Today, I want to talk about an interesting topic about predation and car chasing. For years, force free trainers have labeled car chasing as a fear response. Twisting it to fit their narrative and avoid consequence based methods, yet with little success, the behavior keeps defying their framework. I'm convinced that they are ideologically obsessed with fear because it conveniently explains all unwanted behaviors without ever confronting the role of conflict, drive, or punishment during learning.

Can we stop using word salad to sound smart? “Leash reactivity.” Half the time some trainers don't even know what they mean. Today we are tackling a term that has become a running joke in dog training. If you are tired of vague labels, stick with me and let's dive in.

What if everything you've been told about variable reinforcement schedules is only half the story?  Today, I want to give you a taste of the kind of topics I go over with my students and hopefully give you something to think about. The schedule of reinforcement is something that gets thrown around a lot in dog training and in psychology.

I'm going to talk about Dr. Karen Overall’s deep breath protocol as a cognitive therapy for dogs. Because of Tina, the dog with extreme OCD, it was suggested to me by a veterinary behaviorist early on to use Dr. Overall’s relaxation protocol through deep breathing. I didn't quite understand what this protocol was about, and I spent a good amount of time learning about it directly from Dr. Overall’s presentations.