Training

What constitutes a full life for a dog? To define what we consider "enough” we have to ask the dog himself if his life is working for him. And really listen to his answer. 

Why do horses need fewer reminders than dogs for loose leash walking? It's far easier to teach a horse loose leash walking. Why? In all cases, both bio-mechanics and gait are involved.

Equipment helps us to either train or restrain the dog, and sometimes both. In order to be fair to the dog and honest with ourselves, we need to be clear what we are doing and why.

An Argentinian journalist wanted to know:What are the main features of any dog training? What are the easiest dogs to train? Why? What are the most difficult dogs to train? What qualities do these dogs have? Here are my answers.

People (and animals) can and do change. Not easily, but altering behavior is possible and successful. Within limits. But what are the limits? How ethical is it for us to decide what is "right" and what needs to be "fixed"?

Deliberately building that cushion of positive experiences around weird human behavior is a great gift to give any animal--the ability to cope with what they find scary or uncomfortable.

Many handlers & breeders of "working" lines are big on having "drive". Unfortunately, some miss the important part about brakes and steering.

There's a real longing for a recipe that tell you how to develop a wondrous relationship with your dog. So deep does this longing run that I've been the recipient of some anger shot my way when I refused to provide recipes.

Real life rewards are wonderful. Particularly for this reason: the dog himself tells you what's valuable to him. What could be better than the dog making a list with you of all the things he thinks are really worth having?

There are a few phrases that really push my buttons. When talking to trainers, the one that will always get a reaction from me is "I had to." It very often turns out there were other options available.