In this episode we are continuing our conversation with dog trainer Sunny Bravo about service dogs. In our continued conversation we talk about what to look for when selecting a dog for service work. We also talk through who should be involved in the dog selection process. Once a dog has been selected Sunny likes to start the training process simply with body language, then adds leash pressure, toys and treats from there. We address what service teams should aspire to be and how much work goes into that level of reliability. Sunny was kind enough to share her experiences as both a service dog handler as well as a trainer, which gave us a more thorough understanding of everything that goes into service dogs.

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This week we are talking with dog trainer Sunny Bravo who specializes in training service dogs. Sunny has been in the dog training industry for 26 years and has worked with a large variety of breeds. She has worked with everything from basic family dog training to human focused dog aggression cases. Sunny helps define the differences between emotional support animals, a therapy animal and a service animal. Service animals are trained to do a specific task to mitigate the owner's life altering disability. We discuss unwanted attention that goes along with having a service dog and what that looks like for handlers. We also address what gear is required, allowed and prefered for service dogs.

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This week we are addressing some of the complexities of dog behavior. Often, we are told things like ears pinned back or hackles up mean aggression, and while this may be true for some dogs it is not true for all dogs. Often dogs will raise their hackles due to excitement, surprise, or a number of other reasons. While there are guidelines on what a behavior might normally mean, each dog is an individual with individual nuances. We'll share examples of why watching the whole dog becomes important as well as why interpreting behavior on an individual basis is so important. Don't forget to review, subscribe, and share!

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This week we have Katherine Burbach on the episode talking about her relationship with her dog Dos over the years and how it has grown and changed. Dos can have big feelings about people and dogs when he's on walks, and Katherine realized early on that she needed a plan that she could easily implement with positive results. Stinky treats were the key to helping refocus Dos and helping him learn to be calm around others while on leash. This has helped the pair deepen their own relationship as well as helped set an example for their neighbors. By building their relationship through training Katherine has learned to better listen to and understand Dos, even when he's being a bit spicy. Katherine has also learned to advocate for him inside her own home by setting appropriate boundaries for both Dos and guests. This journey has taught Katherine to enjoy and appreciate the everyday moments, as well as celebrate the milestones along the way. Over the years these two have deepened their relationship through trust, patience and continued learning.

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This week we are talking about different perspectives for the same event. This was inspired by a recent agility class that Kristi and Jaxon went to. Kristi had an apponion on what happened, the trainer had a different oppinion, and Heather had a third opinion about the same event and behaviors. As humans we often create a story and interpret behavior through the lens of the story we have created. When in reality we are living with and training a different species. When we allow ourselves to hear different perspectives it gives us more insight into what might be happening with a behavior and more tools and options work through that behavior.

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What is Drive? In Episode 52 we talked a lot about drive, but never really defined it. Drive can look very different between dogs. Often we talk about drive in reference to prey and food, but drive can show up in a variety of forms such as people drive, owner drive, etc. Even drive within the same area can look really different. For example Heather has three dogs with food drive, but how that motivates and presents with each dog looks different. We also talk through how different motivations or drives can produce the same behavior. Trin and Jaxon both love the sport of Fast Cat, however Trin is motivated by prey drive while Jaxon is motivated by the chase itself. Understanding what drives your dog can help build drive in areas you want and make life easier by allowing you to channel your dog's drive appropriately.

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This week we are talking about unexpected consequences of desired dog behaviors. We often have certain behaviors we are looking for when purchasing or adopting a dog, however many desired behaviors have an unforeseen flip side to them. Something as simple as dog sociability can lead to reactivity if socialization needs are not being met. Of course, there is nothing wrong with wanting an athletic dog who can keep up on hikes and runs, as long as you realize that most athletic dogs need daily exercise, not just weekend adventures. While a lot of people say they want a smart dog, smart dogs tend to be curious, and curious dogs tend to be curious all the time, not just when it is convenient or appropriate. So, when you see a behavior that appears in an unexpected way it's important to remember the upside of that behavior, and why that was important to you in the first place. Don't forget to review, subscribe, and share!

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We are talking about a recent study that says 99% of dogs have behavioral problems. While we disagree with that number, we do agree that behavior problems are increasing. We also agree with a recent post Heather found stating that training has become more about educating people and less about hands on dog training. There are likely too many factors contributing to an increase in behavioral issues to name them all, but we are talking about a few of them that we believe are contributing to the rise in behavior issues. One major factor is that there have been a lot of changes over the years in how we as Americans live with dogs. We talk through how some of these changes are for the betterment of dogs and how some are to the detriment of the dogs we live with. Modern dog training focuses a lot on supporting humans through education so they can support the unique needs of the dogs they love.

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