Brenin Behavior

05/01/2026

I really liked this post by Karolina Westlund - she describes nicely how animal training and understanding their behavior is more complex than you might initially think.

Dr. Westlund says, "... some people think that learning to train a dog is like learning to drive a car. You watch someone do it, you copy the footwork, and off you go. But a dog isn't a car. A dog is a living, breathing, constantly-processing nervous system. Actually, I’ve come to realize that dog training is much more like brain surgery than driving."

... and not like driving a car.

04/17/2026

Come and find out more about wild horse behavior!

04/01/2026

03/21/2026

This week I presented a webinar on wild horse and b***o behavior for the Free Roaming Equids and Ecosystem Sustainability (FREES) network. If you'd like to watch, it is now available at the link below.

Dr. Sarah King will present recentresearch about wild horse and b***obehavior, highlighting differencesbetween the species. She will discusstheir behavior in...

03/12/2026

Find out more about the joys of nose work!

03/03/2026

New blog post is up! In this one I talk about how dogs' use of their noses continues to amaze me. There's also some fun videos of Buffy at a trailing workshop!🐾

How dogs use their nose for odor detection and trailing

02/17/2026

Happy Lunar New Year! I am excited that we are entering the Year of the Horse.

Check out this article in Scientific American where I contributed some fun facts about equine science to celebrate the new year:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/lunar-new-year-horse-science/

02/01/2026

A couple of weeks ago I gave a presentation on “Dog Training for People” for the Professional Development Institute at Colorado State University. This presentation provides good information about how behavior works and the benefits of positive reinforcement training for all learners of every species.

It also always reminds me of these key life lessons that I have taken from training animals. Read more on my latest blog: https://breninbehavior.com/blog/life-lessons

01/29/2026

This is a space for curious trainers and anyone who values thoughtful, ethical training. Together, we explore evidence-based insights and real-world inspiration.

And yet it also feels wrong for us not to acknowledge what is going on in the United States, as, together, citizens and non-citizens have been demonstrating against the activities of federal immigration agents in their communities, and these agents' repeated pattern of extreme force, violence, and intimidation.

But what does this have to do with animal training, some ask? Everything. The laws of learning and behavior change are universal and apply to humans as well. Moreover, the well-being of animals is inextricably intertwined with the well-being of their people and the safety of the community that surrounds them.

We know that fear-based methods erode trust, damage relationships, and lead to further fallout. We know that force and intimidation may suppress behavior in the moment, but they create anxiety, unpredictability, and breakdowns.

The enforcement actions we're seeing, the use of overwhelming force, the climate of fear, the unpredictability, mirror exactly what we've moved away from in animal training because we know it doesn't work. Not ethically. Not effectively.

This isn't just about principles aligning with our methods. It's about the people in our communities, our clients, our neighbors, our fellow humans, who deserve the same compassion, safety, and dignity we advocate for on the other end of the leash.

As trainers, we understand behavior change. We ask: what sets the occasion for that behavior? What are the reinforcers? What can we change in the environment if we want to change that behavior? These questions are the foundation of how we approach change, whether we're working with a reactive dog or confronting systemic problems in our communities.

So, we will continue doing what we do: connecting with the ideas, principles, and people that ground us in compassion, evidence, and effective change. We'll keep using our understanding of behavior to work toward the world we want to see. And we encourage you to do the same, in whatever way feels right and possible for you.

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Resources our team has found helpful:
https://bit.ly/49YXaEu
https://bit.ly/4t6CqDm
https://bit.ly/49YXbZ4
https://bit.ly/4bXeLza