Canine Nation

The clash of cultures is growing within the dog training world. Traditional compulsion based training is being re-branded to appeal to 21st century dog owners.  Newer methods for living with and teaching dogs based on science and rewards is gaining popularity.  Differences between proponents of these approaches to training can be confrontational and not entirely […]

My dogs are silly sometimes. I’m quite proud of that. And I’m delighted that I get to be silly with them too. There is nothing quite like getting down on the floor and rolling around with my black dogs! With a little training and practice, we have created many fun and safe games that we […]

I hear the word “dominant” used a lot when people talk about dogs. Unfortunately it’s a mostly inaccurate term that is used incorrectly. And that often results in some pretty rough treatment for some dogs. Do you think you have a dominant dog?  You might want to think again.  In fact, you might want to […]

Most dog owners are proud of their dogs when they are behaving themselves. But it never surprises me how often dog owners blame their dogs for their own failures as trainers.  We find it all too easy to blame their dogs for when then see them misbehaving.  Do we have a right to put responsibility for […]

Sometimes important things happen in our lives with our dogs. Good things. Things that can show you the value of good training, patience, and the benefits of using Behavioural Science over the long haul. This is the closing chapter in a difficult period with my wonderful dog Tiramisu.  My “broken dog” is broken no more. […]

We all find ourselves in new or difficult situations.  It can be hard to keep your wits about you when something sets you on edge.  Fortunately, for most of us familiar things can be great comfort when we are in new and stressful situations.  It could be a something we carry with us, a familiar […]

I’m big into science.  I spent more than 25 years of my life involved in the computer and networking industry.  Understandably, my approach to most things is methodical and I prefer to depend on evidence I can see rather than taking someone’s word for it.  There are some that feel this makes me less passionate […]

Do you know what your dog says about you and their life with you?  It’s written all over their body language if you know what to look for.  Our dog’s feelings about us and their life is pretty much an open book to those who understand the language of dogs.  As humans, we have a […]

For many in the dog training world it comes down to “us or them or them or even them over there” in the dog training world. Whose ideas on dog training do you follow? How can find the best way to raise your dog? The answer might be much closer than you think. It’s probably […]

Sometimes the simplest things can be the most difficult to master. In learning to train dogs, I have found that mastering myself has been the most difficult part of teaching dogs. It should come as no surprise that the ancient wisdom of Asia and the Far East can help us on our way to being […]

  Sometimes all we need to do to help our dogs be better is to interrupt their bad behaviour and show them something better. Working with our dogs doesn’t have to be a fight.  A friendly reminder can go a long way! A transcript of the main text of Dog Interrupted is available at the Life […]

Training our dogs is important. But maybe more important is how we manage them. Sometimes management is needed while we train and other management is a lifelong project. It could be managing their environment, their access to spaces or objects, it could even by the situations we put them in.  How we manage our dogs […]

  While debates rage on whether or not using positive training with your dog is a good idea or not, those of us who use it every day are enjoying what it brings to our lives.  Many of our dogs have developed very clever and creative ways to get our attention or to earn their […]

  Could it be that there is a Tyranny of Small Dogs?  Tyranny not because the dogs themselves are doing anything wrong.  Quite the opposite; small dogs seem to have a tremendous capacity to lull us humans into thinking that we don’t have to work with them like we would a larger breed.  Somehow we […]

  Our culture is full of images of courageous, loyal, smart, and lovable dogs.  Many of those dogs are just fictional ideals, the sort of perfect dog we all wish we could have.  Perhaps our idealism goes even further than that if we also attribute the best in human qualities to our dogs.  And that’s […]