Dog training is a journey, underscored by significant transitions through distinct learning phases, each showcasing your dog’s growth and understanding.

Initially, in the Introduction and teaching phase, your dog doesn’t understand the expected behaviour. However, as they begin to recognise the task or command, they naturally transition into the Learning and Association phase. This shift becomes noticeable as your dog starts associating your command with the corresponding action, albeit inconsistently. For example, when you say “sit,” they might occasionally comply.

Gradually, your dog moves into the Refinement and Consistency stage, which is another crucial transition. Here, your dog’s understanding deepens, characterised by improved accuracy and more consistent responses. Now, when you say “sit,” they will more frequently and correctly respond to your command, indicating a clear grasp of the association between the command and the action.

Finally, the most rewarding transition occurs, leading your dog into the Proofing phase. At this point, your dog instinctively responds to your command, indicating that it has become second nature. When you say “sit,” they immediately and correctly respond, regardless of the environment or distractions, signalling a successful transition to mastery.

These transitions form the crux of dog training. Your patience, understanding, and consistent reinforcement will guide these transitions, facilitating your dog’s progression from one phase to the next. Recognising and appreciating these subtle shifts can significantly enhance your effectiveness as a trainer and deepen the bond with your dog.

And of course, we took a bee line into other territories of punishment and other topics that people avoid as it doesn’t appease their audience.

Have a look at an earlier episode we did, Episode 239: Incompatible behaviour & positive punishment

Further details

looking for great dog trainers and supporters of the canine paradigm? Below is a vast array of people and business’s who stand by us, donate to our running costs and do great things for the canine community.

Glenn runs and has almost everything canine related at, Canine Evolution or Pet Resorts Australia

Pat has a full range of coaching and dog training services at Operant Canine

You can support our show and get extra content right here on our Patreon page. Everything goes into keeping the show running and we love all the wonderful people who are part of that community. If you’re not sure how, just ask us.

You can get our full range of our Merch at our Teespring store here

You can help us by spreading the word amongst the canine community or even suggesting a special guest to interview.

If you need to find out how to listen to our podcast, go here

We have a YOUTUBE channel that you can subscribe to now

If you enjoyed the podcast, please review us on Itunes, spotify and any other podcast directory

Details on joining the IACP can be found here. If you’re not in it you should be! Understand?

Check out Dogs Playing for Life! A rescue process changing dogs lives across the USA

For more details on how to help our friends at Peggy’s Promise, you can find all the details on how to do that on their website. They are our rescue charity of choice.

Support our supporters

Narelle Cooke’s raw feeding guide for dogs here. Narelle has her own podcast on all podcast directories called Natural Health for people and pets. Check it out in person.

Looking for the best, human grade supplement range for your dogs? Check out Canine Ceuticals. You can also see her on Pooches at play with Lara Shannon SHOW SPONSOR

Jason Firmin Einzweck Dog quip SHOW SPONSOR

The motorcycle dog kennel by Rowdy Hound SHOW SPONSOR

Professional dog training services DanKroft K9 SHOW SPONSOR

Daycare and training from the heart dog training SHOW SPONSOR

Dog training all styles in Adelaide Dog Club SA SHOW SPONSOR

Our beloved friend and regular contributor, Birdy O’Sheedy can be found at birdyosheedy.com and you can see her baby puppy on her instagram

HUGE thanks to all our contributing artists. Please support their works

Jane Stuart
Avery Keller
Zoie Neidy

When the word punishment is weaponized it can start to conjure up many different thoughts. The problem being that they are majority negative. Almost on a regular basis in these times, we find this to be occurring more frequently.

In some cases, it’s almost a competition amongst the insane to see who can out perform the other group in their choice of weaponized words.

However, this episode is not rooted around the maniacal measures of cabals trying to control others. It’s more focused around the unpacking and deep diving of punishment and many of the truths left from many of the stories.

Further details

If your looking for contact details, great dog trainers and supporters of The Canine Paradigm, look no further. Below is a vast array of people and business’s who stand by us, donate to our running costs and do great things for the canine community.

Glenn runs and has almost everything canine related at, Canine Evolution or Pet Resorts Australia

Pat has a full range of coaching and dog training services at Operant Canine

If you wish to learn a little more about us, go here

You can support our show and get extra content right here on our Patreon page. Everything goes into keeping the show running and we love all the wonderful people who are part of that community. If you’re not sure how, just ask us.

You can get our full range of our Merch at our Teespring store here

You can also help us by spreading the word amongst the canine community or even suggesting a special guest to interview.

If you need to find out how to listen to our podcast, go here

We have a YOUTUBE channel that you can subscribe to now

If you enjoyed the podcast, please review us on Itunes

Details on joining the IACP can be found here. If you’re not in it you should be!

