Good Dog Workshop

Self-Awareness Part 4: Do you know yourself and how you affect your dog?

The 4th in a series about Self-Awareness. In this one, Carlos & Brian discuss a recent client who completely surprised us by being very self aware. She knew of her own insecurities and her own emotional state and that they were a problem with her relationships with her dogs; she just didn't know how to prevent her issues from getting in the way of her success with her three terrific dogs. A very positive and inspirational episode about Self-Awareness!

Self-Awareness Part 3: Do you know yourself and how you affect your dog?

Carlos & Brian discuss the incredible difference you can make with your dog when you know yourself, your capabilities and how you affect the dogs around you.

Self-Awareness Part 2: Do you know yourself and how you affect your dog?

Carlos & Brian discuss self-awareness regarding another recent client who essentially got a dog that was not a good match for her. This is our second in a series of podcasts on Self-Awareness.

Self-Awareness Part 1: Do you know yourself and how you affect your dog?

Carlos & Brian discuss Self-Awareness and the role it plays in our relationships with our dogs. This is the first in a series of podcasts on Self-Awareness — a topic which is immensely important in establishing and maintaining our connection to our dogs, yet is a topic that most people—oddly enough—are not aware of.

Can Dogs & Cats Get Along?

Carlos & Brian discuss important steps to get dogs and cats to co-exist in the same household...or if it's a good idea in the first place.

Evaluating a Dog

Carlos & Brian critique the standard methods of evaluating a dog.

Our Relationships with Dogs

Josh & Brian discuss their relationships with dogs: What they each look for when considering a new dog for their homes, what they like best about their own dogs, and what they look for when evaluating a client's dog or a dog at the SPCA.

Dog Evaluation: Roxy the German Shepherd

Josh & Brian discuss their experience evaluating a German Shepherd at the Fauquier SPCA. Hear how to properly assess a dog's temperament, what to look for, and the importance of using your own pack to help in the evaluation.

TV Show Analysis: Dog Whisperer—Cesar Millan & Jillian Michaels

Carlos and Brian discuss a quick clip about Richard, a Chihuahua who doesn't like to be handled by strangers. This clip is from Cesar Millan's "Dog Whisperer" TV show and the dog is owned by celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels. Listen in as we break down how to work a dog through this serious issue and quickly resolve it. 

Choosing the Right Trainer for You & Your Dog

Brian tells you what to look for when trying to find a trainer to help you with your dog's behavior issues. Learn what a trainer ISN'T telling you by watching their YouTube videos, reading their Facebook posts, and listening to them on the phone.

Unclear & Incomplete Info: "Doggie Language" illustrations

Carlos & Brian discuss a poster of dog body language illustrations which has been widely circulated on social media: "Doggie Language" by Lili Chin. No doubt intended to help people better understand the body language of dogs, we feel the captions/labels on this very nicely illustrated poster actually create more confusion than understanding. Check out the image online and follow along in this episode.

The Truth About "Positive Reinforcement Only" Training, part 1

Carlos & Brian discuss why "positive reinforcement only" training is unrealistic & unnatural in working with dogs. We'll help you wade throw all the scientific terms so many trainers use so that you can understand what really works with dogs and why. This is a big and much-debated topic so this is the first of multiple podcasts on this subject.

The Truth About "Positive Reinforcement Only" Training, part 2

Carlos & Brian delve further into "positive reinforcement only" training with specific examples of why it's an unrealistic and unnatural way to train a dog. 

Volunteering

Josh & Brian discuss how you can help dogs and your community by volunteering at your local shelter.

Who's in Charge? You or Your Dog?

Carlos & Brian discuss being 'Alpha' to your dog. Not today's emotionally-charged term that implies being aggressive or being a bully, but being in charge of your dog, being able to control him...being a fair and benevolent Leader. Too many 'professionals' in this business either don't understand this or are unable to achieve it. Being in charge of a group is a natural part of both human society and dog society. We break it down for you in this episode.

LIVE! Guest Caller: Brittany & her Brussels terrier mix Wallace

Bringing Home Your New Dog

Brian talks about the most important things to do with your new dog the moment you pull into your driveway! It all starts with Exercise, Leadership & Structure, of course, but you'll also learn things you probably hadn't thought about before, such as where to put your new dog's bed and what activities to do with him in order to bond with him. Check it out!

Introductions with A Dog

Carlos & Brian discuss Introductions: How to meet a new dog and how to allow your dog to meet new people. You may be surprised how so many people aren't doing it the right way!

