The Day Chickens Changed My Dog Training, and other Ramblings

What do chickens have to do with dog training? More than you might think.

In this episode, I share the story of how a 40-hour week spent training chickens fundamentally changed the way I understood behavior, learning, and my work with dogs. After starting my career in 1996 with traditional obedience methods—including the use of prong collars—I began questioning what I thought I knew about training and discovered a different path rooted in learning theory, communication, and relationship.

I also introduce my new online course, Understanding Dog Interaction, where we explore how dogs communicate through play, body language, and social interactions. Understanding these signals can help prevent conflicts, improve relationships, and teach us to recognize when a dog is saying "yes," "no," or "not right now."

We also recap our reliable recall episode where we discussed why meeting a dog's genetic and behavioral needs is critical for building responsiveness, and how a simple touch cue can become a powerful, reward-based safety tool while recall skills are still developing.

Whether you're interested in dog communication, recall training, behavior science, or the evolution of modern dog training, this episode offers insight into the lessons that shaped my approach and continue to influence how I help dogs and their humans today.

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The Dog Beneath the Behavior

What if your dog’s behavior isn’t the problem—but communication? In The Dog Beneath the Behavior, I take you beyond what your dog is doing and help you understand what may be happening underneath it. We’ll explore how chronic stress, fear, anxiety, and trauma can shape behavior—and how safety, connection, and compassion can create real change. If you’re ready to stop asking, “How do I fix this behavior?” and start asking, “What does my dog need?” then The Dog Beneath the Behavior is for you. Now on Amazon.

The Dog Beneath the Behavior

What if your dog’s behavior isn’t the problem—but communication? In The Dog Beneath the Behavior, I take you beyond what your dog is doing and help you understand what may be happening underneath it. We’ll explore how chronic stress, fear, anxiety, and trauma can shape behavior—and how safety, connection, and compassion can create real change. If you’re ready to stop asking, “How do I fix this behavior?” and start asking, “What does my dog need?” then The Dog Beneath the Behavior is for you. Now on Amazon.