Mark's Dog Leash Living

When Dogs And Their Owners Are ‘Mismatched’

Mark Rogers — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 15:38:40 +0000

Yeah, it happens, and happens often. And often those mismatches end up with dogs in, or back in shelters from harried owners who couldn’t handle the physical onslaught of their mismatched dog. But it’s always the dog that pays grievously when those events take place. Adolescent and genetically high energy dogs, are often not a ...

When Your Dog Is Too Fat

Mark Rogers — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 19:25:02 +0000

Sorry for the abrupt title, but it should be understood how devastating a dog’s overweight condition can be. On their general health, their ability to maneuver, their quality of life, their length of life. Just like people. Before you get all offended and testy, I have four dogs. Two are weight management challenges. That means ...

There Is No ‘Magic System’ of Dog Training

Mark Rogers — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 13:47:15 +0000

There is no ‘Groundbreaking’ or magic system of dog training today. Much of what worked decades ago, still works today. Claims of something nobody has ever known are always demonstrations of regurgitated, repackaged training that has existed for generations. Training from the working dog competition world has intertwined with pet dog training for the last ...

Keep The Dog(s) You Adopt

Mark Rogers — Sun, 22 Jun 2025 17:04:53 +0000

‘Adopt. Don’t Shop.’ is a shaming phrase to try to get people to get a dog from a rescue rather than from a breeder. It is a sarcastic, misplaced, misused, and ineffective slogan. When people go to a breeder seeking out a specific breed or type of dog, they have every right, morally and legally ...

The False Purpose Of Veterinary Behaviorists In Dog Training

Mark Rogers — Mon, 19 May 2025 01:41:13 +0000

‘Veterinary behaviorists’ are trained as medical veterinarians who receive additional teaching and influence in animal behavior. The only way for Veterinary Behavior schools and organizations to arrive at ‘statistics’ concerning the effects of electronic collars, or other training tools is to set up scenarios where dogs are being intentionally abused, to produce a pre-determined outcome. ...

Why I Don’t Offer ‘Puppy Training’ Before 4 Months Old.

Mark Rogers — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 19:04:12 +0000

This is about me only, not any other trainers. I’m not presuming to speak for any other trainers. It’s an integrity issue for me. Because I know that for dogs that age, nothing any trainer can offer surpasses what the owners can do for their pups to prepare them for training in the weeks between ...

Full Spectrum Dog Training For Real Results

Mark Rogers — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 12:56:21 +0000

What’s similar between these two dogs? Formerly: Their hard leash reactivity to other dogs (both), and to people (Pit Bull), formerly made them impossible to walk normally, in public places, with other people and animals around. If either of them had been handed off to some trainers, we would have been given all kinds of ...

Importance Of Early Behavior Improvement

Mark Rogers — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 00:26:07 +0000

“When you’re teaching new behaviors, then the outcome strongly affects the behavior.” ~Michael Ellis That is referring to a dog’s behavior being affected during the learning phase (not yet habitual) of anything, whether it is positive (desired), or negative (undesirable) behavior. It’s at this early stage of behavior that typical mild guidance and rewards are ...