I have a new client this week and it brought me to the whole Cortisol problem. They wanted me to ‘train’ the reactivity out of their dog. Their exact words were ‘he needs some discipline to teach him some manners.’  I cringed, and tried to explain. One of the hardest things to explain to people is that: Your dog cannot help being this way Your dog does not enjoy feeling stressed Your dog is not…   Continue

I always wanted a German Shepherd, mostly because I think they are the most beautiful dog around but also because they are strong and noble, loyal, intelligent and protective.  In the late 1990s, I spoke to a breeder who told me a German Shepherd maybe wasn’t the best first dog because they really required a lot of work and training. So I got a German Shepherd/Labrador Retriever mix named Empress. She was the most mellow…   Continue