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  The only way to truly re-wire your dog's brain involves activating old memories and then re-configuring them. This means that if you shelter your dog in a bubble of "safety" and always DISTRACT them from triggers, you may be successful at keeping them under threshold... but the underlying emotions and reactivity programs in your dogs brain are not changing.   Of course, it does help to initially interrupt the rehearsal of reactive and aggressive behaviors. But eventually, you must TRIGGER the dog and then re-pattern their behavior with careful titration and training. When old memories are activated, you have...

  Enrichment has been trending in the dog training for quite some time now, but do you know WHY it's actually so important? It's not just about providing your dog with puzzles and distractions to drain their energy. Environmental enrichment that provides breed-specific biological fulfillment actually changes your dog's brain! It makes your dog's brain more flexible and open to learning.   This is ESPECIALLY important for behavior modification because we need your dog's brain to grow new neural pathways so they can learn and actively choose new behaviors. So while it may make sense for a short time to...

  Canine Core Method   A positive approach to Drive-Training: We channel your dog’s natural drives into constructive behaviors without suppressing his energy We use the primal instincts built into the canine mind to engage, play, and build relationships based on trust Emotional and physical wellness through attention to the WHOLE dog: His nervous system, physical health, mental health, etc. (see Polyvagal Theory by Stephen Porges) Movement-Based Training: Behavior is movement and a dog’s movement is dictated by his drive, therefore, if we engage their drive, we can modify their behavior Relationship-Based Training: The owner is the answer to any stress...

  Many people are aware that puppies go through a "fear period" where they are particularly sensitive to experiences, and that it is important to protect them from having bad experiences during this time. Did you know that there is a second "fear period" during adolescence? As dogs become sexually mature, they go through another imprinting phase where positive and negative experiences become especially salient to their learning and ultimately end up shaping their personality.      This is a great time to keep training and hand feeding high on the priority list. You will probably see breed traits become...

  Guests for this podcast are brother and sister, Campbell and Nerida, who grew up immersed in the world of dogs at their family’s boarding kennels, where their mum bred and showed champion Borzoi and kept Staffies. After finishing school, Campbell wasn’t sure what direction to take, so he traveled the world before settling into a decade-long career in finance. Realising this was not a fulfilling career, he reignited his passion for dogs and decided to make it his life’s work. Campbell joined a mentorship program, and obsessively studied canine behavior, securing a job as a behavior trainer at Melbourne’s...