“He Bit Without Warning!”
During resource-guarding, dogs exhibit components of ritualized aggression. That is, they have a fairly explicit hierarchy of warnings – accelerated eating, cessation of eating...
The Eyes Have It
There’s sometimes an occasional moment during shelter dog behavior assessments when the dog being assessed makes deliberate, direct, soft eye contact with the person...
Oblivious to Stress?
Dogs tell us when they feel stressed. The more aware you are of your dog’s stress-related body language, the better you can help him...
Out With the Old, In With the New
Old-fashioned training methods can work. Decades of well-behaved dogs and the owners who loved them can attest to that. So why should they bother...
Meals Versus Free Feeding
Excerpt from Positive Perspectives 2 by Pat Miller
I cringe internally when a client tells me she free-feeds her dog¬—that is, keeps the bowl on...
Without Provocation
Excerpt from Positive Perspectives 2 by Pat Miller
Almost every “Dog Mauls Toddler” headline is followed by an article that includes, among other things, these...
How To Build Strong Bonds
Excerpt from Play With Your Dog by Pat Miller
Everyone in the family, including children, should play with their dogs. Even young children can be...
Canine Play Styles
Excerpt from Play With Your Dog by Pat Miller
Your best option for finding compatible playmates for your dog is to identify your dog’s play...
Tug Games
Excerpt from Play With your Dog by Pat Miller
The game of Tug has an undeserved bad rap in some training circles, while others, most...
Complementary Therapies To Help Your Dog’s Arthritis
There are many wonderful complementary treatments for dogs with OA. None will cure or heal the arthritic joint, but a combination of treatments can...
Location Guarding
Excerpt from Mine! A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding in Dogs by Jean Donaldson
Dogs may guard food and/or food bowl, coveted toys or objects,...
The Challenge of Defusing Intra-Pack Aggression
Excerpt from Managing A Multi-Dog Household by Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, CDBC
Aggression Modification
My first choice with most clients is this: changing the dogs’ opinion...
Latest Blog
The “Magic” Skunk Formula is Science, Not Magic…
Decades ago, a chemist named Paul Krebaum (may his name be honored forever) cracked the chemical code of the stinky, sulfur-containing substances called “thiols” that are in the musk that skunks spray to defend themselves. Krebaum harnessed the power of oxidation, formulating a solution that changes the odorous thiols into odorless acids. He shared the recipe with a workplace friend who had been complaining about the smell of his cat, who had been skunked. Soon, other scientists heard about the formula and it went viral!