Check out Dogs Playing for Life! A rescue process changing dogs lives across the USA

For more details on how to help our friends at Peggy’s Promise, you can find all the details on how to do that on their website. They are our rescue charity of choice.

Support our supporters

Narelle Cooke’s raw feeding guide for dogs here. She also has her own podcast on all podcast directories called Natural Health for people and pets. Check it out.

Birdy O’Sheedy can be found at birdyosheedy.com

Jason Firmin Einzweck Dog quip SHOW SPONSOR

Patrick and Alisha Lockett from Haus Amberg Shepherds breeding high end puppies from German bloodlines SHOW SPONSOR

K9 Dynamics online store for all our listeners in USA and Canada SHOW SPONSOR

Melanie Benware at Kindred K9 Solutions SHOW SPONSOR

Kathy Santo at Kathy Santo Dog Training SHOW SPONSOR

Jasmine Whiting is at Prime Canine

Alex Edwards Refine your Canine

Find out more about GRC dog sports here

HUGE thanks to all our contributing artists. Please support their works

Jane Stuart
Avery Keller
Zoie Neidy

Check us out on all our social media

Instagram @thecanineparadigm
Facebook The Canine Paradigm discussion page and The Canine Paradigm book club
Clubhouse The Canine Paradigm club room

A world without tools is an objective to several groups and individuals in the dog training communities. Clearly we’re talking about the training tools that some trainers choose to use during the training process.

These are tools recognised as electric or remote training collars, prong collars, correction or choke chains, martinagles, slip leads etc.

To certain groups of dog trainers, many of these are the essentials, where some or all of them are selected over the training process and used in ethical educational outcomes.

To others, they are a tormenting and diabolical to be considered at all.

In Australia we sometimes refer to a ‘tool’ as an imbecile. So we have a training industry saying that suggests, “It’s not the training tool that causes the problems. It’s the tool on the end of the lead that does that”.

Further details

If your looking for contact details, great dog trainers and supporters of The Canine Paradigm, look no further. Below is a vast array of people and business’s who stand by us, donate to our running costs and do great things for the canine community.

Glenn runs and has almost everything canine related at, Canine Evolution or Pet Resorts Australia

Pat has a full range of coaching and dog training services at Operant Canine

If you wish to learn a little more about us, go here

You can support our show and get extra content right here on our Patreon page. Everything goes into keeping the show running and we love all the wonderful people who are part of that community. If you’re not sure how, just ask us.

You can get our full range of our Merch at our Teespring store here

You can also help us by spreading the word amongst the canine community or even suggesting a special guest to interview.

If you need to find out how to listen to our podcast, go here

We have a YOUTUBE channel that you can subscribe to now

If you enjoyed the podcast, please review us on Itunes

Details on joining the IACP can be found here. If you’re not in it you should be!

Check out Dogs Playing for Life! A rescue process changing dogs lives across the USA

For more details on how to help our friends at Peggy’s Promise, you can find all the details on how to do that on their website. They are our rescue charity of choice.

Support our supporters

Narelle Cooke’s raw feeding guide for dogs here. She also has her own podcast on all podcast directories called Natural Health for people and pets. Check it out.

Birdy O’Sheedy can be found at birdyosheedy.com

Jason Firmin Einzweck Dog quip SHOW SPONSOR

Patrick and Alisha Lockett from Haus Amberg Shepherds breeding high end puppies from German bloodlines SHOW SPONSOR

K9 Dynamics online store for all our listeners in USA and Canada SHOW SPONSOR

Melanie Benware at Kindred K9 Solutions SHOW SPONSOR

Kathy Santo at Kathy Santo Dog Training SHOW SPONSOR

Jasmine Whiting is at Prime Canine

Alex Edwards Refine your Canine

Find out more about GRC dog sports here

HUGE thanks to all our contributing artists. Please support their works

Jane Stuart
Avery Keller
Zoie Neidy

Check us out on all our social media

Instagram @thecanineparadigm
Facebook The Canine Paradigm discussion page and The Canine Paradigm book club
Clubhouse The Canine Paradigm club room

Punishment is like a daisy because the topic keeps popping up. A group raises the issue, people discuss it, it settles, then here it is all over again.

There are so many daisy like conversations in the training world. However, punishment seems to be the biggest daisy field of them all.

It’s a topic that frustrates and scares people. Sometimes it should, as that at least that reignites discussion and hopefully starts better training and education.

Further details

If your looking for contact details, great dog trainers and supporters of The Canine Paradigm, look no further. Below is a vast array of people and business’s who stand by us, donate to our running costs and do great things for the canine community.

