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Why must dogs be off leash in nature to thrive? Is it really as important as Sarah is always saying? In short, yes, they do need and yes, it is that important. Dig into why in this episode.
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Ok, so dogs need to be off leash. But how? What do they need to know? More importantly, what does the person need to know?
Your children are always trying to figure out if you mean what you say. When your response changes from one moment to the next, with a "no", then "maybe," and then" okay" after they whine and whine -what they learn is that whining will sometimes change your decision.
Whining isn't always about getting the cookie, staying longer at the park, or buying that toy that's soon forgotten, It's about discovering whether the boundary is steady enough to trust. It's about knowing if what you say can be trusted.
For example, imagine your four-year-old asks for a cookie just before dinner.
You calmly say, "Not before dinner."
A minute later they ask again, this time with a whiny voice.
You repeat, "We'll have a cookie after dinner." They begin to complain, cry, and follow you around saying,
"Pleeease! Just one!"
Then after a few minutes, you finally hand them a cookie because you're exhausted. Now your child has learned that whining can work. They've learned that sometimes "no" eventually becomes "yes." The next time they want something, they'll likely whine again, not because they're trying to manipulate you, but because they're checking to see if this is another one of those times when the answer might change.
Your calm, loving, and consistent response offers your child a valuable experience. It gives them a sense of security. When your "yes" is truly yes, and your "no" is kind, steady, and dependable, your child gradually stops needing to test the boundary. They begin to trust not only your "no" and your "yes" but more importantly, they will trust you, the dependable, reliable parent whose words can be trusted.
Have you ever embarked on a training program and wondered âis this working? How will I know if it will work?â Explore these questions with Sarah through a real life training project of hers. Hint: itâs not about the dog.
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Ash Osborn CPDT-KA, KPA-CTP is the owner-operator of Pawsitive Pups Academy in Omaha Nebraska. With a decade in the field and a lot of picky eaters-turned chow hounds under her belt, she was the ideal guest to talk about the practical ways to increase food interest in our dogs, and our client dogs.
since it's now summer in the northern hemisphere and i am the owner of two dogs with long, thick double coats, i want to take a sec and address an extremely prevalent, often repeated phrase i see float around the internet (and IRL) in dog circles:
"double coats keep dogs warm in the winter and cool in the summer!"
the part about winter is true. the part about summer is not. this website does an excellent job discussing why this is the case and has plenty of sources cited. if you're interested in the topic, please give it a read. or, if you want the basic summary, here's mine:
Fact #1- a double coat is comprised of two layers - a topcoat, which is longer, sleeker "guard" hairs that act as a sort of shield against exposure to the elements. and an undercoat, which is shorter, softer, denser hairs that act as insulation. double coats are found on breeds of dogs such as collies, huskies, and labs. conversely a single coat, which lacks the thick undercoat layer, would be the type found on a dog like a pitbull or greyhound.
(this collie is shedding its undercoat - note the lighter, softer hair pulling away from the longer darker hair. source.)
Fact #2 - dogs are mammals which obey the laws of thermodynamics, meaning they are constantly producing body heat. a dog's average body temperature is normally right around100f (38c), and they are constantly radiating heat. this is important.
in the winter, a double coat works fabulously for keeping a dog warm: the topcoat repels moisture, while the undercoat traps body heat and holds it close to the skin. when the coat is very dense, wind can't penetrate, so the body heat doesn't get wicked away (this is important!). there's a reason why arctic animals like wolves and foxes and bison all have these kind of thick double coats - they work great at trapping body heat!
but then, the summer. part of the myth that is often cited is "the undercoat traps cool air and keeps the dog cooler." to which we have to ask - what cool air? if it's 90f outside and my dog' is radiating 100f heat,'s body temperature is 100f, thereâs no cool air to be trapped. and even if there were, air trapped in the undercoat would be absorbing the body heat from the dog's skin and quickly turning into hot air, which then further heats the dog. this is basic heat exchange physics - hotter temps will transfer to cooler temps until the temps have equalized. the phrasing of "traps warmth in winter and traps cold in summer" sounds nice and neat, but it's ignoring the fact that your dog is constantly producing body heat. this theory works fine on non-living objects, like a thermos full of cold water. it does not work on an animal that is radiating 100f heat.
