If your puppy pees when excited, it's usually a normal emotional response, not a training problem. Puppies can urinate when they're overwhelmed by excitement, uncertainty, greeting new people, or receiving a lot of attention. They aren't choosing to do it, and in many cases [...]
Dog behavior problems are not dogs trying to “be bad.” Barking, leash pulling, chewing on things, reactivity, inability to settle, and many other unwanted behaviors are often communication that a dog’s emotional, physical, social, mental, or daily thrive needs are not fully being met. [...]
Last week we looked at understanding triggers. There are all sorts of triggers for your dog, good and bad. This week we are looking at good triggers that can be used to benefit your life with your dog to build YOU into your dog's rewards. [...]
If you live with a dog, it is important to understand triggers. Triggers can be a massive help or a massive detriment to your dog. Understanding triggers is the first step in knowing how they will help your dog have a better life and be [...]
Recently we looked at the difference in shaping with a video from the archives of my shaping progressions. Today I'm sharing 6 keys that I consider are critical for shaping success. If you are new to shaping or want to brush up your skills, Crate [...]
Shelby with a beloved reward, a rock, at the 1998 USDAA GP Nationals. I've been blogging about dog training, dog behaviour, dog agility and dogs in general, with a few diversions, for many years now .... far more years than I probably thought [...]
To call this thing we do "dog training" is a huge disservice to dogs. We are not "training" we are "educating" and just like with children, education starts in kindergarten and ascends onward from there only with understanding. The number one reason dogs get into [...]
This Vlog post is a particularly important one if you live with a dog. If you are struggling with a behaviour that you'd like to change, then you will want to know about your dog’s state, and how that state affects the behaviour you want [...]
Dogs and Firework Celebrations are NOT a great combination, however, there are ways we can help to lessen the trauma experienced by our dogs. Why Do Fireworks Scare Dogs? They are LOUD and a dog’s sense of hearing is acute! They are unpredictable so they [...]
What is it that your dog’s behaviour is trying to tell you? What is appropriate communication by your dog, and by you? In dogs, just like in humans, there are two types of responses: emotional and thoughtful. So what’s the difference and how do you [...]
Many years ago I introduced a game that has changed the lives of many thousands of people and their dogs the world over. It’s the key building block to everything I teach in dog training. That game is ItsYerChoice (IYC). This is the game [...]
Have you ever taken a moment to try and see the agility course from your dog’s perspective? The colours, the obstacle placement, the view our dogs see from their level? (Yep, this might mean getting on all fours!) I recently did this after reading a [...]
