Brianna Dick The short answer is ABSOLUTELY What is Dog Separation Anxiety? "Whether in a puppy or an adult dog, separation anxiety is when your dog exhibits extreme stress from the time you leave him alone until you return. The symptoms can vary, but he will act as if he’s terrified to be in the house on his own. Although we can’t know for sure what’s in a dog’s mind, we can think of SA as the equivalent of a panic attack. Here’s the good news: As the responsible owner of a new puppy or dog, hopefully, you’re already laying the foundation for a well-adjusted, well-behaved dog. Puppy training ..read more

How to Train a Reactive Dog STEP 1 Understand Why It's important to understand reactivity is a symptom, not the root issue. Dogs react because they feel the need to. This is generally related to fear, insecurity, over-excitement and frustration. Yes, reactivity is reactivity but you need to figure out where it's stemming from in order to address the cause. STEP 2 Take inventory of the day-to-day I have found it extremely useful for owners to really take a hard look at their day to day interactions with their dog to consider what behavior they reward. For example, do you feed, leash or let your ..read more

Are you looking for help for your dog with behavior concerns? Let the PLH team help you resolve the root issue so you can enjoy life with your dog again. In January 2017, the City of Toronto enacted an Ban on choke and prong collars. Many individuals including myself sent out letters of opposition regarding this ban. The following is a copy of the second letter I sent to all the Toronto City Councillors, as well as the Mayor: Dear _________, I recently sent you a letter on behalf of the International Association of Canine Professionals regarding the recent amendment to City of Toronto Municip ..read more

by Brianna Dick Dog training can be a very complicated and confusing topic for owners in 2022. There's so many different methods, techniques, tools and everyone says their way is the right way. Some trainers say their way is the only way. I disagree. Dog training is so important because it teaches you how to communicate effectively with your dog, how to fulfill them in a fair way, and how to live with them peacefully so you both can live symbiotically. Dog training is important because it shows that you actually care and love about the animal you've decided to get. It's truly not about teachin ..read more

By Brianna Dick, J.D. Dog Trainer, Owner of Pack Leader Help: Rehabilitation & Training There are endless blog posts that do their best to persuade owners, dog lovers and even dog trainers that there is one methodology and approach to training. I wish it were that simple but unfortunately, it's not. Dog training isn't as binary as some might attempt to make it. It's not Positive Only Vs. Alpha theory. Dog training is a spectrum and should be tailored to dog, owner, environment and life style. That's the great thing about training and behavior modification for your dog, you have almost end ..read more

By Brianna Dick Congratulations on adopting or adding a new dog to your life. Adding a new dog or puppy is exciting but can quickly turn to frustrating or exhausting when we don't realize how to fulfill our new dog and welcome them into our home safely. The first thing owners must understand is that dogs do not learn, think or perceive the same way humans do. This goes for "rescue" dogs as well. They do not feel sorry for themselves, they live in the moment and they are constantly looking for a direction and someone to guide them. 1 It also can take up to 3 months for dogs to get used to thei ..read more

By Brianna Dick This past year I've received an influx of seriously human aggressive dogs that I've worked with. At this time, I feel it necessary and important to address what it takes to work with this level of aggression towards humans. I am not talking about the dog who nips at people when they leave the house, or the situational bite that can typically be easily addressed, I'm talking about the level of aggression that requires a truly experienced dog behaviorist where the dogs intention is to do serious damage to a human. To be clear, these dogs are pretty rare in my experience. This le ..read more

By Brianna Dick How many times have you let pride get in the way of doing the right thing? Apologizing first? Letting go of something? Admitting you were wrong? Changing a career path? I know pride is something I deal with every single day. I've let my pride keep a dog longer than a should have when I knew our energies didn't match but I really wanted to help the dog. Aka, my ego needed to have this win. My ego needed to know I could help and fix that dog. When in reality, I had done a great job but just didn't want to come with the terms that our energies were just not the best fit. I'm spea ..read more

By Brianna Dick Sometimes the most difficult part of life is letting go of our expectations and accepting reality. Letting go of the perfect house we wanted, job, partner, child, relationship, dog etc. Our expectations often lead us down a path of disappointment and frustration. Expectations cloud our perception and we have created unfair burdens on the people or things we have expectations for. When I meet with owners I hear the story of the dog they think they have, wish they had or use to have. They got this dog expecting it would be trained, or it wouldn't be so frantic, sensitive, aggress ..read more

What is a “correction” in dog behavior? This term is carelessly tossed around and used interchangeably to mean punishment. This makes it confusing for dog owners to understand what exactly we (dog trainers) are trying to communicate by explaining what a correction is. It’s important to consider the way we frame these types of interactions with dogs. In my opinion, dogs should not be punished, only corrected. Let me explain why. Dictionary.com’s definition for correction is, “To set or make true, accurate, or right.” I consider this interpretation when I am correcting a dog; synonymous with re ..read more