How to Be a Pack Leader – The 21st Century Way!

I once believed I needed to be a pack leader. I was a huge fan of a certain Dog Whisperer and I was skilled at making many dogs listen to me. These days, though, I have a slightly different perspective on being a good pack leader. How to Be a Pack Leader Being a good…

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Loose Leash Walking with a Ghost

I recently attended a weekend long seminar by Suzanne Clothier. She is so wise when it comes to understanding dogs and she is a strong believer in putting responsibility on the dog to work with you. This weekend I came to the realization that positive reinforcement training can become a crutch for some dogs. As…

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Welcome Home Clark!

If you follow my blog you know that there has been a special addition to the family recently. I want to give him a special introduction. His name is Clark (AKA Superman) the Cardigan Corgi! He is a confident little guy who has big dreams of competing in Rally or Obedience, becoming a therapy dog,…

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What’s Behind Reactivity in Dogs?

I recently watched the beginning of Suzanne Clothier’s recorded seminar on Arousal, Anxiety, and Fear and am looking forward to attending her seminar in Grapevine, TX this weekend. I am already hooked after watching 30 minutes of the 2 hour lecture. Not only is she entertaining to watch, but she puts things into perspective so that any…

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Reflections on Prong Collars

I used to be a HUGE fan of prong collars. They allowed maximum control with very little effort. When I would roller skate (Cesar Millan style) down the street with three Pit bulls and a German shepherd mix, prongs and slip collars were a must to control the dogs. It was a ton of fun…

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Stimulating Endorphins While Training Your Dog

endorphins in training

Ever eat ice cream when you are down? Does it make you feel better? It should brighten your mood because eating comfort foods stimulate endorphins in your brain that give you that “feel good” sensation (unless you are one of the rare people that hate ice cream that is). The endorphins are natural stress fighters…

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Don’t Under Estimate The Power of Classical Conditioning

I am a huge fan of clicker training (an operant conditioning technique), but  I recently got a huge reminder of the importance of classical conditioning the other day when I attended a fellow trainer’s class. In both the Rally class and the orientation to the Reactive Integration class, classical conditioning was used. I feel like…

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Shaping – Just Another Advantage of Clicker Training

One of the many benefits of clicker training is the ability to shape a dog to do behaviors they would not naturally do. Shaping truly utilizes a dog’s intelligence. One of the best descriptions I have heard is when someone described it as a “hot/cold game”. That is the best way to put it because…

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