IF double coats truly kept dogs cooler in hot temperatures, then we would expect to see scientific studies backing this up, right? studies that show dogs with double coats have no problems keeping cool in hot weather? well, the studies we've done say the opposite. studies show that dogs with thick double coats are MORE likely to overheat than dogs with short single coats.
here's a list of sources saying exactly this, from the blog post i linked earlier:
"Contrary to cold environments, increased insulation of fur is not beneficial to maintaining heat balance in warm environments." - Seasonal Changes in Heat Balance of Dogs Acclimatized to Outdoor Climate, Yasuyuki Sugano
âPredisposing factors for heatstroke -thick haircoat" - Short technical Report on Thermoregulation in Dogs and the Pathophysiology of Hyperthermia, Jerilee A. Zezula, DVM
âPredisposing Factors for Heatstroke â thick haircoat" - Heatstroke â thermoregulation, pathophysiology and predisposing factors, Carey Hemmelgarn DVM ChristI Gannon DVM DacVecc
âFactors that inhibit heat dissipation: Thick, dense coat â increased insulating effectâ - Hyperthermia and Heatstroke in the Canine, Lori E. Gordon, DVM
âWell-insulated breeds with thick fur and fat may struggle to maintain a normal body temperature,especially during hot summer days and in a warm ambient environment.â - Hyperthermia during anaesthesia, Author : Clara Rigotti, Marieke De Vries 2010
âWell-insulated breeds, such as Chow Chows and St. Bernards, may struggle to maintain normal core body temperature, making them more prone to hyperthermia, especially in a warm, stressful environmentâ - Hypothermia in a chow chow under general anaesthetic, H.Jones, K.Robson ,2022
âPredisposing factors that decrease heat dissipation: Hair coat â Thicker coats decrease radiation and convectionâ - Heatstroke in small animal medicine: a clinical practice review, Scott I. Johnson, DVM, Maureen McMichael, DVM, DACVECC and George White, DVM
âa thick insulating pelage is a disadvantage in situations where energy supply is unlimited and expenditure is constrained by the capacity to dissipate body heat.This is because the pelage insulation becomes the primary constraint on heat loss. â - Maximal heat dissipation capacity and hyperthermia risk: Neglected key factors in the ecology of endotherms, Journal of Animal Ecology  79(4):726-46 J. Speakman, E. Krol
ALL of these studies are saying the same thing - dogs with thick coats cannot dispel heat easily, and are at a higher risk for overheating and heat stroke.
so now here's tumblr's favorite part: nuance. does this mean that every dog with a double coat is completely intolerant of heat, and you should just shave them all bald instead?
no.
the double coat DOES offer some advantages in hot weather - primarily relating to the topcoat. it blocks UV radiation from reaching the dogs skin, and keeps the heat of the sun off of direct contact with the skin. this is extremely useful! my old dog was a greyhound, who had a short, black single coat. he was miserably intolerant of heat because even mild sunshine would rapidly heat his surface temperature - even petting him in the sun you could feel how hot he became. dogs can also get sunburn (and skin cancer). direct sunlight on skin is bad, and the topcoat is VERY useful for preventing this. shaving a dog is ridding them of this natural barrier.
however, the undercoat is almost entirely detrimental in hot weather. again: its entire purpose is trapping heat, and your dog is constantly radiating 100f heat.
look to nature - what happens when those arctic fluffy, thick-furred wolves and foxes and bison hit summer? they shed out almost their entire undercoat. they get downright nakey.
(ex: arctic foxes shed dramatically - all that white fluff is the winter coat. if it kept them cooler in the summer, they would have evolved to keep it. source.)
the ideal way for a double-coated dog to deal with heat is not to shave off the whole coat, but instead to groom and bathe and brush the absolute crap out of their coat, and remove as much undercoat as possible. when the undercoat is thinned, it becomes looser, and allows air to flow over the skin. that FLOWING air is the key to staying cool! when the air is able to CIRCULATE through the coat, it wicks away the dog's body heat - hot stagnant air is moved away, and is replaced by cooler flowing air. THAT is the action that keeps them cool - not âtrapping cold airâ (because trapped air will always absorb body heat). itâs got to MOVE. instead of acting like a snug winter sweater, the brushed-out double coat can now act like a loose, flowing shirt.
but! if that undercoat is not thoroughly and continuously groomed and bathed and brushed, and allowed to stay heavy and thick and block airflow, then you're right back to having a dog that's broiling itself with its own body heat.
