Search Results: The Other End of the Leash

When I was seeing a lot of clients I could always tell when I was tired because I started working with the dog, rather than training the owners. Perhaps that’s the irony of language: It makes communication easier in one sense, and harder in another. Things were so simple and clear when I was working…

The short answer is no, not always. As a matter of fact, our ability to attribute human characteristics to non-human animals is an impressive ability that we should be proud of. In addition, it can make us better dog owners. Lest you think I’ve lost my mind, let me explain, this time with a longer…

≈ It’s happening. Really happening. Away to Me—my mystery novel about behaviorist Maddie McGown and the murder of one of her best friends—is launching February 24th, 2026, but is available to order now on Bookshop, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. I’ve read and loved novels all my life, and have read mysteries ever since I…

Books, books, books: Surely one of the greatest inventions of humankind. I love to give books as gifts, and last night I found myself pondering what books to give to which person for the holidays. That, of course, led to thoughts about great books to send the dog lovers that I know, and that led…

Bringing home a dog when you have another one at home (or two or three or more)  is one thing, but bringing a cat into a resident cat’s territory is another thing altogether. Besides litter box problems, most of my “cat clients” were about aggression between a resident and an incoming cat. Blending cat families…

It’s not just us that sees our dogs as family; apparently, dogs see us as family too. This may not be shocking news to many of us, but it is always good to look at our beliefs objectively. An interesting study was recently published on Plos One about whether dogs are attached to their owners…

Oh boy, what fun. As many of you know, I’m not doing many more full day seminars anymore, but I couldn’t resist pairing up with the Steve White for a two-day seminar outside of Chicago, Illinois on August 10th and 11th of this year. Thanks to a Facebook reader who jumped in with dozens of…

First off, some good news. Many more people from all over the world have joined us in the past few months, the traffic to The Other End of the Leash blog has increased rapidly in the past six months. (Hello Serbia, United Arab Republic, Boliva, Nepal…!) What a joy it is to have this international…

A few weeks ago I wrote a post on the cue “Get Back,” which is one of my favorites because it is so useful in so many contexts. Katie Martz, Communications Coordinator here at PMcC, video taped Willie getting back in a variety of contexts, and we noticed that every time I said “Get Back”…

Ignorance can be bliss. But it can also let bad things happen, and it grieves me to say that bad things might happen soon in my home state. In its wisdom, the legislature of the state of Wisconsin signed into law Act 169, which directs that dogs can be used to hunt wolves in our…

This is an authentic question: ie, I don’t have the answer. But it’s a great question, posed by a seminar attendee, and also by someone who reads the blog. Do dogs think we are mutant dogs? Pathetic replicates who never grow out of our flat, puppy faces (we never grow muzzles) and can’t use our…

Here’s an interesting study that came out in 2010 comparing the perceptions, behavior and training of larger versus smaller dogs (“Behavior of smaller and larger dogs:  Effects of training methods, inconsistency of owner behavior and level of engagement in activities with dogs.” Arhant et. al. Appl An Beh Sci 123 (2010), 131-142.) There’s a lot…

Poor dogs. Some of us think getting a manicure is akin to heaven, but for dogs, getting their nails done is more often like going to hell. I was thinking about this last night while I was working with Willie on nails that grow extra long and extra fast because of his restricted exercise. I…

WRITTEN MID-JULY, POSTED WHILE I’M IN AFRICA: I recently spent three evenings with Jim’s son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter Taylor, and so the issue of kids and dogs is near and dear to me right now. I also, in that serendipitous way of the world, just received a question about how to find help for a…

Karen London and I are working on our edits to the new booklet on adopting adolescent and older dogs, and something hit me as I was writing that I thought was worth talking about. After considering my own experiences bringing “non-puppies” into my home, talking with folks in rescues and shelters, and working with clients…

Thanks to all who have commented so far in answer to the questions “Are you a 100 % positive trainer?” and “Would you sign a pledge to only use positive reinforcement and never use punishment?” I appreciate the thoughtful discussion that the questions have generated. I’ll jump in now, with the caveat that this topic…

Happiness can be elusive. I first added a variety of phrases starting with “especially when . . . ,” but decided that those four words were enough. No one can be happy all the time, but who doesn’t want to be happy at least part of every day? Surely the same is true of our…

