True North Dog Training

10/11/2026

Does your dog have BIG feelings?

Living with a dog who struggles with big emotions can be challenging. You might find yourself constantly watching for triggers, changing your walking routes, or wondering what your dog needs from you.

**The True North Dog Training & Behaviour Learning Hub is here to help!** 🐶

It’s a place for Guardians to learn more about their dogs, understand the emotions behind their behaviour, and discover practical ways to help them feel safer and more comfortable in the world.

Inside the Learning Hub, you’ll find resources to help you:

🐾 Better understand your dog’s behaviour
🐾 Recognize triggers and learn what your dog is communicating
🐾 Discover ways to support your dog through challenging situations
🐾 Build confidence, trust, and a stronger relationship with your dog

Because dogs with big feelings don’t need more judgment. They need understanding, support, and people who are willing to learn alongside them.

And Guardians deserve support, too. ❤️

🐕 Explore the Learning Hub and take the next step in understanding your dog.

👉 https://truenorthdogtraining.ca/learning-hub

09/30/2026

Prong collars and shock collars don’t fix behaviour. They suppress it — and there’s a big difference.

I’ve worked with Guardians who were told that a prong collar or shock collar was the answer to their dog’s behaviour.

The promise is usually something like: “The dog will learn that if they do that, something unpleasant happens, so they’ll stop.”

But what is the dog actually learning?

A dog that lunges at another dog may not be thinking, “Ah, I guess I shouldn’t lunge.” They may be experiencing fear, frustration, anxiety or over-arousal — and then, on top of all of that, they experience **pain** from the equipment.

The behaviour may stop in that moment, but the underlying emotion hasn’t been addressed.

And sometimes, that pain gets associated with whatever the dog was already worried about.

I’ve personally worked with Guardians who were using prong collars on their dogs, only to have the dog redirect that frustration or fear onto the person holding the leash. In some cases, the dog has turned around and **bitten the Guardian**.

That isn’t the dog being “dominant.”

It isn’t the dog trying to “take control.”

It’s a dog who is overwhelmed and has learned that something painful happens when they are in a difficult situation — and the person attached to that leash can become part of that experience.

That’s a serious risk.

And this isn’t simply my personal opinion.

The European Union adopted Regulation (EU) 2026/1818 in 2026, establishing EU-wide welfare standards for dogs and cats. Among other handling practices, the regulation specifically prohibits applying electric current to dogs or cats except for medical reasons and prohibits the use of **prong collars**. The rules generally apply from August 31, 2028, with some provisions coming into effect later.

The European Commission has also specifically acknowledged the welfare concerns surrounding these tools, noting that shock collars can cause pain and stress and may contribute to redirected aggression or anxiety-based behaviour.

And the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior recommends reward-based training rather than aversive methods such as electronic collars, prong collars and leash corrections.

So when someone tells you that a prong collar or shock collar is necessary because “nothing else works,” I think we need to ask a different question:

**What is causing the behaviour in the first place?**

Because stopping a behaviour isn't the same thing as changing the emotion behind it.

A dog doesn't need to be scared into behaving.

They need to be understood.

They need appropriate management, clear communication, and a training plan that teaches them what **to do**, rather than hurting them for what we don't want.

Training should change behaviour without damaging the relationship we have with the dog.

That’s the kind of training I believe in.

09/20/2026

🎧 Now you can listen to our blog!

Love learning about dogs but don’t always have time to sit and read? Our blog articles are now available in audio, so you can listen while you’re walking, driving, having your coffee—or spending time with your dog. 🐾

Read it. Or listen to it. You choose!

👉 Check out the latest articles on our blog.
https://truenorthdogtraining.ca/recent-articles/

09/20/2026

🐾 Living with a reactive dog can be challenging. You don’t have to figure it out alone.

The True North Dog Training Learning Hub offers practical articles and resources to help Guardians better understand their dogs, manage challenging situations, and build a stronger relationship with them.

Whether you’re dealing with barking, lunging, fear, triggers or aggression, the Hub is a place to learn, understand and find strategies that can help.

👉 Visit the Learning Hub:
truenorthdogtraining.ca/learning-hub/

Different dogs. Brighter days.🐾

LEARNING HUB Welcome to the Learn Hub - your starting point for clear, compassionate guidance on living with and supporting a reactive dog. Here you'll find practical, step-by-step articles designed to help you understand reactivity, identify triggers, recognize early stress signals, and build safer...

