Blog
Handler Self-Care Part One: Your Oxygen Mask
We all know the drill: you put on your own oxygen mask first, THEN you help others. But this doesn't just hold true in emergencies, we need to make this a practice in every day life! I've noticed that when I let myself get super stressed and run down, I'm not a very good caretaker to my animals. I end up walking around like a zombie and don't have energy to give them the time, attention, and exercise they deserve. So let's do something about that! Taking time for yourself should be a daily practice. Today I took time for...
Your Dog's Mouth is His Hand
The Non-Duality of Dog Training
What I've learned so far in my dog training career, is that everything we do with dogs, at least everything that actually works, is counter-intuitive. Do you want your dog to stop barking? Teach him to bark on command. Want your dog to stop jumping on strangers? Encourage him jump on you. Want your dog to be social as opposed to aggressive? Let him play aggressively, even let him WIN the tug toy (a dog who feels good in his natural drive state will not display unnecessary aggression). Want your dog to be soft? Encourage him to bite hard. Want your dog to bite...
Bite-and-Carry Channels Everything
When you leash up your dog for a walk, the two of you have very different objectives. You, being a simple human, would love to take a leisurely stroll, drinking in the sights and sounds on a beautiful day. Or perhaps you want to go for a jog to get the blood pumping and enjoy a little runner's high. In either case, you would like for your dog to have the same idea that you do, that you will both walk or jog on a path, street, or sidewalk, in a somewhat straight line and at a steady pace, ignoring...
Why You Should Never Shock Your Dog
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,...