Why to teach your dog to bark on command

There are actually a number of reasons to teach a dog to bark on command, we are interested in this one:

The point of training a dog to bark on command, is that it becomes a way to stress the dog, and then he resolves the stress by a clean, clear, deep bark. Why is this important? Because

Network Consciousness - animal perception, aggression and humans

Worth reading is this blog
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
posted by Kevin Behan on network consciousness.

What's Going On With The Animals? 
The Animals Are Getting Restless
Is something going on with the animals?

Tuesday, December 19, 2006
posted by Kevin Behan on network consciousness


What's Going On With The Animals?

First real tug - way to go Stormeeeeee

Ok, so Storm has been more enthusiastic going after the tennis ball, generally dropping it as soon as his teeth have touched it for more that a second. He has not yet given a real tug with it, but is getting exited having it in his mouth as he knows a treat follows soon. So I went to the store to get some supplies to try out various toys and to make some. I want to find/make something he'll like to bite.




Among the bought items was a rawhide pretzel, and, little smartypants can smell something chewable and even though it is a very hard "toy", he decided that he might like it as a prize.

This picture here is during his first real tug at anything - 3 or 4 seconds....and then I let him have it. He dropped it right away when I offered a piece of the warmed up and "smelly" chicken. Plan: to work with this AND the ball until I can make a toy, or a few ...and gradually keep rewarding him more and more for the longer "tugs" or holding it between his teeth occasions.

I play tug/get the ball between "pushings" - it still is fun - and he like to chase me :). And it is totally true - when they chase you, they are more inclined to bite the toy - or in this case, grab the ball or rawhide-pretzel.

I should say that I still do find it strange that some dogs are so inhibited that they won't tug-bite. Not sure if we got him like this or not, as I have only really started working with him on this 5 weeks ago, and he is 3 years old.

Stormy learning to bite where it is ok - early ball

Storm on box

Goal is to get the bite out and play tug and let him win, play tug for fun, satisfying hunt and bite needs, not needing food, and get the bite out where it is ok - and not at times when it is not ok. Storm saw Skye go for a ball, and occasionally went for it too at the time, months ago - Since he won't bite anything else other than real food, I got a tennis ball to rekindle a memory and it worked - it is the ONLY toy he will open his mouth for and I am using it as an entry point.
This is what one way of our "get the ball" looks like after a couple of days.

Yay - dog distraction - but impressive recall for Storm

Ok, this is not a stray dog picture - but I didn't have my camera handy, so a show of the cattle currently next door must do.

That's the cattle and the fence ...  not a real obstacle ...

This evening we went down to the gate area for a bit of pushing. Walking down the driveway, the cattle was not even noticed.
All went well, nice pushing.  Then there was a stray dog by the gate ....and both dogs went running to him, briefly barking ...and  I called and waved them both back and they came ...Storm ready for a BIG push. We did this a couple of times ...calling the "ready" as he was running towards the other dog ...and not only did he hear me, but he turned abound for an even bigger and very enthusiastic push. Then ANOTHER dog arrived and the 2 of them wandered off, unfortunately our deaf shakti running with them - and I have no way to call him...and THAT was too much distraction for Stormy ...3 dogs running off ...he had to follow them.

Now I know why to always use the long line - duh...
They came running back pretty soon though.

Regarding the playing and grabbing the ball on the way to get him to tug - very slow progress towards any actually tugging - it's like he does not dare ...what if he has a toothache? just kidding....

So much for the update - I like the effect of the pushing -  can't quite put my finger on it....

Do rat terriers play tug?

Ok, so I am reading in Natural Dog Training that a dog needs to get the bite out. Our terrier will have NOTHING to do with any tug toy, not matter how much I wiggle, try to tease, get him to chase, as soon as he realizes there is no actual food involved - it is over and there is ZERO interest. If I use an actual edible chew bone...he's all game though, but Stormy the rat terrier will not bite any tug toy, let alone play tug.

So I am left with only pushing and the associated feeding? Not that pushing has not had good results, and this is only week 4, but what about the tug and getting the bite out? Does he not need that?