DOG TRAINING VIDEO Willie Learns Object Names Does your dog know the difference when you ask for a ball or a frisbee? Here’s a video of one way you can teach Fido object names!   RELATED BLOGS FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” Guys: We Need You In Dog Training Seminars May 2024 Sniffing…

“THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” RELATED BLOGS Applied Ethology: Translations & Mis-Translations  February 2014 Dognition Canine Assessment Tests  March 2014 Safe Off Leash?  January 2013 Lure and Clicker Training to Teach Sit  May 2012 Therapy Dogs – Born or Made?  January 2012 Toot Toot Tootsie, Hello!  November 2011   RELATED DOG TRAINING BOOK

VIDEOS ABOUT A DOG’S FEAR OF PEOPLE OR OTHER DOGS Counter Conditioning for Reactivity to People   Example of “Watch” with Willie Willie loves a good game of tug as positive reinforcement for checking in with Trisha.   How to Stop an Approaching Dog in an Emergency Most of us have unfortunately been in a…

VIDEO ABOUT DOG AGGRESSION TOWARDS PEOPLE   RELATED BLOGS FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” Were You Traumatized by a Dog Attack? September 2024 The Bitey End of the Dog Podcast June 2023 Keeping Kids and Dogs Safe–From Each Other January 2023 Dog Bite Prevention Week (Month? Year?) April 2022 Talking to Other Dog…

RELATED BLOGS FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” Behavioral or Medical? Or both? March 2024 Do You Teach “Don’t Do That?” October 2023 Evaluate this Video! July 2023 The Bitey End of the Dog Podcast June 2023 Is Your Dog Doing Something You Don’t Like? Do Your Own Intake Interview! May 2023 Who ARE…

One of my greatest pleasures is getting to know loyal blog readers. Bonus: Their dogs! Laura Lauteret (Laura L now) has commented often for several years, and many of us had heavy hearts when we learned that her beloved guide dog, Seamus, died of hemangiosarcoma four years ago. What a joy to meet her new…

                  I don’t pretend to be able to keep up with all the dog/animal behavior books being published right now, but two books got my attention this week that I thought you might find interesting. In some ways, they couldn’t be much different from each other. Who’s…

Want to join me in doing research on our dogs’ food preferences in our own homes? I was inspired by a section in Linda Case’s book, Feeding Smart with the  Science Dog, that I wrote about in my last post. Somehow I missed a section on food preference research when I first went through the…

Well, this is weird. It’s Monday morning, and I’m not in my usual place, writing my blog on my laptop in the dining room, Skip curled up against the door, Maggie out of sight in the living room sprawled on the couch. No, I’m writing to you on the huge iMac in my study, the…

I don’t know about you, but the state of the world is such right now that I need lots of healthy distractions. (What, is the vodka, triple sec, pomegranate, lime juice, club soda drink I sort of invented not healthy?) I am indeed doing what I can to be a good, active citizen, but one…

  Last weekend we were at a sheepdog trial, where I could walk the dogs off leash in a field full of campers and other dogs. The area was surrounded by a knock-you-to-your-knees electric fence. What a joy to know that I could trust my dogs to stop when I said, stay close when asked,…

I’m taking some summery time off this week, and so am repeating a post from May, 2014, How to Talk to Other Dog Owners.  Wanna talk about it? Here it is: When I was seeing a lot of clients I could always tell when I was tired because I started working with the dog, rather…

I welcomed the onset of winter in November. Summer time is busy for me, too busy on occasion. Dog trialing and gardening come at the same time of the year in the Midwest, and so those hobbies, along with work and all the rest of life, mean the days are still too short, no matter…

Croatian Bomb Sniffing Bees? (Note the logo!) Bovine Booties? Hilarious penguin poop? How about the cow who gave us public libraries? Interested? I am. No surprise to anyone, I’m an animal lover who is fascinated by animal behavior. I’ve learned that most dog lovers are too–I used to include videos and stories about a range…

Every once in a while I reach out and ask readers what they’d like to talk about. When I started this blog twelve years ago, I thought I might need to do so because I’d run out of topic ideas. That’s never happened–animals and the people who love them are a never-ending source of inquiry.…

Nothing like the end of a year and the beginning of a new one to cause us to do some accounting–of things accomplished, and things desired for the future. This morning I was doing a different kind of accounting, looking at book sales as much out of curiosity as anything else, and discovered that the…

