Dogs And Gambling With Your Life
If you have been around dogs long enough, you will see these “dominance” focused trainers, owners, and rescue volunteers end up seriously injured. These stories sometimes make the news. All it takes is one dog that decides it is time to do a rank attack, being from a lower status, or from a higher status, […]
Gentle Dog Training
Do you have a gentle dog? I have worked with a lot of very gentle dogs. You better know what kind of dog you have before you implement a training program, otherwise your dog is going to fail, and you are going to fail. I met one this past weekend, a 1-year-old female Doodle. She’s […]
Is Your Dog Ahead Of You, On Or Off Leash?
If a dog is pulling ahead of you whether on leash or off leash, does that mean you are not your dog’s “leader”, that you aren’t the “alpha”, that you are doing something wrong? Ok, riddle me this, Batman… If a Bloodhound is pulling ahead on a leash searching a track, does that mean the […]
Dominance And Being Your Dog’s Leader
There is ongoing confusion regarding the idea of being a dog’s “leader”, being the “alpha”, and controlling a dog’s dominance. Thus… the “Dog Whisperer” phenomenon, or all those new social media trainers who are telling you that the beginning of fixing your dog’s dominance problems is to sign up for their e-collar program. Let me […]
High Drive Service Breed Dog Ownership vs Pet Ownership
There is a fundamental difference between training pet service dog breeds (Malinois, German Shepherd, Giant Schnauzer, Airedale, Dutch Shepherd, etc.) versus those which have been selectively bred for competition or professional work. The top dogs look spectacular when they do the higher-level work. However, if you have a pet version of these dogs, don’t despair. […]
Wisely Choosing A Dog Breed
Dog breeds are, and were, created to specialize in doing certain tasks. By selecting and emphasizing various traits, it makes a specific breed easier to do those tasks. For example, it is easier to herd sheep with a Border Collie than with a Greyhound. So, when you are choosing a breed, if you are being […]
Dogs And Super Bowl Sunday!
Superbowl Sunday Is here… do you have a plan to keep your dogs safe? Here is a simple checklist:
Bad Training Methods Can Be Masked With High Drive Working Dogs
Working dogs, and I’m referring to the police service breeds, have very high prey drive. They will do just about anything for a toy, and don’t even perceive danger when in prey drive for a toy. Thus, harsh methods can be used on these dogs in ways that you could never do to a pet […]
When A Dog Makes A Mistake
If a dog makes a mistake, or doesn’t do what you wanted them to do, should they show signs of worry? Twenty plus years ago, I heard about a Doberman that was taught to track using force. If the dog got off the track, the dog was punished. Thus, when the dog made a mistake, […]
My Dog Doesn’t Like My Husband
Why is it that many dogs, especially new dogs introduced into the home, actively avoid or are hostile to the man of the home but tend to accept the wife? From insects, all the way up to humans, there is a general pattern that there are fewer males within social groups than females. Especially with […]