Mind you, this dog has caught many a rat. Their success was greatest while Skye lived with us - rats, moles, and a squirrel. Sometimes, when Skye caught a rodent, she would not kill it. Once I found her playing with a mole who looked to be unharmed and I carried it off to a save spot and I think it got away. But every now and then I found a young rat still breathing but "playing dead", or not dead yet but possibly hurt, I would call Storm the rat terrier over and: "crack" one bite to the neck and it was dead. Thinking about it now - his way of hunting does not involve a lot of tugging on a large animal....They were busy for hours on wood piles or on the ground sniffing and digging for those little critters - then a quick bite and ...dead. He HAS on occasion eaten his prey.
In fact, they both went nuts over rodent noises in tree trunks, wood piles or in the ground, sometime staying on it for several hours. Their passion for hunting really is what bonded them and allowed them to be such good friends imo. They were ..."happy" for lack of a better word, and in a way it was such a pleasure to see them like that.

Anyway, back to trying to get Storm to play tug. So I remembered that during the 6 months we had Skye, our German shepherd husky, he watched her tug, and play fetch a ball, except she'd tease me, not always bringing it back to me but run off with it with excitement or bringing it to the other dogs  - and he saw her get an occasional treat. He even started to get interested in running after a tennis ball himself....looking really cute...and I gave him a treat too at times.

So the other day, after unsuccessful attempts with  "tuggable" things last week, I started working with a tennis ball and HE REMEMBERED. He ran after it and quickly learned that when he picks it up in his mouth - he'll get a treat. We have only been doing this on 3 different occasions and it looks like he is getting really interested in catching the ball with a quick bite then drop it. Today he looked like he would eventually want to grab it out of my hand...will this be the beginning of tug?

Will he eventually enjoy it without getting a treat - at least without getting a treat each time?
Maybe rat terriers don't play tug like the bigger prey driven dogs?
And what if he had never seen the other dog play with the ball?
Is it really that important for him to bite?
Does he really have to play tug? (not that I don't want him to)

I'll keep you posted. Pictures and video coming - but it has been a little busy lately. And if there are any natural dog training enthusiasts out there with answers, please, I'd be delighted.....

Why train your dog - and then: HOW? What dog training method is best?

These here are some considerations about dog training - thinking out loud, or rather, thinking out online - hoping to be able to get you investigating. There is something so deeply special about how we can relate to dogs, that none of the current popular training methods seem to do justice yet.
There are currently 2 main categories of dog training
- compulsion method - based on the pack leader dominance/submission model
- the "positive" behavior modification reward system
They work well enough for a lot of dogs, and both miss the deeper energetic dynamic of dogs.
If you are interested in what really does on, and want to work with your dogs innate energy and beingness, Natural Dog Training might be for you.

Elsewhere I have heard: TIME, PLACE and PEOPLE - referring to teaching methods and indicating that depending on time, place and people - methods vary!!!!

And so it seems to me that this is true for training dogs: depending on time, place - dogs and people, dog training methods vary.
-  and this is what I think: there is NO ONE WAY to train a dog - and whatever works for you and your dog - works for you and your dog.


WAIIIIITTT: the headline says: why train your dog?

These days – for the sake of the dogs as well as people – some basic training seems to be necessary. Most dogs don’t just hang around on farms with jobs to do anymore, let alone have hunting jobs. They are living in crowded urban environments.  Notice though that “coincidentally” since dogs have been bred to be friendly and domesticated rather than be a working dog that had to earn its living and people have been “training” dogs with the commonly used methods or treating them as playthings  -  dog aggression and other behavioral problems have been on the rise. Not the “positive” reward training, or the dominance/pack leader based training or the combined training methods get to the root of canine behaviors. As per Kevin Behan: It is in police dog training that you quickly realize where those methods fail.

What do I want from training my dogs?

Well, then: I live in a semi rural area with cattle at the fence, lots of people coming and going, neighborhood dogs visiting, koyotes howling and I also don't want to have to muzzle any of the dogs when we go to the vet or go to town and I want it to be save when an unsuspecting kid runs up to it. I also want them to get along with cats and chickens, as well as, potentially, a grazing goat.
I would like barking when strangers come onto the property...and if I where to have to fight with one ...would want them to naturally help me. Once I greet a visitor - the barking should stop. I want them to come EVERY time when I call them.
If I open the front door, even IF they where to run out,  - there is no nearby road....meaning: some things are not as important to me to train for as if I lived in town. Them not chasing the pregnant cattle of the neighbor is a much higher concern.
Should anything deadly happen to me and they be left in this world, I would want them to be very easily adoptable.

