Dog Behavior Archives - Dog Wisdom Workshop

08Sep 2021 by Marilyn No Comments

How Amazing Dog Moms Make Lemonade When Their Dogs Give Them Lemons

Dog moms make lemonade when their dogs give them lemons. How do 3 dog moms make lemonade when their dogs give them lemons? You've heard that proverbial phrase, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." But what if your dog gives you "lemons"? By "lemons" I mean your dog doing stuff like: jumping on you and everybody else, including kids and strangers in public, barking too much at all the wrong times and in all the wrong places, resisting cooperation with normal care like grooming like nail trimming, running around and ignoring you when you call, and pulling on the leash like a freight train so that just going for a walk is a chore. So, how do you transform the "lemons" your dog gives you into juicy sweet "lemonade"? The transformation could look something…

25Aug 2021 by Marilyn No Comments

Attention-Seeking Dogs Aren’t Being Naughty

Dog Behavior, Training

Attention-seeking dogs often resort to clever devices to get what they want. Although we secretly admire their resourcefulness, dog parents like you and me believe it's in our job description to resist attention-seeking. Why? Because we believe it's naughty. So we'll either ignore the dog or scold the dog. Yet, as we know, trying to "make the dog stop" usually has the opposite effect! That's because resistance just adds another layer of friction between what we think we want and what we think the dog wants! Points of Friction In the first video in this series, I covered some of the points of friction that we often experience with our dog companions. Do any of these examples ring a bell? The dog pulls on the leash and lunges after squirrels.You…

20Aug 2021 by Marilyn No Comments

Dog Training Answer that’s Hidden in Plain Sight

Dog Behavior, Training

A dog training answer that perfectly satisfies your question about your dog can sometimes seem hard to find. Yet, what if it were not only easy to find but right there at your fingertips? The video below gives you details, but first, some background. Honestly, have you ever searched for something you really needed, gotten totally frustrated, and then realized that it was in plain sight all along? I guess we've all been there! That's exactly what I experienced a few months ago. That was when I learned about an exciting dog training answer that made my jaw drop. It seemed incredible that, although this simple approach to human learning has always been around in plain sight, it's been mostly overlooked in dog training. The Simple Dog Training Answer that Trainers…

24May 2021 by Marilyn No Comments

Does Your Playful Dog Have Hidden Genius for Natural Mischief?

Dog Behavior, Training

Hidden Genius... Does your playful dog have a hidden genius for natural mischief? This is a true story: My dog once taught herself how to open the gate in the backyard. To be clear, I assume she "taught herself", because I know I never taught her that genius Houdini trick! (And yet, the dog trainer angel hovering over my shoulder warns "Never assume!") So, has your dog ever taken you by surprise? Made you wonder, "How did she figure that out?" In other words, have you ever wondered why you were surprised at all by your dog's ingenuity at figuring things out? To ask it another way, did my dog open the gate because she dreamed of roaming the neighborhood? I doubt it. I think she opened it because she wanted to and because she could. She paid attention, she…

18May 2021 by Marilyn No Comments

How to Train a Dog With Mom’s Goldilocks Rule

Dog Behavior, Training

Here's how to train a dog with Mom's Goldilocks Rule. Just like Goldilocks, my Mom was a fan of moderation. "Don't overdo it." I heard that a lot as a kid. Ah, yes...Moderation... But now I think Mom would be amused to know that I'm passing her Goldilocks Rule along to you and calling it the best advice you'll ever get for how to train a dog. You see when Mom told me not to "overdo it", how to train a dog wasn't what she had in mind. But the more I learned about dogs, the more I appreciated my Mom's Goldilocks Rule. Not too hot. Not too cold. Just right. Mom's Goldilocks Rule As a quick reminder, the other day I sent you 3 "crazy simple tips" for setting up your…

23Feb 2021 by Marilyn No Comments

Dogs Need 4 Simple Things That Every Owner Wants

Dog Behavior, Training

Dogs need 4 simple things that every owner wants. Truth. Not that complicated. Visualize this for a moment: Imagine yourself driving west down the highway at a comfortable 50 mph. Suddenly you realize that your destination is east, not west. Oops! Headed the wrong way! Gotta turn around...but not at 50 mph! Obviously reversing direction requires you to first slow down gradually-slamming on your brakes in traffic is a really bad idea! Then you need to signal your intentions so you can get your vehicle smoothly out of traffic. When it’s safe, you can maneuver your vehicle in a new direction. Now you can gradually gather momentum toward your destination in the east, not the west. Since my sense of direction has never been that great, I can easily visualize…

20Feb 2021 by Marilyn No Comments

Simple Updated Dog Training Just Makes Sense

Dog Behavior, Training

Simple updated dog training just makes sense. If simple updated dog training just makes sense, then why do so many of us believe it’s too complicated, too time-consuming, too futile? A lot of us dog people struggle with questions like these... “What can I do when my dog jumps on me - or on visitors?” “How can I get my dog to quit pulling on the leash when we go for a walk?” Sound familiar? So many dog parents ask the same questions. You’re not the only one! It can be so frustrating. You’re dealing with your dog’s unwanted behavior (jumping on you), you’re struggling to reverse it (make the jumping stop), but it’s already too far gone. And it feels like things are getting out of control! Outdated Practices…

26Nov 2020 by Marilyn No Comments

A Weird Holiday & a True Story With a Sprinkle of Normal

Dog Behavior, Stay Home Survival Kit

This is a true story about a 2nd grader and a dog. I'll call the boy Billy. And the dog's name is Chance. He's a registered therapy dog who visited Billy's 2nd-grade class every week. The red bandana is Chance's therapy dog uniform that tells the world he's on the job. Every week* Chance listens as children read stories to him. Because he's a small dog - only 12 pounds - he has determined that in order to be close enough to the child, he needs to be right up on the table, lying beside the book. This way, while each child reads to him, all the child has to do is glance up from the page to look into Chance's gentle, dark eyes. It never matters to Chance whether a child…

21Oct 2020 by Marilyn No Comments

Saying No to Your Dog is an Empty Bucket

Dog Behavior, Puppy Training

An Empty Bucket Saying No to your dog is a waste of time. It slows down the result you're looking for. It could even derail your purpose entirely. Not to mention unintended consequences. Keep reading and I promise to explain. And when I'm done, there's a pretty good chance you'll even agree with me! Imagine for a moment that you have been transported to an unfamiliar place. You don't understand the language, the customs, or the culture. The people seem nice but you don't know how to communicate with them. You try to make friends, but then something strange happens. The people who seemed nice are suddenly angry. You try to show them that you want to be friends and it does no good. They're very angry and you're afraid because…

13Oct 2020 by Marilyn No Comments

Squirrels and Birds and Cats, Oh My!

Dog Behavior, Training

Squirrels and Birds and Cats Oh My! is the final part of this 4-part series about dogs and human leadership. Read the previous three articles here. Squirrels and birds and cats aren't the only things competing with you for your dog's attention. But please raise your hand if you've ever had to find a way to manage critter distraction! That would be true for most dog owners, I suspect. Leadership is your ability to motivate your dog to offer attention. Motivating a dog to freely offer you his attention and to dismiss distractions is an art and a skill. It takes patience and practice. Seasoned dog trainers, whether hobby or pro, know that successfully keeping a dog's attention is proactive, and not reactive. They spend a lot of time purposefully…