Gentle Modern School of Dog Training

03/06/2026

You'll know from previous posts that I recommend people with sensitive dogs look to Marilyn Mele's resources for helpful information. Marilyn is a US trainer who specialises in supporting anxious, traumatised dogs and their humans (https://www.marilynmele.com/). If you have such a dog in your life, you might be interested in a free email series Marilyn is about to start: A Safe Place for Sensitive Dogs.

It's free, but to receive the emails, you must subscribe. https://www.marilynmele.com/weekly-email-a-safe-space-for-sensitive-dogs

Each week, from the second week in June, Marilyn will send one email focused on topics such as:
> How your dog's nervous system is the source of the behaviour you see
> The psychology behind building trust
> How to nurture your dog's confidence without pressure or force
> Why setbacks are a normal part of emotional recovery and what to do when that happens
> Why some dogs are more sensitive than others

"Trauma is a felt sensation that lives in your dog's physical body. A dog who senses that the world is unsafe can't be "trained" into feeling safe. Only consistent experiences of safety can rewire his nervous system with sensations of safety." Marilyn Mele

Weekly email series covering trauma-informed topics about caring for sensitive dogs.

27/05/2026

I found the photo of this sign on Pinterest - unfortunately, without attribution - but at least we know from the sign that it's the work of Jill and Jamie. I love your work, Jill & Jamie! 🎉

Here are the key things I appreciate:
* The sign acknowledges that both the dog and humans are learners. They are both partners in developing a process to help the dog greet visitors calmly. It's not easy for an excited dog to control himself, and humans have to learn and implement the best ways to help their dog; it's a work in progress.
* It gives clear information to the visitor about what's going on, what to do when the door is opened, and how they can assist the process (reward calmness).

20/05/2026

Behaviour can have its roots in medical or psychological challenges, or in a combination of both.

Why our dogs act the way they do can be the result of different factors. If we address only the behaviour, we might miss the why.

Take the case of toileting accidents in the house when the dog has previously reliably toileted outside. It's worth revisiting the housetraining process (especially if it's an adolescent dog), but also important to rule out a medical cause such as a bladder infection.
If your dog has started snapping at other dogs in the dog park after being relaxed around other dogs, could there be
- a medical reason - your dog might be able to mask the pain of a muscle strain by moving carefully, but be fearful of another dog's friendly bump triggering a blast of pain
- a psychological reason - might the trauma of being cornered by an aggressive dog in the park last week, despite there being no physical contact, be influencing behaviour this week?

To be effective in responding to behaviour, it's vital to consider the whole picture.

In her blog post, 'Is The Problem Medical or Behavioral?' Shannon Riley encourages us to consider not only the nature of the behaviour, but
> recent experiences
> our dog's age
> is the behaviour out of character
> body language

Is The Problem Medical or Behavioral? Unfortunately, our dogs cannot talk to us, so when a problem arises, we must investigate to find out what is wrong. As humans, we often overlook that a problem behavior can be medical.

16/05/2026

Message for Play+Train participants - GMSDT Melbourne
We've decided to take the unusual step of closing tomorrow's Play+Train (P+T) session (17 May) to any more participants. Twelve people have already advised their attendance, and with the forecast for wet weather, we will likely have to use the veranda area adjacent to the Plymouth St carpark. Twelve dogs and their handlers in this space will be a squeeze, so unfortunately, we can not accommodate anyone who has not already notified us of their participation.

We apologise for any disappointment and will endeavour to revisit the topic of Consent in a future P+T session.

13/05/2026

Kids AND Dogs in your life? 👶🐕 It can be a wonderful combination, but there are risks in interactions between children and dogs. The 'Kids & Pets: Reading the Signs' webinar by Pet Professional Guild Australia on Wednesday, 27 May 7:30-8.30PM AEST aims to give you support in maintaining safety. https://ppgaustralia.net.au/event-6682895

> Identify early signs of discomfort in pets
> Recognise behaviours that increase risk
> Apply practical management strategies at home
> Respond appropriately in real-life interactions

You'll leave with a clearer idea of what to watch for and what to do next.

Presented by Mel Ritterman, Patrina Carter, Dejana 'De' Durdevic and Heather Engel

Patrina Carter runs Penrith Valley Pet Care, a professional, locally owned pet care service based in the Penrith region of New South Wales, specialising in in-home pet care and cat boarding services. She is dedicated to providing reliable, compassionate, and personalised care to ensure (mostly cats...

06/05/2026

Planning on spoiling Mum with a lovely bouquet of flowers on Mother's Day? Check out 'Blooms Without the Boos: A Dog-Safe Flower Giving Guide for Mother’s Day' by Petzyo

Celebrate Mother's Day with dog-safe blooms! Discover non-toxic flowers perfect for pet parents in Petzyo's guide. Keep pups safe while spreading love.

29/04/2026

'The Third Evolution of Dogs Is Here—This Is How Dogs Are Changing'
by Sheri Radford in Modern Dog Magazine
In this article, Sheri considers
> The First Wave of Evolution: From Wolf to Dog - self-domestication: some wolves gravitating to humans for the scavenging opportunities.

> The Second Wave: Breeding and the Creation of Modern Breeds - breeding for assistance with herding, hunting, guarding, hauling, and then for appearance - crossbreeding for looks.

> The Third Wave: Dogs Adapting to Modern Human Life - ". . . the third wave focuses more on social and psychological compatibility with humans." This section discusses dogs fitting into the modern human lifestyle and the push for dogs to be more and more socially and psychologically compatible with humans. It's this section that the quote from Karis Nafte comes. The disconnect between a dog’s natural instincts and the expectations people have for their behaviour leads to frustration and tension that is unfair to the dog.

> The Fourth Wave? The Future of Dog Domestication - Genomic precision breeding could become common.

It's an interesting article that is well worth reading in its entirety at
https://moderndogmagazine.com/articles/third-evolution-of-dogs/

22/04/2026

Words aren't particularly resonant to a dog. As dog guardians, we need to give our language meaning and value for our dogs. In the quote below, Sarah Whitehead outlines the process for our dog's name.
We need to protect our 'special' words (their name, our instruction words) for our dogs
> by maintaining their value - rewarding often enough that our dog doesn't conclude that there’s little to no value in reliably responding to your instructions, and
> by not repeating them over and over when our dog's brain is occupied with something else (play, a great sniff, locked into some activity), making our words white noise at best.

19/04/2026

15/04/2026

Harriet Alexander of All Dogs Are Good is a fantastic dog trainer (in-person and online), writer and podcaster (https://www.alldogsaregood.com/about) based in Central Victoria.

Harriet recently shared her guide to choosing the right bed(s) for your dog with her mailing list. Harriet has kindly given me permission to share the guide with you.

I reckon you'll also be interested in Harriet's article, 'Make your home a sanctuary for your dog', all about how to ensure our homes are comfortable for all their inhabitants.
https://www.alldogsaregood.com/writing/make-your-home-a-sanctuary-for-your-dog