Do you use a choke collar? Can you explain the reason? Is it because you feel that you have more control? But the question is, do you?  Does your dog walk quietly beside you obeying even when it is excited? Probably not. The problem with force training is that dogs are very associative, and they have a strong opposition reflex. These two things provide plenty of reasons why using choke, prong, and ecollars are not…   Continue

One of the biggest misconceptions is that force free dog training does not mean you cannot, and should not, correct your dog when it misbehaves.  It does mean that you are working to help your dog learn an appropriate behavior using reinforcement instead of an alpha (master/slave) relationship. Force Free Dog Training Does Not Use Fear to overwhelm and bully a dog Pain to cause a dog to shut down emotionally Anger to break your…   Continue

I had an interesting call today. The woman on the other line wanted an assessment done on her mastiff type breed. After a few initial questions it was clear that the dog had bitten someone. The woman wanted the assessment to take to court and prove that her dog wouldn’t bite unprovoked. This is not the purpose of an assessment. The assessment is a training tool. It is used to measure a dog’s reactions in…   Continue

Harley was attacked by a large dog at a dog show, May 2015. The dog attacked her crate throwing it around until it could be pulled off. I was at the ring, and the person who was watching Harley was so upset they didn’t tell me because they were afraid I would be angry at them. No one did any redirection or comforting for 3 hours. This left Harley extremely reactive to everyone, dogs and…   Continue

One of the most exciting, and controversial therapies in the dog world is play therapy. Can you overcome fear and aggression using play? If you ask a wolf researcher they will tell you that packs with ‘good’ leaders, where play is contagious, there is an absence of many behavior problems. If you ask some of the world’s renowned canine behaviorists like Susan Clothier they will agree that play counter condition’s fear. It is the premise…   Continue