Irwin Dog Training - Constant Canine Consulting: Behavior & Training

05/28/2025

"You believe someone not because you have no doubts about them. Belief is not the absence of doubt. You believe someone because you don't have enough doubts about them." - Malcom Gladwell.

I get it; you were told the force was necessary. You watched the TV show featuring someone pushing a dog physically around, and were told that was what that dog required because there were no other options. You saw the TikTok video of the guy in paramilitary gear holding a remote while an overactive, stressed out Malinois did a flashy heel ... and you heard the voice over explaining that 'not all dogs....' You were sold the idea that in order to help your dog, you were going to have to hurt them first.

And it didn't sit right with you.

But this was the expert, right? This person had a large following, a tv show on a major network, they were sitting in front of professional looking podcast equipment bought off amazon... They have a Malinois, a breed of dog hyper bred for extreme biddability but surely that makes them hard to work with right? And yet... You didn't think it was right. In your gut you had doubts. In your heart you knew it wasn't right to hurt your dog to force them into compliance. Somewhere inside you knew there had to be a better way.

There is. There absolutely is. There is no need to use force, fear, aversion or physical punishment to change the behavior of your dog. Yes, even your dog who has threatened to eat the neighbor on a regular basis. Yes even your dog who can't see another dog on the street with out losing his mind. Yes even your dog who has never sat still a moment in his life and is driving you both crazy. Yes even your dog who hides under the bed and almost never comes out. Yes even your dog who chases everything that moves. Yes even your dog who can't spend a single second alone. Yes even your dog who got dismissed from daycare. Yes even your dog who your entire family thinks is a menace. All dogs - every dog- can be helped through fear free progressive reinforcement driven practices with out every having to resort to force. I promise.

05/26/2025

"You believe someone not because you have no doubts about them. Belief is not the absence of doubt. You believe someone because you don't have enough doubts about them." - Malcom Gladwell.

I get it; you were told the force was necessary. You watched the TV show featuring someone pushing a dog physically around, and were told that was what that dog required because there were no other options. You saw the TikTok video of the guy in paramilitary gear holding a remote while an overactive, stressed out Malinois did a flashy heel ... and you heard the voice over explaining that 'not all dogs....' You were sold the idea that in order to help your dog, you were going to have to hurt them first.

And it didn't sit right with you.

But this was the expert, right? This person had a large following, a tv show on a major network, they were sitting in front of professional looking podcast equipment bought off amazon... They have a Malinois, a breed of dog hyper bred for extreme biddability but surely that makes them hard to work with right? And yet... You didn't think it was right. In your gut you had doubts. In your heart you knew it wasn't right to hurt your dog to force them into compliance. Somewhere inside you knew there had to be a better way.

There is. There absolutely is. There is no need to use force, fear, aversion or physical punishment to change the behavior of your dog. Yes, even your dog who has threatened to eat the neighbor on a regular basis. Yes even your dog who can't see another dog on the street with out losing his mind. Yes even your dog who has never sat still a moment in his life and is driving you both crazy. Yes even your dog who hides under the bed and almost never comes out. Yes even your dog who chases everything that moves. Yes even your dog who can't spend a single second alone. Yes even your dog who got dismissed from daycare. Yes even your dog who your entire family thinks is a menace. All dogs - every dog- can be helped through fear free progressive reinforcement driven practices with out every having to resort to force. I promise.

05/19/2025

Dogs are only beholden to being dogs. It is our job as the humans, as the gatekeepers of the snacks, the outdoors, and everything else in their lives to prepare dogs for what they are going to experience. It is the height of unfair, and unkind, to put a dog into a situation they are not emotionally, physically, or behaviorally prepared to be in. This starts from the moment you bring a dog home, the act of teaching them what is expected, and how to navigate the world they are thrust into.

The justification to use punishment, and especially physical force, in dog training evaporates when we recognize that the dog's only obligation is to being a dog. And the rest of it is on us.

