Knowledge Toolkit
The internet is a big place full of information about this completely unregulated industry. I always found it pretty hard to know which information to follow and listen to, and which wasn’t ok.
When I created this website, as I was learning to become a professional dog trainer, I wanted it to be a source of the absolute best information about dog behaviour and how to work with dogs that I could find.
I’m pretty proud of it.
I hope you find it useful.
Books
I will only share books if I’ve read them myself and found value in them… so this list is short, for now, but will grow as I grow as a trainer/coach (whenever I can squeeze in time).
First up, how do you feel about FREE e-books? Canada’s own Good Dog Academy regularly adds really useful and well written (and completely free) e-books about a variety of topics when it comes to sharing your life with dogs. From Kids & Dogs, to Pawsitive Leash Walking, how to use Treats as Tools, and more! Check out this link to find the list of downloadable e-books: Good Dog Academy’s E-Books Available
Heads up! I am an Amazon Associate, which means I can earn a tiny commission if you buy a book through my links… but seriously, no pressure to do so! Every little extra bit helps me give as much as possible for free, but I promise I only link to resources I actually recommend and trust.
Websites
Here is a list of recommended websites that offer some free training and education resources:
YouTube
Sometimes seeing is believing and you need to see something in practice in order to understand how to do it yourself. YouTube is an amazing resource for learning the ins and outs of many subjects, and dog training is one of them. There is so much conflicting information out there, so it’s difficult to weed through and know what is best for you and your dog. Your Happy Dog Coach has collected some of our favorite, science-based trainer channels here for easy convenience.
- Dogs That (Canadian Susan Garrett)
- Happy Hounds Dog Training – YouTube (Canadian Stephanie Rombough)
- L.E.G.S. Science, Family Dog Mediation & Dog Hacks
- Aggressive Dog – Michael Shikashio
- Positively – Victoria Stilwell
- Karen Pryor Clicker Training
- Grisha Stewart Academy of Dog Training & Behavior
- SpiritDog Training
- Dog Training by Kikopup
- Family Paws, LLC
Fellow Canadian, Donna Hill of Donna Hill’s Service Dog Training Institute also compiled an incredible resource of YouTube content that is 100% worth checking out.
Podcasts
Honestly, there are not enough hours in the day for me to listen to all of the dog training related podcasts that I want to listen to!
But for now, here are some of my current favorites, and their Spotify Links
- The Bitey End of the Dog – Michael Shikashio
- Enrichment for the Real World – Pet Harmony
- Happy Paws – Fear Free Happy Homes
- Fear Free Pets
- Shaped By Dog with Susan Garrett
- The Behaviory with Janet Cutler, PhD CAAB
- Drinking From The Toilet with Hannah Branigan
- Pooch Parenting with Michelle Stern
- Your Dog’s Not Broken (and neither are you) with Kim Brophey and Justine Schuurmans
- I also compiled a list of all of the Kim Brophey interviews I could find on Spotify because she’s my absolute favorite resource for all things Dog Welfare… so enjoy this Spotify playlist of more than 40 hours of Kim Brophey!
- (Don’t forget to also check out The Dog’s Truth! It’s a must see and you can watch it right here on Your Happy Dog Coach Website)
Research & Studies
Here is a ton of science nerdy geeky stuff, in no particular order:
- Effects of 2 training methods on stress-related behaviors of the dog and on the dog–owner relationship – ScienceDirect
- The Welfare Consequences and Efficacy of Training Pet Dogs with Remote Electronic Training Collars in Comparison to Reward Based Training | PLOS ONE
- Survey of the use and outcome of confrontational and non-confrontational training methods in client-owned dogs showing undesired behaviors – ScienceDirect
- Frontiers | Selected Principles of Pankseppian Affective Neuroscience (frontiersin.org)
- Classifying dogs’ (Canis familiaris) facial expressions from photographs – PubMed (nih.gov)
- Reading emotions in Dogs’ eyes and Dogs’ faces – PubMed (nih.gov)
- Research shows dogs can relate human emotions to subsequent actions (phys.org)
- American Veterinary Society of Animal Position Statement on the Use of Dominance Theory in Behavior Modification of Animals
- Dog Bites: Problems and Solutions
- The Limits of Punishment: Understanding Behavioral Impact in Dogs and Humans – XO Dog (shyandfearfuldogs.com)
- Electronic Training Devices:
A Review of Current Literature - If It Didn’t Hurt, It Wouldn’t Work: The Truth About Choke, Prong, and Shock Collars — BAY WOOF
- Do Training Methods Matter? The Wrong One Can Cost Dogs Their Lives (fearfreepets.com)
- The use of punishment and negative reinforcement in dog training (ava.com.au)
- The Five Freedoms: A history lesson in animal care and welfare – 4-H Animal Science
Random Tidbits
There are many things that can help dogs be the most successful at, well, living life with us, and I do plan to go into greater detail about these in my future articles, but for now, I’ll just list a few with links to get you started:
All things Puppy
Here are all of the things I have on Puppyhood so far, in one spot for the first time!
If you have any suggestions, or feedback, about the resources on this page, don’t hesitate to reach out at contact@yourhappydogcoach.ca