Dog NERDs Behavior : Nurturing Elevated Resilience in Dogs

12/13/2025

FEEDBACK FRIDAY!!!!

This team has been poetry to watch.

Without a question one of the most incredible changes in a couple months I’ve had the privilege to support.

No doubt a product of the handler’s remarkable dedication and consistency in practice this dog’s ability to respond to and navigate their triggers with cooperation and focus has been truly remarkable to witness.

The improved vetrinary visits are positive fallout from a treatment plan in which veterinary visits were never even discussed. 🏆🏆🏆

12/10/2025

😅😂😅😂maybe we should talk for a minute about reinforcement history and how dogs learn.....

from the feed of

12/06/2025

FEEDBACK FRIDAY!!!

11/22/2025

FEEDBACK FRIDAY!!!!! (brought to you today by Saturday)

Here's the lesson plan utilized to create these outcomes:

🐕 Meeting the needs of the dog holistically - Physical, mental, emotional; the whole dog matters.
🔗 Small, consistent steps - Progress happens in manageable increments.
🎯 Selecting the skills which most easily allows the dog access to emotional safety even under stressful conditions - Choose what helps them feel secure when life gets hard.
🌱 Introducing those skills in low-stress learning environments - Start where it's calm and easy.
🏆 Developing a rich history of reinforcement in those skills - Practice until success becomes their default.
🌉 Asking the dog to use those skills to produce cooperative behaviors in conditions they formally have practiced reactive ones in - Bridge to the hard moments where reactivity used to live.
🤝 Practicing the rehearsal of those skills with co-regulatory support in complex environments - Work together in the real world.
✨ Watching as self-regulated coping mechanisms replace reactive ones - The shift happens, one moment at a time.

**Achieved in under 8 weeks**

This team is a pure joy to support. 🐾

10/16/2025

Working publicly 1 on 1 with reactivity behaviors today. Was asked if we were teaching leash walking.

10/13/2025

Thank you John McGuigan for continuing to speak for the voiceless and hold a standard in field which demands skill over coercion.

10/12/2025

🐾 Attention, Pet Parents! 🐾

In recent months, our town has seen an influx of new dog trainers—many with only a handful of years of experience.

While we welcome enthusiasm and new talent, we must be vigilant about the methods used to train our beloved pets. 🐶💛

🦴 The Real Impact of Aversive Tools ⚠️
1️⃣ Emotional & Physiological Harm:
Tools like e-collars, prong collars, and choke/slip collars don’t just cause discomfort—they induce stress, anxiety, and even long-term trauma. 💔 This can lead to behavioral issues, an increase in fear-based responses, and a breakdown of trust between dog and owner. 😢🐕
2️⃣ Outdated Practices vs. Modern Science:
During the last nearly 30 years, ground-breaking discoveries in behavioral sciences have revolutionized our understanding of dogs' cognitive and emotional lives. 🧠💫
We now understand just how rich, emotional, and intelligent their inner worlds truly are. 🐾✨
Modern, reward-based methods are now the gold standard—proven to be effective, humane, and sustainable. 🌟 There’s absolutely no need for aversive tools when we have these advanced, evidence-backed approaches (they’re always a replacement for skill 😉).
3️⃣ Demand Quality and Ethics:
Pet owners have the right to expect that their trainers are well-qualified and adhere to the highest standards. 🎓🐕‍🦺
Leading bodies like the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) strongly prohibit the use of aversive methods in animal learning—emphasizing that humane, positive techniques are always more effective and safer. ✅

What justifications can professionals in animal learning offer for promoting teaching methods to pet owners that directly conflict with the recommendations of leading scientific and veterinary institutions? 🤔🤷🏽🚧

As responsible pet parents, I hope we can expect that those entrusted with our dogs' training are not just competent, but truly aligned with the latest evidence-based and ethical practices. 🐾💡

💬 If you'd like free resources with citations for all the claims above, simply comment “Learning shouldn't hurt” below and I’ll be happy to send them your way! 📚🐕💚

10/12/2025

🤣🤣🤣🤣
From the amazing feed of
The Secret Dog Walker

10/12/2025

🎉 LEVEL 2 IS HERE! 🎉

Hey Level 1 graduates! 🐕 Ready to blow your own mind with what your dog can do next? Send me a message to secure your spot!

Here's what's waiting for you in Reactive 2 Resilient Level 2:

🔍 From scenting to SEEKING – Watch your dog's confidence soar as they actively search out scents

🧠 Self-regulation mastery – Move beyond supported interactions and on towards genuine self-regulation

💪 Fluid, reliable behaviors – Learn how to motivate behaviors your dog WANTS to repeat with persistence.

😌 Breathwork on cue – Really? Yes, really! First introduced into clinical practice in 1997, you'll learn how to teach your dog to take long, deep breaths through their nose on cue—perhaps the most powerful and reliable way to inform relaxation in your dog's world.

🎯 Next-level resilience – Build dogs who can self-regulate even when life gets spicy 🌶️

Using modern approaches informed by the resilience conditioning framework and applied behavior analysis, we're layering in nose work, physiological relaxation, predation substitute, and patterns to create cooperative choice strategies that inform genuine emotional safety.

The result? A dog with an expanded toolkit of choices they actually value – and performance that shows it. 🌟

👀 Haven't taken Level 1 yet?

This is what you're missing! These skills don't just happen – they're built step by step, starting with our Level 1 foundation. If you're watching from the sidelines wishing your dog had this kind of confidence and self-control, NOW is the time to jump into Level 1 so you can join us for Level 2 next round! ⏰

📋 PREREQUISITE: Level 1 completion OR have completed Reactive to Adaptive in private sessions with me.

Can't wait to see you and your amazing dog there! 🙌

10/09/2025

🎉 LEVEL 2 IS HERE! 🎉

Hey Level 1 graduates! 🐕 Ready to blow your own mind with what your dog can do next?

Here's what's waiting for you in Reactive 2 Resilient Level 2:

🔍 From scenting to SEEKING – Watch your dog's confidence soar as they actively search out scents

🧠 Self-regulation mastery – Move beyond supported interactions and on towards genuine self-regulation

💪 Fluid, reliable behaviors – Learn how to motivate behaviors your dog WANTS to repeat with persistence (yes, really!)

😌 Breathwork on cue – Really? Yes, really! First introduced into clinical practice in 1997, you'll learn how to teach your dog to take long, deep breaths through their nose on cue—perhaps the most powerful and reliable way to inform relaxation in your dog's world.

🎯 Next-level resilience – Build dogs who can self-regulate even when life gets spicy 🌶️

Using modern approaches informed by the resilience conditioning framework and applied behavior analysis, we're layering in nose work, physiological relaxation, predation substitute, and patterns to create cooperative choice strategies that inform genuine emotional safety.

The result? A dog with an expanded toolkit of choices they actually value – and performance that shows it. 🌟

👀 Haven't taken Level 1 yet?

This is what you're missing! These skills don't just happen – they're built step by step, starting with our Level 1 foundation. If you're watching from the sidelines wishing your dog had this kind of confidence and self-control, NOW is the time to jump into Level 1 so you can join us for Level 2 next round! ⏰

📋 PREREQUISITE: Level 1 completion OR have completed Reactive to Adaptive in private sessions with me.

Can't wait to see you and your amazing dog there! 🙌🐾

Enroll in Level 2 by selecting the link below:

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10/08/2025

I’m just gunna leave this here for now…