Episodes

In our latest episode, we welcome back Chad Mackin to join us for an insightful discussion on the dog training industry. The conversation focused on Chad’s experiences, concerns, and aspirations for the world of dog training, emphasising the importance of better language in the industry. Chad expressed his concerns about the widespread issue of substandard dog training practices being shared on social media platforms such as, Facebook. He highlighted how these methods not only affect the welfar...

Have you ever talked to your pets as if they were human beings? If you have, you might have been accused of being anthropomorphic. Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics, emotions, and behaviours to non-human entities such as animals, objects, or even natural phenomena. Recently, Pat asked Glenn if he was being anthropomorphic when he was observing behaviours from his dogs, Remco and Valerie. While dogs do feel emotions like joy and fear, they might not necessarily expres...

When it comes to dogs participating in bite sports, developing their grip strength and technique is a crucial aspect of their training. Proper grip development through good techniques in tug and rag work can help improve a dog’s performance, prevent injuries, and increase their confidence and drive. In bite sports, such as PSA, Schutzhund, IPO, and French Ring, dogs are trained to bite and hold onto various objects, including sleeves, bite suits, and hidden sleeves. To prepare them for these ta...

we had the pleasure of hosting Luke and Panos from the “Life with Your Dog” podcast. They joined us to discuss Joel Turner’s open and closed loop training system, as well as other dog training philosophies. The conversation was both insightful and engaging. We delved deep into the open and closed loop training system. By using the open and closed loop training system, the Shot IQ system helps archers develop a deeper understanding of their shooting technique and build mental and physical skills...

In this episode, we explore the topic of seeing your dog in a new light after they display unexpected aggressive or concerning behaviour. As dog owners, we often assume that we know our pets inside out and understand their behaviour patterns. However, sometimes our dogs can surprise us and exhibit behaviour that we don’t expect or fully understand. When a dog displays aggressive behaviour, it can be a jarring experience for their owners. Suddenly, the dog that we have loved and cared for can se...

Dog owners often unwittingly trigger certain behaviours in their pets, without realising the implications of their actions. While the owners may not understand what they did, the dog’s perception of the situation is entirely different. Due to the data it has collected, the dog’s brain sees this as a cue to run a particular program. This phenomenon is not uncommon, and it’s a result of a dog’s ability to learn and adapt to its environment. Dogs are highly intelligent animals, and they have an ex...

As much as we all love our canine companions, sometimes behavioural issues arise that can make life with them difficult and even dangerous. In some cases, these issues can be so severe that they pose a threat to not only the safety of others but to the dog itself. In such situations, the difficult decision to consider euthanasia may arise. It’s important to note that behavioural euthanasia should always be a last resort, and only considered after all other options have been exhausted. This incl...

With over two decades of experience in the media industry, Lara Shannon has become a household name. Reaching millions of people each year through her education work, books, and TV shows, Lara has helped improve the lives of companion animals. As a certified dog trainer and pet food nutrition specialist, Lara has worked with high-profile animal welfare and conservation organizations such as the World Wide Fund for Nature, Planet Ark, and The Orangutan Project, to name a few. Her debut documenta...

Dogs may develop the behaviour of barking to biting when they feel frustrated and their drives are not properly addressed. This behaviour can have various underlying causes, but it is often associated with fear or frustration. For instance, if a dog is barking at a person or another animal and feels unheard or misunderstood, it may resort to biting to communicate its message. Socialising the dog and ensuring it has positive interactions with people and animals can help. Additionally, training t...

Ambition is a powerful motivator and can drive us to achieve great things. However, when it comes to dog training, it is important to not let your ambitions get mixed up with your capabilities, especially when working with aggressive dogs. Working with aggressive dogs can be a daunting task, but with the right approach and mindset, it is possible to help these dogs overcome their behaviour issues and lead happy and fulfilling lives. However, it is important to set realistic goals and to not let...

In this episode, we were thrilled to offer more in-depth responses to the queries of our esteemed audience members, who participated in the TCP discussion group and made their voices heard. One of our audience members, George Nicholas, posed a thought-provoking question regarding the reliability of clients when it comes to using E-collars, even after being trained on their usage. Additionally, Tracy Racich wondered about the individuals in the dog training industry who seem to possess an innat...

As a dog trainer, you have a crucial role in helping dogs and their owners resolve behaviour issues. To be successful, it is vital to have answers to life’s questions, particularly when it comes to markers, cues, and primary reinforcer’s. First, you need to understand what the dog’s behaviour problem is. Is the dog aggressive, destructive, or fearful? Once you have identified the problem, you must determine its root cause. This could be lack of exercise, insufficient attention, or a medical con...

