Communication or control? When trainers talk about communication on social media, they generally mean control. They do the talking. They tell the dog what to do. The dog responds to that…or else. That’s not communication. Communication is a two-way street. Control? That’s another matter all together! The next time you read about a trainer helping to improve your communication, ask yourself… Do they really mean control? Go ahead and do what you want with that. But be honest about it. If your dog is not part of the conversation, then calling “getting your way” communication is a marketing tool, and it’s dishonest. Which brings up the next question. Have you fooled yourself? Can you differentiate communication from control? How did that happen?!

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Here’s a quick and dirty set of tips for how to get a reliable recall on your dog without corrections.

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From the Facebook live vaults! We chat about reinforcement strategies for high arousal dogs.

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When addressing undesirable behavior, it’s helpful to consider if the behavior is rooted at the instinctual, emotional or operant level. In this live, I consider instinctual and emotional roots, and the challenge of genuinely impacting desires that are rooted in instinct. Alternatives to removing the interest might include redirection or work, but truly changing instinctual behaviors? I question if it’s even possible in some dogs under specific scenarios.

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From the Facebook live vaults! I got a chance to sit down after a training session with a young Xen to answer some questions. Here's a little window into my thinking and analysis following a session to inform my training choices going forwards!

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This one's from the Facebook Live vaults where I discuss classical and operant conditioning as it pertains to teaching behaviors. Enjoy!

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This one's from the vaults! I talk about crating with Xen when he was young and prone to getting into mischief!

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It's true; dogs are not children! And if you choose not to use models of thinking that compare children to dogs, you will have walked away from the most valuable tool available, in terms of understanding and training or living with dogs. The truth is… Children and dogs have a whole lot in common in terms of how they behave in a wide variety of circumstances, especially around learning. Don’t give up that free resource lightly. Embrace it, and your training skills will skyrocket overnight. You will have the tools to motivate and understand, and you will find the solutions when challenges occur. Really. Simply by putting yourself into the position of your learner, (even as an adult!) and considering what would be happening inside of you, if you were the learner.

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Nope. You cannot. So be nice to your angry, fearful, sad, or frustrated dog. You won’t make them more angry, fearful, etc. And I’ll do the same for you! If you are sitting next to me and you’re feeling afraid? I’ll hold your hand and talk nicely to you, and I’ll try to make you feel better. And no, you won’t get more fearful.

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Decision making about when to apply pain to others, how and when we use force or restraint, and our thoughts about balancing autonomy and control are heavily influenced by culture - and are very much shades of grey. We work to balance the needs of all the parties - physical, emotional and financial - to come to our best possible decisions. 

Yet, there is never a right decision. Only possibilities.

Make your choices with compassion, kindness and knowledge and you’ll get where you need to be.

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