05/14/2025

Recently there was some discourse online from a would-be author who had asked a beta reader to review a manuscript. When the beta reader asked about a dog featured in the story, and whether that dog survived, the author said they dog didn't. The author did not seem to think anything of it, dismissing any concerns as "it's just a dog." The beta reader declined to read the manuscript, because they weren't interested in a story in which a dog suffers. Discourse bubbled about the value of dog's as a character, which the author objected to considering. The culmination of this was a post from the author snapping and belittling their audience and critics. They said "Damn, people. Dog culture is dire. They're a great pet, but stop acting like they have little moons orbiting them. Your behavior is raising our vet bills. They're not a child. Chill."

I want to make something abundantly clear: Your dog is freaking amazing. Your dog is wonderful. Your dog hung the moon, the stars and all the planets too. Your dog is 3000% worthy of all the love, devotion and spoiling you can possibly give them. Even if they have behavior issues. You know what? ESPECIALLY if they have behavior issues.

This was from a writer, who's book according to the comments is likely to flounder due to their reaction and doubling down on belittling dog guardians. But there are thousands of so-called experts on dog training that tell guardians every day they are too soft on their dogs, they spoil them too much. That the source of their dog's behavior concerns are because they, as a guardian, are just not tough enough... and all of them are wrong. All. Of. Them. If I can impart nothing else to you through my advocacy on social media, through my content, let me impart this: Yes. Your dog does have moons and stars all around him. And he is worthy of every ounce of love, devotion and spoiling you offer him.

05/14/2025

Recently there was some discourse online from a would-be author who had asked a beta reader to review a manuscript. When the beta reader asked about a dog featured in the story, and whether that dog survived, the author said they dog didn't. The author did not seem to think anything of it, dismissing any concerns as "it's just a dog." The beta reader declined to read the manuscript, because they weren't interested in a story in which a dog suffers. Discourse bubbled about the value of dog's as a character, which the author objected to considering. The culmination of this was a post from the author snapping and belittling their audience and critics. They said "Damn, people. Dog culture is dire. They're a great pet, but stop acting like they have little moons orbiting them. Your behavior is raising our vet bills. They're not a child. Chill."

I want to make something abundantly clear: Your dog is freaking amazing. Your dog is wonderful. Your dog hung the moon, the stars and all the planets too. Your dog is 3000% worthy of all the love, devotion and spoiling you can possibly give them. Even if they have behavior issues. You know what? ESPECIALLY if they have behavior issues.

This was from a writer, who's book according to the comments is likely to flounder due to their reaction and doubling down on belittling dog guardians. But there are thousands of so-called experts on dog training that tell guardians every day they are too soft on their dogs, they spoil them too much. That the source of their dog's behavior concerns are because they, as a guardian, are just not tough enough... and all of them are wrong. All. Of. Them. If I can impart nothing else to you through my advocacy on social media, through my content, let me impart this: Yes. Your dog does have moons and stars all around him. And he is worthy of every ounce of love, devotion and spoiling you offer him.

05/12/2025

Voting is open for the Best of Boise! We have been nominated and would be so grateful for a vote! Supporting the advancement of solid, science backed, force free , humane dog training practices in the treasure valley ! (Link in Comments)

05/06/2025

There is a puppy in my house again. And that means I am getting a very pointed reminder about all the reasons raising puppies is really hard. While the puppy here has been a pretty easy going one (I've certainly had more challenging ones - if you had ever met my beloved Werewolf the German Shepherd you would know which puppy I am thinking of...) it's still been an adjustment after not having any young puppies for quite sometime in foster.

Chief among those reminders is how much sleep puppies actually need, and also how difficult they can find taking it. What I mean is that often with puppies the FOMO is so strong, they will stay awake, alert and involved in the goings on in the house until they are well past Over Tired and into "Are you a shark or a demon?" territory. So please remember puppies need about 18 hours of rest/down time per day. And we can help them take that by providing calming activities (like chewing on a bone) and quiet spaces (like a doggy enrichment land) for them to take those naps.

