Increasing Your Family by Four Paws: What’s Next? Bringing a new dog into your familyHow exciting!
Bringing a new dog into your family How exciting! You have made a lifetime commitment to care and provide for a dog. They are part of...
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Paw It Forward - Tuffy's Story and Update
Hey 911 Emergency!!! A couple rescued this pitty from an acquaintance that went to prison and essentially off the streets and he is in...
Busy day for Little Miss Evie
5-19: Busy day for Little Miss Evie. Bloodwork, parvo test, fecal, giardia test, Cerenia injection, electrolytes, and sub Q fluids were...
Creating a Zen Den, What Does that Mean?
Let's discuss crate training, or what I have coined making a "Zen Den." Before we get to the how of making crate training as positive as...
Puppy Development and Of Course the Science!
Nothing is quite as adorable as a puppy, right? Maybe a kitten? That's an age old debate of dogs vs cats, we don't want to get into that...
Reactive Dog-Park Reviews: A Guide For You and Your Dog
For about a year now, we have been visiting local DFW, Texas parks and reviewing them with a reactive dog in mind. Reactive dogs are some...
Canine Enrichment: Why Your Dog Shouldn’t Live Without It!
Behavioral work has come along way in its application, philosophy and implementation. But I do not think we have addressed a dog's...
Predictability: The Why, How and Implementation
Any behavioral problem, has at its root, confounding variables. Genetics, learning histories, perceptions, behavioral follow-through, the...
Why Decompression Alone Isn’t Enough
Decompression is a buzzword that is used with almost all fosters, adoptions, and rescue organizations now as standard protocol for...
Leave-Its, Impulse Control and Dog Brains
I almost always include what I consider to be the solid foundational cues in my behavioral work, also known as, the doggy ABC's. On that...
What’s With All The Jargon? Part II
I spend a lot of time explaining why communication is paramount to effective behavioral modification. The reason I spend the time...
What’s With All The Jargon? Part I
I talk all the time with my human clients about being an effective communicator, using treats (reinforcement) as translators to the human...
The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Dog Fights
As a rescuer, as a foster dog mom, as a multi-household dog mom, as a professional behavioral specialist, and as a dog lover, this topic...
The Science of Fear: What that means for you and your dog
Cowering, looking away, lip licking, ears down, whale eye, growling, hackles raised, snarling, withdrawing, petrified, lunging, tail...
The 3 P’s: Patience, Progressive Phases & Positive Reinforcement
They say, "Rome wasn't built in a day," but have you ever heard, "Fido wasn't trained in a day?" Probably not. But that sentiment should...
Suppression Is Not Learning
Suppression- the act of stopping yourself or another from thinking, feeling, or acting. Synonyms of suppression include: defeat,...
Are Your Meet and Greets Counter-Productive?
Let's explore a few scenarios on "meet and greets," what went wrong and what to do instead. You are fostering a dog and she has been...
Reclaim Your Backyard
When we share our homes with our dogs there are inevitable issues that arise. One of the most common experiences I discuss with clients...
Communication vs Commands
Any relationship we enter with another living creature starts with communication. Communication consists of such a broad category of body...
Education vs Training: Making the Mental Shift
Dog training has its history. Over the years there have been movements and philosophies varying from punitive in nature to balanced...