If I were younger, I would be interested in search and rescue, or service dog training, but such as it is - eventually being able to foster shelter dogs is my other goal.

Now it is YOUR turn: why do you want to train your dog?...what does it mean to you, and what is important to you in that regard?

So this might help to understand the: TIME - PLACE - DOG - AND PEOPLE concept a little more, as part of it is what you and the dog need to be able to do.

Then there is a question of: HOW do I teach my dog what I want him/her to do? Or: what does he/she need to know to be safe and be safe around - and - be "happy"?

This then leads to the investigation of various training methods, which also have varied greatly with time, place and people, and so far I have come up with these criteria for dog training:

Training your dog will take time, energy and commitment and I take it as a given that you are willing to give those.


What to want from Dog Training
I don't know about you, but I want dog training 

- to be effective - if it does not work, I don't want to spend the time, energy and resources on it, in fact, I don't have the time or energy to waste.

- to NOT be harmful - if it hurts the dog, I don't want it. And by hurt I don't mean a correction, but actually physically or emotionally hurt.

- to honor and respect the deepest nature of the dog to be trained.
"The dog to be trained" is intentional, because even though, say, dogs are predator animals, a pointer and a German shepherd and a husky and a dachshund also have different genetically determined qualities. Just because a GSD can be taught to retrieve - it would not be "him".

- be fun for me and the dog and energetically and physically easy to do for me.

I think that not all currently commonly used methods work for all dogs all the time - and that a dog trainer ought to be open and knowledgeable about various methods in dog training.

"My" prey driven adopted GSG/husky could not care less about food, and  looked away at my treat offerings unless I starved her, and she got seriously dejected at corrections, even though she did learn. The little rat terrier could not care less about biting a toy. It has ZERO desirability  for him, in fact, he will not bite any at all - but will do just about anything for food. He is quite resilient to corrections.
How on earth can I think the exact same methods will work for each dog and respect them at the same time?

So, you may have to diversify, use whatever works in YOUR life with YOUR dog to train him to be able to do what you need him to do to be safe and to behave in the way he needs to behave.

However, working with my German shepherd husky, I had a deeper question: who is she and what does she need to be dog-happy, or fulfilled? What made that girl tick? What is it that your dog needs and what is it you need him/her to do?


What is the deeper nature of the dog?  How can I train my dogs working with their energy channeled in a way that does not just tire them out (like this GSD/husky, though she was not afraid, got equally offended at trotting next to a bike for "exercise" but played running with the other dogs or dug for hours for rodents.) - but satisfies their inner dog-ness, the wild animal in them and  their deeply social, cooperative and "in tune" with each other nature? How do I work with their emotional nature? How do I get them to WANT to come with me over running after a cat?

What IS the latest research on learning in dogs? What role does play have in raising puppies? What ARE the latest findings about the hierarchical dominance structure versus the cooperative group nature of a wolf pack?

So far the closest thing I have found is Natural Dog Training.
Having watched a number of videos where Kevin Behan works with dogs, I see him use choke chains, and food - and my impression is: this guy draws on whatever is needed to keep the dogs safe. (Because, lets face it: if you were not concerned about the behaviour of your dog, would you be reading this?)
AND - he is working with the energy of dogs, - reestablishing the dog's ability to conduct and channel energy like they were meant to do - to be able to handle all that emotional energy, prey drive and allow them to be social and playful, happy to be with us, confident in their beingness and abilities and actually wanting to do what we would like them to do....using what is natural to them on the deepest level.

At the same time I wish to honor all who are able and willing to get "red-zone" dogs off death row and actually rehabilitate them to be able to live as sociable dogs with their families.

It is very interesting to read about why dogs are truly most like us humans than any other animal on land.
It is indeed their deep social, cooperative and emotional nature that allows us to connect with them the way we do. - and - they are dogs.

