Full Life Behavior & Training

12/02/2025

Something I've noticed is how consistently clients are surprised when their dogs are fearful, defensive, even aggressive when people who are unknown/strangers to the dog enter their yard or home.

Think about it from the dog's perspective, they don't know why this person is there. You can't explain it to them ahead of time. How would you feel if someone totally unfamiliar to you suddenly just let themselves into your house? How would you respond to this?

Guardian breeds like mastiffs, pyrenees, rottweilers, and others were specifically bred to be wary of strangers entering their territory. Our modern version of these dogs may or may not be specifically bred for this anymore, but some breeds struggle more than others.

Learn who your dog is as an individual and give them whatever support they need. Teach them that people entering the home predicts good things for the dog (yummy food usually does the trick). Put the dog away with a fun chew where they don't have to deal with the invader. I'm convinced many dogs are grateful not to have to deal with the stress.

Here are some great resources to help you learn about normal dog behavior and how dogs communicate:

http://www.ispeakdog.org/dog-behaviors.html

https://iaabcfoundation.org/courses/canine-body-language/

Reach out to a professional if your dog is struggling, before there's a more serious problem.

Pictured is my mastiff mix. He's made a career of patrolling the yard and sitting in this window barking at passers-by while the other dogs, who are totally different breeds, sleep and couldn't care less. He's good at his job and I am grateful, but it's important to acknowledge that this behavior can become unhealthy and to help the dog understand that guests are not a threat. We're currently working on not getting so worried every time the (very nice) mail carrier stops by the house.

09/22/2025

https://www.fearfreehappyhomes.com/pet-pain-what-you-dont-know-may-surprise-you/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=This%20Week%20in%20Fetch%20Weekly%3A%20Resources%20Made%20for%20You%F0%9F%90%BE&utm_campaign=20250915_Fetch%20Weekly%20Sitters%20%28Copy%29&vgo_ee=VRh%2F71w1jia8DtRKTU4YxzmtIjhwvSWqhTcIn8gJVaL3uZTxpEMqAQqC%3AUHuPSCjW%2FMi8uaVXGhZ0Akzb4q9jY7SV

Reading Time: 3 minutes Share onI hope you aren’t in pain as you read this. But if you are, you probably know that pain is one of the most common reasons we go to our doctors. Pain in humans is such a major problem that in the U.S. alone, billions of dollars are spent treating pain and compensatin...

09/20/2025

09/15/2025

Facebook loves showing me ads for training equipment. This harness may be great, I haven't tried it, that's not what this post is about.

There are anti-pull harnesses that help cut down on pulling, prong collars suppress pulling (but can also be stressful for the dog), and head halters give a lot of control to the handler (with proper introduction).

There isn't anything that teaches a dog to walk nicely other than proper training that takes into account both the internal and external motivations for pulling. Good equipment can be backup during the training process, but it takes learning for a dog to really understand how to walk without pulling.

Dogs pull for reasons humans may not consider, their natural opposition reflex, they're faster than us, and they easily become overwhelmed with excitement or nervousness of the environment. To properly teach "not pulling", you have to help the dog work through all the reasons they do it, including the emotional ones that are often not considered.

08/21/2025

Here's an article I came across recently that discusses the issues surrounding the use of shock collars. I was zapped by one of these a few weeks back. A client thought hers was malfunctioning and it wasn't able to shock the dog, she was very wrong and I suspect accidental shocks have caused some of the issues they are experiencing. My wrist still felt weird several hours later. The potential side effects just aren't worth it.

By Steve Dale, CABC Veterinary technicians potentially have a huge role to play in determining who recommended dog trainers may be. And that is important – maybe ultimately meaning life or death for any dog. There is a price to be paid when trainers use aversive techniques. Following a five-year c...

07/31/2025

This is one of my dogs, Daffodil, nicknamed Ducky. Who, I unabashedly think is the smartest and most beautiful dog on the planet.

She's struggled with nail trims over the years. We just trimmed almost all her nails while she sat calmly with no muzzle. There was one dew claw she didn't want me to do, that's fine, there's no need to push it. Give the dog a say when something is too much for them, then they'll trust you more next time. She gets a treat after each nail and after I hold her toes.

She started off needing to be sedated at the vet and with some training then muzzled during nail trims. I'm just like clients, I get busy and don't practice enough but a little gets you a lot.

She gets to relax with a special chew when we're finished. I'm very proud of her!

07/25/2025

https://www.rover.com/blog/dog-training-expectation-versus-reality/

It's time for Dog Training: Expectation vs Reality. Ever feel like training a dog is tough? Then appreciate the comedy of those who've taken this journey before...and failed.

07/17/2025

Mental enrichment is important for the psychological health of all species!

07/12/2025

There are a variety of options that can help when a pet is struggling. This is one of our dogs, PipSqueak. He's been having a hard time due to old age/doggie dementia and seizures. He struggles to settle, paces, seems confused, and shakes on and off. We noticed that he is calmer when petted certain ways. Since we can't pet him 24/7, we tried putting him in a little t-shirt and he settled and went to sleep.

There is a product on the market called a Thundershirt that can help dogs and sometimes cats. I'm always happy to discuss how to use equipment like this effectively and how to tell if it is working.

https://www.chewy.com/thundershirt-classic-anxiety-calming/dp/41098

07/02/2025

Something that's common, that I find kind of amusing, is for clients to apologize for their house being messy when I arrive for the first time (or every time we meet). This ranges from homes that are actually pretty clean to truly messy ones.

Here's the thing . . . I don't care. It doesn't matter to me how you keep your house, beyond how it affects your pets. It is very helpful for me to see where the animal lives, the setup of the home/yard, and where certain behaviors are occurring. You can't keep a cluttered house and then complain when your dog chews on items s/he finds and this might be an aspect in potty issues for both dogs and cats. Other than that, it doesn't make no never mind to me if there are dirty socks on your floor.

Heck, your pet likely thinks dirty socks are a super fun toy.

06/28/2025

More pets get lost during this holiday than any other time of the year. Use leashes for potty breaks and keep pets indoors as much as possible. Animals hear much better than humans but letting them hang out in a basement if you have one can help muffle some of the sound if your pet is scared of the noise. There's also a great technique known as sound masking:

https://eileenanddogs.com/blog/2013/12/30/sound-sensitive-reactive-dogs/

https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/behavior/noise-canceling-for-dogs/

06/04/2025

Pets don't learn words in the way that humans tend to think they do. It's not language, it's classical and operant conditioning.