Teri's paws and effect (dog training and behavior modification)

01/13/2026

11/24/2025

I stand by this statement. There is no place for shock or prong collars in dog training. The science shows they have risks for dogs' welfare, and the reward-based trainers show that you simply don't need to use aversive methods. And dominance training has been out-dated for some time. So stick to reward-based methods, which work, and don't have the risks of aversives. Often, this means using treats as positive reinforcement.

If you want to know more about the science on this, take a look at my book Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog, which is available from all good bookstores, or have a browse of my website, where I've written about many of the studies.

Get Bark!: https://amzn.to/4iOEPMT
Visit my website: https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/index.html

06/21/2025

Beach walks with dogs are the best!

04/09/2025

Getting coffee with Gage.

12/16/2024

Happy Holidays

11/26/2024

Thankful for our sweet dogs.

03/17/2024

CW: Article about toddler fatality/dog mauling (Dalmatian) Link to article in first comment and at the end of my comments below. Some quotes/commentary below.
"Normally, (the dog) would play," said Juan Sanchez, who identified himself as the great grandfather of 1-year-old Lennox. "They used to ride him, we don't know what happened. The dogs were friendly."

I think I know what happened. I think the answer is right there. They used to RIDE HIM. This is NOT OK.

We have so far to go with public education and outreach. As Family Paws Parent Education says "Sit on the ground, not on the hound."

Of course this is incredibly sad for this family, but this very likely could have been avoided. I only wonder how much this dog put up with before this incident happened.

What body language was this dog giving off that was being ignored time and time again? How many times did he ask the adults for help with his eyes or his body weight shifting or his ear position and just got ignored? Or worse, punished for growling or asking for relief?

Dogs put up with a lot, until they don't.

We need to do better to keep kids and dogs safe and to help them learn to be safe together.

We should NEVER expect a dog to tolerate a child riding them. EVER.

If you are expecting or have a toddler and need help navigating this challenging times, please reach out and schedule a session.

Schedule here: https://rescuedbytraining.com/new-clients/

Article here: https://www.ctpost.com/journalinquirer/article/east-hartford-dog-attack-child-killed-lennox-19065755.php

02/18/2024

Our friend’s Scottish Terrier.

11/05/2023

No dog needs corrections.

There is never a reason to correct a dog.

When corrections "work" they do so by scaring, startling or otherwise interrupting behavior. They do not teach the dog anything other than potentially to be afraid of us.

So what do we do instead? We as guardians need to do a better job at understanding the motivation behind why dogs do what they do and we need to do a much better job at reading body language, managing their environments and teaching them alternate behaviors when they do something we would prefer them not to.

All of these things are on US, not the dog.

05/30/2023

Buttercup is a total sweetheart I just started working with.