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No Is Not A Behavior
Humans seem to love the word NO when it comes to interacting with their dogs. And they’re surprised and a little confused when I tell clients “No isn’t a behavior.” “But I want him to stop doing...
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Behavioral Medication In Training
Let me first start this post with my standard disclaimer: I AM NOT A VET. But as a trainer who specializes in fear, aggression, reactivity and separation anxiety, I have a lot of clients who...
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Today I Will Be Thankful
During this week of Thanksgiving and Barbo’s recent medical situation, I’m reflecting on the many things I’m thankful for and that includes all of you. Today I am thankful for dogs, not just my own,...
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My Biggest Mistake
“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.” –Maya Angelou This is Bandit. He was my first dog as an adult, long before I was a certified and highly credentialed trainer...
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Fear Is Not Disobedience
FEAR IS NOT DISOBEDIENCE. Yes, I’m screaming. If I could reach my rooftop I’d scream this from there. As someone who specializes in fear and aggression cases, so often I come across clients who are...
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The Myth of Littermate Syndrome
If you’ve been here a while, you know I’m a huge advocate for evidence based training, continuing education and debunking myths that can be harmful or misleading. In all my work with rescues and...
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3 Steps To Successful Puppy Raising
Puppies are hard work. They’re usually harder than people anticipate and that’s assuming you have a well-bred, generally problem free puppy. I’ve had puppy clients with severe fear issues and I’ve...
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4 Steps To Stranger Danger Training
When you have a dog who is afraid of stranger and leash reactive, it can make walks and just living your life, very challenging. It’s embarrassing, disruptive and in some cases, possibly dangerous,...
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5 Secrets To Successful Training Sessions
Are you ready to set you and your dog up for successful training sessions? Here’s 5 secrets to help make your training sessions the most effective and efficient they can be. Keep your sessions short....
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What Do Dog Training and Marathon Training Have In Common?
If you’ve ever exercised a lot or trained for a big event, you’re familiar with interval training. This idea of mixing high intensity practices with periods of rest or easier practices is a concept...
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How To Love A Fearful Dog
You want to know what makes me weep? When I see people, often well-meaning but grossly mistaken, telling others that their fearful dog “just needs love” to get better. This is akin to telling someone...
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Do Dogs Bite “Unprovoked?”
Behavior is never random. Often clients will come to me saying their dog has bitten “unprovoked” or “out of the blue.” Bites happen fast, so it can seem like they happen out of the blue but when we...
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Behavior Is Not A Slippery Slope
As I recently discussed, behavior is never random. And it’s also not a slippery slope. Dog-dog issues don’t predict dog-human issues or vice versa. There are plenty of dogs who are great with other...
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How Long Should Training Sessions Be?
A while ago I wrote about the importance of interval training in dog training. This idea of mixing high intensity practices with periods of rest or easier practices is a concept encourage my clients...
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Using Non-Pharmaceutical “Calming” Supplements In Training
Let me first start this post with my standard disclaimer: I AM NOT A VET. But as a trainer in the US who specializes in fear, aggression, reactivity and separation anxiety, I get asked a lot about...
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Dogs Don’t Understand Intent
Many people take personal offense if a dog doesn’t immediately warm up to them. I get it – it’s hard if you love dogs and want them to like you but they’re a little afraid. It’s hard not to take that...
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Behavioral Medication In Training
I recently wrote about Using Non-Pharmaceutical “Calming” Supplements In Training so I thought it was a good time to revisit my original post on Behavioral Medication In Training and common myths...
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Why Not To Use A Shock Collar
I am not a betting person but if I had to bet, I’d wager you got a dog because you wanted a companion, a family member, something to love and nurture – not something to control with force, fear or...
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Free Download: 3 Reasons Not To Use A Shock Collar
Download my free guide: 3 Reasons Not To Use A Shock Collar. I talk more about why not to use these tools, a deeper dive into regulation and give you citations to the research if you’d like to look at...
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Thankful, For A Lot
During this week of Thanksgiving, I’m reflecting on the many things I’m thankful for and that includes all of you. I am thankful for dogs, and their people, who care so deeply about them and want so...
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