That is almost it for my ramblings this evening. ON the horizon I see things like:


How can Natural Dog Training inform current popular ways of training?
Like, instead of: be your dog's leader - ....be your dog's mouse? hm...how about: be the most attractive to your dog?
How to you explain to others this unity we are with our dogs on an energetic level? We are not actually dominant leaders, we are 2 poles of the same unit...and not only that, we can flip-flop.
Are there similarities in the various training methods? Or is the basis so fundamentally different, that it will be it's own camp of dog training? - will the future of the best dog training really be a diverse method training?
My sense is that Natural Dog Training gets more underneath it all - or rather: it honors the way of the dog on a deeper level than other training methods I have so far encountered. That is why I am drawn to it.
So: how can I learn to actually use Natural Dog Training? A- Z? Will it work for dogs with behaviour problems when I don't have a balanced dog pack of my own?

Other kinds of questions are arising: is it possible to train a dog to be honest and honorable?
How does all this apply to training of dogs bred to be service dogs?

 ...but more importantly, practical questions: how do I get my terrier to relax on an outing, like when going to the post office?

To this end, I have started to use one of the fundamental techniques in Natural Dog Training: Pushing.
It has been FUN, and it is having the effect of having this little terrier turn towards me and run to me and trust me more than I have ever seen him do.

more thoughts here - in case you missed the other post 
 If you are interested or intrigued, please check out the Natural Dog Training links - on the sidebar.


and - I don't in any way profit from this - I just so loved this dog and entered into this world - and I want to do the dogs justice. I truly feel that Natural Dog Training has something to offer for any dog owner anywhere using any dog training method.


And then there is this other aspect to Natural Dog Training which may be difficult for some dog owners to face - dogs are emotional beings, they are all heart - and that has a consequence.
Energy, emotion, instinct, thoughts, feelings ... - a proper study of dogs will reveal these fundamental differences and then you can see your dog as your emotional expression.

Pushing with a rat terrier - a visual

Introducing Storm and Pushing

This is during week 3 of pushing with Storm. He loves it. This is my first attempt to do pushing as well "flipping" at the same time, just so you can get a visual of what pushing looks like with a little dog. I kinda don't like to have you see me in my doggie clothes, but frankly, I rarely look like those sexy women from Westside German Shepherd rescue :)

Why pushing? From the naturaldogblog.com:"...goal with our dogs is to tap into their prey instinct, so that in times of stress our dogs will turn to us, automatically, as a way of resolving the stress. Pushing is a fundamental dog training technique that will shift your relationship with your dog, increasing their level of attraction to you during high energy moments, and also helping your dog learn to be relaxed during those times".

You can actually see it that 1 time in the video ...Storm is on a hunt - and he can't wait to get to me. Sets up a pattern that might come in handy ....

The Top 10 Myths about Dogs - Lee Charles Kelley

Links worth the read - I don't have time to write today, so this offering is from the Lee Charles Kelly website, Natural Dog Training in New York City.

The following are either total myths or based on major fallacies.
What does and doesn't make the list is subject to change.

1) The Myth of the Pack Leader
2) The Myth of Dominance and Submission
3) Dogs, Ducks & Dentists All Learn the Same Way
4) Dogs Are as Much Like Wolves as Humans Are Like Chimps
5) Dogs Are Scavengers, not Predators
6) Play Is Just Another Form of Positive Reinforcement
7) Dogs Have to Be Calm in Order to Learn
8) You Have to Start Training Your Pup Immediately!
9) Praise Is Only a Secondary Reinforcer
10) Don't Play Tug-of-War With Your Dog!

Journey to the Heart of the Dog

I found this workshop description online - for a workshop in October 2009 and again in March 2010  Love it. Sorry you missed it?  Me too :)

But check out the website Natural Dog Training  - there is lots of info there, enough to keep you busy for days.

Journey to the Heart of the Dog  - Retreat Weekend

The connection between dogs and human beings is far more profound than ever imagined. The only animal to integrate themselves into every aspect of human existence, dogs know us “by heart.” Learn what bonds humans and dogs and each dog to its owner. Thinking is what separates our two species; feelings are what we have in common. Explore why dogs do what they do, why we think about them the way we do, and how to understand a dog by learning to see “by feel.”
Traditionally the idea of heart has been a romantic notion, a wonderful sentiment, an apt metaphor, but dogs are here to show us that heart is tangible, material, and down to earth. It is a faculty of intelligence by which animals adapt to their surroundings and by which emotional energy is communicated from individual to individual, even across the species divide. The most amazing example of this is the dog-human emotional bond.
This is not a workshop about obedience. Before you set out to train a dog, you need to know how a dog’s energy works. You can establish amazing rapport once you learn how to work with his or her energy, instead of fighting against it.
Much of the time we will be outside observing dogs in nature and exploring Kevin’s way of knowing dogs. There is only room for a limited number of dogs, so you are welcome without your dog. Or if you’re thinking about getting a dog, come to this retreat first. If two people come together, they each get a 10% discount. Even if your dog stays home, you and your dog will be glad you came. Dogs want to be understood.

