USA Dog Behavior Podcast

If you died at home, would your dog eat you? In the first installment of The Strange Side of Dog Behavior, certified canine behavior consultant and aggression specialist Scott Sheaffer explores an unsettling behavior documented in forensic investigations. Learn what postmortem scavenging means, hear a real case involving a pug and an owner who died from a heart-related cause, and discover why prol...

Why does your dog start barking before you've even opened the front door? In this episode, Scott Sheaffer explains how the doorbell can become a learned signal for an encounter that feels threatening. He distinguishes ordinary alert or excited barking from fear-driven territorial aggression and explains why, in that pattern, the dog is seeking personal safety rather than protecting owners or...

Why does your dog pull on the leash? The answer may be a simple training gap, a habit that has repeatedly worked, or an emotional response to something in the environment. Pulling toward dogs and people can reflect excitement or greeting frustration, but it can also be driven by fear, social insecurity, or aggression. In this episode, Scott Sheaffer explains how to distinguish general leash pullin...

What would your dog tell you if they could explain how life with you feels? In this episode, Scott Sheaffer explores eight truths hidden inside everyday dog behavior, including why your tone may matter more than your words, how your emotional state can affect your dog, why simply being near you is meaningful, and how dogs work hard to understand a very human world. You’ll hear realistic examples o...

Last episode, I talked about five things dog owners do that drive me crazy. This time, it's only fair that I turn the spotlight on a segment of my own profession. I discuss five practices in dog training that concern me, including promises that complex behavior can be “fixed” in a short board-and-train program, routine use of shock and prong collars, and trainers taking on serious aggression...

Dog owners usually mean well, but some common habits can confuse dogs, increase stress, and make behavior problems worse. In Part 1 of this two-part series, certified canine behavior consultant and aggression specialist Scott Sheaffer tackles five practices that drive him crazy: nonstop commands, outdated alpha thinking, shock and prong collars, blindly following a trainer's instructions, and...

When your dog barks, destroys things, pants, drools, or has accidents only when you leave, it may be more than a nuisance behavior. In this episode, Scott Sheaffer explains how separation anxiety can look, why video is essential to understanding what is really happening, and how to distinguish panic from boredom, outside triggers, crate distress, or other problems. Scott also covers the practical...

Why does a perfectly normal walk with your dog suddenly turn into barking, lunging, and chaos the moment another dog appears? In this episode, canine behavior consultant Scott Sheaffer explains why barking at other dogs is one of the most misunderstood behavior problems owners face. You’ll learn why “leash reactivity” is often only a description of the behavior rather than the diagnosis, why fear...

This is one of the most memorable cases I’ve encountered in my career as a dog behaviorist. It’s a true story about a kind, intelligent man named Tim and his rescue dog Buddy. Despite loving his dog deeply, Tim found himself repeatedly bitten by the very dog he adored. The mystery wasn’t why Buddy was biting. The mystery was why Tim couldn’t see the warnings that came before the bites. In this epi...

This episode explores one of the biggest realities in canine behavior work: the strongest predictors of success are often not about the dog at all. After working with thousands of dogs with aggression, fear, anxiety, reactivity, and separation anxiety, dog behaviorist Scott Sheaffer explains the four owner-related factors that consistently predict whether difficult cases improve over time. Scott d...

Aggression in dogs is one of the most misunderstood behavior problems owners face. In this episode, Scott Sheaffer explains why dogs growl, bark, lunge, snap, or bite, and why these behaviors are usually not about a “bad dog.” Aggression is often communication, and the real issue may involve fear, anxiety, pain, resource guarding, frustration, genetics, early development, or learned behavior. Scot...

Most dog behavior issues aren’t what they seem. What looks like disobedience is often the result of underlying behavioral patterns that haven’t been correctly identified. In this episode, Scott breaks down why traditional training approaches can fall short and how misinterpreting behavior can actually make problems worse over time. This episode is especially relevant for dog owners, veterinary tea...

