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How to Avoid Stressing Your Dog
When dogs are stressed, like humans, their behavior can default into fighting, fleeing freezing, fainting, or fiddling/reactive behavior. The limbic primal portion of the brain takes over and rational decision-making lessons. So how do we tamp down the limbic...
Dog Introductions 101
All dogs, regardless of breed, practice some form of resource guarding. The two most important resources are your property and your companionship. Any new dog coming onto your property will, at the least, be viewed with suspicion by your family dog, and at the...
Give Your Dog a Rocket Recall
The most critical and lifesaving skill a dog can acquire is the ability to stop whatever is distracting him and come to his owner. Unfortunately, I see too often, owners unable to recall their dogs from dangerous situations at the dog park or while leash walking....
Take My Food and I’ll Bite You!
Practically all of us at one time have experienced a dog resource guarding. Guarding a resource, whether food, territory, a human etc. is a natural behavior in canines. Canine guarding is used to gain priority access to that resource. Aggression i.e. the threat to...
How To Keep The “Loose” In Leash Walking
We’ve all seen it, an owner hunched over his dog, being dragged back and forth as his dog pursues a scent, skateboarder and/or another dog etc. Some owners even get dragged onto the ground by their bigger dogs! This begs the question; how can we have both the owner...
Do You Know Your Dog’s Perception?
Knowing how your dog sees, hears, and smells the environment around her helps you understand her behavior and makes training much easier. The part of the canine brain that processes smell is 4 times larger than in a human. A dog’s sense of smell is accordingly...
Saying Goodbye to Daisy
I recently published a Spotlight article titled “Canine Euthanasia-When You Should Say Goodbye” highlighting my geriatric dog Daisy. I prayed when Daisy’s time came, she would pass peacefully in her sleep due to a sudden medical event. But I knew the more likely...
What Are Tired Dogs?
The answer, any trainer will tell you, is good dogs! As discussed in my previous training articles, exercise releases good hormones, dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and epinephrine into the canine brain resulting in a calm and happy dog. Too often I come into...
How to Deal with Your Dog’s Storm Phobia
Southwest Florida residents know storm season is approaching. If your dog has a storm phobia, it means he experiences an irrational and disproportionate response to thunderstorms. Both nature (genetics) and nurture (environment) contribute to phobia creation. Your...
Artificial Sweeteners Can Be Deadly for Your Dog
Food science is always advancing including the addition of new artificial sweeteners. It is essential that you read the labels on any food you’re feeding your dog. Products marked “sugar-free” may not have sugar but they may have a sugar alternative that can be...