Somewhere along the way, we started measuring a “good” dog by how friendly they are—how eager they are to greet, how excited they get when they see people or other dogs. But that’s not the goal. The goal is neutrality. A well-adjusted dog isn’t the one trying to say hi to everyone. It’s the...
There’s a moment that happens on almost every walk, and once you notice it, it’s hard to ignore. Your dog sees something—another dog, a person, a sound—and before they’ve even had time to fully process it, something shifts. Not in them, but in you. Your hand tightens around the leash. Your breath becomes shallow....
We tend to think of training as something we do. We teach cues. We reward behaviors. We correct what we don’t like. But your dog is learning long before you ever ask for a sit. They’re learning through association—every single day, in every moment you share together. An association is simply what your dog...