Monthly Archives: May 2011

Recently I ruffled some feathers on an online forum. It was not my intention and I usually try to stay out of most of the networking site forums because they are often too upsetting, but something moved me and I posted a comment. The original posting was about a 15 year old girl who had started a rescue group. It was an upbeat, 'isn't this ...

Back when I was in university I attended a class on Carlos Castaneda's books, The Teachings of Don Juan series. Ah, those were the days. For the uninitiated, the books, written as a recounting of Carlos' experience with the shaman Don Juan, are full of magical experiences and lessons for living what some might call, an enlightened life. They were, and still are by many, ...

I have found myself being taken to task, chastised and berated for putting information on my Fearfuldogs.com website that says that not all dogs can completely become desensitized and counter conditioned to the things that scare them. Some who label themselves trainers, and others who will not identify themselves at all, have claimed that this is a disservice to people with fearful dogs, that it ...

I have been struggling this week with a website a friend shared with me. On the site a 'trainer', who seems to boast no qualification other than maybe owning the boxed set of TV's The Dog Whisperer DVDs, proudly describes and documents with chilling videos, how a 'dominant' dog was put in his place. The dog, a breed which is known for its wariness and ...

It's hard not to do, and invariably we do it. We are working with our dog and getting good responses and rather than quit while we're ahead we push, one more time. When trying to work on a behavior modification protocol with a fearful dog (whether they are prone to fleeing or fighting), we give them another opportunity to behave inappropriately, i.e., to fail. Even ...

Before there was the GPS unit there was the map and compass. It was imperative that anyone traveling into the backcountry, especially going off marked trails, understood how to use them. Despite common knowledge, compasses do not always point north, in fact they never do. They point to magnetic north which is different from 'true north'. Maps indicate which way is 'true north'. In order ...

I don't mean to downplay the importance of providing a dog with exercise, but the reason for getting dogs out for a good leg stretch goes beyond the attempt to tire them out. The frequently heard statement that a 'tired dog is a good dog', makes me cringe. A good dog is a good dog whether they are exhausted or not. Anyone who has walked ...

For over 25 years I worked setting up and leading outdoor and cultural adventures for students and women's groups. Since I became obsessed with thinking about helping dogs with fear based behavior challenges, I've steadily begun to do less traveling. That and along with the fact that spring is in the air, I decided to empty out a filing cabinet of old paperwork. ...