(you gotta get that undercoat out if you want any chance of not overheating. source.)
so, in conclusion: double coats are great for keeping warm in cold weather. they are NOT great for keeping cool in warm weather, and in fact can be actively harmful UNLESS you take great care to groom thoroughly to remove undercoat and allow for airflow. IF that is done, then a double-coated dog should be either just as good as, or only slightly worse off, than a dog with less hair. however, the blanket statement of "double coats trap cool air and keep dogs cooler in summer" is factually untrue because the entire point is to NOT trap any air. in fact, the thing that keeps a double-coated dog the coolest is removing as much undercoat as possible.
again, i recommend reading this blog post for more in-depth discussion and more sources.
(if you do shave your double coated dog, the myth of "the fur will never grow back the same/be ruined forever" is untrue 99% of the time. dogs get shaved every day for medical procedures, it grows back fine unless there's a pre-existing medical condition. it can just take ages. for more info, i recommend reading the latter part of this post).
In this paper, I examine the way humans interact with domestic companion animals, with a focus on âpositive reward-based trainingâ methods,
Amelia Lewis (Author) (2021)
Abstract
In this paper, I examine the way humans interact with domestic companion animals, with a focus on 'positive reward-based training' methods, particularly for dogs. From a biosemiotic perspective, I discuss the role of animal training in today's society and examine what binary reward- based reinforcement schedules communicate, semiotically. I also examine the extent to which reward-based training methods promote better welfare, when compared to the more traditional methods which rely on aversive stimuli and punishment, if and when they are relied upon excessively. I conclude that when used as the primary means of communication, they have the potential to be detrimental to animal welfare, because the underlying social signal is control and resource dominance. As an alternative view to behaviourist-based learning theory and conditioning, I outline how enactivist theories of cognition support a semiotic approach to interspecific human-animal communication. I therefore propose a move toward a dynamic semiosis and mutual understanding based upon Peirce's phenomenology, resulting in a more balanced merging of Umwelten. The aim is to create rich and more complex semiospheres around humans and domestic animals, which allow for individual agency and autonomy.
Conclusion
Whilst undeniably, basic training using lures and rewards is necessary, the focus on 'positive reward-based' training paradigms when interacting with domestic animal species gives little, if any, room for more complex communication or signaling to take place. Moreover, they reduce individuals of other species to little more than automata, responding to binary inputs. In these circumstances, how can the animal's human companion, or the animals themselves, achieve a true bond and interspecific relationship? The most logically unsound argument commonly proposed to support these paradigms is that because physical force is not used, they are 'humane' and 'kinder'. However, the comparisons with coercive control and psychological manipulation are striking. A more innate, complex, and dynamic interspecific means of communication should not be supplanted by repetitive conditioning and 'commands', which are fast becoming a widespread misapplication of a genuine, but misunderstood and overutilized, biological principle. Nor is it possible to quantify and 'proscribe' communication, as though it were a simple recipe which can be reduced to pre-determined steps. Thus, positive reward- based training has a place as a technique in animal management, but it is not without risks, and it should be understood as what it is; manipulation and coercion (with threat of loss of resources or social interaction) focused on maintaining control. Substantive arguments that as a training technique, it is preferable to fear-based methods and physically aggressive practices, do not alter this statement. As a means of communication, it should not be relied upon as the primary modality, and consideration should be given to more appropriate interactions alongside methods such as 'clicker training', which should not be used without vocal or tactile communication and guidance from the trainer, as described by Fugazza and MiklĂłsi (2015). Perhaps, in moving away from 'The Five Freedoms' model of animal welfare, toward a quality-of-life based assessment scale which emphasizes positive welfare rather than the absence of poor welfare (Mellor, 2016), we should begin to change our thinking about how we interact and communicate with domestic and captive animals. This may ultimately lead toward an acceptance that training is not the most enlightened way of communicating with other species, alongside an accompanying paradigm shift toward complex dynamic semiosis, mutual understanding, 'Total Umwelten', and ultimately, a more balanced semiosphere.
Glossary:
a bene placito: at will/at one's pleasure
Biosemiotics: a field of semiotics and biology that studies the prelinguistic meaning-making, biological interpretation processes, production of signs and codes and communication processes in the biological realm.
Cognition: mental processes that deal with knowledge.
Comparative Psychology: the study of the behavior and mental processes of non-human animals.
Constructivism: a learning theory based around the idea that learners are active participants in their learning journey; knowledge is constructed based on experiences. As events occur, each learner reflects on their experience and incorporates the new ideas with their prior knowledge. Learners develop schemas to organize acquired knowledge.
Enactivism: a position in cognitive science that argues that cognition arises through interaction between an acting organism and its environment.
