k9wise

12/17/2025

12/08/2025

Trying to figure out the best way to train your dog? The evidence is overwhelming! 💙🐾

12/08/2025

Thank you, vets, techs, rescues and volunteers—refer only trainers avoiding shock, prong, choke and corrections—and not just claiming to. 🐾💙

‘Veterinary technicians potentially have a huge role to play in determining who recommended dog trainers may be. And that is important – maybe ultimately meaning life or death for any dog. There is a price to be paid when trainers use aversive techniques.’
–Steve Dale CABC

By Steve Dale, CABC Veterinary technicians potentially have a huge role to play in determining who recommended dog trainers may be. And that is important – maybe ultimately meaning life or death for any dog. There is a price to be paid when trainers use aversive techniques. Following a five-year c...

12/08/2025

We don’t learn good behaviours through fear. We simply learn how to avoid consequences and to appease.

Fear in our dogs is not always taken seriously, with so many videos floating round social media that get a few laughs.

We wouldn’t laugh if a child cowered in fear. We would take action, show concern and the same should go for our dogs.

We have the power to motivate, provide clarity and guide. We should never waste that on scare tactics or intimidation.

Find exercises with a gentle approach on the membership.

12/06/2025

For anyone grieving the loss of a beloved companion, please know you’re not alone. 💔🐾
Cornell University offers no-cost compassionate, evidence-based pet loss support to help you navigate the hurt, the memories, and the love that remains. If your heart is heavy today, these resources may bring a bit of comfort. 🤍

Grieving the loss of a pet can be a complicated process. Photo: Cavan/Adobe Stock, Education License

12/05/2025

Are you missing me?

I am a young female with a pink and purple collar on and I have been hanging out at a residence on Gage Dr. I’m currently being held for my safety but would really like to go home.

If you know who this sweet girl belongs to contact the Towns County Sheriff’s Office at 706-896-4444.

12/04/2025

There is no such thing as an invisible fence. Read that again.

This is one of the reasons why we do not like invisible fences for our adoptions:

This little guy got out of his invisible fence...no doubt chasing a squirrel that was outside the boundary. He managed to fight off the coyotes that tried to kill him.
The shock collar around his neck had prevented his return to his home and yard, so he went back into the woods to lay down to die. His owner was determined to find him. When he was found he was pretty torn up with a temp of 94°F.
Invisible fencing is Not going to keep animals, or other threats out of your yard.
If your dog runs through the barrier in pursuit of a critter, he's going to get corrected by that collar if he tries to get back home.... Please reconsider invisible fencing. People may say that they have been using them for years without issue.
However, it only takes once

11/28/2025

“Balanced training” is just other words for abuse. You and your dogs deserve better than that.

Many of the behavioral dynamics used to justify pain-based training mirror the exact same dynamics people are taught to escape in human relationships:

1. Fear-based compliance
Victims obey to avoid harm.
Dogs obey to avoid prong pops or lead corrections.

2. Walking on eggshells
Victims become hypervigilant.
Dogs become hyper-aware of lead tension and handler movement.

3. Suppression looks like calm
Victims go quiet to stay safe.
Dogs shut down and appear “well-behaved.”

4. Harm gets rebranded
Abusers minimize (“it wasn’t that bad”).
Pain tools get rebranded as “pressure,” “clarity,” or “communication.”

5. Control is framed as care
“I'm doing this because I love you.”
“This correction makes the dog confident.”

6. Learned helplessness
Victims stop trying.
Dogs stop offering behaviors.

The behavioral mechanisms of fear and control look the same, even if the context and moral weight are completely different.

Dogs deserve learning built on safety and understanding, not on avoiding the next consequence.

ABUSE IS ABUSE!

11/26/2025

Thank you Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training & Behavior, pioneer of force-free/fear-free animal training, for continuing to lead the way and set the industry standard in dog training. I am proud to be a Certified Training Partner (KPA CTP).

We are part of the steering committee for the Joint Standards of Practice (JSOP) coalition. We are pleased to share that the coalition has recently updated the Standards of Practice, and they now align more closely with the professional standards we uphold at Karen Pryor Academy. While KPA will continue to maintain our own comprehensive standards for Certified Training Partners, the revised JSOP Standards are now close to the benchmarks we have always promoted. This update is a positive step for the broader training community, bringing industry-wide standards even closer to the principles of skillful, positive-reinforcement training.

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The Joint Standards of Practice: Strengthening Standards Through Collaboration

We’re proud to share new updates to the Joint Standards of Practice (JSOP), a collaborative effort uniting leading organizations in the animal training and behavior field. Since 2018, the JSOP has promoted science-based, humane, and ethical practices across the profession. Endorsed by IAABC, APDT, Karen Pryor Academy, ADI, Grisha Stewart Academy, Science Matters, Understand Horses, Victoria Stilwell Academy, and the IAABC Foundation, this shared framework supports professional integrity and animal well-being. The latest updates reflect our evolving understanding of learning and behavior and reaffirm our commitment to a unified, compassionate approach. More updates and opportunities for feedback are coming in the new year. We look forward to continuing this journey—together: https://bit.ly/4nYnmE7

11/19/2025

An excellent dog trainer is ethical, empathetic, and highly educated.

They value hands-off teaching and take pride in kindness, always listening and considering both the dog’s and the owner’s needs.

These qualities ensure that the dog’s welfare and the bond between dog and human are respected and nurtured.

11/17/2025

Trauma-Informed Dog Training: Meeting Dogs With Empathy and Science

Trauma-informed dog training is an approach rooted in understanding how past experiences shape a dog’s current behavior. Just like people, dogs can carry the emotional and physiological impacts of frightening, painful, or unpredictable events. These experiences influence the way they learn, communicate, and cope with stress. A trauma-informed framework doesn’t label dogs as “stubborn” or “dominant”—it asks why the behavior is happening and what the dog needs to feel safe enough to learn.

At its core, trauma-informed training emphasizes four pillars: safety, choice, predictability, and connection. Creating a sense of safety means reducing exposure to triggers and using humane, low-stress handling. Choice allows a dog to participate in training willingly rather than out of fear or pressure. Predictability—consistent routines, clear cues, and gentle guidance—helps rebuild confidence. And connection fosters trust through responsive, compassionate interactions.

This approach is inherently aligned with positive reinforcement and modern behavior science. Force, intimidation, and punitive tools can retraumatize an already sensitive dog, while rewards-based methods help regulate the nervous system and promote real learning. Progress may be gradual, but in time, many traumatized dogs rediscover curiosity, resilience, and the capacity to bond deeply with their humans.

Trauma-informed training reminds us that behavior is communication. When we listen with empathy and respond with skill, we help dogs heal—not just behave.

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