Robin MacFarlane

10/30/2025

He’s got an opinion about having to actually earn earn the paycheck. 😂

10/29/2025

This T-shirt came to me last week as a surprise give from a former client. I love it. She designed it herself as a tribute to her dog, Kenya.

But it's the story and meaning behind the t-shirt that I really want to share with all of you. What started out as a pretty dicey case, ended up being one of that I'm really proud of.

To check out the story of Kenya, the Malinois that learned to make good decisions, click this link ⬇️
https://robinmacfarlane.com/kenya-the-malinois-making-good-decisions/

It's one great example of what it means to be Your Dog's Hero!

10/24/2025

There are few things more rewarding than getting a progress update from a new client the day after your first lesson together.

To hear that "she's catching on so quickly" and "did extremely well" is a highlight in any dog trainers day.

Not only because the dog is doing well, but because it shows the owner's level of commitment. Commitment to learning, training and the dog's well-being is what it means to be Your Dog's Hero!

And the icing on the cake??
..when the instructions that spending time practicing "How to walk" will create fatigue and calmness more effectively than just going for a "drag you down the street walk" plays out exactly as you said it would. ☺️

10/15/2025

Last call for the November foundation workshop in Buffalo, MN.

There are 2 working spots still available and a few audit spots. Open to pet owners, bird dog folks and professional trainers.

If you learn how to set the foundation of your ecollar training correctly, you can move on to building reliability much more easily. Understand how to minimize confusion and enhance desire by learning how to work in drive and when to switch drives depending on your goals.

Over two days, I'll get the newbies started and the intermediate dogs advanced to higher levels of skill.

https://robinmacfarlane.com/product/remote-collar-training-workshop/
Sign up today, registration closes soon!

The Ecollar Foundation Workshop teaches how to safely and humanely use an ecollar so you can provide your dog more freedom and build reliability.

10/11/2025

Some of the current dog wisdom will suggest that you should not use modeling to facilitate teaching a behavior. While I am a huge fan of shaping and do a good amount of it, I disagree with the idea of taking a complete "hands off" approach"

Having a dog that is tolerant of touch is important, but there is also significant value in teaching the dog that touch in certain areas = the expectation of a certain behavior.

𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠:

You will create learned associations with tactile cues. Useful when the dog is older and potentially loses their hearing.

You can use the association to help the dog when you are overlaying ecollar pressure, (or other tools).

You are helping the dog get comfortable with touch and having their body manipulated into various positions.

Here is a snippet from the recent Dog Camp weekend where I was demonstrating the concept.

You mileage may vary...but it hasn't failed me yet, to create dogs that are "multi-lingual. 😊
Understanding verbal cues, visual cues and tactile cues gives you a variety of ways to communicate.

10/06/2025

Not dog related...but I suspect my followers are like minded and would value this information as much I do. The little things we do (or don't do) matter. 🍂

Fall is here. Can you find ways to leave the leaves? Our obsession with raking and removing fallen leaves drastically reduces both the number and types of insects in our human controlled spaces. Many species feed internally in leaves as larvae, overwinter as larvae, or overwinter in senesced leaves. With tens of millions of acres of lawn across the United States and Canada, raking leaves and discarding them as yard waste creates a staggering loss of biodiversity every year. It's time to change our habits.

A recent scientific study in Maryland found the following:

➡Autumn leaf raking for yard waste decreased the abundance of spring emerging arthropods (moths and butterflies, beetles, wasps, flies, and spiders ) by 17 %.
➡Raking and removing leaves reduced Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) species richness by 40 % and abundance by 45 %.
➡Raking changed the composition of Lepidoptera and parasitic wasp communities . Parasitic wasps provide free, non-pesticide pest control for our gardens, and birds rely on caterpillars to feed their young.
➡Leaf mining moths and their associated parasitic wasps were most adversely affected.
➡Retaining leaves supports arthropods in both high and low maintenance yard areas.

