Blog — Canine Core Method

Am I a Dog “Trainer”?

Aug 23, 2018 Leah Lykos

Tags Canine Core Method, dog training, dogs, Holistic Dog Training

I always hesitate to call myself a dog "trainer." What's that all about? Well, it's my gut feeling that dogs don't really need training, what they need is relationship. Once the dog has a strong relationship with his human counterpart, the training isn't really training at all, it's teamwork! See, dogs naturally want to please us, be in connection with us, and work in sync with us. It's selfish and self-less all at the same time. When we do well, they do well and vice-versa (the whole hunting thing).

Handler Self-Care Part One: Your Oxygen Mask

Jul 11, 2018 Leah Lykos

Tags Canine Core Method, Health and Well-Being, Holistic Healing, polyvagal theory, self-care

Handler Self-Care Part One: Your Oxygen Mask

We all know the drill: you put on your own oxygen mask first, THEN you help others. But this doesn't just hold true in emergencies, we need to make this a practice in every day life! I've noticed that when I let myself get super stressed and run down, I'm not a very good caretaker to my animals. I end up walking around like a zombie and don't have energy to give them the time, attention, and exercise they deserve. So let's do something about that! Taking time for yourself should be a daily practice. Today I took time for...

The Non-Duality of Dog Training

Dec 17, 2017 Leah Lykos

Tags Alternative Medicine for Dogs, Canine Core Method, Health and Well-Being, Holistic Dog Training, Holistic Healing, training

What I've learned so far in my dog training career, is that everything we do with dogs, at least everything that actually works, is counter-intuitive. Do you want your dog to stop barking? Teach him to bark on command. Want your dog to stop jumping on strangers? Encourage him jump on you. Want your dog to be social as opposed to aggressive? Let him play aggressively, even let him WIN the tug toy (a dog who feels good in his natural drive state will not display unnecessary aggression). Want your dog to be soft? Encourage him to bite hard. Want your dog to bite...