Blog — Holistic Dog Training

After discovering Canine Resistance Training in 2018 through another dog trainer, I knew right away that I wanted to start both my dogs on this program. Not only have they gotten in great physical shape (at ages 10 and 13), but it's actually their emotional well-being that has seen the greatest benefit. My whole training philosophy revolves around the dog's want, and often real need, to do constructive work. Ashley's program strikes the crucial balance between actual work and a fun work-out activity that provides loads of bonding between dog and owner. The best, most concise description of Canine Resistance...

Natural Obedience Level One: Working with Your Dog's Drive March 4th thru April 1st, 2023 In this course, you will learn what truly motivates your dog and how to train obedience behaviors using their natural drive. You will use food, toys, and praise to shape the following commands: Sit, Down, Stay, Place, and Recall. This class is for dogs 6 months and older. We will meet once per week for 5 weeks, and each class runs for 60 minutes. This program is designed to give you the tools needed in order to build clear communication, trust, and the ability to...

In my last blog post, Dominance Debunked, I explained how physical force and emotional intimidation can make a dog fearful and even aggressive. The thing is, with a lot of these methods, including alpha-style "pack leadership" and even e-collar training, you can produce a dog who appears obedient and calm. But the underlying state of many of these dogs is actually a freeze-response. These dogs are fear-compliant. They obey out of a sense of self-preservation because their nervous systems are overwhelmed with fight/flight/freeze signals. This is why a dog may "snap" out of nowhere, because they are moving from the...

It may go without saying, but dominance in dog training has been debunked. The science just doesn't support it. Whenever you use pain or fear to train or intimidate your dog, the results will be bad. Your dog may end up showing you some obedience behaviors, but deep down they will be hiding a boatload of insecurities which can later manifest into problem behaviors.  These problem behaviors may include, but are not limited to: submissive peeing, shyness, generalized anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, hyperactivity, hyper-friendliness, appeasement behaviors, and then there's just flat-out aggression. Using dominance techniques with your dog doesn't show them...

Many natural behaviors that get "corrected" turn into real problem behaviors. When the truth is, if you just give your dog some space to be a dog, they can act naturally and be well balanced members of society. For example: I gave my dog a raw bone to chew in his kennel. I also let a client dog run up to his kennel while I moved dogs in and out of the house. My dog acted protective and even downright nasty over his bone when this dog ran up to his kennel, obviously interested in said bone. This is NATURAL...