As humans, our complex thought processes make us vulnerable to misinformation—especially about our pets. Social media amplifies this, showcasing both the best and worst of human nature, as Mark Zuckerberg once noted. It’s a powerful tool for dog trainers like me to connect and educate, but it also spreads myths that harm our dogs. When […]
I’ve lived a life shaped by pain, resilience, and the unwavering love of dogs. Growing up in a dysfunctional family, I endured abuse, neglect, and narcissistic parents. Years later, my father’s conviction for paedophilic acts cemented the trauma of my childhood. Those early years left me with deep wounds, seeking reassurance and acceptance from others—often […]
Dog owners are often given outdated advice about managing food/ resource guarding, like taking food from a dog’s mouth or standing over them while they eat. The intention is to “teach” the dog not to guard their food, but this approach often backfires. Let’s set the record straight: these methods do make resource guarding worse, […]
As a seasoned dog trainer, I often encounter pet owners who are contemplating the addition of a second dog to their family. The primary motivation is typically to provide their current dog with a companion – a playmate to stave off boredom and loneliness. While I’m advocate for ensuring dogs are not subjected to a […]
Social media is helping to spread and encourage rewards-based training across Australia, especially in the younger generation, university-educated, and left-leaning. Sadly, social media is full of a lot of conflicting and inaccurate information about dogs (and many other topics too), and I often have clients come to me confused because they don’t know what to believe regarding correct training methods for their dog.
We all talk a lot about changing or eliminating a dogs behaviour. But what about stopping the dog from learning the behaviour in the first place. Just as I stated in my last blog I had created a behaviour in Odin that was completely contextual to only my son.
This particular subject always reminds of a Mini Fox Terrier that I helped with many years ago and yes some of them really do stay with you. It was a friend of a friend and their little Foxy was very sweet, affectionate and very social with everyone.
In dog training, I have made many mistakes and some that haunt me. Hence I’ll never make those mistakes again. When my son was first born my dog at the time was a Belgian Malinois named Odin. I had raised him myself from a pup.
This statement always makes me smile when my client first contacts me and tells me of their issues they are having with their dog. Yet they will interject with ‘but he’s really smart’ and the reason why every pet owner thinks their dog is really smart
Dogs are complex in a way that we are not.
One of my favourite analogy’s for explaining the very way basic of teaching a dog anything is just like teaching a child to first walk. When that child takes it’s very first step the parents face will light up with excitement, following with lots of praise
© 2026 All Rights Reserved.
Get notified about new Seminars, Coupons and Discounts.
