Blog

Ignoring bad behavior is a really bad idea if the behavior has any self reinforcing component - which is a lot of them. The advice to "ignore bad behavior" has gotten's wings in the dog training community and we need to address it. It is perfectly fine advice if the...

For years I have struggled to find a label to define my approach to training.   In general, I have reverted to using either "force free" trainer or "positive reinforcement-based" trainer.  While neither accurately defines my training I think it gives the most...

I use labels.  I find that labels make it easy to talk to other people. I talk about shy dogs, reactive dogs, nervous dogs, driven dogs, etc.    Labels are a part of language and exist for a reason - shorthand communication. Of course, there are problems that come...

Those of you who follow me on Facebook are well aware of my "Conversations with Raika". For those who do not follow me there, the gist of the matter is that Raika and I have been talking to each other for a long time, following her transition from competition dog to a...