Blog — Holistic Healing

I currently have my dogs on an "attention diet." That means "no touch, no talk, no eye contact," as Cesar Millan would say (and I promise you, this is both the first and last time I will ever quote Cesar!). Why do my dogs need an attention diet? Well, they've received way too much attention indoors, been completely anthropomorphized, overstimulated, over-pet, overly coo-ed to, and in a fairly co-dependent relationship with me for most of their lives. It's only day two and so far, so good. I've been able to practically go "cold turkey" and my dogs are snoring soundly while...

Dogs are like humans in many ways, including their biology. An important biological element that we share is the 10th cranial nerve, also known as the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve connects the brain to the body and helps regulate the autonomic nervous system in both humans and dogs. When all is going well our ventral vagus is in charge, and we have feelings of safety and comfort. Our breathing and movements are easy and joyful. We are in a state of flow, showing playful behavior while interacting with others. When we start to sense fear or perceive danger, this system also helps...

My top three uses for Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth: 1. The War on Fleas Since we live in Maine, we don't normally have too much of a problem with fleas. But every few years, we'll have a hot, dry summer and I'll start finding fleas around. Whenever you are dealing with fleas, it's great to take a multi-point approach in your plan of attack. I'd never win the war on fleas without food grade DE. I dust my dogs and cat with the powder, and also sprinkle it on any carpets, dog beds, blankets, and couches (any soft surface where fleas...

Whether you use punishment or reward, the end result is always a strengthening of the targeted behavior. To very easily understand this concept, lets look at the definition of reinforcement (as given by Google): re·in·force·ment ˌrēinˈfôrsmənt/ noun the action or process of reinforcing or strengthening. synonyms: augmentation, increase, supplementing, boosting, topping up "reinforcement of the bomber force" the process of encouraging or establishing a belief or pattern of behavior, especially by encouragement or reward. And thanks to my highschool English teacher, Mr. Deblois, I can see that the different parts of this word (re-in-force) literally translate to: "put force back...

I recently saw an article stating that the reason a dog acts out is because he is bored and needs more mental stimulation (7 Signs Your Dog Needs More Mental Stimulation). What's more likely to be true is that your dog is already over-stimulated and this is why he's acting out. What our dogs need today is more emotional grounding and less mental stimulation. Think about it, there's no such thing as being over-grounded, because emotional grounding is always good. But there is such a thing as being over-stimulated. We all get over-stimulated when we have too much mental activity and not...