Dog Training - The Next Level - Natural Dog Training

When looking for a way to train your dog, you will soon discover there are dog trainers everywhere and that there is more than one way to train a dog and there is disagreement in what is best. Also, just because millions follow one way or another, does not mean it is the best or only way, or that is is the way for you and the dog in your life.

This is my humble first offering as a writer on this topic, or, as you will soon discover, should I say non-writer. I go with deep resonance, inspired by working with Skye, and if this gets anyone to pause for a second and search the internet to inform themselves - then a service has been done. And if it inspires anyone to work with their dog in a way that more deeply honors and expresses the deep, true nature and heart of each - that is a blessing and gift to this world to which I bow with gratitude.

Dog training as it is used today is a relative recent invention, even though dogs and humans have been working together for a very long time.

Hey, play with me

Until about World War I, most domesticated dogs living with people had a function in the family, a job, and they were expected to follow certain house rules, they had a respected place in the family. Their jobs were guarding, protection, herding, pulling carts and sledges and help in hunting. Their training happened as a result of the way they lived and worked in the family and with their owners. The notion of a dog as man's best friend is something that arose in a northern climate and largely western cultural disposition, including the cradle of that civilization. At least I have yet to come across stories about that coming out of Africa or the Far East, like China.

Fast forward to millions of dogs in our society today: the environment our companion dogs are expected to function in today is very different. Not only is there an incredible population density - often there are no spaces where dogs can be dogs, and they are left alone for hours at a time indoors. Rather then doing jobs requiring them to use their energy in fulfilling ways, they often are living lives with no appropriate use of their energy. At the same time they have become the most pampered and fussed over animals with millions of dollars spent on their care. And never before have there been so many behavioral problems with them.

There is a huge variety of functions dogs are now being trained for, and bred for.
Breeding, over time, has changed dogs considerably, and not always in the right direction to do these magnificent animals justice, and in fact may be contributing to some of the behavioral problems we see today. Dogs are also emerging as the most social, adaptable companions man has ever known, with the ability to read - and reflect - humans like no other animal on earth. The emotional pure nature of dogs will prove a tool that is yet unrecognized by most people.

During WW I and II, people started using dogs in different ways and there was a need to find ways to train dogs fast. Compulsion Training was born as there was a high need to rapidly replace dogs. From there the obedience training methods were derived. In conjunction with observations done on wolves in captivity, the dominance and pack idea began being popular. While a lot of dogs did well, harsh training methods also broke the spirit of many dogs, even though not considered abusive if properly applied. Operand Conditioning, or the "positive" training methods saw a huge rise in the 1990ties, though the research was done over 100 years ago. It works on reward system. Again, while there is a lot to be said for it, in the extreme, it often did not get the results.
Today, a lot of trainers use a balanced approach and adapt to the needs and temperament of your dog.

In recent years, another method,  Natural Dog Training,  is gaining awareness and is the way of the near future of dog training. At the same time, as it often goes with new developments and findings,  the old may resist the new, mostly based on fear. This need not be so.
By no means am I saying that other methods should not be used. If fact, they might have worked perfectly for you and your family. Some of the popularization might have been exactly what was needed to raise awareness and give many people a way to make it possible for them and their dogs to stay together. Many many dogs have been helped and their lives literally saved using those methods, even as the premise on which they were based may not be scientifically sound in light of new research and understanding about the nature of dogs, including the actual way wolves function in the wild. At the same time, behavior issues are the number 1 cause of death for dogs in the USA.
I suggest to be open enough to explore a dimension of relating to dogs and working with them in dog training which is not addressed in the older forms of training.

