Sympathy vs Empathy in Dog Rehabilitation

People often suggest you can reinforce a dogs anxious behaviour by showing sympathy, but is that true? And if you aren’t being sympathetic, does that mean you don’t care? There is a big difference between sympathy and empathy when it…

The Empty Bowl!

I’m well used to hearing stories about harsh training techniques, but this totally broke me. There’s just something about food and feeding that really gets me. It’s never ok to purposefully deny your dog food as part of a “training”…

Do dogs feel guilty?

Many people tell me that their dogs feel guilty about stuff. Maybe they’ve come home to find something has been chewed or broken, or perhaps a little “gift” has been accidentally deposited in the hall! But, can you really trust…

The dogs advocate

Whether you call yourself pack leader, caregiver, dog mum/dad, or owner, today dogs need us to advocate for them more than ever before.

Food guarding in dogs

Food guarding in dogs is a big problem. At best you’ll be on alert much of the time, and at worst it can be dangerous to you, and your dog. But where does it come from, and how can you…

Using Predictors to Reduce your Dogs Anxiety

Dogs are very good at noticing behaviour sequences. Once they spot one, all the steps in that sequence will become predictors of the trigger. If you can figure out the sequence, or create your own, you can often use these…

Is there such a thing as a dominant dog?

a white husky type dog on a snowy forest background. the dog is preparing to howl

The short answer is yes, there are dominant dog, but also no! Yes, because the word dominant actually refers to a role within a relationship. But, no, because I suspect the reason for asking is because the word dominant has…

Why Dogs Guard

black and white collie dog standing against a wall barking. photo is black and white

There are lots of reason why dogs guard, but they all boil down to the fact that the dog believes something they value highly is at risk of being taken away from them. Whether it’s their favourite person, their security,…

Great Dog Training Locations in Dundee

There are loads of great dog training locations in Dundee to train and socialise your dog. Here are some of my favourites. But where do you like to go? Tell me in the comments…