How to Teach Your Dog “No” (and Why Louder Doesn't Work)
Most houses use one “no” for everything. Split it into two words, make something always follow each one, and your dog can finally tell what you're asking.
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Training Notes
Plain-language answers to the questions I hear in almost every session. No jargon, no fluff, just what actually helps.
ReactivityJuly 6, 20264 min read
What "threshold" actually means
Trainers throw this word around constantly. It actually means two things at once, and once you can see both, your dog's reactive walks start to make a lot more sense.
First, I get it. A dog coming apart at the end of the leash is embarrassing and exhausting and genuinely frustrating, and I sympathize with it every single time. But I almost always have to walk an owner back from the same two words: stubborn, and bad. Your dog is neither. Two separate things are usually going on, and neither one is defiance. The first is that in that moment your dog physically can't think. The second, which stings a little more to hear, is that a lot of the time they simply don't know any better yet, because nobody has put in the long, patient work of teaching them what to do instead. It isn't stubbornness. It's closer to ignorance, and ignorance is on us to fix, not the dog.
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Why Did My Dog's Training Suddenly Go Backwards?
A dog who could do it last month and can't do it now has almost never forgotten it. Usually one of four things changed, and each one has a fix.
Read note →Why Is My Dog Reactive?
Reactivity isn't one thing. It's fear, frustration, or a body that's learned to panic, and once you know which one you're looking at, everything else gets easier.
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Deep Dives
When a question is bigger than a note, I go and read everything on it. Every source is here, and so is the name of whoever funded it.
The Pulse Question
13 sourcesGrain-free diets and canine dilated cardiomyopathy: what the FDA investigation was, what eight years of research established, who funded each study, and what remains unresolved.
The Front of the Bag
17 sourcesOne word in a product name decides whether a bag must hold 95% chicken, 3% chicken, or none at all. There is a rulebook behind the front of the package that almost no shopper has been told about.
The Ingredient Panel
11 sourcesThe back of a dog food bag is designed to look transparent. Ingredients are listed by weight, but that weight includes water. One ingredient can be split into four different names. The guaranteed analysis prints the bare minimum, not a measurement. Once you know the tricks, the same panel tells a very different story.
Reading Dog Body Language
51 sourcesWhat a dog’s ears, eyes, mouth, weight and tail are telling you, the combinations worth knowing on sight, and the signals people most often get wrong.
IIIField Guide
Glossary
The words I use in sessions and throughout the notes, in plain English. Every term has its own page with how it works and what it looks like in practice, and tapping a dotted term inside an article shows you the same definition.
142 terms, A to Z
3-3-3 rule
A rescue heuristic suggesting a newly adopted dog takes roughly three days to begin decompressing, three weeks to start settling, and three months to feel at home.
Read the full entryAAFCO
The Association of American Feed Control Officials, the body that writes the model pet food regulations most US states adopt into their own law.
Read the full entryAAFCO feeding test
A trial in which a food is fed to animals under a defined protocol and they are monitored, used to establish that the food is nutritionally adequate.
Read the full entryAntecedent
Whatever happens immediately before a behavior and sets the occasion for it.
Read the full entryAnti-marker
A word used to tell a dog that the response they just gave was not the one being asked for.
Read the full entryBarrier frustration
Reactive behavior driven by being physically prevented from reaching something, rather than by fear of it.
Read the full entryBAT
Behavior Adjustment Training, Grisha Stewart's protocol in which a dog on a long line chooses whether to approach or move away from a trigger, and the distance itself functions as the reward.
Read the full entryBehavioral needs
The things a dog has to be able to do in order to be alright, as distinct from the things people would prefer they did.
Read the full entryBite inhibition
A dog's learned control over how much force they use when their mouth closes on something.
Read the full entryBrachycephalic
Having a shortened skull and muzzle, as in bulldogs, pugs, French bulldogs and boxers.
Read the full entryBy-product
A secondary product left over from making a main one, such as the organ meat remaining after muscle meat is taken for human food.
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The Kit
The food, treats, and tools that show up in almost every session. Real picks, not sponsorships.
Plate IIPlay is training, too.
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The whole bag
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Every leash, treat, puzzle, and enrichment tool I recommend, curated and kept current in one place.
Stella & Chewy's Beef Meal Mixers
High-Value FoodA freeze-dried raw topper I reach for with picky eaters and dogs who need food that really motivates.
Shop on AmazonDIBBATU Flirt Pole
EnrichmentOne of my favorite outlets for high-drive dogs. Add start-and-stop cues and it becomes impulse-control practice.
Shop on AmazonRawTernative Air-Dried Beef & Organs
FoodShort, simple ingredient list. Breaks into small pieces, so it doubles as a high-value training reward.
Shop on AmazonVital Essentials Freeze-Dried Minnows
High-Value TreatsSingle-ingredient minnow treats. The reward that gets through to a dog working hard under threshold.
Shop on AmazonWild One Treat Pouch
Training GearThe cross-body pouch I actually wear to sessions. Opens one-handed, holds enough for a full walk.
Shop on AmazonEducator Finger Clicker
Training GearKeeps your marker consistent and your hands free. Small, quiet, easy to use on the go.
Shop on AmazonEmbarkDog DNA & health testing· From $99
The most comprehensive dog DNA test available: breed breakdown, screening for 230+ genetic conditions, and a relative finder. I recommend it to clients working through behavior with an unknown breed background, because a dog's genetic profile can genuinely change how you train.
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VField Guide
The Enrichment Library
If your dog struggles on walks, you are not failing them by staying home. Everything here happens indoors, in your own yard, or somewhere quiet: no sidewalks, no strangers, no other dogs.
Food puzzles and toys
14Snuffling and searching for food
6Scent work and nose games
9DIY builds from household items
10Chewing and licking to settle
6Learning to settle and wait
11Real exercise without a walk
8Brain training and tricks
4New sights, sounds and company
4Building strength and staying steady
8VIField Guide
Reading
The books that shaped how I train, science-based, practical, and written for real dog owners.
Plate IIIHomework for the humans.
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The whole shelf
Visit bookshelf →Browse the full bookshelf on Amazon
The full reading list, kept current in one place. The handful below are the ones I hand people first.
01020304
See the full reading list, organized by topic Behavior Adjustment Training 2.0
Grisha StewartThe field guide for BAT, the exact protocol I use with reactive dogs. Dense and practical. Pairs well with in-person sessions.
Control Unleashed: Reactive to Relaxed
Leslie McDevittA foundational one for reactive and anxious dogs. Games and patterns that help an overwhelmed dog learn to settle and check in with you instead of coming apart.
The Other End of the Leash
Patricia McConnell, PhDA behaviorist's guide to why dogs do what they do, written for the humans on the other end. Required reading for a reactive or anxious dog.
Mine! A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding
Jean DonaldsonThe clearest, most practical guide to resource guarding I know. Short and direct, and it will change how you handle a dog who guards food, toys, or space.
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Houston Ground
Vets, clinics, and quiet routes.
Coming Soon
The vets, clinics, and routes I trust, being double-checked before they go up.
VIIIField Guide
Follow Along
Watch the work, mine and others'.
Coming Soon
The trainers and accounts actually worth your feed, coming soon.
IXField Guide
For Clients
Lessons, homework, visit reports and your dogs' records, for everyone working with Hearth & Hounds.
🐾For Clients
The Hearth & Hounds Hub
- Lessons and homework
- Visit reports and photos
- Vaccination records and vet details
- Request a lesson, walk or stay
A living document
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