Natural dog training, created by Kevin Behan, is a way of training that recognizes the nature of dogs in a profound way and which works with dogs and their natural drive and energy flow. Natural Dog Training is the first method I have seen described which respects and works with the deepest nature, drive and the energetic and emotional beingness of dogs. I love it for that reason. Recent research of wolves in the wild and the social-emotional nature of dogs and their way of relating to humans is supportive/compatible with this way of training. For many dogs and their owners, this will be the way to train.

Kevin Behan, having grown up raising and training dogs with his father, is very well versed in both compulsion training as well as operand conditioning training methods or anything else that came along. He also learned from some German training methods which respected the drive and nature of their dogs.He has trained police dogs and works in what I call dog rehab. He is so experienced and immersed in the world of dogs and training, he can draw from whatever is needed. However, there is a knowing and understanding of a deeper dimension and underlying energies with informs the methods of Natural Dog Training. As will become clear, the very nature of dogs will require from the owner a different way to look at dogs and themselves, using this method. I hope it can be developed to be used by people at all stages of the great human spiral of development. At the very least, existing training methods can become informed and modified to honor the deepest nature and needs of dogs in our lives.

This is  worth studying - and every dog trainer owes it to themselves, their dogs AND their owners to take this to heart with an open mind, even if continuing training as usual. You may find that what is already healthy and honoring the way of dogs in the method you are using does not have to be thrown out, but it may well provide understanding and a missing link in understanding of why dogs do what they do at times.

I only hope that Natural Dog Training can be developed in ways that works for people in all walks of life and situations, that it can inform other training methods to make them more aligned with the nature of dogs - and us, and that none will become stuck but continue to evolve as we learn and discover more and more about our deeper nature.

As with any other method, training your dog will require at least some time and energy. If you ask yourself: what makes this dog tick, what is his/her nature, what does this dog want and need, and then do your best to provide that for him/her - you are on the right track.

Links are provided on the sidebar  for easy access & more information.

...and let your dog win tug of war - every time :)

Dogs and Humans, new reseach, how close are we?

A new era may be dawning about dogs and us, the 2 most social species on land.


Dogs Decoded (1/3) by xSilverPhinx

Dogs and humans - how close are we?

Pushing with Storm - week 2-4

Pushing reports - at times broken down day by day, of the pushing experience. Pushing is one of the basic exercises of the Natural Dog Training developed by Kevin Behan. Reports are in descending order. I try to do this 2x per day at

The Pushing posts - Natural K9 Dog Training progress reports - week 1

 Thursday, September 1, 2011 - Pushing day 7

As seems to be the case, the morning was ok, chicken treats helped though. Session was short and, as yesterday, I had both dogs. Evening was much better and fun. We had

Day 3 Pushing with Storm - Natural Dog Training basics

Ok, today was the 3rd day of "pushing" with Stormy, our 3 y old rat terrier. I do the pushing twice a day for 10-15 minutes at mealtime, and before he gets the rest of the meal.
I read about pushing on Natural Dog Training sites, but this description, here on Neil Sattin's natural Dog Blog was particularly useful.

Storm (more about him later) already had

The dog who changed my life - a German shepherd husky

From October 17, 2010 to May 15, 1011,  I took care of a female, 1 year old German shepherd/husky, adopted from the shelter, having been found running around a nearby mountain. Her name was Skye. She was to be outside only dog, with company of 2 others. One is a rat terrier who had taken to wander the country neighborhood and was quite territorial around the house, to say the least, the other a deaf adopted dog with some issues. The adventure started as a job I had accepted. Little did I know it was to change my life, or - better said, change me. Even at the time I kept having the sense and visual of walking through a long tunnel with her. At some point towards the end there was an acute awareness of possible futures. My heart got broken open over and over. I know I am different. There was a leveling up and integrating on a feeling level with the rest of  "it" - and I am seeing people and things with a clarity that is mostly humbling, and more compassionate. At the time of this writing, she's been gone to a new home for 4 months,  which seems so much longer, and still  the tears come every day. I look at it as having fostered her and I know she got a good foundation to be where is is now. She had the key to a door in my heart, and my very self, and I stepped through. There is something about dogs in relation to humans which is amazing. However, you don't just get it for free - you must give of yourself, allow yourself to get engaged and connected, awed and humbled ....
You can read more about my experiences with her here.
...or scroll to the end.
There is another aspect to this which opened me to the plight of dogs everywhere and call for action. Please go to Helping K9s to find out more.
This blog is about exploring  Natural Dog Training.