09/05/2026

To the people living with a reactive dog… this is for you. ❤️

I know there are days when you dread going for a walk.

You see another dog coming and your heart starts beating faster. You’re looking for somewhere to turn, wondering if you have enough distance, hoping your dog doesn’t react.

And when they do… you feel the eyes on you.

Maybe someone shakes their head.

Maybe someone makes a comment.

Maybe you walk away feeling embarrassed, frustrated, or wondering if you’re doing something wrong.

Please know this: You are not failing your dog.

Living with a reactive dog can be incredibly hard. It takes patience, planning, creativity, and sometimes a whole lot of deep breathing.

There are days when you feel like you’ve made so much progress, only to have a walk that feels like you're right back where you started.

But you’re not.

Progress isn't always a quiet walk with a perfectly calm dog.

Sometimes progress is your dog seeing their trigger and recovering a little faster.

Sometimes it’s creating enough distance instead of pushing through.

Sometimes it’s your dog looking at you instead of the thing that scares or excites them.

And sometimes, **progress is simply trying again tomorrow.**

So if today was messy, take a breath. ❤️

You don't have to have it all figured out.

You just have to keep showing up for your dog.

You’re doing better than you think you are.

09/04/2026

“You’re just bribing your dog with treats.” I hear this often.

When working with a reactive dog, treats aren't about bribing the dog into behaving.

We're working to change the dog's emotional response to a stimulus.

Let's say your dog sees another dog and that sight normally triggers barking, lunging, freezing, or intense excitement.

When your dog notices the other dog, we deliver a high value treat.

We're not saying, “Look at that dog and I'll pay you to behave.”

We're creating an association:

“I see that dog → good things happen → I feel safe → I don't need to react.”

The food helps create a positive emotional experience while the dog is exposed to the stimulus at an intensity they can handle.

With enough successful repetitions, we're working toward changing how the dog **feels** about that stimulus.

And that's the important part.

The end goal isn't a dog that constantly looks at their handler waiting for a treat.

The end goal is a dog who can notice the trigger and **regulate their own emotions.**

They see the other dog.

They process it.

And instead of immediately reacting, they can think, “That's a dog. I'm okay.

That's behaviour modification.

The treat is simply one of the tools we use to help the dog get there.

🐾 We're not bribing the dog. We're changing the emotional response.

08/20/2026

Did You Know Dogs Are Contextual Learners?

One of the most important things to understand about dogs is that *they don't simply learn a behaviour — they learn the context in which that behaviour happens.*

For example, your dog may quickly learn that sitting earns a treat when you're standing in the kitchen.

But ask for the same sit at the park, in the middle of a busy pet store, or when your dog is excited about another dog, and suddenly they seem to have "forgotten" everything.

They probably haven't forgotten.

**The context has changed.**

Dogs pay attention to all the details surrounding a learning experience:

🐾 Where they are
🐾 Who is present
🐾 What is happening around them
🐾 What smells and sounds are present
🐾 Your body position and movement
🐾 Their own emotional state

This is why training in one location doesn't automatically mean a dog understands that behaviour everywhere.

If you teach your dog to come when called in the backyard, you've taught them that **coming when called in the backyard** is a behaviour that works.

To help them understand that the cue applies everywhere, we need to gradually practise in different environments and situations.

Think of it as building a library of experiences.

Kitchen → backyard → quiet street → park → busier environment

Each new context helps your dog learn:

"Oh! This applies here too."

This is also why changing too many things at once can make training difficult. If you change the location, distractions, distance, handler and difficulty all at the same time, you're essentially asking your dog to learn a completely new lesson.

Instead, change **one variable at a time** and give your dog plenty of successful repetitions.

Understanding contextual learning helps us become better teachers.

We're not just asking, "Does my dog know this behaviour?"

We're asking:

"In what contexts does my dog understand this behaviour — and where do we need to build more experience?"

That's a much more useful question. 🐾

08/15/2026

🐕 MYTH: “A Wagging Tail Means a Happy Dog”

Not necessarily.

A wagging tail simply means *your dog is emotionally activated*. It tells you something is happening — but it doesn't tell you exactly what they're feeling.

A dog may wag their tail when they're:

🐶 Happy and excited
😨 Nervous
😡 Frustrated or highly aroused
👀 Unsure about a person or another dog
⚡ Overstimulated

And here's something important:

***A dog can be wagging its tail and still bite you.***

That doesn't mean the dog is “happy to bite.” It means the tail wag was never a guarantee that the dog was comfortable, relaxed, or safe to approach in the first place.

