Canine Nation

Most dog owners want their dogs to focus on them. It’s a practical matter. Your dog can’t respond to your commands if they aren’t listening, after all. But getting your dog’s attention might take something more substantial than just calling their name. Maybe your dog needs a reason to pay more attention to you. It can be surprisingly easy!

It’s a fact of life that not everyone gets along with everyone else. Humans measure our own civility by our ability to coexist, using what we call “manners.” We shouldn’t be surprised that our dogs have a similar code of conduct that they adhere to when interacting with other dogs. But do we really understand or even recognize dog manners when we see them?

Why do so many dog trainers and dog fanciers so strongly resist the use of food in working with their dogs? I strongly disagree with these more traditional trainers.  I use food as a regular part of a program of reinforcement and science-based training — and my happy, championship-winning dogs are a testament to how I train.

What if you’re standing in a playing field and your dog won’t come to you? What if you want your dog to “sit” and he keeps looking for squirrels?  Let me share methods and mindsets that we have learned for getting more cooperation from our dogs.

There are lots of ways to mess up a dog. Fortunately, if you take care and teach your dog well, the little mistakes won’t turn into big problems. It seems a strange paradox that the more you train with your dog, the less likely it is that things will go wrong when you make mistakes!

I know how to fool a dog trainer. The one I fool the most is me! While it may seem simple, learning to teach a dog with clarity isn’t as easy as it sounds. The road is filled with misconceptions and misperceptions. Hopefully by sharing some of my mistakes, you can avoid making them yourself. Don’t let the dog trainer in you be fooled!

With literally dozens of ways to teach a dog to do the same behaviour, how do we choose the best way for us? It seems we often choose a method because “it works” for us. But what does that mean? It could be that the dog looks like it’s doing what we want. But is there more to it?

Dog sports are a great way to spend time with our dogs. It also gives us a great reason to train them for some very useful and fun skills. But, while it might be fun, does competition take a toll on our dogs? You might be surprised.

Our dogs will bark, snap, and sometimes even bite if they are put into situations where they feel that is their only choice.  If we take precautions to understand our animals and give them what they need to be successful in our lives, we can reduce the chances of them ever acting out in an aggressive fashion.

Why do most dogs wag their tails when they hear the words “Good Dog”? A look into the psychology behind our dogs’ behaviours reveals some interesting answers.  It also offers some science-based tips and techniques for dog training that you already may be using!