Trails and Tails Dog School

04/21/2025

When your dog is nose-down in the grass, tracking the scent of a critter or investigating a hidden snack, they’re not just “playing”—they’re engaging in a deeply satisfying neurobiological experience

The Science Behind the Sniff

In 2005, neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp identified a core emotional system in mammals called the SEEKING system—an ancient, dopamine-fueled pathway responsible for exploration, investigation, and goal-directed behavior.

What’s especially fascinating is that dopamine peaks during the seeking itself, not just at the moment of reward.

In other words, it’s the search that lights up the brain—not just the find.
So when you give your dog the opportunity to forage—whether that’s adventuring off-leash in nature, sniffing out squirrels at the park, or discovering hidden food in the yard—you’re meeting a core biological need. You’re literally activating the part of their brain that drives motivation, curiosity, and engagement with their world (& meeting their welfare needs as a result).

Reference: Panksepp, J. (2005). Affective neuroscience: The foundations of human and animal emotions. Oxford University Press.

💡 The L.E.G.S.® Perspective:

Learning: Curating experiences to meet your dog’s natural foraging propensities provides opportunities to develop motor, cognitive, & even emotional regulation skills.

Environment: An indoor, sterile environment offers few opportunities for our dogs to readily “seek” like the unique animals they are - get them outside or bring other discoverable goods in to improve welfare.

Genetics: From terriers to scent hounds, many dogs were bred to find things—vermin, birds, game. Foraging lets them do what they were born to do, giving dogs a taste of the good life.

Self: Some dogs are highly motivated by sniffing, others by searching or manipulating objects. Tailor your foraging games to their unique preferences.

04/21/2025

I’m giving a FREE seminar today! Join us!

04/16/2025

I do not need a new puppy. I’m just writing this down so I remember. But I’m sure one of you does! 😉

04/10/2025

There is so much misinformation about dogs and dog training and it is sooo annoying! Do you feel the same way? Did you know that, unfortunately, every time we repeat misinformation--even in order to correct it--it makes it seem more true? That's because simply hearing something multiple times makes us feel like something is true. It's called the illusory truth effect, because the repetition is creating the illusion of truth. That's why, when talking about dogs, it's really important to stick to facts and to stories that are true and illustrate those facts.

It's also why "myth vs fact" articles--on any topic--make steam come out of my ears. They are spreading the myths! It's one of many reasons to be positive about being positive in dog training. If you'd like to know more, check out my blog post here: https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2019/04/being-positive-about-being-positive-in.html (link in bio). It goes into the science on this and includes practical tips too.

This doesn't just apply to dog training, but also to cat behaviour, and anywhere else there is misinformation, whether it's about climate change, elections, or science. We all need to practice correcting misinformation by repeating what's true--and stop repeating the false info.

03/31/2025

5 Things Your Dog Wishes You (and "Balanced" Trainers) Actually Understood

1. That “Guilty” Look Isn’t Guilt

Your dog isn’t feeling guilty about raiding the trash, they’re just reacting to your body language. Research by Dr. Alexandra Horowitz revealed that dogs display these so-called “guilty looks” in response to human cues like scolding, not because they’re remorseful. Dogs who didn’t even misbehave showed these expressions most when humans mistakenly assumed they had done something wrong. Understanding this prevents unfair blame, keeping trust strong.

2. Dogs Don’t Love Hugs (Usually)

Humans see hugs as affectionate; dogs often see them as restraint. Studies show around 80% of dogs exhibit stress signals like lip-licking, turning away, or showing the whites of their eyes, during hugs. Hugging restricts a dog’s natural instinct to move freely and escape perceived threats. Instead, your dog appreciates gentle pets or simply staying close. Respect their comfort, and they’ll trust you even more.

3. Sniffing Is a Dog’s Social Media

A dog’s nose is their window to the world. With over 200 million scent receptors (compared to our mere 6 million), sniffing provides dogs essential mental stimulation. Letting your dog sniff freely reduces stress, promotes relaxation, and even improves optimism according to recent studies. It’s not wasting time, it’s vital enrichment that boosts your dog’s overall happiness and well-being.

4. Punishment Hurts More Than It Helps

Science consistently shows punishment-based training methods like yelling or leash corrections significantly elevate stress levels and erode trust between you and your dog. Dogs trained this way often display anxiety and reduced learning efficiency. Positive reinforcement and neuro affirming approaches, using rewards, praise, and play while considering the dogs emotional state, is shown to achieve better long-term results, strengthening your bond without the harmful side-effects of stress or fear. Kindness doesn’t just FEEL good; it’s effective dog training.

5. Your Dog Experiences the World Differently

Dogs don’t rely on language or vision the way humans do; their worlds revolve around scent and motion to a greater extent than ours. They excel at interpreting your body language and emotional tone. A dog’s vision is specialized for detecting movement, while their powerful noses decode scents we can’t even imagine. Knowing this helps you communicate better, recognizing when your dog might be distracted by something important you simply can’t perceive. Words matter less to your dog than gestures, scents, and actions.

Knowing these scientifically-backed truths about guilt, hugs, sniffing, punishment, and perception, will help you interact with greater empathy and effectiveness. Dogs don’t speak human, but they’re always telling us what they need. When you listen, you’ll see just how much closer you can become.

