The Cog Dog Blog

I have breaking news: semi-reputable (or not at all reputable) professionals with pretty faces get TV shows sometimes. That's our reality, and I don't really care about it. But on occasion one of these actor-professionals will appear in my circles because they are...

Last weekend I was teaching Worked Up, as I often do on the weekends. I told two people whose dogs I worked hands-on with that they should take a break from their chosen sports while they worked through some problems. I hate telling people that because they hate...

I'm not sure I am sharing this with the world. There. That sentence allows me to write it. Here we go. Depression is an old friend of mine. Why "friend" and not enemy? I know it too well; I am not one to keep my enemies close. Why "friend" and not acquaintance? Same...

I talk about this thing, this thing I call "The Four Steps" to behavioral wellness. These steps, as I see them, are exercise, enrichment, nutrition, and communication. My thinking is that if these four areas, these key components of mental health, are addressed in our...

Dog owners and trainers alike face behaviors in their beloved four-leggeds that cause them stress. Barking and lunging on leash, bolting out open doors, snatching food from counters, and the list goes on! Dogs do all kinds of dog things that are hard for humans to...

When my first border collie Kelso was a baby, around 12 weeks old, somebody tried to steal him from my backyard. My sister saw the hands reach into the fence and grab at him, she screamed out the window, they let go, and he ran for the house. They had actually removed...

I once wrote in-depth about what functions sniffing serves and why it's such a vital part of dogdom and one to be respected. You can find that HERE. Please read it first. So why am I here, writing about it again? A friend's facebook thread asking "what can we do about...

Have you ever had an agility stress dream? Maybe you're at [insert major big event here] and you missed your walk through? Or you're walking the course at [major big event] and you just can't get it figure out, and the clock is running down. Or your crating area is...