Unleashed & Unhinged

There is one lead I have never once looked at and thought, that is a good idea. It is worse than the extendable, and worse than the one I usually call the worst. I get to it at the end. Before that, something more basic — spatial pressure and leash pressure. Get the leash pressure wrong and you are restraining your dog rather than walking them. In this episode I go through the leads I come across...

I raise this in consults all the time and the eyebrows still go up. A lead does not have to be an outdoor item, and used indoors it is often the difference between a training plan that works and one that doesn’t. In this episode I go through the three situations I reach for it in. The dog who charges the window barking, where it blocks the pattern before it starts and keeps the arousal spike small...

Dogs jump up. A LOT.   It is something that the vast majority of people I work with will at least mention, even if it's a throw away comment but often it's something people actually want help resolving.   In this episode we look at what not to do, why dogs jump up and what you can actually do that helps solve things.   Not all dogs jump up for the same reason, not all dogs that jump up need to be...

Leadership is one of those terms that when spoken about by dog trainers seems to lead to someone talking about having to be the alpha, how your dog is not respecting you and that you have to be stricter and not let your dogs walk all over you.   Unfortunately, leading to people being excessively punitive, destroying relationships and causing more fear and anxiety in their dogs than was ever necess...

People ring me about aggression across an enormous spectrum. One house, someone is being bitten regularly and telling me it's fine. Another house, a woman is close to tears because her dog grumbled and turned his head away from a cuddle. Both calls come in under the same heading. In this episode I get into why that spectrum exists, and why some conflict between you and your dog is contextually nor...

Our dogs love balls and they can be one of the best things in their lives.   They can also be a disaster if not used well or in the wrong places.   This episode walks you through how to ensure you're using it well, it's an asset in both your lives and it's not causing more problems than you realise.

Who your dog spends time with will influence their social skills, behaviour and preferences.   Socialising your dog with a wide range of individuals and in a range of situations helps them learn how to be flexible, adaptable and resilient.

Dominique Hone of Canine Caregivers joins me again for another Canine Caregivers episode. In this episode we discuss "How NOT to Socialise Your Aggressive Dog"  If you want to learn more about Canine Caregivers, a platform in which we provide courses and webinars on how to live a healthy and happy life with your dog, visit  caninecaregivers.com.au  because we've got a ton of resources available. D...

Dominique Hone of Canine Caregivers joins me again for another Canine Caregivers episode. In this episode we discuss "Are Board and Trains a Good Idea?" If you want to learn more about Canine Caregivers, a platform in which we provide courses and webinars on how to live a healthy and happy life with your dog, visit  caninecaregivers.com.au  because we've got a ton of resources available. Dominique...

Dominique Hone of Canine Caregivers joins me again for another Canine Caregivers episode. In this episode we discuss "Resource Guarding" In particular, resource guarding food between dogs.. Unfortunately there is still lots of really bad advice floating around out there given to dog owners that can make this so much worse and in attempts to prevent this, are actually INCREASING the likelihood of i...

Dominique Hone of Canine Caregivers joins me again for another Canine Caregivers episode. In this episode we discuss "What Makes For a Good Reward?" If you want to learn more about Canine Caregivers, a platform in which we provide courses and webinars on how to live a healthy and happy life with your dog, visit  caninecaregivers.com.au  because we've got a ton of resources available. Dominique als...

Dominique Hone of Canine Caregivers joins me again for another Canine Caregivers episode. In this episode we discuss "The Relationship Between Allergies and Behaviour" If you want to learn more about Canine Caregivers, a platform in which we provide courses and webinars on how to live a healthy and happy life with your dog, visit  caninecaregivers.com.au  because we've got a ton of resources avail...

Dominique Hone of Canine Caregivers joins me again for another Canine Caregivers episode. In this episode we discuss "Resource Guarding" In particular, resource guarding items between dogs.. Unfortunately there is still lots of really bad advice floating around out there given to dog owners that can make this so much worse and in attempts to prevent this, are actually INCREASING the likelihood of...

