Blog — dogs

Because dogs are predatory by nature, their instincts dictate that they channel their energy (and built-up stress) into hunting activities. For different breeds, this means different things, such as eye-stalking, digging, tracking, etc. However, the culmination of every hunt is the bite, because the goal of hunting is killing the prey. So the act of biting, and specifically biting and carrying an object, represents a successful “hunt.” And then chewing and ingesting completes this cycle of emotional grounding. Try to keep this in mind when working, walking, and training your dogs. Keep their jaws busy and you will have a...

I don’t usually give prescriptions to “fix” a dog’s behavior because every dog is an individual and therefore should be treated as one. In addition, each and every moment is unique and may call for a different protocol. To this end, I ask that you ALWAYS use your gut feeling and intuition to do what is right for your dog in each present moment, no matter what I or anyone else has advised you. With that being said, I’ve come up with some guidelines, or let’s call them suggestions, for calming a hyperactive or anxious dog. 1. Reduce the amount...

E-Collar training is sweeping the nation! It looks like it works miracles, but what it really does is ruin dogs. In this article I will explain why.  What happens when you shock your dog? A jolt of energy is literally injected into your dog's nervous system. But from where? Of course we know it comes from pushing a button and transmitting a signal to the collar (or perhaps the signal comes from an electric fence). But what does your dog know about remote controls and invisible fences? Not too much. What your dog experiences is a force acting on him,...