Will Bangura's Dog Training Today

Text Me Your Questions Are you considering sending your dog to a board-and-train program? Before you do, listen to this episode. In this episode of Dog Training Today, Will Bangura, M.S., CAB-ICB, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, FDM, FFCP, explains why board-and-train programs often fail to create lasting behavior change, especially for dogs struggling with aggression, reactivity, anxiety, fears, phobias, and s...

Text Me Your Questions Fireworks can turn the Fourth of July into a terrifying experience for many dogs. Trembling, hiding, pacing, excessive panting, drooling, escape attempts, and panic are not signs of stubbornness or disobedience. They are signs of genuine fear, anxiety, and, in many cases, noise phobia. In this episode of Dog Training Today, Certified Canine Behaviorist Will Bangura explains...

Text Me Your Questions Will Bangura, M.S., CAB-ICB, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, FDM, FFCP, internationally certified canine behaviorist and dog aggression expert, discusses what modern neuroscience reveals about low-level e-collars, shock collars, punishment-based dog training, canine stress responses, emotional learning, fear conditioning, and behavior suppression. In this episode, Will explains the differ...

Text Me Your Questions In this episode of Will Bangura’s Dog Training Today, dog behaviorist Will Bangura explains one of the most misunderstood forms of resource guarding: when a dog guards access to a pet parent, family member, couch, bed, lap, or preferred person. Many pet parents describe this behavior as jealousy, protectiveness, or loyalty. However, when a dog stiffens, blocks, growls, snaps...

Text Me Your Questions In this episode of Will Bangura’s Dog Training Today, dog behaviorist Will Bangura breaks down the myth of “balanced training” and explains why punishment, corrections, and aversive tools often suppress behavior without changing the underlying emotional state driving the behavior. Many pet parents are told that dogs need corrections to become reliable. In reality, dogs strug...

Text Me Your Questions In this episode of Will Bangura’s Dog Training Today, dog behaviorist Will Bangura explains what dog zoomies really are and why dogs suddenly explode into wild bursts of running, spinning, jumping, and playful energy. Many pet parents call these moments “crazy dog behavior,” but zoomies are often a normal release of energy, excitement, stress, frustration, or emotional arous...

Text Me Your Questions In this episode of Will Bangura’s Dog Training Today, dog behaviorist Will Bangura explains one of the most important concepts in successful behavior modification: keeping dogs below threshold. Whether your dog struggles with fear-based reactivity, anxiety around people or dogs, fireworks, thunderstorms, noise sensitivity, or phobias, counterconditioning and desensitization...

Text Me Your Questions In this episode of Will Bangura’s Dog Training Today, dog behaviorist Will Bangura breaks down one of the most common myths in dog training: the idea that dogs trained with food only respond when treats are visible. Many people misunderstand how positive reinforcement actually works. Food is not a bribe when used correctly. It is a scientifically supported reinforcer that he...

Text Me Your Questions In this episode of Will Bangura’s Dog Training Today, dog behaviorist Will Bangura explains how Look at That training can help reactive or aggressive dogs learn to stay calmer around triggers without corrections, punishment, or intimidation. Look at That, often called LAT, was developed by Leslie McDevitt and is commonly used in force-free behavior modification for dogs who...

Text Me Your Questions In this episode of Will Bangura’s Dog Training Today, dog behaviorist Will Bangura explains ten of the most common mistakes pet parents make during dog training and behavior modification, mistakes that can unintentionally slow learning, increase frustration, worsen behavior problems, or create confusion for dogs. Many people assume dogs are being stubborn, dominant, manipula...

Text Me Your Questions In this episode of Will Bangura’s Dog Training Today, dog behaviorist Will Bangura explains how to stop dogs from jumping on people using positive reinforcement and force-free training techniques instead of punishment, intimidation, fear, or corrections. Jumping is one of the most common behavior problems pet parents struggle with, but many traditional training methods focus...

Text Me Your Questions In this episode of Will Bangura’s Dog Training Today, dog behaviorist Will Bangura explains how early puppy training, socialization, and developmental timing shape a dog’s future behavior. The first year of a puppy’s life is one of the most important periods for learning, confidence building, emotional resilience, and prevention of future behavior problems. Early experiences...