Sources and more info:

• How to Transform Your Walks By Understanding Your Dog’s Nose: https://youtu.be/MfFlhcnFOcs

• How Dogs Perceive the World: https://youtu.be/F8mJet68AFk

• What Really Prompts the Dog’s “Guilty Look”: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090611065839.htm

• Dogs Don’t Like Being Hugged: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/canine-corner/202405/new-research-confirms-dogs-really-dont-like-being-hugged

• Importance of Dog Sniffing: https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/is-sniffing-a-dog-s-version-of-social-media/

• Training Methods and Dog Welfare: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/12/201217095536.htm

Follow to join the Dog Training Revolution 🙌 more sources and info at zakgeorge.com

03/30/2025

❤️❤️❤️

The problem with punishment in animal training is that it does work, and oftentimes quickly, at changing behaviors. But at what cost?🧐

Aversive methods suppress unwanted behaviors by causing pain and/or discomfort that the animal will try to escape or avoid. While this works to stop a behavior, it does not address the underlying motivation for it. This can be effective in the short term but often leads to unintended consequences and lasting harm.

Research has shown that aversive methods increase fear and stress, and also risk causing aggressive and unpredictable behaviors. We also put our relationship with our pets in jeopardy. Punishment fails to teach the learner alternative behaviors and coping strategies, and can lead to learned helplessness.

If you feel stuck or don't know how to achieve your pet's behavior or training goals without using aversive methods, please reach out to a credentialed reward-based trainer, behavior consultant, or veterinary behaviorist. We are here to help educate and make training and behavior modification feel achievable for everyone, without risking pets' welfare.

03/29/2025

I love seeing the growing enthusiasm of my nose work teams each time they step into a search with a little more understanding of each other. I would never want to decrease that through intentional or unintentional corrections. That joy is key.

Turning a dog off of wanting to work, or diminishing their enjoyment, is rarely intentional but almost always has serious consequences—it’s never normal for a dog to quit.

Even if he doesn’t quit but shows signs of stress,
such as:
sniffing, coming back to you, picks at grass, goes half hearted around the sheep, gets very wide or other, it’s important to recognize your dog is telling you something is wrong.
Paramount to your dog reaching his or her potential is understanding your role is not to get your dog to work; it’s to get your dog to WANT to work.

While there are some Border Collies that genuinely never turn on to working and some dogs are inherently keener than others, I can’t tell you how often we hear,
“the dog was never keen enough”,
when in fact, it was the handlers ex*****on and method of training that caused the issue.
The excuse of “he’s too immature” especially with dogs 2.5 years or older, can be a copout for the wrong training approach.
Many dogs have come to us as “not good enough to train” and with the right method, have gone on to flourish in their work, including trial success.

If your dog has experienced diminished joy for working, the first step is to give yourself grace; you don’t know what you don’t know.
The next step is to become educated.
It may be as straight forward as you or a trainer tried to go too fast too soon,
didn’t include enough balance point, used discipline before you cultivated desire,
tried to force your dog,
made the work too difficult, corrected a pup before he was truly working
or even unintentionally, trained for an agenda rather than your dogs needs.
It could be more complicated, such as an excitable dog that underneath has a soft nature,
a type of eye that you don’t understand, a temperament issue you inadvertently exacerbated, or other.
There is no simple fix.
You can’t recreate initial enthusiasm.
But in many instances there are exercises, techniques, philosophical and mindset adjustments that can make an enormous difference—doing everything you can to help your dog enjoy his work is the best first step you can make.
macraeway.com

03/28/2025

Lots of great advice and ideas here!

COMPLETE DOG TRAINING SOLUTIONS: •❓🤨 STRUGGLING WITH LEASH TRAINING? 👇 ✅ 6 Weeks to Dream Walks: Step-By-Step Leash Training Program: https://happyho...

03/01/2025

I’m very excited to learn from Dana Zinn! If you want to become a better nose work handler, this is the workshop for you!

Official NACSW™ Event ORT East Helena City Hall Gym 306 E Main St., East Helena, MT March 15, 2025 PREMIUM Official NACSW™ Event NW3/NW2 Montana City School   11 McClellan Creek Road Clancy, Montana June 7-8, 2025 PREMIUM NW3 NW2 Official NACSW™ Event NW2/NW3 Helena College 1115 North Roberts...

02/16/2025

❤️❤️❤️

positive dog training and compassion for dogs.

02/14/2025

If some guy (or girl) tells you to ignore your dog's cries, to show your dog you're in charge or disregards how your dog feels, then grab your beautiful, vulnerable dog and run the other way. Our dogs rely on us to understand and care for them, to be their advocates and protectors from harm. Let's live up to their needs. It's our responsibility.

02/13/2025

Do you think your dog looks “guilty” sometimes?

01/25/2025

I just had a last minute cancelation for my previously SOLD OUT Intro to Nose Work Class that starts tomorrow! Does anyone want to jump in? We're going to have a great group!
https://www.trailsandtailsdogschool.com/classregistration-nose-work?fbclid=IwY2xjawIBCktleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHbdA11IrVjnOEqFte1f0mid5quqpfdi24a07oEhOv9BO0isxpNqfPkPgWw_aem_ZwRNRfHQvY07WUlWTCe4hw

Nose Work Class Registration  Intro to K9 Nose Work Classes Intro to Odor Classes Nose Work Trial Prep - Weekly Drop In Class Fun with Nose Work - Drop In Class Private Tuesday Nose Work Group All Other Classes, click here.