There are essentially three ways to be with a dog in the human world. You can regiment them either physically or mentally, or they can be free. They want to be free, but the situation, the dog’s skills, the dog’s mental stability, and the human’s skills all need to be taken into account. When should we choose physical regimentation over mental or vice versa? When can they actually be free, and what is true freedom?

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Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

Have you heard the rule “never punish a growl”? Dog training has come a long way since the yank and crank days, but some of the adages birthed from the changing tides, like “never punish a growl,” deserve a deeper look.

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In the episode about border collies Sarah referenced the concept of the “mental prison.” In this episode she elaborates on that thought, on what dogs get trapped in prisons of their own making, and on ways to help them escape.

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Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

In this crossover episode with the Functional Breeding Podcast Sarah and friend of the pod Dr Hekman discuss a recent paper revealing some interesting differences between the brains of herding dogs and “normal” dogs, particularly Sarah’s beloved border collies.

The paper is "Genomic evidence for behavioral adaptation of herding dogs." and you can find it here:

https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.adp4591

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Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

Border collies are special; they have a highly specialized mind and a supremely athletic body and both deserve care that matches the degree of their uniqueness. Whether you are thinking about adding a border collie to your life or already a border collie guardian, enjoy some food for thought regarding what it might mean to care for this exceptional breed of dog.

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Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

Behavior pros, is AI coming for your job? Yeah, kind of. Let’s get real about what’s wrong with this, and what is within our control.

https://www.bestlifedogservices.com/

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A skill you need to help your dog navigate tough environments is vigilance that doesn’t come with heightened emotions on your part. You’ve got to watch out for potential dangers and challenges while also staying cool about it all; and that’s legitimately hard to do! The good news is, you can learn how.

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Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

Your first dog was fun, easy, and you had a lovely time in dog sports. But for your second you decided you wanted a faster model. You upgraded. Or, did you?

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As behavior professionals we need to be proficient in the areas of environmental management, enrichment, and also dog training. But we are not a master of all three we might lean too heavily on one or two of them while forgoing the third, sometimes to the detriment of the case. Join Sarah in an exploration of each of these areas through the lens of practical examples.

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Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

Food is a good thing in dog training, right? Like most things, anything that has the power to do good also has the power to do harm, and food is no different. Avoiding use of food as a “rescue” and leaning into use of food as “repair” is one nuanced take on food within unexpected or scary encounters, and Sarah also dives into some basics on when food can and can’t be helpful.

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Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay