Sheila Williams Dog Training

04/30/2026

💙 "Our dogs are doing the best they can, with the education we've given them, in the environment we've put them in." -Susan Garrett

04/21/2026

CHAIN REACTIONS

In simple terms, a behaviour chain is a sequence of actions where each step or link in the chain leads to the next—and the final outcome makes the whole sequence worth repeating.

Because the reward happens at the end, the entire sequence is reinforced. This means the unwanted behaviour actually becomes stronger.

It’s really easy to inadvertently or accidentally encourage “bad” links in a chain when the outcome results in a reward or is reinforced. It’s the way that habits are built and why the behaviour keeps happening.

Dogs are really good at identifying patterns that work. Some basic examples are:

• “If I jump up on a person and then sit when they ask, I get a reward”

• “If I bark at something passing the window and then come when you call and stop barking, I get a reward”

• “If I pull on the leash and then stop pulling, I get a reward”

In all these examples, it’s the first action that initiates or builds the chain.

Although the end result is really what we are looking for, it doesn’t prevent the initial problem.

To change the behaviour, we need to remove the bad link at the beginning and build a new chain.

This might look like:

• Rewarding calm, 4 paws on the floor or a sit before the jumping up happens.

• Rewarding quiet, calm behaviour, before the barking at the window begins.

• Rewarding loose lead walking or checking in, without 1st waiting for pulling.

This removes the dog’s need to “start something” to earn reinforcement. Reinforce the wanted behaviour earlier and more often to build a new chain.

If the unwanted behaviour happens first, avoid immediately asking for a different behaviour and then rewarding. Pause before responding, reset the situation if needed and try to ensure the reward is not directly chained to the unwanted behaviour.

Take the time to look at the whole chain, break it down to identify the “bad” link and work on removing it.

It’s far easier said than done, takes time and patience, but it makes all the difference in really changing unwanted behaviour.

04/18/2026

Dogs are built to seek through scent.

Their primary sense is olfactory. They experience the world through smell in ways we can barely imagine.

When a dog puts their nose to the ground and starts sniffing, their SEEKING system lights up. The seeking itself is the reward. That engagement with scent information that tells them about their world.

Watch a dog on a walk who's allowed to sniff freely.

They look different to the one pulled away from the sniff. Softer body language, more engagement with their own life and confident that their person knows their needs matter.

Then look at the one pulled off the sniff. Sad looking, glum and plodding. It wrenches my heart to see that.

Dogs sniff, it's what they do - they need to, it's their walk.

03/31/2026

Your dog would love a sniffari!

03/26/2026

This is an excellent article on monitoring interactions between children and dogs.
Family Paws is an excellent resource for families that have children or have dogs that will be interacting with children.

An active baby on the move means parents have a lot to juggle when sharing space with family dogs. This is one of the busiest stages of parenting!

❗️One of the most important rules: never allow your baby to approach the family dog. We always say: “Dog and baby on the scene, a parent in between.” This simple step prevents startling or uncomfortable interactions.

🐾 As babies crawl closer, dogs often show subtle stress signals—lip licking, yawning, scratching, turning away. Sometimes they’ll get up and leave, but other times they may stay put.

❗️That’s why your role is to notice these signals and prevent the approach. In our experience, it’s usually when the baby goes toward the dog that growls or snaps occur.

✅ Tools like crates, gates, play yards, or even positioning your own body as a barrier (what we call success stations) make a big difference in keeping everyone safe.

✏️

03/23/2026

Let’s talk about poisoned cues.

A poisoned cue is when a signal that used to mean something neutral or positive becomes associated with something unpleasant.

Example:
You call your dog off the couch with “come.”
Sometimes there is a cookie.
Other times there is a crate, collar grab, or social isolation.
Over time, “come” stops predicting reinforcement.
It starts predicting loss.

And sometimes that is when growling or snapping shows up.

We see this frequently in aggression cases:
• “Come” predicts restraint
• “Drop it” predicts loss
• Reaching for a collar predicts confinement
• Seeing the leash predicts an overwhelming walk

The cue itself becomes part of the unpleasant event.

If you are seeing aggression around specific signals, do not just repeat the cue louder.
Ask what that cue has been predicting.

Repairing poisoned cues requires changing what the cue predicts, not just better treats.

Functional analysis matters here.

We walk through how to evaluate and rebuild these patterns inside the Aggression in Dogs Master Course.

03/05/2026

"The most common reason that dogs don’t come back when called is because it’s not a positive or rewarding experience."

02/15/2026

It is a simple process, but not an easy one.

It requires you to stop leaving your dog alone for longer than they can handle.

It requires you to break absences down into increments that your dog can be totally cool with.

It requires you to be open to asking for help: help to sit with your dog, help to be your cheerleader when you're disappointed with progress, help to know what "totally cool" looks like on your dog.

And it requires you to treat the root cause of the anxiety, not the symptoms.

Need help? My Separation Anxiety Training Foundations course is a great way to get the right information at an affordable cost.

02/14/2026

For my cat people 🙂

01/25/2026

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