogs’ needs are met, it is much easier for them to be a “good dog.” They can relax into our human world because they have had the chance to meet their own needs first.

But when those needs are ignored, when they are chronically frustrated or deprived of opportunities to move, explore, play, forage, rest, or connect, obedience becomes an unfair ask. We cannot expect calm, compliant behavior from a dog whose welfare has been compromised.

Expression is not a luxury. It is the foundation. When we honor dogs as the animals they are, training becomes a bridge, not a battle.

21/09/2025

Total Welfare for Dogs Great way to spend this rainy morning. The Five Domains; nutrition, physical environments, health and fitness, behavioral interactions (environment, people, animals) and mental state. I certainly encourage anyone who is thinking about entering into dog "training" they give attention to this approach of welfare first.

16/09/2025

This should be a great webinar.

When a dog guards food, toys, or even space, it can feel sudden and alarming. But resource guarding, also known as “possessive aggression,” isn’t always what it seems.

Join Dr. Chris Pachel on September 18 at 7 PM Eastern for Don’t Bite the Hand That Feeds You: Human Directed Resource Guarding. Learn what’s considered normal, when to look deeper, and which prevention and intervention strategies really work.

✅ 1.5 CEUs approved for CCPDT, IAABC, and KPA
✅ 30 minutes of bonus Q&A with Dr. Pachel
✅ Lifetime access to the full recording

Early bird price: $19.95 before the live event, $29.95 after

Register Here ⬇
https://aggressivedog.thinkific.com/courses

14/09/2025

This is my belief, needing to move away from what we think might be happening to observation and understanding. Thanks to Heal the Dog for giving this information to us to share.

12/09/2025

Thanks to Anushree Thammanna for this information on barking. There are many more illustrations such as these on her page. I invite you to check them out.

Send a message to learn more

10/09/2025

08/09/2025

Then and hopefully now comparisons are significant. Thanks to PDTE Pet Dog Trainers of Europe.

05/09/2025

Back by popular demand indeed. I have talked about this class before and will again. Slow Thinking is Life Saving For Dogs® is/was life saving for us. So much of what I learned is shared with my clients as well as on my page showing the difference with Harmony. Even this week, on my personal page, I posted a video of the up down game was brought to us through this class in 2022 and then more pattern games came to us as I researched more. I invite and encourage you to sign up for this interactive course. Laura Donaldson has so much knowledge and so willing to share. I continue to take the course because new content is always added. Another benefit is meeting others in the zoom calls that have become long distance friends.