Blog — training

  Understanding Leash Reactivity Through the Nervous System This may be an unpopular perspective, but when I look at leash reactivity, I don’t see a “bad” dog—I see a nervous system under pressure. When your dog reacts on leash, something in the environment has activated their sympathetic nervous system—their “go” state. This could be: Excitement (wanting to chase a squirrel or play with another dog) Social drive (wanting to greet) Fear or uncertainty (feeling unsafe around a dog or person) In all cases, the body is preparing for action. The Problem: Energy Without Movement Off leash, your dog would naturally:...

When people reach out for help with their dog’s behavior, they often begin by describing how intelligent their dog is. They explain how quickly their dog learns, how observant they are, and how capable they seem in many contexts. And they are usually right. Most dogs with behavioral challenges are not struggling because they lack intelligence or learning ability. In fact, many of them are extremely perceptive and highly responsive to their environment. The issue is not learning—it is emotional capacity. More specifically, the issue is how much stress their nervous system can tolerate while still remaining regulated enough to...

"Dogs are very sensitive to body language, so the least little tense movement--a change of gait, a slight hunching of the shoulders--can be observed and interpreted as something being amiss. When we're upset, our voices can go up slightly in frequency as well. Dogs get these nuances in ways most people don't.  Masking strong feelings by acting like things are OK may not always work, either: It's quite likely that dogs can smell fear, anxiety, even sadness... The flight-or-fight hormone, adrenaline, is undetectable by our noses, but dogs can apparently smell it. In addition, fear or anxiety is often accompanied...

Why Dogs Need to Bite, Carry, and Chew: Understanding the Predatory Sequence Dogs are predatory animals by nature. Even in our modern homes, their nervous systems are still wired for the hunt. This doesn’t mean your dog wants to harm everything around them—but it does mean they have deeply ingrained instincts that need an outlet. At its core, the predatory sequence is a natural progression of behaviors: orienting, stalking, chasing, grabbing, biting, carrying, and ultimately consuming. Different breeds emphasize different parts of this sequence. For example: Herding breeds may focus on eye-stalking and controlling movement Terriers are driven to dig...

I don’t typically offer rigid “fixes” for behavior, because every dog is an individual—and every moment is unique. What works in one situation may not apply in another. With that in mind, I always encourage you to trust your intuition and respond to your dog in the present moment, regardless of what I—or anyone else—has suggested. That said, here are some general guidelines to help calm a hyperactive or anxious dog: 1. Reduce stimulation indoorsCreate a calm, predictable home environment. Keep greetings neutral—no big excitement when you come and go. You may even experiment with an “attention diet” (no touch,...