There are lots of great posts and discussions on social media these days about reinforcement based training. But there are some that absolutely baffle me. Seriously. Trainers who are well known and well established in the …
Dog Training and Lies
I feel like I was lied to. I was told that I needed to be the "alpha" to my dogs. That they needed a firm hand or things would quickly get out of control. I was taught to "scruff shake", "leash pop", "alpha roll", and many …
There are dogs and there are writers…
One of the most wonderful things about having dogs is that we get to meet some pretty amazing people through the dogs. Whether we are just out for a walk or taking part in some organized activity like agility or training …
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What Do You Believe About Dogs?
"Science doesn't give a shit what you believe!" That's one of my favourite t-shirt sayings. Mostly because it's a great reminder of how easy it is to fool myself into believing what I want to believe rather than what …
A Festival of Canine Superstitions
We are off today to enjoy a weekend of Dog Agility competition with our dogs. It has been a source of immense pleasure for me for the past 10 years to run with my dog, Tiramisu. It's a chance to feel the partnership that …
Science Is and Science Does
Somewhere out there is a study that concludes that using electronic collars can be detrimental to performance in dogs. That is not science. There is a study out there that concluded that using food reinforcement can teach …
