Have you ever wondered how your emotions shape the behavior and well-being of your beloved four-legged companion? From creating a nurturing environment to influencing their socialization and communication, the emotional connection between humans and dogs runs deep...

Aggressive dogs seem to be a hot topic lately. For example, a dog that has previously shown aggression in a shelter environment was adopted out and actually mauled the owner to death. It’s a grim fate, and one we seem to hear more and more often than we did 20 years ago.

It’s a common misconception when greeting a dog that we should stick our hand out for them to smell. In all honesty, I prefer your hand over your face, but it’s still a behavior that a dog can misconstrue as rude, especially if you enter their space and then shove your hand even further into their space, such as their head.

With this day and age, more and more folks are traveling with their dog. It is a fun experience for dog and human alike, but without these basic items for your furry friend a fun trip can turn quickly into stress.

All trainers talk about effective communication and you can find many versions of such during your training. The most common one that opens a world of possibilities is using consistent marker words. Marker words is way to give your dog feedback on a task that they are performing. For example, if you ask your dog to sit and the dog sits, you then could mark the behavior with the word “yes” or “good.” Providing your dog feedback that they did something correctly. The same goes if your dog does something wrong. We’ll use sit again as an example. You ask your dog to sit and your dog does not sit then you mark with “no” to provide your dog feedback that they didn’t do it correctly.

Will Work for Cookies

Most folks know that you need some form of motivation to teach your dog new behaviors and most of the time that motivation comes in the form of cookies or food. Often times folks get stuck in this type of reinforcement and their dog starts expecting a reward every time they’re asked to do something. Essentially creating a dog that will only work for cookies.

I’m often faced with new doggy owners who are struggling with their pup inside the home, whether it’s housebreaking, destruction, or being plan obnoxious. My destressed owners are often at their wits end with their furry friend. I often find in these scenarios that it’s rarely the dog that is the problem. It’s actually the human and their unrealistic expectation of the dog’s behavior when they first bring them home.

When training our dog, we often overlook what our dog finds valuable. We assume the treats that the pet store attendant suggested are the best thing since slice bread. Only to find out when we go home and offer one to our pup, they turn their nose and walk away. Or maybe you’ve trained at home for x,y,and z behaviors with said treat and decided you wanted to move your training to the local park. Much to your dismay your dog has lost interest in this reward and would rather explore what’s behind the bush.

Teaching boundaries.

Teaching your dog to get out of the kitchen when asked or to respect a piece of furniture is a fairly easy task for your dog to understand…if you’re consistent.