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This is good, and I’m sure Sean has his own demographic he works with.

For me, I would change 1-3.

God has made animals to experience joy. Therefore, I cannot stop using it, even when creating a calm dog.
God has made animals with incredible senses that aid in their learning. Therefore, if a dog learns quickly with play, food, or praise, I’ll use it to teach.
Joy is the vibrancy of creation, the thing that makes life lively.

It’s not impossible. Sean is right, but we have different philosophies, similar enough, and different demographics. I like Sean’s work.

So many of you who are struggling with your dogs are shooting yourselves in the foot by what you’re doing more so than what you’re not doing. You want a calm, relaxed, well behaved dog, but you’re doing countless things which work directly against your goals.

So here’s a quick “Stop” list of the most common mistakes I see owners doing that they need to stop in order to make room for the good to start.

Let the outrage begin! 🤣

1/ Stop using food to train. Food creates arousal and excitement, and if a calm and relaxed dog is your training goal, that’s not the way.

2/ Stop the incessant use of “loaded”releases. This has become wildly common as sport dog work has creeped into pet dog training. The constant use of releases, like “Break!”, “Free!”, “Yes!” from commands to rewards to the next command create predictive sequences that imbue the entire sequence (from command to release) with anticipatory arousal.

3/ Stop using excitement when your goal is calmness. This should be an obvious one to avoid, but it’s one of the most common and undermining mistakes owners make. Excited owners who want their dogs to be “happy” drown their dogs in arousal-inducing excitement via verbal tone and body language. This will never create a calm and relaxed dog.

4/ Stop prioritizing constant motion and doing. So many owners assume that for dog training to occur, the dog must be active, doing, performing — when in reality the greatest and most challenging skill most dogs could acquire is the ability to be still, calm, relaxed, and doing absolutely nothing.

5/ Stop constantly talking to your dog. Constant verbal input will keep your dog constantly stimulated and aroused. Instead, talk far less and watch your dog finally relax.

6/ Stop constantly petting your dog. Constant touch is usually riding shotgun to the constant talker, and creates the same outcome. Stop the constant touching and watch your dog finally relax.

7/ Stop constantly trying to occupy your dog with games, toys, activities. This has become quite the unhealthy fad. Under the guise of “enrichment” (and selfish pleasure) we find owners drowning their dogs in puzzles, toys, and activities to mentally “stimulate” and “fulfill” them. This constant game of “Let’s stimulate our dogs” does just that, and never teaches your dog how to actually be calm and relaxed.

8/ Stop avoiding corrections that are necessary because they feel bad. I get it. We all hate having to discipline our dogs, but when they’re being pushy, impolite, demanding, overly-aroused, or just plain jerks, withholding negative consequences which will stop the unwanted behavior not only robs your dog of vital information about how to properly behave, it also ensures your dog never has access to a calm, relaxed, peace-filled mindset where they can be their best selves.

9/ (Bonus) Stop trying to out-exercise your hyper, manic, bouncing of the walls dog who actually needs to learn how to be still, relaxed, calm, well-behaved, and have an “Off-Switch”. This all too common approach simply creates an athlete who requires more and more exercise in order to temporarily be calm and relaxed — but teaches none of the actual calming skills or manners dogs need.

PS, Yes, all of the above are terribly typical mistakes owners make. Yes, I’ve made this black and white to make a point. Yes, there’s nuance and exceptions, yes there’s a smart and healthy balance that can be applied, and yes there’s a time and place for most if not all of the above — depending on context and goals. The point of this post is precisely the lack of nuance and smart, strategic application of all of the above. Pet owners almost always want a more calm, relaxed, well-behaved dog — not the opposite — and so if they were to stop doing all of the above, they’d be far closer to achieving their goals.

Neglect case.

PRESS RELEASE - From the Latah County Sheriff's Office

Moscow, Latah County, Idaho --- On June 5, 2026, the Latah County Sheriff's Office in coordination with the Idaho State Brand Inspectors Office, Idaho State Vet and Latah County Horse Posse seized 66 horses pursuant to a search warrant at a residence on Honeysuckle Lane outside of Kendrick, Idaho. The investigation into animal neglect has been ongoing over the last 7 months and is continuing. We will provide more details when possible. We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to the volunteers of the Latah County Horse Posse, otherwise this would not have been possible.

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o4k9.com

Sometimes this.

These stories are always closer to the ideal, and as trainers we look forward to them. Not because they are easy, but because they are how things are supposed to progress.

Cudos to this dog’s owners.

IT’S TIME TO WAKE UP❗️
The Force-Free Lobby Is Moving Fast.

Dog training is under attack, not by science, not by welfare concerns, but by ideology disguised as ethics!

A new “Joint Standards of Practice” was just released by APDT, IAABC, KPA and others.
If this becomes the accepted “standard of care,” here’s what follows:
Tool bans
Licensing controlled only by force-free organizations
Elimination of R- and P+ from professional training
Criminalization or disqualification of balanced trainers
Courts and legislators using THEIR paperwork as the only definition of “humane”

This is not accidental.
It is a coordinated move to take over the entire profession and silence everyone who isn’t “science based”!
And once this framework is adopted, reversing it will be impossible.

We need to step up now.
Not next year.
Not when a ban hits your city. Now❗️

If you haven’t joined IACP you need to do it.

I also believe there has to be a Balanced Training Coalition!!!
A unified front of trainers, working-dog professionals, behaviorists, and organizations who refuse to let ideology rewrite the laws of learning or erase the methods that keep people and dogs safe.