Training Without Conflict® | Dog Training Podcast

In this episode, Chad Hunter, Karly, and I discuss one of the most remarkable achievements in French Ring history. Just weeks ago, Karly and Chad travelled to France and competed against the best teams in the sport. When the competition was over, she and her dog Maestro had achieved the highest score of the event, something no foreign competitor had ever done before. Although the official French C...

If you're serious about tracking, this podcast is for you. Today I'm joined by Aivo Oblikas, a long-time student of tracking, respected judge, and someone who has spent decades analyzing what makes dogs successful on the track. Aivo has judged at the highest levels of the sport, including the FH World Championship and the FMBB IGP World Championship, giving him a unique perspective on both...

Behind every World Champion title there is a story people never see. The sleepless nights. The pressure. The doubts. The sacrifices. The moments where you wonder if all of it is worth it. Today Natalia joins me after becoming FMBB IGP World Champion to talk about the journey behind the title. We discuss what it really took to get there, the highs and lows of competing at the highest level, the men...

This video breaks down what an e-collar actually is and more importantly, how learning works when it matters most. You’ll see a live self-demo so you understand exactly what the stimulation feels like, and why control, timing, and contingency matter more than the tool itself. Some dogs do very well with positive reinforcement alone. But if you’ve been training for months or years and your dog is s...

Some dogs lock onto squirrels with full predatory intent, the kind that ignores treats, toys, and every force-free trick in the book. Desensitization, Counterconditioning or Predationsubstitutes? Yes, they work for play chasing... but fail hard when the drive isto kill. Once the dog is locked in, adrenaline wins, yourhigh-value rewards get out-bid. A simple "NO" paired with consequencebe...

In this episode, I sit down with Pierre Wahlstrom, a lifelong officer in the Swedish Armed Forces, elite working-dog specialist, world-level judge, and World Champion. Pierre has spent over three decades developing, testing, breeding, judging, and training working dogs at the highest level. He currently serves as CEO for testing and procurement of dogs for the Swedish Armed Forces and as technical...

This time I sat down with Jay Jack. Jay is the mind behind GRC (Gameness, Relationship, Control) Dog Sport. If you mix bull breeds with martial arts culture, Jay is the guy who shows up. This episode is really a catch up, no script, no agenda. Just me and Jay talking dogs, and you’re the fly on the wall.

This episode is with Daisy Peel. Daisy is an agility trainer and competitor and has been part of the U.S. World Team nine times. In this podcast, we go deeper into the sport of agility and compare it with other dog sports. We talk about what it really means to select and train dogs for the world stage versus training a pet dog simply to provide an outlet and maintain a healthy, balanced mind. We a...

Should the dog training industry in the USA be regulated? I’ve been asked this over and over again, and the answer is not as simple as people think. In this episode, I break down what regulation could improve, what it could destroy, and the one line that matters most if this industry ever gets “controlled” by outside forces. Curious to hear everyone's thoughts.

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Ana Catarina Vieira de Castro, a researcher at the University of Porto (Portugal) specializing in canine behavior, welfare, and human–animal interactions, for a thoughtful discussion about one of the most contentious issues in modern dog training. Catarina is well known for her research comparing reward-based (positive reinforcement) and aversive or mixed train...

In this solo podcast, I address the broader argument against aversive tools in dog training promoted by the AVSAB and the R+-only movement. Recently, Dr. Michael Bailey, President of the American Veterinary Medical Association, commented on the use of electronic collars in dog training. That comment triggered backlash and a strong response from Dr. Lisa Radosta, President of the American College o...

In this episode, I break down one of the most damaging myths in modern dog training, the idea that all resource guarding is caused by Fear. I explain why this “fear-only” narrative collapses the moment you look at real behavior, and how it leads trainers and owners to misdiagnose dogs every day. I go into the difference between fear-based guarding and competitive, status-driven guarding… and why c...

In this episode I’m back with Melanie Uhde for a direct and unapologetic conversation about canine behavior, animal learning, and the growing gap between popular dog training ideology and biological reality. We examine commonly cited canine studies, how they’re often misread or selectively used, and why the force-free narrative fails to explain how animals actually learn, adapt, and thrive. A majo...

