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Dogs guard resources. This is a normal behavior. People often think of their dog as either aggressive or not aggressive as if they can only be one or the other, but any dog can exhibit aggressive behaviors, even if they never have before. There is a lot of advice out there on how to prevent resource guarding, and most of it is just blather, so we are going to parse through that and determine how much value there is doing

Coming back when called is one of the most important things you can teach your dog. It could save their life! But even people with a well trained dog can find themselves in a situation where their dog suddenly starts blowing off their recall. So why does that happen? How do you avoid it? And how do you fix it? Love the show? Sign up to access our new exciting Xtra content! This content is unique and is ONLY available

Purely positive training cannot eliminate reactivity in most cases. Rescues usually can’t either because they usually only offer purely positive services. And your dog isn’t eligible for them because they are too reactive…so there’s that. Often times reactivity and aggression are even covered up so that the dog can be adopted out easier. Lies, lies, and more lies. Their solution? Just draw the curtains. Love the show? Sign up to access our new exciting Xtra content! This content is unique

Even after training some folks continue to struggle with their dog’s behavioral issues. And sometimes that is because some dogs are more challenging. We are, after all, dealing with the nervous system. All dogs are wired uniquely. But the vast majority of the time we can see right away why some of these deep set patterns and relationships have not changed. It pays to remember that all of your dog’s behaviors are tied together in some way. They are never

Doggy daycare and dog parks carry a high level of risk and a very low level of benefit. What has become obvious to me over the years is that a lot of dogs don’t actually enjoy themselves in these environments but that it just isn’t always obvious. Until it is. And that is often post training because your dog is now used to being in environments where dogs are under control and someone is advocating for them. In this episode

Does your dog go crazy when people come over? Do they beg when you’re eating? Or maybe they are always getting into stuff or stealing socks out of the hamper or chewing your furniture? These are all reasons why people love using the place command. But experience has taught us that place doesn’t really “fix” these problems on its own. So why do we really love it? And why do we tell people to do it? Who benefits from it?

Some dogs can be super big babies. Big dogs and small dogs alike can fall into this category. People with these types of dogs struggle sometimes because number one it’s embarrassing, and number 2 they think they are hurting their dog. This often means staying stuck or being inconsistent. It helps to understand arousal and how vocalization can be tied to that. Love the show? Sign up to access our new exciting Xtra content! This content is unique and is

In this episode we are talking about a common household issue—kids not getting along with the dog! As a parent it is your job to advocate for both parties and set and enforce appropriate rules. How do we help people with this issue? What do we recommend? And why do we have such a high rate of success with such cases? We are giving all the deets! Love the show? Sign up to access our new exciting Xtra content! This

We love helping people! But… some folks just can’t be helped. This is the number one biggest challenge any dog trainer will face. Our clients are amazing! But every now and then we get reminded that there are people out there that think they will pay the fee and their problems will go away. In this episode I am talking about the reality of going through a training program and not getting the results. It is not my favorite thing

In this Off Leash and Unfiltered episode, Kati Peppe—owner of Diamond K9 Dog Training in Biddeford, Maine—tackles dogs who are stuck in obsessive, addictive loops: reactivity like a “drug,” shadow/light chasing, water or ball fixation, and destructive chewing. The fix isn’t more management or endless commands—it’s changing the dog’s state of mind through structure and real impulse control: clear No + meaningful correction, practiced all day (doors, food, kennel, car) and, for “sometimes-allowed” things like balls or swimming, using commands