This is my next installment in my Back To Basics series. The first post on housetraining can be found here. Did you know that puppy biting and mouthing is completely normal dog behavior? Puppies explore their worlds with their mouths (and noses) so picking...
As someone who focuses on fear cases, I have a disproportionate amount of people who view their dog's fear issues as behavior "problems" that need "fixing" instead of recognizing that fear is not disobedience. The more I was thinking about this, the more I...
Discovering your dog has separation anxiety can cut to your soul. Even more than so many other behavioral issues, the inability to leave your dog alone without the dog panicking has grave quality of life issues, both for the dog and the human. It's is a behavior...
Much like the lack of transparency in dog training, there's also a lack of transparency in sheltering and rescue organizations. In 2018 eight prominent animal welfare organizations and foundations released a joint mission statement regarding accountability...
While crate training has its place in some areas of dog training - house training, management and medical recovery come to the top of my mind, crating for separation anxiety is not one of those applications. This does get complicated if we have a dog who is...
Just like humans, dogs go through different stages of development over time, both physical, emotional and social. Every stage has its special moments. Puppies turn into uncoordinated juveniles testing boundaries then into unruly teenagers and then finally...
There's a lot of euphemisms in dog training, mostly trying to smooth over things that don't sit well with us. Aversive trainers and electric fence companies will tell you the shock collar is "just a vibration like your cell phone or TENS unit." People who...
As a behavior consultant and trainer, my primary goal is to help families work through their dog's behavior to help them achieve behavior modification, set up management, ensure the dog's needs are being met and more. I’ve helped thousands of dogs overcome...
I've written about why you shouldn't use a shock collar and have my free download, 3 Reasons Not To Use A Shock Collar, but today I'm addressing some common shock collar myths. But, at its core, if you take nothing else away, it's this: Learning shouldn't hurt. We...
Enrichment isn't optional. It's not a nice, extra thing we should be doing for our animals - it's a critical part of their well-being, health and happiness. Having the ability to do normal dog behavior is one of the Five Freedoms, "freedom to express normal...
One of the biggest differences working with a qualified trainer and trying to DIY your training is knowing when or how to make your training more challenging for your dog. One of the recent survey questions submitted was "how do I know when my dog is ready...
Many people, whether they have a new puppy or a newly rescued adult dog, struggle with the most basic of things we need to train in dogs - to go to the bathroom outside. Housetraining or potty training can be frustrating for owners. Housetraining issues can...