Canine Behavioural School Inc.

03/09/2026

– Building, generalizing, and rebuilding strong behavior for the real world A dog learns to sit beautifully in the kitchen in response to a verbal cue. The behavior is fluent – the dog perfor…

03/09/2026

People know this. But it doesn't "apply".
Not to their dog.

I'm more and more convinced this is an "I don't care" problem, rather than a lack of knowledge
Because surely, by now, people know.

There's information everywhere about dogs rushing up to other dogs.

About recall.
Giving dog's space
About what can happen when one dog simply won’t leave another alone.

So maybe lack of information isn’t always the problem.

They know that allowing their dog to charge up to a dog on lead isn’t fair.
They know that repeatedly calling a dog who is completely ignoring them, while reassuring everyone around that “they’re friendly!”, isn’t fair.
They know that when another dog is trying to move away and theirs keeps following, chasing or pushing back into their space, the interaction isn’t friendly.

Maybe I've become more hardened in my view on this.
Because I'm really over it.

So why does it keep happening?

Maybe that’s the question we should be asking.

Is it just complacency?

Is it because calling their dog away would interrupt what their dog is enjoying?
Maybe because nothing bad has happened before, so they assume nothing ever will?
Is it because dealing with it in the moment feels inconvenient?

Or is there still a good old dose of:
“My dog is fine. It’s your dog that has the problem.”

I’m becoming less and less convinced this is a knowledge gap.

What do you think is really behind the “they’re friendly” problem?

24/08/2026

CLASSES CANCELLED TONIGHT

In a move that I am certain will shock nobody who has stepped foot outside today, classes are unfortunately cancelled tonight due to wet weather. We managed to get away with a light shower last week, but I’m sure everybody draws the line at having to turn up to class in a rubber dinghy!
Stay warm and dry, and we will see you all next week :)

16/08/2026

This is such a fantastic initiative from City of Charles Sturt!

11/08/2026

Fantastic new guidelines on how to choose an ethical training school that will take great care of your dog. You can take comfort in knowing that CBS fits the bill!

10/08/2026

Unfortunately due to the very heavy rainfall that has gone through, the oval is not in a safe condition for training tonight. Please stay home, warm and safe with your dogs, and we will see you all next week!

09/08/2026

Congratulations to CBS Instructor Jo and her Bernese Mountain Dog, Roxy. More success for this dynamic team.

09/08/2026

Fantastic info from ABC Dogs NZ. Dogs often have to find ways to meet their doggy needs in our human-centered world - here are some examples of what they might look like.

This might sound harsh.
It's not intended to make anyone feel guilty.

But sometimes we become so focused on stopping the behaviour, that we never stop to ask why it's happening.

We're trying to stop the fence running with the neighbours dog.
The destruction.
The shadow chasing.
The barking.

Meanwhile, the behaviour may be serving a purpose for your dog.

If we don't understand that purpose, we're often fighting the “symptom” rather than addressing the reason it popped up in the first place.

Of course, not every behaviour happens because a dog's needs aren't being met.
Pain, fear, genetics, learning history and medical conditions can all intermingle and play their part.

But sometimes the answer is much, much simpler.

A dog still has behavioural needs whether we recognise them or not.

When appropriate outlets aren't available, they'll likely find alternatives.

That's why understanding the function of behaviour is one of the most important parts of changing it.

So here's a question.

Without any judgement.
Which behaviour on today's graphic does your dog do most often?

What need do you think it's meeting?