A mentor can change your life by providing guidance, advice, and support. They can help you identify and set goals, develop new skills, and navigate challenges and obstacles. They can also serve as a role model and provide valuable perspective and insight. Additionally, a mentor can help you build a professional network and open doors to new opportunities. Mentors can provide valuable life advice. They can help you set and achieve personal and professional goals, and also provide you with a sou...

How trainers make you see their content is an enlightening discussion as Pat shares his experiences working within a marketing company. During that time, he reveals the strategy that social media algorithms use to encourage more views and longer time spent on the page. This is why we see trainers stepping outside their profession and spending more time being a performer than a trainer and making outrageous content. Many of them are addicted to the likes and the engagement stats and will almost ...

The 2022 Dutch rudder circle jerk follows in the traditions of our end of the year wrap up. There have been many highs and some lows for many of our community which have been shared either through episodes, in our forum and in person. we would like to thank all of the people in our community who made the year better and held each other up and supported each other. It’s also been great to see better people joining our circle and terrible people moving on. The circle is growing and it gaining mo...

Perfection is paralysis when you find yourself unable to take a leap at anything in life until it’s perfect. This is why we see so many younger people fail to launch as they feel whatever they do, must be perfect. It really is disheartening to see paralysis prevent talent from taking form in the dog training industry. It’s worse to know that paralysis came from fear of letting their mentor down. However, a new year is upon us and we are moving out of a very hard 3 years and hopefully towards g...

Real life problems with fictional solutions is how the world is working to solve some of the problems owners are having with dogs. Yes, we ranted in this episode as we can foresee a future that for many dogs was successful, will now not be. People who are upheld in the community are giving fictional advice while contradicting their own practices. Trainers who misquote, mislead and misunderstand tools are continuing to create fictional headlines and beat up other trainers and owners who all see ...

You really don’t understand dogs at all when you appear to believe that training a dog is the same as training a marine mammal. Yes there are comparisons. Yes we have learned many great concepts from marine mammal trainers. However, if you still think it’s the same, then you most certainly don’t understand. Furthermore, what people fail to understand is the implications that training tool bans are going to have on dogs. It’s frightening to know that some people’s ideal world is almost certainly...

3 biggest mistakes new dog owners make is a headline based around one of those social media posts where someone dances and points at brief answers. We managed to almost make an hour and a half show on some of the points we felt needed open discussion on some of those mistakes. Speaking of mistakes, we also found that we have no standardised language which attributes to handlers and trainers adding to the list of mistakes during confusing communication. after you listened to this episode, here’...

Incompatible behaviour & positive punishment is a topic from a quote that we posted on our instagram some months back. The quote was from Dr. Susan Friedman and it says. “The key question is not, how do I stop this problem behaviour? Rather, the question is, what do I want the animal to do instead, then teach it.” It’s a good quote with plenty of merit. There are many who have taken it and have inferred that in order to do this justice, it can only be by way of teaching incompatible behaviours...

Lessons from the tantrum came from an actual full scale, first off tantrum that Pat’s second son Axel had. According to Pat, it was of epic proportions and it gave him some perspective on how his dog must feel when he is confused about a situation and doesn’t have the ability to effectively communicate it. Any good educator will always consider the teachable moment, even in an unfavourable moment. Even a child’s tantrum, which most parents would prefer to not have to go through can be an insigh...

Cam Ford & the scent detection avengers is another great episode that we got to have in person with our great friend, Cameron Ford. Although the wonderful team of doctors and specialists that presented at the Australian K9 scent detection conference were not with us, we got to think about and discuss their wonderful work. The scent detection world is so diverse and wonderfully eclectic that it deserves and demands peer review and high levels of study. we were very fortunate to be involved in t...

Jas Whiting raising working puppies is the long awaited update on what our great friend Jas has been up to. Even though we see her regularly there’s been a lot of time between pod-cast catchups. Also, Jas has been doing a bunch of amazing things. Kicking ass in the BJJ scene, lecturing at conferences, doing seminars, keeping up GRC training and more. Safe to say that Jas has been doing some amazing things and keeping herself very busy in the dog world. Here’s an old episode we did about train...

Marketing and the low hanging fruit is an inspired conversation from one of Larry Krohn’s online posts. Larry was exceptionally disappointed when a colleague came into the chat and made some confrontational comments. This aside, it raised some interesting notation on social media marketers versus their actual ability as a trainer. Multiples of conversations have been had on our platform and others about the effectiveness of marketing and the clown show around it. Marketing is essential for a b...