Anthony De Marinis is a certified professional trainer (CDBC, ADT, LFDM, FFCP), Certified Dog Behavior Consultant- IAABC, Accredited Dog Trainer- IAABC, Licensed Family Dog Mediator, Fear Free Certified Animal Trainer and one of the nicest guys in our awesome industry. I have loved watching Anthony's social media and learning from him online through various webinars over the past couple of years,...

Dr Emily Lucas owns and operates The Whole Hound, a unique service in Sydney because she is both a vet and a trainer.  Emily is someone that I feel lucky to consider a colleague in this industry, her wealth of knowledge on dogs, dog training and medicine is astounding. In this episode we talk about behaviour medication. An often controversial topic that we thought we'd make even spicier by asking...

Dominique Hone of Canine Caregivers joins me again for another Canine Caregivers episode. In this episode we discuss "Reactivity Week". The joys of pre-recording an episode and it getting released no where near the actual week we probably should have released it... but that doesn't take away from the fact that this is an important topic and what we covered in this episode can support so many peopl...

Mike Purcell is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer(CPDT-KSA) and a proud U.S. Veteran, his team is driven by an unwavering passion for dogs and an unyielding commitment to their well-being. Mike is a family man and at the time of recording this, we were both had children on the way so we thought it was a great opportunity to talk all things kids and dogs.  We talked about the preparation that we...

Dominique Hone of Canine Caregivers joins me again for another Canine Caregivers episode. In this episode we discuss "The Bridge of Trust". The bridge of trust is a concept that Dominque talks a lot about with her clients. It is what strengthens the bond and communication between both ends of the leash and ultimately is at the core of the relationship. Trust is earned and listening to Dom break th...

Hannah Branigan is someone that I have personally learned a lot from. I have listed to every single episode of her awesome podcast "Drinking From the Toilet" which is a fascinating deep dive into the use of postive reinforcement in a variety of contexts. It's also a really cool show because over time, you really feel like you're getting to know Hannah which in my opinion, everyone is better off fo...

Dominique Hone of Canine Caregivers joins me again for another Canine Caregivers episode. In this episode we discuss "Resource Guarding" In particular, resource guarding food against humans.. Unfortunately there is still lots of really bad advice floating around out there given to dog owners that can make this so much worse and in attempts to prevent this, are actually INCREASING the likelihood of...

Jill Hassevort is a Certified Training Partner through Karen Pryor Academy and holds a BA from the University of Michigan. It was during her time at U of M that she spent a summer living with a dog (named Jack) for the first time ever. Her time with him led her to understand how amazing dogs are as a species. Later, Jill adopted a dog, an American Staffordshire Terrier, also named Jack! It was her...

Dominique Hone of Canine Caregivers joins me again for another Canine Caregivers episode. In this episode we discuss "Can You Reward Fear?". When people are discussing how to handle unwanted behaviours, too often we hear people and even some misguided professionals give the advice... "Don't do that to them then, you'll reward the behaviour and make them want to feel scared again". Which just DOES...

There are some skills that just make life easier and being able to buy ourselves time is something that I think we would all love to be able to do more easily. One thing that I see people consistently struggling with their dogs is that they often feel rushed by their dog. But it really doesn't have to be this way. Now of course if our dogs NEED something, then we should move at their pace. Plus th...

Dominique Hone of Canine Caregivers joins me again for another Canine Caregivers episode. In this episode we discuss "The Expactations People Put on Their Dogs". We often find that when our dogs cognition, age, species and not to mention the social norms, barriers and freedoms that are in the way that what should be expected from the dog and what is being asked are drastically out of sync. So much...

Having worked in this industry for many many years now I can confidently say that when it comes to general goals that people have got consistently wrong with their dogs over the years is that they prioritise obedient behaviour over healthy emotional regulation. Obedience is one of those words that I automatically cringe at anyway. The thought of anyone being obedient to me makes me automatically t...