Grow Up
At some point early in the life of a human we develop intellectually and emotionally enough to realize that it's not always just about us. Hopefully when this happens we've had plenty of time to learn to feel safe and loved. It's not an easy step to take, but a step that most of us not only ...
Better Than Average
In my world the reality is that those of us living with a dog with fear-based behavior challenges must be better than average pet owners. I say this meaning no offense to average pet owners. Anyone who chooses to live with an animal is ahead of the curve in my book. Most however do not ...
Getting To Yes With Your Dog
Dogs who grow up in a home have dozens of opportunities a day to approach people and be reinforced for it. This means it's a good thing from the pup's perspective. They might get a treat, a cuddle, a scratch or the chance to tug on your shoelaces. Dogs, like my dog Sunny who spend ...
Caribbean Volunteer Vacation-Changing Our Lives
I suppose that when one has lived long enough it's easy to slide into waxing philosophical about life, and I have definitely stepped onto that slope. Having been fortunate to have what I needed in life as far as my physical needs being met--safe home, food, medical care, etc., I have had the luxury to ...
You’ve Got The Ball: Dogs in the 21st Century
I suspect that those of us who work with dogs in any capacity, love them, respect them and want them to have the best lives possible. Yet I can't help but be surprised and disappointed when I hear and read information about dogs being shared that does more harm than good, or opportunities to educate ...
Changing The Faces of Dog Training
In May I'll be traveling to the islands of Puerto Rico, Culebra and Vieques with a group to contribute our energy to the cause of changing how people handle and train their dogs. No doubt there will be people who will embrace the information we'll be sharing about force-free and coercion-free training with the enthusiasm ...
Dog Displaying Fear or Aggression? Don’t Make Them Repeat Themselves
Go on Sunny, there's fun ahead. When a dog performs a fearful or aggressive behavior it's as though they are saying, "I don't have the skills to behave in any other way in this situation." Why would you want to make them repeat themselves? If you were to drop a kid into a pool ...
The “Somebody Told Me” Effect
One of my goals for this blog, my Facebook pages, group, and tweets, is to try to stave off the inclination pet owners and many dog trainers have to jump on any bandwagon that comes along in regard to training dogs, or to keep throwing different sh*t against the wall and hoping something sticks. There ...
Climb Aboard?
I haven’t been involved in the dog training field as long as some, but it’s been long enough to observe that we are as prone as the next person to hitch rides on bandwagons as they go through town. Our interest in the latest new thing is at once a good thing, possibly benign or ...
