In this episode, we discuss emotions in dogs. We explore the limbic system, the part of the brain responsible for emotions in all mammals. I briefly overview the Blue-Ribbon emotions and how and why this matters when working with dogs. The information in this episode is largely based on Affective Neuroscience by Jaak Panksepp.

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Buy Ralf's book If Your Dog Could Talk - Understand Your Dog Like Never Before (5th Edition) on Amazon.

In this episode, we discuss how the industry of dog training is failing dog owners. Too much ideology gets in the way of helping people live more harmoniously with their dogs. We touch on the current state of affairs, the problems this creates for dog owners, training tool bans, and where all of this can lead. We'll close with a domestic example of where we are heading and some international examples that went too far.

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Buy Ralf's book If Your Dog Could Talk - Understand Your Dog Like Never Before (5th Edition) on Amazon.

In this episode, we discuss if you should train your dog. This may seem like a silly question at first, but it's actually not. If your dog has behavioral issues, yes, hire a trainer. If you have specific requirements for camping, off-leash hiking, wanting to participate in a dog sport, or joining a therapy dog team, you should hire a trainer. But what if your dog is a nice boy or girl, doesn't have any issues, and just hangs out with you anyways? Sometimes training is optional and sometimes unnecessary. We'll discuss it.

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Buy Ralf's book If Your Dog Could Talk - Understand Your Dog Like Never Before (5th Edition) on Amazon.

In this episode, we discuss dog walking. Dogs love walking, but they naturally would travel up to twenty miles daily if left to their own devices, while humans cover ten miles at best. Dogs naturally travel about four miles an hour, and humans about two miles an hour. People feel a social connection at maybe six to eight feet apart, but dogs still feel connected at 50-100 yards apart. The only disagreement between you and your dog is about the walking speed and what should happen during the outing.

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Buy Ralf's book If Your Dog Could Talk - Understand Your Dog Like Never Before (5th Edition) on Amazon.

This episode discusses the risks and benefits of spaying and neutering dogs. Studies have shown that we need to make some changes. It is often advocated to sterilize dogs to protect them from cancer. However, it turns out the opposite is true. A study published at UC Davis in 2013, titled Long-Term Health Effects of Neutering Dogs: Comparison of Labrador Retrievers with Golden Retrievers found that sterilization of Golden Retrievers before six months of age increases their risk of joint diseases later in life by 400% to 500% percent! Similarly, for Labrador Retrievers and German Shepherds (separate UC Davis study in 2015) by 300%. These are alarming numbers.

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Buy Ralf's book If Your Dog Could Talk - Understand Your Dog Like Never Before (5th Edition) on Amazon.

In this episode, we discuss eleven dog myths that keep persisting despite them being false. This includes dog myths around veterinary procedures, food, training, play, emotions, intelligence, and more.

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Buy Ralf's book If Your Dog Could Talk - Understand Your Dog Like Never Before (5th Edition) on Amazon.

In this episode, we discuss why clarity matters for dogs. Clarity matters in communicating with your dog, training your dog, and living with your dog harmoniously. Family dogs do best when they understand how everything in the home functions, how each family member interacts with them, and what each family member accepts and doesn’t accept in their interactions.

Not much enrages the temperaments of dog trainers more than arguing about the true nature of dogs. One would think that we had settled this argument by now, but clearly, we haven’t. And while we probably have as many opinions as we have dog trainers, most viewpoints fall on the spectrum of two major camps. I call them the “pack leader” and the “cooperative partner” groups.

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Buy Ralf's book If Your Dog Could Talk - Understand Your Dog Like Never Before (5th Edition) on Amazon.

In this episode, we discuss leash aggression in dogs. Most dog owners use this term if their dog loses their mind at other dogs, people, cars, bikes, or whatever, when on a leash. Off-leash the dog may even be fine. Just on a leash, it acts like a lunatic. And there is, of course, the close relative of this term, leash-reactivity. Both are used interchangeably, so to explain this behavior, I will stick with leash aggression as it is probably more commonly used.

But what does leash aggression mean? It’s a pretty useless phrase as it doesn’t describe what is happening. It only indicates that a dog is having an aggressive reaction for some reason.

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Buy Ralf's book If Your Dog Could Talk - Understand Your Dog Like Never Before (5th Edition) on Amazon.

In this episode, we discuss dog misbehavior. That generally means any behavior by your dog you don't care for. But much of what is called dog misbehavior is rooted in genetic frustration. Most misbehavior is not that but simply a normal—and perfectly fine—behavior expressed in an inappropriate context.

If a frustrated herding dog that lives in a backyard and gets a walk here and there chases squirrels or rabbits in his yard, no one cares. However, people start caring rather quickly if it does the same with kids on skateboards. It’s the same behavior. In one context, it’s perfectly okay. In another context, not so much.

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Buy Ralf's book If Your Dog Could Talk - Understand Your Dog Like Never Before (5th Edition) on Amazon.

In this episode, we discuss food aggression in dogs. When I was a less experienced trainer, I thought this was an issue of poor pack hierarchy in the home. I know many dog trainers continue to believe this. Today I know better. I wasn’t completely wrong back then; my knowledge was just incomplete. Food aggression in dogs can certainly be a rank issue, but most of the time, it isn’t.

We generally distinguish two types of food aggression in dogs: a genetic predisposition or a learned behavior. The former is more common and has to be managed, and the latter is less common but can be resolved.

Before diving in, please understand that food-aggressive dogs are not automatically bad dogs. They are often great dogs aside from food aggression. This challenge is easily managed and not a reason to give up on your otherwise amazing dog.

Visit the Podcast Episode Page for additional content and a list of episode references.

Buy Ralf's book If Your Dog Could Talk - Understand Your Dog Like Never Before (5th Edition) on Amazon.