I had an interesting call today. The woman on the other line wanted an assessment done on her mastiff type breed. After a few initial questions it was clear that the dog had bitten someone. The woman wanted the assessment to take to court and prove that her dog wouldn’t bite unprovoked. This is not…   Continue

Harley was attacked by a large dog at a dog show, May 2015. The dog attacked her crate throwing it around until it could be pulled off. I was at the ring, and the person who was watching Harley was so upset they didn’t tell me because they were afraid I would be angry at…   Continue

One of the most exciting, and controversial therapies in the dog world is play therapy. Can you overcome fear and aggression using play? If you ask a wolf researcher they will tell you that packs with ‘good’ leaders, where play is contagious, there is an absence of many behavior problems. If you ask some of…   Continue

“I want an obedient dog.”  I hear this statement 20 times a month. People come to me and want me to magically turn their dog into a super dog. But before I can do this I need to understand what they mean. I want an obedient dog: I want a dog who I can ignore…   Continue

Your puppy is a sweet bundle of fur, full of kisses and just so cute. Three weeks later it is a destructive, aggressive monster. What happened? Two things happen when you bring a puppy home. First, you can shape the puppies behavior. You can teach it how to behave in an urban environment. You can…   Continue

The Handler’s personal agenda is the most frustrating things I encounter when working with clients whose dogs are either fear reactive, or aggressive towards people or dogs. When we have a dog that has reactive problems we need to realize it is no longer about: We want to go for a walk We want to…   Continue

The problem with dog training and dog behaviorists is that neither industry is regulated. A person can give themselves any title they want and start charging – even if they have a 100% fail rate. In the London Ontario area there are several people who are good, a few who are bad, and one or…   Continue

Everyone who has a reactive dog wants to help them. I have met very few people who do not want to put the effort in to give their dog a better life. Even if your motives are to prevent a lawsuit your efforts will improve your lifestyle and your dog’s. There are some good programs…   Continue

It amazes me that there are still people who want to use a choker collar and punitive measures when training. With the wealth of research and the number of case studies the question shouldn’t be, ‘do I want to use a clicker’ when training. It should be ‘how well do I want my dog to…   Continue

When people ask me this question the first response is because you haven’t taught the dog to heel. Putting a choker collar on a dog and punishing it when it moves away from you doesn’t teach the dog to heel. Dragging the dog around by the leash doesn’t teach the dog to heel. First we…   Continue