Posts tagged as:

hierarchy

#1 Cause of Dog Behavior Issues: TOO MUCH FREEDOM!

December 19, 2010

When dealing with dogs, we must THINK like a dog.  It’s not what we do that matters, but how the dog PERCEIVES what we do.  When we give our dog too much freedom – the freedom to patrol the entire yard or property while we are gone, the freedom to hike off leash without voice [...]

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UNDERSTANDING YOUR DOG – NOT YOUR WOLF: The Social Group Contract

September 5, 2010

Although there is much ado made by some people about how understanding wolves helps us understand dogs – I disagree (sort of). It’s not our dog’s great-great-great-great-great…grandparents that hold the key to understanding him now.  Do YOU bear much resemblance to your ancient ancestors?  I doubt it. Neither does your dog. What IS key in [...]

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HEADWATERS OF THE DOG TRAINING DEBATE: The Myth of Aggression-Based Dominance

August 15, 2010

 Unless you’ve been under a rock for the last 20 years, you know that the dog training world is deeply divided on training philosophy and methodology.  I’ve been thinking a lot about this schism over the past couple of weeks, and I HAVE FOUND THE HEADWATERS! If I’m not mistaken, the entire rift can be traced [...]

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DOGS 101: A Primer

August 3, 2010

1. First and foremost, dogs are animals that just happen to live with humans. We domesticated the dog, not because we wanted a companion, but because we needed their skills of hunting, killing and defense to help us humans survive and prosper. 2. Selective breeding has changed the “wrapping”, but not the contents. Domesticated dogs [...]

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TO BE LOVED or TO LEAD: What’s Your Goal?

July 18, 2010

I’m starting to notice a trend in my consultations with women coming to me for help with their dogs.  When we come to the inevitable subject of discipline, most women start to shy away.  They want better control, but they don’t want to discipline their dogs as a means of getting that control.  As I [...]

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MY DAY with a HORSE

July 11, 2010

My good friend and riding buddy called me up the other day. She wondered if I could help her with a horse behavior issue that had confounded her for weeks. Her new horse would NOT go over water on the trails near her house. She said she had tried everything, but to no avail. It [...]

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SUPER MOMS: the Job, the Kids, the Dog… Oh My!

July 4, 2010

You’re home from work, trying to get some kind of dinner on the table, the kids are running wildly around the house and suddenly you hear “Mom! The dog is jumping on me! He has by Barbie and he won’t give her back”. Before you can wash the meatloaf off your hands to get in [...]

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POWER, HIERARCHY and DOMINANCE:
Them’s Dog-Trainer Fightin’ Words!

February 2, 2010

In 20 years of dog training, I’ve yet to find any subject more provocative that that of Power, Hierarchy and Dominance and its place in dog training. It’s a lightening rod that divides dog trainers into one camp or the other: those that train to achieve hierarchical dominance over their dog, and those that feel [...]

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