TV Show Analysis: Pit Bulls & Parolees

Carlos & I discuss the long-running TV show "Pit Bulls & Parolees". We talk about the cast, the great work they do and we critique some of the methods they use when working with dogs. The people of "Pit Bulls & Parolees" (Villalobos Rescue Center) do AMAZING work. They are selfless, brave and we admire them greatly. We hope this podcast brings more attention to VRC and dog rescue in general and inspires more people to volunteer with a local dog rescue. 

The Story of Sakura part 3

This is episode #3 in our series about Sakura, the young Border Collie we brought home from the Fauquier SPCA. She was with us for a week, made some progress and already has a family interested in her and experienced with anxious dogs! Stay tuned...

Owner Liability for a Dog Bite

Carlos & Brian discuss owner liability with respect to a dog who bites someone or another dog. We go over the legal definition of a "dangerous dog", what happens after a dog bites someone or another dog, the owner's liability is when it happens. Brian recalls his experiences in court as a Qualified Expert Witness in Dog Behavior to shed light on this issue which most of us have only read about.

The Story of Sakura part 2

Carlos & I update listeners about Sakura, the young Border Collie we're fostering. Progress is slow but she's definitely coming out of her shell and normalizing.

The Story of Sakura part 1

This is the first in a series of podcasts about Sakura, a 1-year-old Border Collie mix who was shutting down in her kennel. Not drinking or eating much, not comfortable with a leash, sitting at the back of her kennel, she just wanted to be invisible to the world. This is the story of Sakura's journey from fear and uncertainty to stability and contentment. Keep listening for more about Sakura!

How NOT to Teach: Discipline, according to Victoria Stilwell

Carlos & Brian discuss the fallacies of this trainer's methods as well as her initial rationale which her methods are based on.

Can You Overcome the Psychological Trauma of a Dog Bite?

Carlos & Brian discuss dog bites, specifically how people deal with the psychological trauma of having been bitten by a dog. We discuss our worst and most traumatic bites and how they changed us.

The Importance of YOUR Body Language

Carlos & Brian discuss the body language of humans and how we effect our dogs whether we realize it or not. We go into detail about how dog owners inadvertently give the wrong signals to their dogs which the dogs then interpret as anxiety, insecurity and/or weakness and respond by challenging or ignoring their owners.

Dog Parks

Carlos & Brian discuss the pros and cons of taking your dog to a dog park. Should you avoid dog parks or should you go? Gain some new perspective on dog parks and find out if they're right for you and your dog!

"Basic" Training

Carlos & Brian discuss typical "basic" training offered by most dog trainers and commercial pet stores.

"Basic" Training

Carlos & Brian discuss typical "basic" training offered by most dog trainers and commercial pet stores.

How NOT to Teach: Leash Walking and Meeting Other Dogs featuring clip from Victoria Stilwell

Carlos & Brian discuss a training video by Victoria Stilwell in which Dillon the Great Dane has (according to his owners) never met another dog. Needless to say, Dillon gets very excited about the prospect of meeting another dog as soon as he sees one. We discuss not only Victoria's methods and why they're ineffective, but we also examine the poor energy of the people and how that negatively affects Dillon in this exercise.

Choosing the Right Dog for You and Your Family!

Brian & Carlos share their thoughts and valuable experience when it comes to making this very important decision that could make or break your overall success as a dog owner.

How NOT to Teach: Dogs Jumping on People, according to Zak George

In this episode Brian and Carlos discuss a video clip of a dog trainer attempting to teach dog owners about fixing the problem of dog jumping. We break down the effectiveness of the techniques used and explain why they don't work.

Dominance and Aggression

We breakdown these overused and misused terms as applied to dog behavior.

The Importance of Physical Touch with Your Dog

In this episode we discuss the relevance and importance of physical touch as an integral part of your relationship with your dog. Physical contact for dogs is a natural and necessary form of communication, both with each other and with us. Without understanding how dogs communicate with each other physically and the meanings of different forms of physical touch, you're missing out on fully understanding your dog. 

Walking Your Dog Part 1

Our first of many podcasts discussing the importance of walking your dog...every day! Letting your dog run around in the backyard or at a dog park or in doggie daycare are all fine ways for your dog to release energy, but without YOU engaging with him in the activity, you're missing out on some tremendous benefits — the most important benefit is continuing to improve your relationship of trust and respect with your dog.

Angus the English Bulldog

Carlos & I recount one of our most interesting cases! Clients called us to help them with Angus, their adult male English Bulldog. They told us Angus growls at them, goes after other dogs (including the other dog in their house), and they didn't know how to handle him. In a rare case, we took Angus into our care for a couple days and explain everything we did with Angus to work him through his unwanted behavior.