There’s a weird idea in dog training where people believe that if you use treats or toys for anything, you’re “bribing” your dog, which is terribly false. Food and toys are currency when used correctly. They are things your dog values and you use that value to build behaviour, engagement, motivation, communication and ultimately a stronger relationship. Dogs have many sources of reinforcement such as verbal, social, food, toy, environment and access. The goal isn’t to constan

Reactive dogs need reinforcement. We need to build engagement, teach replacement and alternate behaviours, reinforce good choices, develop communication and show the dog what to do instead. But reinforcement alone doesn’t automatically make unwanted behaviour disappear. Sometimes a dog also needs a consequence for behaviour that has already been clearly taught and understood with a well established reinforcement history. Here’s the hard part for people to understand, the dog

One of the most common questions in dog training is “how long do you think this will take”? The honest answer is, I don’t know. Because your dog and your commitment to them are going to determine a large part of that timeline. Not me, not you and definitely not any amount of frustration or impatience. Your dog doesn’t know that you want a problem fixed before your vacation or the holidays. They don’t know you’ve decided that this month is the month they need to finally “get i

Are you hiring a dog trainer or a lifestyle coach ? Because if someones answer to a difficult dog is any of the following, “you need to be more confident”, “become a stronger leader so your dog respects you” or “you need to work on yourself first” then what exactly are they training? You don’t need to change your personality to train your dog. You can be anxious, insecure and lack confidence. You can naturally be quiet or reserved, this doesn’t prevent anyone from having a we

There are some outdated training ideologies becoming popular on mainstream social media that are harmful to the dog training industry. You may hear/see statements like “be a leader and your dog will follow” or “project calm, confident energy and your dog will behave”. It sounds convincing until you ask, what is the dog actually learning ? Energy isn’t a training method, leadership isn’t a behaviour and pack theory isn’t a substitute for understanding why a dog behaves the way

The pulled back mouth showing those pearly whites that tends to cloud a dog expressing low posture, a tucked tail, lowered head and squinty eyes often gets labelled as “happy” or “sweet”. It isn’t a smile, it’s appeasement which is the dog anticipating discomfort and conflict. A common example happens when a dog is left loose in the house. They get bored, frustrated, anxious or make a bad decision. They get into something, destroy something, have an accident, steal something

One of the biggest issues owners have with training their dog is constantly avoiding things the dog struggles with. Your dog struggles around other dogs? Walk early/late and go somewhere they never see dogs. They hate being handled? Avoid handling them. They have no recall? Never let them off leash. They can’t settle? Keep them constantly moving. They struggle with impulse control? Don’t put them in situations where they have to use it. They hate the crate? Just never close t

Stopping a behaviour does not automatically mean you’ve changed it. Consequences and punishment do have a place in dog training regardless of what some may think and preach. They can interrupt behaviour, reduce the likelihood of it being repeated and teach a dog what not to do, but that’s only half the equation. At the end of the day “don’t do that” isn’t the same as “do this instead.” You can stop a dog from lunging, barking, pulling, jumping or chasing and make it look like

Your dog doesn’t need to see the reward to believe it’s there. One of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking they need to constantly show their dog what they’re going to get in order to keep them motivated and responsive. That’s not reinforcement, it’s a bribe. A dog with a strong reinforcement history can learn something much more valuable “I don’t know exactly what I’m getting, but I know something good is coming from my owner eventually”. That belief matters because

One of the most damaging myths in dog training is the idea that your dog is constantly trying to become the “alpha” or “pack leader.” Your dog isn’t trying to dominate you because they walked through a doorway first, jump up on you or walk ahead on the leash. The problem with the “alpha” and “pack leader” mindset is that it encourages people to assign intent where there isn’t any. Instead of asking, “Why is my dog making this choice?” they ask “How do I show my dog I’m in cha

If a dog trainer doesn’t have a demo dog or a dog you would genuinely want yours to behave like, you should be asking why. If they can’t demonstrate the behaviours they’re teaching, can’t reliably communicate with their own dog or their own dog struggles with the same behaviours they claim to help owners with, why should you trust them to help you ? No dog is perfect but a trainers own dog(s) should reflect their knowledge, mechanics, understanding and ability to apply what t

Most people try to teach a loose leash by focusing on the leash, that’s backwards, the leash isn’t the foundation. Engagement, reinforcement and understanding of negative reinforcement are. Before expecting your dog to walk politely they need to understand that paying attention to you is rewarding, responding to leash pressure has meaning and making good decisions consistently leads to worthwhile reinforcement. The leash shouldn’t be something your dog fights against, it shou

One of the biggest misconceptions in the dog world is that socialization means your dog should greet every person, every dog and investigate everything they encounter, it doesn’t. Socialization is about exposure not interaction. The goal is to teach your dog that the world is safe, predictable and doesn’t always require a response. They should be able to see adults, children, dogs, bikes, vehicles etc. without feeling the need to engage with them. A well socialized dog doesn’

One of the most common things I hear when people have multiple dog households and are experiencing behaviour problems is… “he/she is such a sweet dog… except when they are attacking my other dog.” Read that again. A dog that is repeatedly attacking, bullying, intimidating or causing conflict with another dog in the home, has a behavioural issue that needs to be addressed. Being affectionate with their owners does not cancel out aggression and reactivity towards other dogs. Ca

Too many people treat exercise as a replacement for training when it should be an opportunity to train. Your dog absolutely needs physical exercise but they also need engagement, impulse control, obedience, an off switch, structure, problem solving skills and reinforcement expectation. You can’t walk or run the reactivity and behaviour problems out of your dog. The only thing you’re doing is creating a fitter dog with more stamina to rehearse the same unwanted behaviours. Phy

The truth is that good trainers regardless of the title or label they use such as balanced, positive only/force free, psychology based or traditional, want the same thing. That is healthy, confident and well mannered dogs living successful lives with their owners. We can disagree on certain methods, tools or approaches but at the end of the day, the dogs well being should be the common ground that brings us together, not another reason to disagree. What started as a way to de

It’s been trending for people to use the title “dog psychology trainer” as if understanding psychology is all it takes to train dogs. If you haven’t been exposed to this title or ideology yet, call yourself lucky. In reality, dog psychology is a marketing tool, one that sounds appealing to the general pet dog owner and promotes instant gratification but often says very little about someones actual ability to train dogs. A title, label or an impressive sounding philosophy does

I’m sure you’ve heard “you get what you reinforce” before. Here’s the truth, your dog is being reinforced whether you’re involved or not, meaning you also get what you allow. The majority of reinforcement in your dogs life can come from the environment, not from you. The dog that pulls and gets where it wants to go is being reinforced. The dog that barks and lunges at people and dogs or chases wildlife is being reinforced. The dog that barks or avoids and makes pressure go aw