The speed, height, direction and stiffness of the wag, along with the rest of the dog's body language, give us much more information.

A loose, relaxed body with a soft, sweeping tail is very different from a stiff body with a high, rapid tail wag.

So the next time someone says, “Look, he's wagging his tail! He's happy!” — take a second look at the whole dog.

Don't read the tail. Read the dog.

🐾 Understanding body language helps us recognize discomfort *before* it escalates to barking, lunging or biting.

08/09/2026

Ever Seen Your Dog’s Hair Stand Straight Up? Here’s What It Actually Means.

When the hair along your dog’s back suddenly stands up, those raised hairs are called piloerection.

It happens when tiny muscles attached to the hair follicles contract, causing the fur to stand up — similar to when we get goosebumps.

And here’s the important part:

Piloerection does NOT automatically mean your dog is aggressive or that a fight is about to happen.

It simply means your dog’s arousal level has increased.

That arousal can come from all kinds of emotions:

🐕 Excitement
😨 Fear
😳 Uncertainty
😡 Frustration
👀 Curiosity
🎉 Anticipation
⚡ Stress
🐶 And yes, sometimes aggression

Think of raised hackles as your dog’s “something is happening!” signal, rather than a direct translation of what they’re feeling.

The key is to look at the *whole dog*.

Are they loose or stiff?
Are they moving toward something or trying to get away?
What are their ears and tail doing?
Are they staring, freezing, barking, sniffing, avoiding or trying to engage?

Context matters too.

A dog with raised hackles while greeting another dog may be excited or uncertain. A dog with raised hackles while backing away may be worried. A dog who is stiff, staring, growling and moving forward is giving us a very different picture.

So the next time you see those hairs go up, don't immediately think “aggressive dog.”

Think:

“Something has changed in this dog’s emotional state. What else is their body telling me?”

Because when it comes to understanding dogs, one body-language signal rarely tells the whole story.🐾

08/09/2026

Is Your Dog Excited on Walks or Actually Anxious?

Have you ever been out walking your dog and thought, “Why are you so busy today?”

They're pulling ahead, zig-zagging across the sidewalk, looking everywhere, reacting to every little sound, and seemingly unable to settle into the walk.

It’s easy to assume they’re just excited.

But sometimes, what looks like excitement is actually anxiety or stress.

One of the things I pay close attention to is how much a dog is scanning their environment. Are they constantly looking around? Checking behind them? Reacting to every person, vehicle, dog, or strange noise?

And what about the dog who is pulling ahead even when there doesn't appear to be anything there?

It's easy to think, “They just want to go faster.”

Sometimes the environment itself is triggering their nervous system.

They may be trying to move through the environment quickly because they don't feel comfortable in it. There doesn't have to be an obvious dog, person, or other trigger in front of them. The sights, sounds, smells, movement, open spaces, traffic, or unfamiliar surroundings can all contribute to a dog feeling overwhelmed.

Their nervous system may simply be saying, “I don't feel comfortable here. Let's keep moving.”

That constant need to monitor everything around them can make it really difficult for a dog to relax and actually enjoy their walk.

So what can we do?

Give your dog something predictable. Pattern games like the Up/Down Game or the 1-2-3 Pattern Game can give them a familiar routine to focus on when the environment feels like a lot.

Try a treat scatter, too. Toss treats into the grass and let your dog find them. You'll often see their pace slow down naturally as they start sniffing and searching.

And —let your dog sniff.

I know it can be tempting to keep moving, especially when you're trying to get some exercise in. But sniffing isn't your dog wasting time. It's how they investigate and process their world.

Sometimes giving them a few minutes to stop and sniff is exactly what they need.

Let stop measuring a “good walk” as distance travelled.

A dog who walks one block, sniffs, explores, and comes home relaxed has had a much more successful walk than a dog who goes five kilometres while spending the entire time pulling, scanning, and worrying about everything around them.

Rather than measuring a successful walk by the distance you cover, consider measuring it by how relaxed your dog feels. A slow, sniff-filled walk around one block can provide far more emotional benefit than a brisk walk covering several kilometres.

When we focus on helping our dogs feel safe instead of simply exercising them, we build confidence, strengthen our relationship, and make walks more enjoyable for everyone.