Humane Training Alliance of Indiana

04/28/2023

👏 Come on USA! Let’s be next!

Dogs all over England are smiling today. As of Feb 1st 2024 remote electric (shock) collars will be banned in England. Thank you to everyone who campaigned for 10 years to get this done! The dogs thank you!
https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/media-centre/2023/april/cruel-electric-shock-collars-banned-in-england/

04/07/2023

👏

04/01/2023

Working with a dog trainer shouldn’t feel sh*tty. But unfortunately, many people have felt shamed in the process of finding a dog trainer…

- Shamed for being and feeling anxious.
- Shamed for not knowing what they don’t know.
- Shamed for not being able to train or walk their dogs everyday all the time.
- Shamed for making mistakes whether that’s in training or in the dog they chose to have.
- Shamed for needing more time and resources to fully understand and learn about training or their dogs.

That’s really not how it should be and I am so sorry if you have been through this before. And I hope you will try again with a dog trainer that empathises with how challenging it can be as a dog guardian, particularly also if you have any disabilities or face any oppression.

Good training should never make you feel weak, lousy, or ashamed. Nor should should you ever be coerced or guilted into doing something you’re uncomfortable to your dog like causing them pain, fear, or distress.

This post was inspired by posts made by and . Thank you.

💌 You can reach out to me for help with your fearful or barky and lungey dog by booking a call in the link in my bio or by DMing me. 💌

Image Description: On a light beige background there are white swirls and light coloured paintbrush stroke on the corners of the graphic. On the top is text that says “thing you don’t have to apologise to me as your dog trainer about:”. Under this is a white rounded box with a small icon of a hand giving a heart to another hand receiving it on the top, and 5 smaller boxes with text inside them. The small boxes say, from top to bottom, “A. Feeling anxious. B. Past methods you’ve used with your dog. C. Not being able to train everyday. D. Making mistakes. E. Not understanding something right away.”

01/23/2023

11/12/2022

I could literally talk about this topic for hours. There are SO many reasons to be committed to non-aversive methods. But this is a big one. Fear is one of the easiest emotions to condition into an animal, and one of the hardest to modify.

Please stop shocking and choking dogs. Follow science. Want to see some of the research? Go to my website on the Resources page.

09/25/2022

It’s an absolutely perfect day to be out representing Humane Training Alliance of Indiana and force free canine training and behavior services! If you’re in Hendricks County, come see us!

Pictured: Andrea Burgrabbe from I Speak Woof Training and Cass Goodnight from Goodnight Pup Canine Training Services LLC

09/21/2022

It’s time to ditch dominance theory for good.

The dominance theory and being Pack Leader.

I can't believe that i still have to write posts about this, I can't believe its actually still being promoted and used by people.

I can't believe that a theory that was so flawed that Mech himself a year later wrote another piece on how wrong he had got it and yet still its still in circulation....why?

Because it looks like it works, it can shut behaviour down and make it look " cured' cue me wincing as I type that word.

Its still far to comnon for some humans to seek compliance, to be the master and have a dog that obeys.

If you ask a lot of people to explain the dominance theory and how it came about they can't, they have no real understanding of the mistake that Mech made, they just like the sound of an animal being subordinate and "loyal

I dont want to be a pack leader, I dont want to be in charge, alpha or any other of those cring worthy titles.

I want to be a guardian, I want to be a safety net, I want to the person they CHOOSE to spend time and co exist with.

I want to listen and learn from my dogs and enjoy everything that they are because they are pretty flipping marvellous and we can learn so much from them.

I have 13 working dogs who all live together in the house ( yes I clean and hoover A LOT) and yet simple compassion, empathy and understanding is the ethos of our home

Yes we have to try and teach dogs certain skills to be safe but that doesn't mean we have to teach them to show them we are in charge.

Its been decades, yes DECADES since this whole dominance theory tosh was debunked, come on people, I beg you, it belongs in the past along with paisley carpets, Austin metros, and smoking in pubs.

We have to stop, we have to be our dogs champion, we have to take a long hard look at how we view our relationships with dogs.

Ditch the dominance and come smell the roses 🌹 your dog will thank you for it.

09/19/2022

“My job is to teach owners so they know better, and to help them so they can do better.”

Reposted from Sometimes I look back at my pre dog training days and think “Ignorance is bliss”.
When I first started studying dogs and their behaviour, I was intrigued by all the things I had been ignorant to—as many dog owners are—for most of my life.
I was fascinated by the amount of information that could be learned from a tongue flick, the carriage of a tail, the position of the ears, a paw lift...even when and how sniffing occurs, and the way a dog positions their body.
Once you understand that every one of these behaviours is as intentional as the words we chose in conversation, you gain a little insight into a dog’s world. You gain the opportunity to bond with dogs and earn their trust. To feel that connection when they realize that you understand what they are trying to say.
It is both a blessing and a curse that this skill doesn’t have an off switch. That now that you know, you can’t unseen it.
The hardest thing about being a dog trainer is wanting to be the interpreter for every dog I see that is trying to communicate and is being misunderstood or ignored—whether it’s when I’m driving down the street or scrolling through Tik Tok.
As much as I wish I could fix this problem and break this language barrier for good, change happens by educating one owner and family at a time. Like everything in life, when we know better we do better. And we can’t know better unless we are taught better. This is why I take my role as a dog trainer and educator very seriously.
My job is not to teach owners how to get their dogs to do stuff—though that is a small part of it. My job is to teach owners so that they know better, and to help them so that they can do better.

09/07/2022

Absolutely!

People sometimes are embarrassed to tell me that they let their dogs snuggle with them in bed or that they give their dog a piece of food without making them work for it.

It makes me so sad that we live in a society where we feel guilty or ashamed to love our companion animals and have positive interactions with them that aren't transactional!

So I'm here to tell you that you can do ALL of these things with your dog without asking them to do anything in return.

So let Fluffy sleep in bed with you. And get Fido that pupcup from the coffee shop just because it makes you both happy!

It will not spoil them. It will strengthen your bond and help you with your positive interactions and training journey together.

08/31/2022