Canine Nation

Most dog owners want their dogs to focus on them. It’s a practical matter. Your dog can’t respond to your commands if they aren’t listening, after all. But getting your dog’s attention might take something more substantial than just calling their name. Maybe your dog needs a reason to pay more attention to you. It can be surprisingly easy!

It’s a fact of life that not everyone gets along with everyone else. Humans measure our own civility by our ability to coexist, using what we call “manners.” We shouldn’t be surprised that our dogs have a similar code of conduct that they adhere to when interacting with other dogs. But do we really understand or even recognize dog manners when we see them?

Why do so many dog trainers and dog fanciers so strongly resist the use of food in working with their dogs? I strongly disagree with these more traditional trainers.  I use food as a regular part of a program of reinforcement and science-based training — and my happy, championship-winning dogs are a testament to how I train.

What if you’re standing in a playing field and your dog won’t come to you? What if you want your dog to “sit” and he keeps looking for squirrels?  Let me share methods and mindsets that we have learned for getting more cooperation from our dogs.

There are lots of ways to mess up a dog. Fortunately, if you take care and teach your dog well, the little mistakes won’t turn into big problems. It seems a strange paradox that the more you train with your dog, the less likely it is that things will go wrong when you make mistakes!

I know how to fool a dog trainer. The one I fool the most is me! While it may seem simple, learning to teach a dog with clarity isn’t as easy as it sounds. The road is filled with misconceptions and misperceptions. Hopefully by sharing some of my mistakes, you can avoid making them yourself. Don’t let the dog trainer in you be fooled!

With literally dozens of ways to teach a dog to do the same behaviour, how do we choose the best way for us? It seems we often choose a method because “it works” for us. But what does that mean? It could be that the dog looks like it’s doing what we want. But is there more to it?

Dog sports are a great way to spend time with our dogs. It also gives us a great reason to train them for some very useful and fun skills. But, while it might be fun, does competition take a toll on our dogs? You might be surprised.

Our dogs will bark, snap, and sometimes even bite if they are put into situations where they feel that is their only choice.  If we take precautions to understand our animals and give them what they need to be successful in our lives, we can reduce the chances of them ever acting out in an aggressive fashion.

Why do most dogs wag their tails when they hear the words “Good Dog”? A look into the psychology behind our dogs’ behaviours reveals some interesting answers.  It also offers some science-based tips and techniques for dog training that you already may be using!

Dog training is simple. Anyone can do it, right? Well, maybe. Dog training involves a lot of mechanical skills that we can practise. The more we practise, the better we get. The better we get, the faster our dog learns. Maybe we should focus on doing the basics well instead of looking for some new-fangled clever techniques!

The dog has been with us for centuries. But without humans, would the dog exist at all? It’s an interesting question. Having made our canine companions such an integral part of our societies and cultures, do we have a responsibility for their welfare? If so, how far does that responsibility extend?

The best explanations in the world are sometimes not enough to help people with their dogs. Even if the full weight of science and evidence is correct, people still have to use that information with their dogs. Sometimes the best thing to do is to show them rather than tell them.

There is nothing so reassuring to me as the honesty of a dog.  While our dogs might try to coax us into giving them an extra treat or steal a bit of cheese from the coffee table, at their best they are terrible liars.  They are just not that good at it.  Humans, on the other hand, are experts at lying - to our dogs and ourselves!

The sport of dog agility is a popular activity for many dog enthusiasts. I’ve been around it for 13 years now and I have learned a great deal. But many of my fellow competitors remain a mystery to me. Is it a game for humans or is it a game for dogs? Sometimes it can be hard to tell. But I think the dogs know the difference pretty quickly.

Sometimes our dogs don’t want to do what we ask of them.  Sometimes the rewards we offer them are not enough and they turn to “self-rewarding” behaviours.  But are those behaviours really self-rewarding?  It’s what our dog chooses to do so it must be.  But what else is “self-rewarding” behaviour?  The answer might surprise you.

Dogs have always been with us. But where did they come from? We always thought dogs came from wolves but there may be a better source of information about the origins and behaviour of our dogs.  And maybe it's time we took a hard look at where the dog fits into the ecology of the planet.  I think the answers might surprise you.

I've often found that the best way to remember something is with a simple formula.  When it comes to training my dogs, I like to think of it as "The Three C's plus T."  If I remember "Criteria", "Consequences", and "Consistency" my dogs learn faster and remember what they have learned longer than any other way of training I know.  Oh yes, and then there's that "T" at the end.  But I think you should find out what that means by listening to the podcast!

What is a “good dog?” For most people, a “good dog” is one that behaves like the ones they see on TV or in the movies. A dog that does what is expected and never does what is not wanted. A dog that conforms to our vision of what we want. But is that fair? Do we love dogs for what they are or for what we imagine they are supposed to be?

Have you ever noticed all the different ways that people are mean to their dogs? No? Well, there are plenty of people out there who will tell you that you are "abusing" your dog in one way or another even if you didn't know you were doing it. Even your dog might not know they are being abused. Welcome to dog training's "new age!"