Glenn runs and has almost everything canine related at, Canine Evolution or Pet Resorts Australia

Pat has a full range of coaching and dog training services at Operant Canine

If you wish to learn a little more about us, go here

You can support our show and get extra content right here on our Patreon page. Everything goes into keeping the show running and we love all the wonderful people who are part of that community. If you’re not sure how, just ask us.

You can get our full range of our Merch at our Teespring store here

You can also help us by spreading the word amongst the canine community or even suggesting a special guest to interview.

If you need to find out how to listen to our podcast, go here

We have a YOUTUBE channel that you can subscribe to now

If you enjoyed the podcast, please review us on Itunes

Details on joining the IACP can be found here. If you’re not in it you should be!

Check out Dogs Playing for Life! A rescue process changing dogs lives across the USA

For more details on how to help our friends at Peggy’s Promise, you can find all the details on how to do that on their website. They are our rescue charity of choice.

Support our supporters

Narelle Cooke’s raw feeding guide for dogs here. She also has her own podcast on all podcast directories called Natural Health for people and pets. Check it out.

Birdy O’Sheedy can be found at birdyosheedy.com

Jason Firmin Einzweck Dog quip SHOW SPONSOR

Patrick and Alisha Lockett from Haus Amberg Shepherds breeding high end puppies from German bloodlines SHOW SPONSOR

K9 Dynamics online store for all our listeners in USA and Canada SHOW SPONSOR

Melanie Benware at Kindred K9 Solutions SHOW SPONSOR

Kathy Santo at Kathy Santo Dog Training SHOW SPONSOR

Jasmine Whiting is at Prime Canine

Alex Edwards Refine your Canine

Find out more about GRC dog sports here

HUGE thanks to all our contributing artists. Please support their works

Jane Stuart
Avery Keller
Zoie Neidy

Check us out on all our social media

Instagram @thecanineparadigm
Facebook The Canine Paradigm discussion page and The Canine Paradigm book club
Clubhouse The Canine Paradigm club room

Slave to genetics is a topic that comes up a lot in trainer conversations when we can’t quite explain our dogs behaviour. There are times when you just have to ask yourself why and it may just come down to genetics after all.

However, is genetics always the culprit? Are we quick to allow that to be the excuse? Could it be a case of improper understanding or input of new behaviours?

There are more than just one reason as to why both humans and dogs, (and all the other species) do what they do.

It could be genetics, it could be the control of stimuli or it could be mental impairment. It is a good reason for us to look a little deeper sometimes when we need a validation.

Further details

If your looking for contact details, great dog trainers and supporters of The Canine Paradigm, look no further. Below is a vast array of people and business’s who stand by us, donate to our running costs and do great things for the canine community.

Glenn runs and has almost everything canine related at, Canine Evolution or Pet Resorts Australia

Pat has a full range of coaching and dog training services at Operant Canine

If you wish to learn a little more about us, go here

You can support our show and get extra content right here on our Patreon page. Everything goes into keeping the show running and we love all the wonderful people who are part of that community. If you’re not sure how, just ask us.

You can get our full range of our Merch at our Teespring store here

You can also help us by spreading the word amongst the canine community or even suggesting a special guest to interview.

If you need to find out how to listen to our podcast, go here

We have a YOUTUBE channel that you can subscribe to now

If you enjoyed the podcast, please review us on Itunes

Details on joining the IACP can be found here. If you’re not in it you should be!

Check out Dogs Playing for Life! A rescue process changing dogs lives across the USA

For more details on how to help our friends at Peggy’s Promise, you can find all the details on how to do that on their website. They are our rescue charity of choice.

Support our supporters

Narelle Cooke’s raw feeding guide for dogs here. She also has her own podcast on all podcast directories called Natural Health for people and pets. Check it out.

Birdy O’Sheedy can be found at birdyosheedy.com

Jason Firmin Einzweck Dog quip SHOW SPONSOR

Patrick and Alisha Lockett from Haus Amberg Shepherds breeding high end puppies from German bloodlines SHOW SPONSOR

K9 Dynamics online store for all our listeners in USA and Canada SHOW SPONSOR

Melanie Benware at Kindred K9 Solutions SHOW SPONSOR

Kathy Santo at Kathy Santo Dog Training SHOW SPONSOR

Jasmine Whiting is at Prime Canine

Alex Edwards Refine your Canine

Find out more about GRC dog sports here

HUGE thanks to all our contributing artists. Please support their works

Jane Stuart
Avery Keller
Zoie Neidy

Check us out on all our social media

Instagram @thecanineparadigm
Facebook The Canine Paradigm discussion page and The Canine Paradigm book club
Clubhouse The Canine Paradigm club room