Approach Avoidance Conflict In Dogs

If your dog or puppy experiences approach avoidance conflict, she may be curious but afraid at the same time. It is a stressful place to be.

Martin Luther King Jr. Inspires Training

There are so many beautiful, important life messages shared from Martin Luther King Jr. This MLK quote: “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step”, has so many interpretations. Some of those interpretations can have to do with dog training. In life, if we want to accomplish anything, we must […]

Managing Your Crawling Baby And Your Dog

I see so often in Youtube videos and online photos. A baby is crawling toward the family dog. (I also see babies and toddlers grabbing the dog, holding the dog’s collar, or putting a tiny hand in the dog’s food bowl) Honestly, these situations make me uneasy. I know there are very well intentioned, loving […]

B.F. Skinner’s Quote Reminds Us About The Fallback Of Punishment

This B.F. Skinner quote on behavior is an important reminder about the fallback of punishment when it comes to teaching and changing behavior: “A person who has been punished is not thereby simply less inclined to behave in a given way; at best, he learns how to avoid punishment.” Such an important and valuable quote […]

Training Your Dog To Do Chin Rest For Cooperative Care

There are so many benefits to training your to do dog chin rest. Fear Free cooperative care and lowering arousal are among them. However, if you have already trained your dog to do a strong hand touch or nose targeting behavior, it can complicate this dog training lesson. No worries! It just means thinking creatively […]

Your Puppy And Dog Are Always Learning

A letter from this puppy to ALL dog and puppy parents: Hi! I am focusing. My brain is at work. Every waking minute,every interaction,every outcomeis teaching me associations & expectations. You may not mean to, but these are some lessons you may be teaching me. Humans walking near when I have something I value mean […]

Teaching Fear Free Cooperative Care Pet Handling

Training for Fear Free cooperative care pet handling involves teaching an animal to be an active participant in handling and other husbandry behaviors. An important component of cooperative care is giving that animal the ability, choice and control to be able to say YES or NO to moving ahead. (This is referred to as agency.) […]

Walking My Dog Helped A Child Feel Safe Around A Dog

Yesterday when I was walking my dog, we had an opportunity to help a child feel safe around a dog. This is our story, an important story for parents and those who have a dog. My dog, Dawson, and I came across a mother and her maybe two-ish year old little girl. The little girl’s […]

Tips For Dressing Your Dog In A Halloween Costume

For me, one of the most fun aspects of Halloween is seeing all the little kids dressed in costumes. The really young kids are the cutest!  For many others, coming up with unusual, elaborate and/or comical outfits for their dog is also what makes the holiday fun. If you are among them, here are my […]

Keeping Kids Safe Around Dogs at Halloween

I talk a lot about minimizing stress on dogs at Halloween. It is an important topic as Halloween can be cause your dog to be fearful or over stimulated. However, it is also important to talk about dog bite prevention tips parents on keeping kids safe around dogs during Halloween Trick or Treating. When your […]