Equitation: the art or practice of horse riding or horsemanship.
Phenomenology: the study of structures of consciousness as experienced from the first-person point of view.
Peirceâs âFirstness, Secondness, and Thirdnessâ: Three categories defined by Charles Sanders Peirce that are used to describe the mechanisms of signs. Click through for details.
Semiome: an organism's semiotic toolset- the means by which the organisms of a species may extract significantly meaningful content from their surroundings and engage in intra- or interspecific communicative behavior. Defines the scope of the organism's cognitive and communicative activity.
Semiotics: the study of signs. An interdisciplinary field that examines what signs are, how they form sign systems, and how individuals use them to communicate meaning.
Semiosis: any form of activity, conduct, or process that involves signs, including the production of meaning.
Semiosphere: a concept in cultural semiotics and biosemiotic theory, according to whichâcontrary to ideas of nature determining sense and experienceâthe phenomenal world is a creative and logical structure of processes of semiosis where signs operate together to produce sense and experience.
Umwelt: the specific way in which organisms of a particular species perceive and experience the world, shaped by the capabilities of their sensory organs and perceptual systems.
If you think I missed any significant jargon or concepts not defined within the article itself, please let me know and I'll add it to the glossary. :-)
It is common for fear, anxiety, and a general lack of confidence to be confused in both the professional and guardian space. Understanding the difference between these three, and therefore how to treat them, is vital to addressing these welfare-threatening mindsets our dogs experience.
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Sarah Stremming
Ask ten professionals what to do when your dog is afraid and you will undoubtedly get ten different answers. But the true answer is simpleânot easyâand involves three steps we can all follow, every single time.
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In the first three years of life the brain goes through an incredible growth spurt, producing more than a million neural connections every s
some stuff about how nervous system development is socially based in human beings, specifically about early childhood development but relevant to people who are trying to develop stability or regulation skills later in life as well. not something you can do on your own! we need social support as human beings.
1. I will always find it weird for an adult to think a child is being "manipulative" because a child quite literally doesn't have the brain development to understand what manipulation is or why they shouldn't be manipulative.
2. Yes, Disabled adults *can* be manipulative, as any adult can be. However, I think it's important to realize that Disabled people are somewhat set up to be strategic in order to get needs met. This can essentially train us to lean into manipulative behaviors. Direct and clear communication is often not only inconsistent, but we are also at high risk if it fails. This means that we can be placed in a similar state of vulnerability as children, where we simply have to be strategic to survive (or at least that is the instinct).
Marissa Martino of Paws & Reward Dog Training in Boulder, CO interviews Kathy Sdao of Bright Spot Dog Training in WA. In today's episode, they talk about a very important concept that can make an impact in these 3 areas:
Improving your dog's behavior
Improving your behavior when interacting with your dog
Enhancing your relationship with your canine companion
The concept is called Plenty in Life is Free which may seem contrary to the ever-popular dog training concept: Nothing in Life is Free.
ASPCA PRO: The Five Domains Model for Animal Welfare (pdf available at link)
The Five Domains Model is a framework for assessing animal welfare by evaluating five domains: nutrition, environment, health, behavioral interactions and mental state. The evidence-based model helps to identify how these domains interact to affect an animal's welfare. This approach builds on other models, such as the Five Freedoms, by accounting for both negative and positive experiences and combining those measures into an overall assessment of how the animal feels about their life â their affective state â which can give us insight into their overall welfare.
The Five Domains model includes:
Nutrition: Providing proper food and water to support health.
Environment: Ensuring animals have a safe, clean, and enriching space.
Health: Addressing medical needs and promoting overall wellness.
Behavioral Interactions: Offering opportunities for positive social interactions and mental stimulation.
Mental State: Reducing stress and promoting emotional well-being.
ASPCA PRO: The Five Freedoms (pdf available at link)
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Sarah will be running four two-day workshops in four U.S. cities in June and July 2026. Info + tickets here.
Sarah Stremming
Throughout all the worked up material the mantra is repeated: calm down first, feel better second. But dogs donât need to be calm all the time, and calmness is relative. So what does that actually mean, and how do we teach it?
Sarah will be running four two-day workshops in four U.S. cities in June and July 2026. Info + tickets here.
Sarah Stremming
Mental or cognitive flexibility is a vital skill to navigate life and big feelings. But we deliberately breed dogs with inflexible minds and it is our job to teach them how to bend so they do not break. A little breakdown, and some practical skills, and youâll be off to the races to help your dog and yourself be a little more flexible.
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