The Dog Tutor

08/27/2026

Happy National Dog Day. Take your dog on a special walk, someplace new, today to celebrate.

08/13/2026

Pulling on a leash is one of the major complaints of clients. So how does this bad habit start?
It starts when a dog owner takes their puppy for a walk before they teach the puppy how to respond to leash pressure. This is one of the foundational skills missed, that people tend to misunderstand and then when the pup grows up it becomes an issue.

08/11/2026

I know for some this may sound confusing but one of the very first things you need to teach any dog is an OUT behavior. This is what is commonly referred to as "drop it". This is a foundation skill that allows you to build on so many other behaviors, including the correct rules for structured games.
It can also save your dogs life. Fundamentally it eliminates conflict over possessions when taught properly, which reflects on so many aspects of a dog's life.

08/03/2026

Aggression in dogs is highly misunderstood. For most of history a dog showing aggression towards a human meant either heavy medication / rehoming or most likely euthanization. Today we know that we can do better for the dog.

Reactivity does not neccessarily equal aggression either, that is the biggest misunderstanding of dogs. In fact truly aggressive dogs are rare. Those are the dogs that are truly genetically broken, but like I stated it is very rare. I haven't been asked to work with one yet....maybe one day I'll meet one.

Dogs that have a bite history are not broken. They can be helped to live a safe conflict free life. Trainers are proving that fact over and over again successfully, and maintaining it for the life of the dog.

This truth is creating a major stress amongst the idealogical dog trainers that still promote medicating your dogs and/or euthanization before they would advise an alternative training methods. When dogs react poorly they are trying to tell us something. If you understand dogs enough to give them the answer they need to hear, then life can improve for everyone in the home.

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08/01/2026

DOES SPAYING OR NEUTERING REALLY MAKE DOGS CALMER?

For decades, many people have been told that spaying or neutering helps reduce unwanted behaviors. But a new 2026 peer-reviewed review published in Animal Reproduction suggests the science is more complicated.

After reviewing decades of research, the authors concluded there’s not enough consistent evidence to recommend spaying or neutering solely to change behavior. In fact, several studies included in the review found some dogs showed more fear, anxiety, or certain forms of aggression after being spayed or neutered.

Why? The review explains that reproductive hormones don’t just influence reproduction. They also play important roles in brain function, learning, memory, stress responses, and emotional regulation. Removing those hormones may affect dogs differently depending on their genetics, age, s*x, breed, and individual temperament.

One of the most interesting parts of the review is that the authors discuss hormone-preserving alternatives that prevent breeding while allowing the body to continue producing its natural hormones. These include:

🐕 Vasectomy – prevents male dogs from reproducing while leaving the testicles in place, so testosterone production continues.

🐕 Ovary-sparing spay – removes the uterus but leaves one or both ovaries intact, preventing pregnancy while preserving ovarian hormone production.

The authors suggest they deserve more attention because they can help preserve some of the health and behavioral benefits associated with natural hormones while still preventing unwanted litters.

The review doesn’t argue that dogs should or shouldn’t be spayed or neutered. Instead, it encourages veterinarians and pet owners to move away from a one-size-fits-all approach and make decisions based on each dog’s individual health, lifestyle, behavior, and risk of reproduction.

08/01/2026

So my last couple of posts have had a negative tone so it's time for an upbeat moment.
With my last weekend involving a personal bucket list event, it got me thinking about dogs again of course. What would a bucket list look like for a dog, entirely from the dogs perspective.
And here is another question... how many owners would take the time and effort to try and fulfill some of their dog's bucket list, even if it was presented to them.
For me it was one of those light bulb moments. It suddenly occurred to me that biological fulfillment for our dogs MUST include bucket list events, if that life is to be truly full of joy.
Of course every dog is unique but I came up with a few thoughts for that list......

> Having an entire day off leash.
> Running on a beach.
> Getting to chase wildlife.
> A wilderness hike.
> Playing with several dogs at the same time.
> Going on a picnic.
> Visiting a farm.
> Getting to play a game over and over again all day.
> Getting to ride in a boat/kayak/paddle board.

Give it some thought...........

07/31/2026

So now I am seeing advertisements from veteranarian clinincs in the Edmonton area claiming that spay and neutering your pet makes it "healthier". I am absolutely outraged by this promotion.
I'll stand on this soapbox and say that any veteranarian that actually thinks this to be true, you are both too lazy to look at all the current research and an outright threat to pet animal welfare.
For all the vets that I just offended.... yes YOU are the problem. Hormones facilitate many essential biological functions in mammals. If you follow the research it shows clearly, a huge scope of health issues that early spay and neutering creates. To say that you want to remove parts of a dogs body to possibly prevent cancer is insane. Trained veteranarians can do vasectomy procedures on dogs to prevent unwanted puppies. Yes there are alternatives.

07/30/2026

Marketing.
It's about trying to convince you that you need what they are selling.
The latest BS online is trying to sell you products for your dogs digestive system to fix your dogs leash reactivity.
While there definately are a select few dogs that react due to health concerns, but trust me I have met LOTS of well behaved dogs with horrible digestive issues....including my last dog Benny. What no one is talking about is how dried kibble dog food is generally the biggest culprit of digestive issues. The second would be the stress of living an unfulfilled life. Third would be genetics.
But sure "give your dog this supplement and cure their reactive nature".
It's an interesting world we live in.... that's for sure.

07/19/2026

I can teach pretty much anyone how to train basic obedience but that only gets a dog owner so far. I think the job of a dog trainer should go beyond that. If I can create clarity in a human's mind regarding how their dog thinks and functions, then I can teach them how to communicate effectively to create clarity in their dog. A dog that lives in clarity also lives in harmony with it's owner.

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