Source: Science of the Total Environment, Volume 970, 20 March 2025, 178821, authors Max Ferlauto, Karin T. Burghardt

10/06/2025

The recent Dog Camp weekend was a great success.
Thank you to Trina Copeland of Copeland's Dog Obedience 101 for hosting! And to all of her family members that pitched in and took care of the details, Thank you!

Congrats to all of the pet owners that joined the weekend. We had some spicy dogs, some fearful and anxious ones, some young pups just starting their education, and some with high prey drive behaviors that can be challenging to get a handle on.

It was quite a mix, but you all showed up willing to learn. You asked questions, participated in the exercises, worked outside your comfort zones and demonstrated exactly what it means to be Dog's Hero. Thank you!

The progress you made in 3 days was remarkable. Keep practicing what you learned and imagine where you'll be in 3 months. 🐾

This week, I'll be sifting through video and posting some of the best moments...stay tuned!

10/02/2025

Congratulations to the amazing group of pet owners and professional trainers who recently completed the Ecollar: Beyond the Basics course.

I was honored to guide them through 7 weeks of instruction, homework assignments, video reviews, live calls and group discussion.

I'm excited for the pet owners. They learned more about how to work with their dogs to improve reliability, plus provide more fun and freedom!

I'm equally excited for the pro trainers who fine tuned training techniques, sharpened instructing skills and gained some valuable client motivation ideas.

Well done everyone!! 🎉

The next Beyond the Basics course will be in early 2026. Add your name to the waitlist if you want to be notified when registration opens. (Link in comments section)

09/24/2025

Had a lot of fun with this guy for the past few weeks. He did a board and train with me 5 years ago. He came back to hang out for a few weeks while his folks went out of the country to get married. 💒

Field trips to hiking locations, the Des Moines sculpture park and outdoor eateries with him helped pass the time.

For those that don't know, I'm in the midst of building a new house. I relocated this past spring and my husband and I have been "glamping" in the garage/building that will be my future training facility.

We're getting to the tail end of the build (I hope!!) and I'm super excited to start working on the garage building to set up the training area.

To anyone in the Des Moines, and central Iowa area interested in training help, reach out. I can get you started with private lessons immediately and should be ready for Board and Train sometime in November!

09/17/2025

Virtual fencing for cattle...here in Iowa! Pretty cool. I really like the idea that it deters them from 💩 in the waterways. 🎉 🙂

The Nature Conservancy studied virtual fencing with cattle at a preserve for three years and hope the technology can help other ranchers.

09/13/2025

I sent out a quick note to my newsletter subscribers this morning. I received such an outpouring of response emails, (and lots of great photos!) that I thought I'd pass it along in case anyone else needs to hear the message.
(if you want to join the newsletter, link is in comments)

And feel free to drop photos of your adventures below, we can use reminders of the beauty and joy that is out there. 🥾

More hikes. Fewer problems:
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𝐼'𝑚 𝑝𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑜𝑑𝑠. 𝐴𝑢𝑡𝑢𝑚𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑎 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑒!

𝑁𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑑𝑜𝑔 𝑏𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑛𝑖𝑓𝑓 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑠, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑚𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑑𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑎𝑠 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙.

𝐼𝑡'𝑠 𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑦'𝑠 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑏𝑜𝑚𝑏𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑛𝑒𝑤𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑚𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑎, 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑏𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑏𝑢𝑠𝑦 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠, 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑢𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑢𝑠.

𝑅𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑦, 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑. 𝐼𝑡'𝑠 𝑓𝑢𝑛𝑛𝑦 ℎ𝑜𝑤, 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠, 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤. 𝐴 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑛 𝑚𝑦 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑦.

𝑊𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑢𝑝 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑔𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 ℎ𝑖𝑘𝑒. 𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑡𝑦 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑑𝑖𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑚 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑎𝑠 𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑘. 𝑆ℎ𝑖𝑓𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑐𝑢𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑.

𝑆ℎ𝑖𝑓𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑠𝑒𝑡 𝑒𝑥𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑑𝑜𝑔 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑠 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙. 𝑅𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑐𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑦𝑒𝑡, 𝑡𝑟𝑦 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡. 𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑚𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑓𝑓!