Picture following ad: “Have a litter of puppies. Will sell to anyone who opens their wallet. No references or qualifications required. I don’t care where the pups end up, and I also don’t care about the welfare of my dogs who produce them. All I care about is money so I can pay my bills”. Would you hand your hard-earned cash over to this person in exchange for a puppy? Hopefully not. Hopefully you’d keep looking and support someone who possesses a higher ethical standard.

True or false? A dog’s behavior is only determined by how he has been raised. A portion of the general public will say true. But it is false, and ‘only’ is the problematic word here. If we changed it to ‘also’ we’d get it right. Dogs’ behavior is influenced by how they are raised, but genetics plays a role in a big way. Yes, there is this quintessential Dog, that core biogrammar that dictates how Canis familiaris (lets leave ‘lupus’ out because dogs aren’t wolves and hav

Dominance is a loaded word in dog trainer circles. Some base their whole business model on it and label every misbehavior on the owner’s failure to show their dog who’s boss, while others dispute that dominance exists. As is often the case with polarized opinions, the facts are convoluted. Let me unpack it for you. The theory that dogs strive for top status within a pack originated when scientists observed captive wolves and concluded that they had a hierarchy. Ergo, since

Lets explore them, and ferret out how dogs really roll. “The top dog is the dog on top” was the slogan of a K9 trainer I heard speak at an aggression seminar in the late 90s. He warned that allowing a dog on furniture raises the status and runs the risk of future aggression. Whether being on furniture is of dog’s nature is impossible to determine because, well, free-roaming dogs don’t have furniture. What can be observed is that a dog who stiffly stands over something or so

Going to a breeder is not the only way to acquire a dog. There are tons of second chance dogs who found themselves homeless or never had one. We all know this. Adopting from one of the many organizations that take these dogs in is, by some, considered morally superior to buying a dog from a breeder. But is it? It depends! As is the case with trainers and breeders, there is no independent oversight when it comes to rescues. You might expect no regulations are necessary becaus

Is a crate a safe haven? A den? A cage? Crates are popular in North America to confine a dog, but not so much many other countries. So the question is: do we need it? Here are my musings! In general: Some dogs accept a wire crate better because they are compelled to see what is going on around them; others like a closed airplane style crate better, or blankets draped over the wire one. Know your dog. In any case: no dog should be longer in a crate than 3-4 hours at any one

At the moment 'Enrichment' is trendy word. Commonly enrichment is associated with food, like puzzle toys, but it is so much more than that. Enrichment is anything new: a new sound, seeing something new, tasting something new, smelling something new. It is any environmental contrast the dog is curious about--and you can orchestrate that. Important: the dog ALWAYS has a choice whether he wants to explore or not. Exposure has to happen at the dog’s comfort level, otherwise you

You are not alone. Davie puppy in the photo was a true menace. She taught me a lot. And turned into the most amazing companion. Good News! It will pass for you too. Below tips will expedite things. Don’t punish I get it: puppies and teenagers can be taxing on the nerves, but please remember that a puppy’s whole world changed when he joined you. He’ll continue the normal for his species behaviors he was able to exhibit with his litter mates, and maybe other dogs at the breeder

Stress, and the resulting hormonal and neurochemical arousal, underpins just about every behavioral problem. Neither stress nor arousal always bad. Momentary excitement is wonderful, healthy play important for welfare, and a dog focused on a task is also aroused but is still responsive and has self-control. That is what we want. Think of a still-in-body border collie focused on sheep, ready to act as needed. I am also not talking about our collective as of late obsession wi

Teaching your dog to target and tap your hand, and to back up on cue = walking backwards in a straight line, have a number of useful real life applications: both cues prompt ‘four on the floor’ with dogs who love to use their humans as a springboard (with jumping on unfamiliar people or ones who don’t like to interact with your dog, don’t permit close access with the help of the leash), and with the hand-touch game they also experience that a closed-mouth tap is more rewardin

No it isn't. Until the day I keel over I'll argue that one cannot teach relaxation. But one can set the conditions for a dog to authentically settle for a bit. Or for longer. Here is how. Settling doesn’t necessitate a mat. Most dogs are very capable of finding a cozy spot when they want to chill on their own. But incorporating a mat or bed has advantages: It becomes a visual and tactile cue you can place in different rooms in your home, and bring with you when away from home

In our relationship with our dogs, realistically situations occur when it’s important that we can safely remove something that’s in their possession: either because it could be harmful or because it is valuable for us. The problem is dogs, like every other species, take exception to surrendering a possession important to them to someone they don’t fully trust. They send a warning to whoever contests the possession, and socially normal dogs get buzz-off signals and…buzz off.

My Leave stands for: “Shift your attention away from that which caught it and walk away. It is not available to you, or not at the moment”. It is my universal one-word signal that stops my dog from pursuing anything that’s on his radar and I don’t want him to pursue—whether it’s via the eyes, ears, or nose. It always includes motion, and I want commitment: my dog to both mentally and physically disengage from dogs, people, wildlife, the slice of pizza on the sidewalk someon

And only returns to you sometimes? Don’t worry. Your dog is normal. Like walking right beside a person, coming when called is not natural when you’re a dog. Here is this riveting environment with new things to discover and known experiences to relive—and then there is you: a boring, slow-moving, scent-dense biped the dog has around all the time. You are a fixture; environmental stimuli magnets. Unless you have a clingy cause insecure pooch, or a what-do-we-do-now working

Also commonly known as “stay”. No matter which word you use: wait, stay, platz, freeze, spaghetti, it should stand for: don’t start...

Name Recognition I acknowledge and reinforce when my dog checks in with me, each time. It’s like reciprocating when your human loved one...

Because they feel threatened. That is one reason. One might think that a dog who feels threatened would retreat, but how could she when...

The common consensus is that dogs, by virtue of species, are more attuned to what we do with our bodies than to the words we say. But...

In order for our dogs to be able to learn, the environment can’t feel distressing. Key word is feel, not if you think it isn’t. Feeling...

Is it possible to end up with a mannerly dog without using force? Is it the best way to deal with existing behavioral problems? An...