Okay, the photo is of a chicken not a turkey, but still, it’s a roasted poultry item. I love Thanksgiving. How could I not? The culture has collectively given all of us permission to over indulge and it is the beginning of a chance to slow down, reflect and . . . eat some more.…

We’ve been talking about markers and secondary reinforcers, and there have been some great comments about using clickers in some contexts and not in others. Like many readers, I use clickers for some training, and not for others. Your comments got me thinking about why I use them sometimes, why I don’t use them others,…

It’s not often that a photograph motivates a topic for the blog, but when friend and colleague Melissa McCue-McGrath sent me this image of her dog Captain, along with a suggestion to write a post on pica, how could I resist? In spite of the amusing photo (no, Captain didn’t really drink any booze), pica…

Recently I’ve had a couple of questions from friends about introducing cats to each other. Their questions reminded of this post from August 2013, and I thought it a good topic to discuss again. We were lucky at the farm–Polly is Nellie’s daughter, so no introductions were necessary. They get along beautifully, but we all…

I’m busy on book tour, but was asked about this case at the Ohio Vet Conference late last week. You can read the description below, but the bottom line is this sweet, dear hound mix, Kasey, was rescued from a research lab but needs rescuing again. We didn’t have much time to talk about the case…

I’ve had a lot of questions lately about resource guarding. I’m not sure why–dogs stuck together inside because of the weather? A butterfly flapping its wings in China? Who knows. But I thought it was a good time to revisit a post I wrote in 2014 about dogs who guard resources from other dogs. Here…

THANK YOU Milwaukee! Three hundred of you came out to hear my first talk about The Education of Will, and I can’t thank you enough. Needless to say, I was excited and terrified and thrilled and nervous and empowered and overwhelmed to be speaking in public for the first time about the journey that Willie…

A few months ago I got an email from someone with a great question: Would it distress a dog to have his former owner come visit? I’ve been mulling on it ever since, and my answer, of course, is It Depends. But that leads to the question, “Depends on what?” Although I’m only speculating, I…

Being a Dog: Following the dog Into a World of Smell, by Alexandra Horowitz. You want to read this book. You need to read this book. Your dog wants you to read this book. It is, simply, fantastic. Here’s why: First, the information about olfaction is riveting. There has been a lot written about the…

Today’s question was inspired by the comments of sheepdog trainer Patrick Shannahan, who argued at a recent sheep dog clinic that I needed to ask Maggie to “take responsibility” for her behavior. Eeeps! Isn’t that perspective one that trainers and behaviorists (me included) have been arguing against for decades? In most contexts, it is the…

Years ago I saw a client whose dog, let’s call him Charlie, entered the room with a neck twisted slightly to the side. It wasn’t extreme, but it was obvious, if you paid attention to the way the dog moved. The owners had brought the dog in because after six years of being a docile…

I know, it’s mushy, but I don’t care. Here is a Valentine to each of my dogs, followed, I hope, by lots and lots from you to your own dogs. Every morning, I will read them while drinking my tea. Tootsie and Maggie will be cuddled with me on the couch and Willie will warm…

More accurately, it is my turn to finish writing something I’ve been working on for a few years–a memoir. I’m close to finishing a draft to send off to my agent (the brilliant Jennifer Gates, an angel of an agent to whom I owe the world already). It is tough to split my days working…

It’s a light post today, in celebration of the waning days of summer and a bucket of writing to do for speeches (both on “People, Dogs & Trauma,”one a Keynote at ADI Trainer’s Conference in Denver, the other a Keynote at APDT in Hartford, CT), revising a chapter with Aubrey Fine in the Handbook on…

Not long ago I re-posted a blog about Resource Guarding (RG), but focused treatment options on dogs who direct their threats toward people. Many of you asked about RG between dogs, and I promised I’d address that this summer. Here we go… There’s no doubt that RG between dogs is a bit trickier than when…

A few years after winning the prestigious Allee Award for “Best Student Paper” at the 1988 Animal Behavior Society Annual Meeting, I was in a hallway chatting with friends at another ABS conference. The career path of past winners of the award came up, and someone, thank heavens I don’t remember who, said that winning…

Recently I had a discussion with good friends and colleagues about how to handle difficult cases in which two dogs have engaged in extremely serious fights in the home. We found ourselves sorting through what factors need to be considered if re-homing is on the table. This is a common problem brought to behaviorists; I…