Most dog owners are trying to do the right thing—but some of the most common advice out there is actually making behavior worse. In this episode, Scott breaks down three widely accepted dog training tips that sound logical but often lead to escalation, confusion, or long-term behavioral problems. If you’ve ever been told to “just correct it,” “ignore it,” or “they’ll grow out of it,” this episode...

In this episode, Scott Sheaffer explores the groundbreaking and often controversial topic of canine hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for neutered male dogs. For years, "fixing" our dogs was seen as the gold standard of care, but we are now discovering the long-term behavioral and physical costs of "hormonal bankruptcy." From irrational fears and noise phobias to muscle wasting...

Many owners of reactive, fearful, or aggressive dogs are unknowingly sending signals that reinforce their dog’s fear. Subtle changes in voice, body language, or leash handling can act as cues that something in the environment is dangerous. Over time, dogs begin to associate these handler behaviors with the appearance of a threat. In this episode, dog behaviorist Scott Sheaffer explains how these u...

Dog aggression isn’t always what people think it is. Some forms appear suddenly, without warning, and can be terrifying for owners who don’t understand what’s happening. In this episode, Scott breaks down six rare and misunderstood types of dog aggression including idiopathic aggression, redirected aggression, sleep startle reflex, and predatory aggression toward humans. You’ll learn what these be...

When a beloved dog dies, many of us ask the same question: Do dogs go to heaven? In this episode, Scott Sheaffer explores this deeply emotional topic from a pan-religious and personal perspective, drawing from Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Eastern traditions. He also reflects on why grief makes us feel childlike and why stories like the Rainbow Bridge poem and the book Dog Heaven bring so much...

When a dog dies in a household, many owners wonder if the surviving dogs truly understand what happened. In this episode, Scott Sheaffer explores how dogs perceive death, loss, and change through their senses and routines rather than through human concepts of mortality. You’ll learn why some dogs appear to grieve while others seem unaffected, how scent and routine play a role in their behavior, an...

In this episode of the USA Dog Behavior Podcast, we challenge one of the most ingrained misconceptions in the world of dog ownership: the idea of the "mean dog." Scott Sheaffer reveals why aggression in dogs is rarely a character flaw, but almost always a symptom rooted in fear. Diving deep into the critical difference between labeling a dog "aggressive" and understanding their...

For expecting parents with dogs, the question of safety can be a source of deep anxiety. This episode provides essential reassurance and a clear, practical roadmap. We begin by dismantling the common myth of dogs viewing babies as prey, explaining instead how canine mentality leads to curiosity, not aggression, when a new family member arrives. You’ll understand why a dog’s confusion stems from a...

Many anxious dogs get worse—not better—after traditional training. In this episode, we explore why obedience-based methods often fail fearful dogs, how corrections intensify anxiety, and what actually helps dogs feel safer and change behavior long-term. If your dog shuts down, panics, or reacts despite “knowing the commands,” this episode explains why—and what to do instead. Subscribe for more bit...

In this episode, we decode the essential but misunderstood concept of "giving your dog a job." Far from a gimmick, it's the key to solving common behavior problems rooted in boredom and unspent instinct. We explain why your dog's natural drives, when left unchanneled, lead to anxiety, destructive chewing, and excessive barking—and how you can transform those very instincts into...

New dog owners often bring tons of enthusiasm but very little practical experience with dog behavior. In this episode, Scott breaks down the five most common mistakes he sees among first-time dog owners — misunderstandings that usually stem from assumptions about how dogs think. From unintentional reinforcement to misconceptions about socialization, these mistakes are surprisingly common and incre...

Think using the "buzzer-only" mode on an electronic collar is a safe and humane training method? We're breaking down the science and psychology behind why this common belief is a myth. In this episode, we explore how a buzzer becomes a "conditioned aversive stimulus"—a predictor of pain that can cause fear, anxiety, and stress in your dog, even long after the shock functio...

In this episode of the USA Dog Behavior Podcast, Scott dives into one of the most common canine behavior complaints—excessive backyard barking. He explains why barking can become self-reinforcing for dogs and walks listeners through eight practical strategies to reduce it, from better exercise and mental enrichment to smart training techniques. Listeners will learn how to identify what triggers th...