Your dog is a sentient being. According to Google, sentient means "able to perceive or feel things." If you have ever loved a dog, you know this to be true. I was recently away on vacation during which we visited various state and national parks. I loved seeing the natural beauty and all of the different people who come from all over to visit these places. But because of my line of work (or maybe just because animals are my favorite people), I always notice the dogs first. Ov

Growling is an emotional response. It is not a "disobedient" behavior. You cannot punish an emotion out of a dog (or a human). Growling is just your dog's way of trying to tell you something important, and you should listen and genuinely thank your dog for the honest feedback. Growling is your dog's way of begging you to stop what you're doing and move away. It's not a challenge to your hierarchical status in your home. Dog body language exists to help them stay alive by avoi

We've all been there. We're walking down the road with our dog and we see another person approaching. We start to tense up, feeling the embarrassment creeping in. We think to ourselves, "My dog is going to pull on the leash, and maybe bark, and maybe jump...and it's going to be obvious that I can't control my dog." Then it happens. Our dog sees the other person and starts to bark or pull toward them. The other person approaches with a smile on their face, "Can I pet your dog?