Having been a novice in dog training and faced with the somewhat challenging situation, I did quickly look for help and also turned to the internet.  Here I came across a lot of dog-training tips and philosophies, though at the time, it seemed a big mish-mash of various camps. Still, some of it was helpful, and I applied some of the methods I read about..
I also quickly discovered that I could not train this dog apart from the other 2 on the property. And I will forever remember the effect of  "non-dog people" and their assumptions, fears and agendas on the training of 1 dog, or, in this case, a group of dogs.

In the course of trying to do this beautiful being justice, I observed her a lot, I spent many hours with her, even in the freezing cold or pouring rain, walking together, first only on leash, then off, and after 2 months later joined by the both the others (there were some aggressions issues to be overcome, as our terrier really wanted nothing to do with her, until they became best buddies), waiting with her to finish digging, and I wish I had found the Natural Dog Training sites in the beginning, rather than just now.

Skye was not driven by food, initially avoided petting most of the time and was without desire to please, something else made her tick. She stalked like a cat and I could not hold her when she went after squirrels and caught me by surprise. Everyone was saying to not play tug of war for fear of aggression issues, or it least it seemed to be something one had to have experience to use. I ended up doing it did anyway and it was a good thing, I should have done it from the start more often and with a certain purpose - and I regret  that I did not let her win every time. But more on that later.

I am still trying to make sense of some of the things I observed as well as finding a training described which accommodates my observations - and just maybe I found it: Natural Dog Training.

A little after the fact for beloved Skye, however, at some point, there will be another dog in my life, a German shepherd most likely, and this time, I want to be more prepared. This blog is about exploring and investigating various ways of dog training, and sometimes simply ways of being with your dog. I am currently enrolled in the Animal Behavior College dog training program, and I am reading Adam's Task, Calling Animals by Name  - by Vicki Hearne. I initially read 2 books by Cesar Milan, and just ordered Your Dog is Your Mirror, by Kevin Behan.

I will be exploring the world of dogs and dog training in months and years to come, reporting as time permits.
Please check out the links provided. I am not closed to an particular dog training method. It is about the dog and you, your connection and what works for you and your dog(s) and in your life. You must be able to understand and be able to implement what you hear. There is way too much bashing going on. Out of balance dogs can cause a lot of damage and anyone who takes in totally aggressive dogs on death row and is able and willing to rehabilitate them and even able to place them into homes deserves some respect in my eyes.  Just one thing for sure: don't allow your dog to be the equivalent of a spoiled brat - it could kill him...and any of the methods I have read about are better than no training at all. When there is a problem: ASK FOR HELP right away, don't wait!

That said, I am glad I have come across the natural dog training sites and methods, as they ring true and seem compatible what I sensed and observed in working with Skye.

In the meantime, here is a taste of what she meant and still means for me:

About Skye, from my facebook album What is Art:

♥ She IS Art - sculpted and painted by nature and imbued with a big spirit by creation itself.
She IS Art - no point really trying to describe it - she is a delight to behold....beautiful, present, playful, regal, happy, alert, with such elegance in movement, with determination & focus, loyalty in doing her job - independent yet open to adjustment & contact - slowly giving her trust and turning into a love bug.
She raises your spirits with her magnificent presence just being who she is from her essence...a transmitter of divine vibration.
Maybe there are other dogs like this - maybe there is one such special dog for everyone that can have such an effect on someone. maybe I was just ready to see, maybe she really is that special, maybe it was reawakening past live connection. Who knows...
...wish you could have seen her fly through the meadow, studying a situation, try to play with a cow, or teach stormy how to play or wag her tail or....
May you be blessed with an encounter such as this so when you hear someone say "it's just a dog" or "just a drum" or "just a promise" or "just a weed" - you know that they "just don't understand". not yet anyway...you've got to be open to the magic, willing to go through the portal into a different world, be amazed, accept what you find there, give it your full attention...allow your heart to be broken once again....humbled, still and awed - and be changed - ART. - but really: LOVE

I am her - not separate - in the deepest heart of hearts. In essence, she will go with me to any manifest world. I had always known her and I always will. There is no time (there), where I am her.