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What the research tells us about plug-in air fresheners, synthetic fragrances, and the canine nervous system We often think of fragrance as something pleasant. A home that smells like lavender, fresh linen, or citrus may seem clean, inviting, and relaxing to us. But have you ever considered what those fragrances might be like for your dog? Dogs experience the world primarily through their sense of smell. Their olfactory system is extraordinarily sensitive, allowing them to detect and distinguish odors at concentrations far below what humans can perceive. Smell provides dogs with essential information about their environment, other animals, people, and...

Bringing a new baby into a home with dogs is a significant transition for the entire family. Routines change, attention shifts, and the household begins adjusting to the needs of a new member. While we often imagine our dogs immediately loving and bonding with our children, a healthy relationship doesn't need to begin with physical interaction. In fact, giving everyone time and space to adjust is one of the most important things we can do to establish a safe and respectful relationship. Our goal is to create a cooperative family environment where dogs and children feel safe, understand one another's...

One of the most important distinctions I think we can make when working with anxious or reactive dogs is the difference between a dog appearing calmer and a dog actually becoming more capable of navigating stress. These two things can look very similar from the outside, but they are not necessarily the same process. A dog who is barking, lunging, pacing, scanning the environment, or unable to settle is clearly showing us that something about their current state is interfering with their ability to function comfortably. Reducing that level of distress can be enormously valuable. In some cases, medication is...

As I’ve been reading Dr. Stephen Porges’ work on the autonomic nervous system, I’ve become increasingly interested in the relationship between behavioral medication and the nervous system of the dog. This is not an argument against medication. Behavioral medications can be extremely valuable, particularly when a dog is experiencing so much fear or anxiety that learning, rest, exploration, and relationship-building are difficult. Veterinary behavior medicine recognizes medications such as fluoxetine, trazodone, gabapentin, and clonidine as useful tools for different behavioral and situational problems in dogs. But medication does more than change what we can see on the outside. It changes...

When we talk about leadership in the human-dog relationship, the word can sometimes bring up outdated ideas about dominance, control, or being the “alpha.” For many years, dog owners were taught that they needed to establish themselves as the leader by controlling their dog's behavior, correcting unwanted behaviors, or making sure the dog understood who was in charge. Even as training philosophies have evolved, the idea of leadership is sometimes reduced to getting a dog to listen or comply.