Podcast Guests: Chirag Patel, Eva Bertilsson, and Theresa McKeon Chirag Patel runs Domesticated Manners in London, UK. He consults on the ethical and science-based practice of behavior management and training for animals housed in domestic, zoo, and laboratory environments. Chirag also conducts workshops for professionals internationally and was a behavior consultant on the BBC […]

Podcast Guests: Dr. Eduardo Fernandez Dr. Eduardo J. Fernandez received his Ph.D. in Psychology (minors in Neuroscience and Animal Behavior) from Indiana University, where he worked with the Indianapolis and Cincinnati Zoo. He received his M.S. in Behavior Analysis from the University of North Texas, where he founded and was President of the Organization for […]

Podcast Guests: Emelie Johnson Vegh Emelie Johnson Vegh began riding at a young age, but in 1989 she was introduced to the world of dogs and dog sports. Emelie had the wonderful opportunity to borrow a Labrador called Kicki, and with her, she embarked on her journey with dogs. She begun training together with Kicki […]

Christopher Pachel, DVM, DACVB, CABC received his veterinary degree from the University of MN in 2002 and became board certified by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists in 2010. He has operated both house-call and office-based behavior practices and is currently the owner and lead clinician at the Animal Behavior Clinic in Portland, OR. Dr. […]

Kiki Yablon is a dog trainer (KPA CTP, CPDT-KA) from Chicago. A former newspaper and magazine editor who grew up in a mostly animal-free household, she adopted a life-changing dog in 2005. Her burgeoning interest in training led her to Laura Monaco Torelli, with whom she worked as a client, intern, and then trainer (until […]

Lucy Newton has a lifetime of experience working with and training a variety of animals. She is a professional working dog trainer and instructor as well as a lifelong student of dogs and dog training. She is also a NACSW and AKC Nosework Judge. Lucy was involved in search and rescue for over 15 years, […]

Julie Norman Jenkins is a multi-sport dog trainer and owner of Quicksilver Canine in Julian, NC with a passion for teaching people and dogs. She has trained and showed her own dogs in obedience, conformation, herding, agility, flyball, freestyle, and disc. Julie’s flyball team, Fur Fun, has proven success racking up 25 Regional Championships and […]

In this episode we discuss: How you think you know, but you have no idea… What the Dunning-Kruger Effect means How this phenomenon plays out in the dog training world How to avoid falling into the cognitive bias trap and keep growing as a trainer Links mentioned: Self-assessment   This podcast is supported by the […]

Confidence sounds so good. It’s something most of us want in our training – both for our dogs and ourselves. We talk a lot about building confidence, or at least I do. It’s a major component in my Zero to CD program because teaching behaviors on a surface level is relatively easy. But building the […]

Podcast Guest: Lori Stevens Lori Stevens (CPDT-KA, SAMP, CCFT, CPBC) is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, a certified Small Animal Massage Practitioner; a Certified Canine Fitness Trainer, and a Certified Behavior Consultant. She is also a Senior Tellington TTouch practitioner. Lori uses humane and scientific methods to improve the health, behavior, and performance of animals. […]

In this episode we discuss: What is “errorless learning”? What is the history behind it? How does this apply in real life? What takeaways can we learn from the scientific evidence? Links mentioned: Discrimination Learning With and Without Errors by HS Terrace Teaching Dogs the Clicker Way by Dr. Jesús Rosales-Ruiz Tsk, No, Eh-eh: Clearing […]

There is an important connection between your dog’s motivation in a training session and your own training mechanics. Good mechanical skills are critical to communicating clearly in any training interaction. Take out all the soft skills (observing, making decisions, “reading” your dog, etc) and your training centers around the core motor skills of being able […]

Podcast Guest: Morten Egtvedt Norwegian dog trainer Morten Egtvedt and his wife Cecilie Køste have written three best-selling books about clicker training. They have also published the Nordic dog magazine “Canis” for exactly 20 years this winter. They are the owners of Canis Clickertraining Academy (the leading clicker training dog school in the Nordic countries). […]

This week we are doing a sort of grab bag Q&A. You asked the questions, and I did my best to answer them. If you have a question you’d like to submit for the next round, make sure that you’re following me on Instagram here and keep your eye out for the next announcement. The […]

Podcast Guest: Dr. Jessica Hekman In this episode, we’re diving into the connection between behavior and genetics in dogs. I’m joined by Dr. Jessica Hekman, who is a postdoctoral associate at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, where she researches how genetics affect behavior in pet and working dogs. She is the team lead […]

Podcast Guests: Eva and Emelie of Carpe Momentum This week we are returning to our series all about Foundations and talking about Foundations for Agility. In fact, we are hanging out with my excellent Swedish friends again, Eva and Emelie from Carpe Momentum, and the authors of the book Agility Right From the Start, which is […]

This week we continue our conversation about that mystical dog training unicorn: Loose Leash Walking. Loose Leash Walking is so hard because it really is the ultimate conflict between human behavior and dog behavior. For it to work, and that leash to actually STAY loose, both members of the team have to be on board. […]

This week we are talking about a topic that I get a TON of requests for. It is hands down, the most requested behavior of all time from pet clients, and it is a topic of much debate on dog training circles. I am talking, of course, about the holy grail of dog training: Loose […]