My Hero Dog Training (& Sports)

08/04/2026

08/02/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GxZLTiWyf/

08/02/2026

06/28/2026

This is horrible!

06/23/2026

06/20/2026

an important and fun game to play with your dog

06/14/2026

DON’T BLAME THE HARNESS

Some people believe that harnesses cause or encourage dogs to pull.

This belief probably comes from comparing our dogs to sled dogs. Sled dogs are specifically bred and trained to pull and are reinforced for it. They pull on a specially designed harness because that’s what they’ve been conditioned to do, not because a dog wearing a harness magically switches on a pulling instinct.

Pulling is a behaviour and not a harness problem. Dogs don’t pull more in harnesses, but they have far less stress and risk of injury and damage if they do pull.

It’s natural for dogs to need to pull ahead, run, stop, choose direction, create distance, sniff and explore. Being restrained on a leash is not something that dogs are born knowing how to cope with.

It’s up to us to guide them through teaching loose lead walking, using a long line where it’s safe to do so, allowing time to stop, sniff and explore. Allowing dogs more freedom of movement on walks can actually reduce pulling, stress, anxiety or reactivity.

Our dogs are not being “disobedient’’ or difficult. Dogs are just trying to meet their needs in the only way they know how.

Don’t blame the harness. Understand the “why” of the behaviour and endeavor to meet their needs.

06/14/2026

REACTING TO REACTIVITY

When a dog reacts, it's natural that all the focus is on the behaviour we see in that moment, but the reaction itself is not where it begins — it's where it ends up.

Reactive behaviours like barking, lunging, snarling, growling is often the final behaviour in a much longer chain.

The reactive behaviour itself becomes the primary concern. It’s what we focus on and try to stop or “fix”.

By the time a dog reacts or explodes, the nervous system has likely already switched over to survival mode. In this state, the brain's ability to listen, learn, respond, process information or make appropriate choices is switched off.

Reactive dogs are struggling to behave differently because they no longer have access to the part of the brain that allows that to happen.

When we only focus on stopping the behaviour when it happens - we're just reacting to the reaction.

This is why working with a reactive dog often looks really boring. It's not about dramatic interventions during the explosion. It's about noticing what came before it.

When we understand why a dog is reacting, rather than simply reacting to the behaviour itself, we can start addressing the cause instead of just focusing on the symptom.

06/14/2026

Sourced from Dogs Disclosed: facebook.com/dogsdisclosed