Text Me Your Questions In this episode of Will Bangura’s Dog Training Today, dog behaviorist Will Bangura discusses one of the most painful and emotionally complex topics a pet parent may ever face: behavioral euthanasia for dogs. Behavioral euthanasia may be considered when a dog is suffering from severe aggression, extreme anxiety, profound fear, dangerous bite history, serious quality-of-life c...

Text Me Your Questions Can Google really sniff out the best dog trainers or is something amiss in the search landscape? Uncover the shocking reality behind the digital dominance of outdated dog training methods over certified, humane practices. We promise to unravel how the algorithms meant to serve us might actually be hindering top-notch trainers from reaching eager dog owners. Our fascinating d...

Text Me Your Questions In this episode of Will Bangura’s Dog Training Today, dog behaviorist Will Bangura explains how a simple leash can become one of the most effective management tools for reducing unwanted dog behavior inside the home. Many pet parents think of leashes only as tools for walks. However, when used correctly and humanely indoors, a leash can help prevent jumping, counter surfing,...

Text Me Your Questions In this episode of Will Bangura’s Dog Training Today, dog behaviorist Will Bangura explains how nose work can help anxious, reactive, fearful, high-energy, and easily overstimulated dogs become calmer, more focused, and more emotionally regulated. Nose work gives dogs a safe, natural way to use their strongest sensory system. Instead of relying only on physical exercise, nos...

Text Me Your Questions In this episode of Will Bangura’s Dog Training Today, dog behaviorist Will Bangura explains three essential things every pet parent needs to understand about reactivity and dog aggression. Reactive and aggressive behavior is often misunderstood as dominance, stubbornness, or disobedience. In many cases, the behavior is rooted in fear, anxiety, stress, frustration, or perceiv...

Text Me Your Questions In this episode of Will Bangura’s Dog Training Today, dog behaviorist Will Bangura explains one of the most important questions in dog aggression and reactivity work: are you correcting aggression, or are you punishing fear? Many dogs who bark, growl, lunge, snap, or bite are not trying to dominate people or other dogs. They are often responding from fear, anxiety, stress, f...

Text Me Your Questions In this episode of Will Bangura’s Dog Training Today, dog behaviorist Will Bangura explains how to successfully house train puppies and adult dogs using humane, consistent, reward-based methods. House training can feel frustrating when a puppy has repeated accidents or an adult dog seems unable to understand where to eliminate. In this episode, Will explains why successful p...

Text Me Your Questions In this episode of Will Bangura’s Dog Training Today, dog behaviorist Will Bangura explains why modern, evidence-based dog training has moved away from punishment, shock collars, prong collars, choke chains, intimidation, and correction-based methods, and why positive reinforcement is a safer, more effective way to create lasting behavior change. Punishment may stop behavior...

Text Me Your Questions In this episode of Will Bangura’s Dog Training Today, dog behaviorist Will Bangura explains why environmental management is one of the most important, and most overlooked, parts of successful dog behavior modification. Many pet parents try to correct unwanted behavior after it happens, but effective behavior change often begins before the behavior occurs. If the environment...

Text Me Your Questions In this episode of Will Bangura’s Dog Training Today, dog behaviorist Will Bangura explains what pet parents need to know before sending a reactive or aggressive dog to a board and train program. Board and train programs often promise fast results for dogs with aggression, leash reactivity, fear, anxiety, or serious behavior problems. However, many of these programs focus on...

Text Me Your Questions In this episode of Will Bangura’s Dog Training Today, dog behaviorist Will Bangura explains how to choose the best training option for your dog, including private lessons, group classes, and board and train programs. Many pet parents feel overwhelmed when trying to decide what kind of dog training help they need. Should they choose private one-on-one lessons? A group class?...

Text Me Your Questions In this episode of Will Bangura’s Dog Training Today, dog behaviorist Will Bangura explains how pet parents can help prevent separation anxiety and build healthy independence in dogs. Many pet parents worry that comforting a fearful dog will reinforce fear, or that allowing a dog to follow them around the home will automatically create separation anxiety. In this episode, Wi...

Text Me Your Questions In this episode of Will Bangura’s Dog Training Today, dog behaviorist Will Bangura discusses one of the biggest myths in dog training: the claim that positive reinforcement cannot work for difficult dogs, high-drive dogs, reactive dogs, or dogs with serious behavior problems. Will is joined by Jordan Marsteller for a conversation about moving away from compulsion-based train...