When in doubt, if I've got a young dog who is suddenly quite wild and out of "control" I default to getting them to take a nap. Sometimes this is also a good prescription for dealing with my own overstimulation.

05/04/2025

I have been nominated for Best of Boise! I am honored for the nomination and hoping to give a good showing for force free, humane, ethical training practices! Link below to cast a vote if you're so inclined! Thank you!

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04/28/2025

There comes in a time in any training process with a client where I tell them to stop asking, and giving direction and just wait. This is always the hardest moment for people, because they are fearful of what could possibly go wrong. Almost always this moment goes with out a problem, with out a meltdown, with out a mistake. But the fear is palpable from the guardian. I just remind them to 'trust your dog, trust their learning.'.

What does this mean? Does it mean letting a dog have an over reaction to something? Not at all. It means that at some point in the process of creating behavior change, we have to trust that the dog is learning. And we have to give them a chance to prove it. And as much fear as a guardian has for this moment, when it happens and their dog chooses to disengage, to engage in a good behavior... the joy is obvious. But more than that there is relief. Because that is the moment they know that things are genuinely changing, and it's working.

Have a little faith in your dog, trust goes both ways.

03/11/2025

Having a plan is a game changer. Having a pattern to follow is a great way to ensure we are hitting all the correct marks to practice, and refine our skills, while helping relieve the stress of sorting it out ourselves. Having spent my early childhood, into adulthood working with horses, I am familiar and comfortable with arena exercises. I often use them with dogs to set my goals and intentions for a learning experience. I thought I would share some of these over the next few weeks so you too can use them to practice skills, and engagement.

Here is the first arena-style exercise pattern!

03/06/2025

I always forget, I technically have a blog. And I have been feeling much more writer-ly lately. This is leading me to consider a substack. Would there be an interest? But also here is a free blog, about the Dogs that Make Us.

Link in comments.

02/19/2025

I am by nature an impatient, impulsive person. I know if you spend time with me with those Extra Intense dogs, this might seem like a reality. (I am just very well conditioned to certain behaviors, heh.) So sometimes I have to remind myself to slow down with training. One of the most important ways I do that, is through toys and play as reinforcement.

Using a toy/play reinforcer has a lot of benefits. First for dogs with a lot of extra energy this provides a physical outlet for that along side reinforcing specific behaviors. Second it's almost an unlimited resource. A treat can only be eaten once (or twice if your dog is like one of mine who inhales it, coughs it back up and eats it again, heh.) But a toy can be used hundreds, if not thousands of times - depending on the toy and their durability (or the amount of teeth your dog uses on them.) This can be a very budget friendly option, but it also correlates play and games with our learning scenarios which is beneficial for the brain in terms of memory retention.

But. Toys as a reinforcer has one drawback, and that is that we might not get as many repetitions of the desired behavior during a learning scenario. Especially if you are in a timed situation where your access to this specific situation is going to be limited. However this does not mean the learning is less salient. In fact it often means the opposite. Correlated a 'correct' answer from the dog with a prolonged play session helps drive a strong desire to repeat the correct answer. It can actually speed the learning process (the process by which the brain forms new neural pathways) by correlating these new behaviors with an increase in positive "happy" brain chemicals.

When using a toy reinforcer it's paramount we slow down, and let our dogs keep the toy, engage in the play, as long as they want to. Cutting that play short, before they are ready to "restart" the game will lessen the power of that reinforcer, but it also creates conflict with us around that game. Dogs don't like to play games they can't win. Allowing dogs to keep their prize, continue to play the game until they are ready to stop, ensures our toy reinforcers maintain maximum value. After all they just have to give us a little sit, or other cued behavior, to play for several minutes. That's a good value.

So remember when using a toy as a reinforcer; let them play. Let them keep the toy until they are ready to give it up willingly, or disengage from it on their own. It might be slow at first, but I have found over time the dog realizes they can 'restart' any game with me by simply giving over the prize. And they will do so willingly once they figure that out. Why win once when you can win infinity times?