Blog — Natural Dog Training

Your Dog’s Mental Health Your dog’s mental health stands on many of the same pillars that yours does! Exercise, nutrition, and emotional connection are the top three that stand out in my mind. This is, of course, after a base foundation of shelter and general safety are established. If your home is a relatively safe place (free from emotional and physical threats like excessive yelling and corporal punishments), and your dog is provided with adequate shelter, then we can look at these other pillars to make sure your dog’s mental health will be stable and balanced.  Exercise To me, this...

Our Training Methods and Philosophy on Dogs A positive approach to Drive-Training (no e-collars or harsh corrections) We use the primal instincts built into the canine mind to channel his drive to the owner. Emotional and physical wellness through attention to the WHOLE dog: His nervous system, physical health, mental health, etc. (see Polyvagal Theory by Stephen Porges) Movement-Based Training: Behavior is movement, and a dog’s movement is dictated by his drive, therefore, if we engage their drive, we can modify their behavior. Relationship-Based Training: The owner is the answer to any stress the dog is facing Play-Based Training for...

E-Collar training is sweeping the nation! It looks like it works miracles, but what it really does is ruin dogs. In this article I will explain why.  What happens when you shock your dog? A jolt of energy is literally injected into your dog's nervous system. But from where? Of course we know it comes from pushing a button and transmitting a signal to the collar (or perhaps the signal comes from an electric fence). But what does your dog know about remote controls and invisible fences? Not too much. What your dog experiences is a force acting on him,...

Freya came home in August of 2015 with huge dog aggression issues and very intense prey drive directed towards my cat. A big project, for sure. The focus of this article is to address the cat issues. At first, meaning for the first few months, I basically kept Freya in my office and only gave her housetime when she was on a leash. Here's a quick run-down of her first few encounters with my cat, Pasca:  1. We pass by kitty, who is sitting on a desk, on our way out to the backyard. Freya puts her whole mouth over...

If you're leaning towards a more holistic approach to your dog's health and wellness routine, here are some things I suggest. To be clear: I am in no way an expert in this area, and always suggest seeking medical advice from a (holistic) veterinarian. This is simply a list of personal decisions I have made for my own dogs, the results of which have been positive for me and my fur-family. 1. Feed a raw diet. Yes, this is important. I'm vegan, and I don't like handling dead animal parts, but buying kibble is a total cop-out in this area. I...