In this episode, Ivan Balabanov and Will Bangura sit down for a direct, honest conversation about dog training, learning theory, and the claims behind “positive-only” methods. No scripts. No prepared speeches. Just two trainers with very different philosophies trying to understand and challenge each other. The points of agreement matter just as much as the disagreements. Different philosophies. Di...

For over 40 years, dog trainers have been fed a feel-good myth: the "jackpot" reward, championed by Karen Pryor, claims a pile of treats will supercharge your dog’s learning. But does it deliver? Did the force-free movement’s “kool-aid” mislead trainers for decades? Tune in and discover the truth!

My guest in this episode is Clemente Grosso, well respected IGP and FCI Obedience judge, has officiated at numerous World Championships. Clemente is also a member of the FCI Working Dog Commission and plays a key role in shaping the rules, decisions, and long-term vision for the future of IGP. As competitor Clemente’s breed of choice is the Giant Schnauzer. We discuss how and why the rules evolve,...

Is your dog chasing cars because it’s afraid? Force-free trainers like Simone Mueller claim it’s all about fear — not predation. But expert trainers and science say otherwise. In this episode, I dismantle the “fear theory” behind Predation Substitute Training and explain what’s really going on inside your dog’s brain when it lunges at cars, bikes, or joggers. We’ll explore the biology of drive, do...

In this episode, I sit down with my wife, Natalia Balabanov, to talk about the unique world of living, training, and competing together at the top level of dog sports. We dive into what it’s really like to share the same passion, the same goals, and sometimes the same pressure — while balancing the roles of coach, trainer, and spouse. From the intensity of competition to the daily grind of trainin...

Leash reactivity. You’ve heard it a thousand times. Trainers throw it around, clients repeat it, and somehow it’s become the magic explanation for every dog that barks, lunges, or pulls on leash. But here’s the truth: there is no such thing as leash reactivity. It’s a lazy label. A word salad. And it fails dogs every single day. In this episode, I’m breaking down why the term doesn’t help.

TWC Podcast #64 Slot Machines Don’t Train Dogs! What if everything you’ve been told about variable reinforcement is only half the story? Dog trainers and psychologists love to say, “Switch to variable reinforcement, it’s like a slot machine, that’s how behaviors stick.” But here’s the truth: that analogy is flawed, incomplete, and in training, often misleading. In this episode, Ivan Balabanov brea...

If Errorless Learning was the greatest breakthrough in how animals—or humans—learn, why hasn’t it taken over education? It’s been over 60 years since it was introduced. If it really worked, wouldn’t our schools, colleges, and universities have adopted it by now? In this solo podcast, I break down two recent publications by Eduardo J. Fernandez:“Comparing trial-and-error to errorless learning proce...

The first podcast I did with Larry Krohn was years ago, and it sparked a lot of debate around the e-collar. Since then, Larry has completed my Training Without Conflict™ school, and through many conversations we’ve come to realize how much common ground we share. Today, we agree on nearly everything and hold a strong respect for one another. We’ve wanted to do a second podcast for quite some time,...

Back for a second round: FCI judge David Garcia Suarez joins me for another deep and at times provocative conversation, this time focused entirely on IGP. We dive into:    •   The evolution of rules and judging    •   How training styles have shifted over the last 10, 20, even 30 years    •   The influence of genetics on modern dogs    •   And where the sport is heading Whether you’re a competitor...

Training Without Conflict® Podcast Episode Sixty: Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring SSRIs, Dogs, and the Chemical Lobotomy No One Wants to Talk About - with Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Josef, a board-certified psychiatrist, former FDA medical officer, and one of the few voices brave enough to speak publicly about what SSRIs are really doing to people… and what that means for...

In this  Training Without Conflict® Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Ori Stollar, also known as Dr. Orion on YouTube, a veterinarian and board-certified veterinary behaviorist specialist.  (Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists). Dr. Orion and I connected after he publicly responded to my critiques of the widespread use of SSRIs in dogs. To his credit, he agreed to come on the s...