Blog — training advice

  When you listen to your dog, your dog listens to you... But what does this actually mean? Your dog is like an outer manifestation of your nervous system. When you listen to your nervous system and practice good habits of self-care and self-regulation, your nervous system receives cues of safety. When you listen to your dog and respond to their need for connection and co-regulation, your dog receives cues of safety. Cues of safety calm the dog just like they calm your nervous system. Now we have a positive feedback loop. You are calm, your dog is calm, and...

Have you ever felt overwhelmed with your dog's behavior, but didn't know where to start? Here's a simple solution: Take your dog's "existential food" and hand feed them every day for just a few minutes per day. This means, instead of feeding them out of bowl, you put their regular food in a pouch, bait bag, or even your pockets and simply feed them out of your hand. You can do this while on walks to get engagement and loose-leash walking, or if you have a fenced yard, your dog can follow you around the yard. Now, to incorporate training,...

We have a series of online classes coming up, which will be held on Zoom as a regular calls. So these webinars are interactive and we will leave time for questions! If you miss the live class, the recording will be made afterwards so you can join either way. To get all your questions answered, join our online community: Natural Dog Network. The schedule:   June 28th at 6pm Eastern: Canine Body Language     June 29th at 7pm Eastern: Calm Dog Happy Dog     July 6th at 6pm: Working with Shy Dogs

  Understanding Canine Body Language You can talk to your dog all day long, but do you also know how to listen? This lecture will give you some insight into your dog's only language: Body Language! In this lecture, we will introduce the basic concepts of canine body language, how dogs play with each other, and the best practices for introducing your dog to people and other dogs. The class will end with a Q&A. Please note: This class is for humans only. Doggies stay home! Where: The Chattery, 1800 Rossville Road, Chattanooga When: June 19th at 6:00 pm Registration:...

Of course it's normal to get irritated, frustrated, or even feel disappointment when we work with our dogs. Dogs do not speak our language, so it can be frustrating trying to communicate with them. In addition to this, I would say MOST dogs have some quirky behavioral issue that gets on their owner's nerves. Some dogs even have severe emotional traumas that cause them to be fearful, reactive, and even aggressive. The question I want you ask you, is: Can you love your dog exactly the way he is, RIGHT NOW? Can you love your dog with all his flaws,...