This is a PSA post. Right now I’d like to encourage you to see the world through your dog’s eyes, and to approach and treat all dogs accordingly. I have plenty of clients with dogs that are big and cute. Some of these dogs also, unfortunately, have aggression issues. Frequently the owner will be walking […]
Unusual Methods: Working Through Fear
With this post I want to talk about overcoming fear, perhaps in a manner that you aren’t familiar with. While I have written about this subject in the past, I want to cover some new ground. Today I had my last private session with a particular client before they start coming to our group sessions. […]
Busting the Aggression Myth: Why Some Dogs Act Out
In today’s post, I want to talk to you about dog aggression. Specifically, I want to address one of the questions I receive a lot. This is a topic that makes a lot of people frustrated, and come to me saying: “I’m sure I’ve done something wrong, I feel like such a bad dog owner.” […]
Flood Out The Fear: Attacking The Roots of Stress
Flooding. No, I’m not speaking about what’s been happening in Louisiana and Texas lately—I’m talking about a psychological term for something that happens when you deal with a lot of stress. If you read my previous blog post about counter-conditioning, I mentioned that it can only get you so far when dealing with a dog’s […]
Fight Or Flight: Using Counter-Conditioning
In this post, I’d like to speak about a little-known dog training strategy: counter-conditioning. I was working with a client today whose dog has a lot of fear-based issues. We always start tackling this problem with obedience and structure, which go to the root of the problem. This dog needs to have a calmer mind, […]