The Diligent Dog

02/18/2026

Beaten back with the flu, so making most of the downtime with completion of CEUs necessary to renew certification with IAABC as a Shelter Behavior Affiliate.

All certifications through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants require 36 continued education units to recertify. Having held this certification for almost 10 years, each recertification has been a testament to my commitment towards renewing and revitalizing shelter and rescue dogs so as to give them a new lease on life. No matter how they started.

Programs have been implemented in private and municipal shelters across central Texas that have had a profound ripple effect within the community. Teaching volunteers to become the trainer for each dog they handle has been one of the highest honors in my long career, and thanks to IAABC and the Grisha Stewart Academy, the mission continues!

11/08/2025

Did you know the same conditioning protocols we use for our training program align with the same protocols for conditioned cooperative care in many species?

This approach has proven effective for decades for species ranging from bears to tigers to bull elephants (and even blue crabs!)

09/29/2025

09/04/2025

Sleep hygiene is a serious topic around here, one that is covered often in all of our training programs. Many of those with whom we have worked have heard it preached often just how much sleep dogs (especially growing dogs!) need and the behavioral fall-out that is at risk by not meeting their basic needs everyday.

Puppies need an average of 14-16 hours of sleep everyday at minimum. Adult dogs over the age of 2-3 years old need an average of 12 hours of sleep. With busy work and school schedules hinging on humans having 8 hours of sleep, we must provide our dogs with adequate opportunity to make up for lost time.

Without a quiet, low traffic space to rest, the resulting symptoms of sleep deprivation over time often become the behaviors we are solving later in order to prevent habituation.

08/27/2025

Ending a session on a (low) note!

Closing out their Day Tutoring session like absolute rockstars, Gracie and Simba are no strangers to their Settle cue. Always a pleasure working with this pair of lovely littermates!

Interested in seeing how the Day Tutoring program supports your training goals? Find more information and contact us directly at www.theDiligentDog.com 🐶🐕🐾

06/05/2025

These findings are pretty fascinating! 🤯

04/08/2025

A great DIY addition to your gear bag. Love the blue and yellow(ish) noodles to help the pups see it more clearly!

03/25/2024

Finn (the derpy Flat Coated Retriever who greets you with a hearty High Five on my landing page) was a perpetual black hole of snacks and all things snack-like.

Flat Coats are 66% more prone to this mutation. 😱

New research finds around a quarter of Labrador retriever dogs face a double-whammy of feeling hungry all the time and burning fewer calories due to a genetic

03/20/2024

* Bringing this post out of the vault, because it’s so important * 👇🏻

I think it’s common to think that when our dog is unruly, there is something wrong with them. 

Especially when we look around us and see perfectly behaved pups strolling happily down the street with their owners. 

But the truth is…

Everything your dog does is NORMAL. 

Chewing…

Digging…

Barking…

Pulling on the lead…

Lunging at other dogs or joggers…

Growling…

It’s all NORMAL. 

This is  a normal response for a predator (because that’s what dogs once were) that got plucked out of their natural environment and dropped onto your sofa. 

What’s not normal? 

Walking on a leash at a mind numbingly slow pace as you stare at your phone…

NOT chewing things, or mouthing you…

Holding a sit stay or a down stay as you chat to a friend…

NOT losing their mind around another dog. 

Sure selective breeding has curbed some of the more natural responses our dogs have…

But the truth is…

Your dog’s behavior is a NORMAL response to them trying to adapt to an environment that truthfully is NOT normal for them. 

So tell me…

What does that shift for you? 

Because your dog isn’t “Bad”. There’s nothing wrong with them. Everything they are doing is completely normal.