Canine Training Cultures

Just like most things in the canine world, you have lots of choices when it comes to training cultures. When you are making decisions for your dogs education, it is best to read about the options before you involve your dog. You as the owner need to make these choices based off of what you…

Top 10 Tips – Living with a Senior Dog

Senior dogs are similar to puppies, they are opposite sides of the same coin, a tender trap of sorts. A senior dog will require more of your time, more of your observational skills, and a gentler and kinder environment with you in it more often. But truly it is standing in reverence of a life…

Canine Resource Guarding

Canine Resource Guarding refers to a dog that guards a resource, anything the dog perceives as valuable or important, from other dogs or people. Is this normal behavior? Yes and no. All mammals guard, us included. It is primal and ensures survival. Where it enters the not so normal zone is when it was accidentally…

Powder Day!

We are a couple of months into winter, and for sure we have had snow, but no big dumps, until last night. We woke up to a blue bird sky, sparkly diamond snow, no wind, and a perfect kind of cold. After duck chores and shoveling patios and driveways, it was time to enjoy the…

… the life I have wanted for my dogs

It isn’t uncommon for someone to get a herding breed … … then fall in love with all that they have to offer … … then start to learn how to work with them … … then give up the life they know so they can know a different life with their dog … ……

Fast Food and Electronic Collars – they are kind of the same thing

I don’t use electronic shock collars. I have never had a need to use electronic shock collars. I think electronic shock collars are unethical and abusive. I believe if you have a dog you should also have the time to work with your dog and build a working relationship. The only thing that interests me…

My Interview with ABC Fox MT

In our area of Montana we recently had a woman killed by two dogs. It was a tragic event all the way around. The headlines and articles that followed were sensational, irresponsible, pieces of crap. And I said so publicly on my facebook page. The next day I had three news stations call me and…

It’s a TONGUE thing …

If you are into canine body language than you are one of those persons on this planet that is hyper aware of how a dog uses their tongue. A student of the tongue more or less. It is one of the first overt body language signals a new dog trainer learns to observe, in social…

learn me …

“We hardly know one another” “You can learn me…” “Learn you?” “Yes or No” ~ The Constant Gardener I am asked, almost on a daily basis, why dogs respond to me the way that they do. I think this always catches me off guard, a little or a lot, as I don’t really think about…

THE OFFICE – part 6

Rhumb was peacefully reading away before this mornings office meeting, and was at a really great point in the story when the Boyz showed up. Not ready to put the book down, and wanting to buy another twenty minutes or so, she looked up, told them they smelled boy funky and should go take a…