Testimonials
Jenya Chernoff
Kevin’s philosophy isn’t about “fixing” the dog, it’s about fixing the dog-human relationship. It holds that only through cooperation with and nurture of the dog’s true nature that we can have a fulfilled dog-human relationship–an idea that I think lies at the heart of a human evolution towards truly understanding animals.
Kevin is an anomaly. A rare mix of forthright honesty, quiet strength, and deep contemplation. The type of person few of us ever have the privilege to run across in our lives. I came to him to help me with my aggressive dog. And I left with a better understanding of not just them, but myself as well…
Neil Sattin
I found Kevin Behan in my quest to help my dog, Nola, overcome her aggression towards other dogs, since no ‘traditional’ method of dealing with the problem had worked. Kevin’s Natural Dog Training methods transformed not only Nola’s behavior, but also my entire way of understanding the canine world…
Kevin’s impact on how I am living with and raising Spencer has been transformative. I brought him a troubled and confused dog and through a natural and organic process he enabled Spencer to channel his energy into becomming a confident, grounded, balanced, and happy dog.
News & Events
Seminar: Journey to the Heart of the Dog [May 14-16, 2010] Rowe, MA
March 17, 2010Click to Register Online
Now the subject of increased scientific inquiry, the connection between dogs and human beings is far more profound than ever imagined. Dogs are the only animal to integrate themselves into every aspect of human existence. Dogs know us “by heart”—this is what bonds humans and dogs and each dog to its owner. [...]
News from Trisha Selbach:
January 13, 2010Natural Dog Training’s own Event Coordinator and training guru, Trisha Selbach, is now representing a new collection of limited edition prints featuring dogs, cats and horses with their fashionable humans, in conjunction with the Mark Shaw Photographic Archive. Mark Shaw, who in the 50s and 60s was a leading fashion and celebrity photographer, is best [...]
In the Press
Words to Save Your Dog's LifeBy Dixie Laite of Body+Soul Magazine; April 2010
My dogs are such good listeners, letting me prattle on about my weight, the deficit, Hugh Laurie. But as important as those topics are, the words I really want them to pay attention to are two life-saving commands.
“DOWN!” Returning from a romp in New York City’s Central Park, [...]
Don’t be guilted by puppy dog eyes! Get the tips for taming bad pet behavior
By Melinda Dodd from Woman’s Day; March 3, 2009
Your puppy has broken into the pantry for a fifth time, and now he’s staring at you with those I love you eyes, trying to pretend that nothing has happened. As always, you [...]
By Anton Ferreira
Newfane, Vt. (Reuters)- In an earlier age, when Indians still roamed Vermont, Kevin Behan’s antics might have earned him the name “Dances with Dogs.” His lanky frame covered in torn overalls, Behan frolics on his farm outside Newfane with dogs of all shapes and sizes, making faces and gesturing as he seeks to [...]
Why Dogs Aren’t Stumped By Cars
THE THEORY OF EMOTION AS THE BASIS OF THE ANIMAL MIND (which is easiest to see in the behavior of dogs).
When a dog is wandering about a roadway and a car approaches, even if it is frightened because it had just been abandoned or had escaped from its yard, the dog unlike a cat or [...]
Stump A Chump
What does the emotional battery, the phenomenon of neotony, and the dog’s affinity for cars all have in common?
Every debate I have with learning theorists argue that the distinction I’m drawing between dogs and other animals, for example animals such as cats and deer, are irrelevant because these distinctions can be taken into account in [...]
Jayward Thinking and Self-Defeating Logic Loops
One of the reasons the energy argument I’m making on this website strikes some as stupendous is because unless one can articulate the distinction between emotion and instinct, and between a feeling and a thought, then one doesn’t know what emotion is or what a feeling is, which means the terms will be used loosely [...]
The Heart of the Matter
Some recent questions posed by Heather really bring us to the heart of the matter.
1) Heather: “It is good that we don’t have to understand the physics when 2 dogs are in motion ”
KB: Yes, while the laws of motion are simple, the actual computations are vast and too complicated for most of us, [...]
Two Brain Makeup
(Edited For Clarity) Heather brought up some good questions and I want to make sure my answer is clear.
Heather: “The two-brain makeup, would you say that is also virtually present in humans?”
KB: Yes, all mammals have two brains, the central nervous system (Big-Brain) and the enteric nervous system (little-brain.) The reason animals have [...]
Check Out Lee's Latest Blog
At the risk of sounding like a mutual admiration society, (but if we don’t who will?) Lee has eloquently and concisely articulated virtually the breadth of the discussion of evolution, consciousness, and the phenomenon of the modern family dog in one article.
Again, we’re not saying that dog’s aren’t intelligent, we’re exploring the possibility of a [...]
Canine Thought Experiment
Russell has called our attention to another experiment as reported by New Scientist which I quote below.
NS: “LIKE children with their hands in the cookie jar, dogs steal food quietly to make sure they don’t get caught. The finding adds to evidence that dogs can work out what others are thinking. Shannon Kundey of Hood [...]
Be The Moose
What does it mean to BE THE MOOSE? Watch how Hessian, German Shepherd Dog, trained using Natural Dog Training, reacts when he sees a deer!
Stump The Chump Continued
“Suppose every mealtime consists of all 3 dogs getting their bowl of kibble. They are full, but after, I have all come round and give a milk bone to Sissy and Red, but not Peanut. At all other treat occasions throughout the day, they all 3 get a treat. If I keep this up, how [...]
Thoughts on Whitehead
If I’m somewhat understanding Burl’s very deft translations and commentary on Whitehead, then apprehension is mental and prehension is energy. And therefore animals have no intention, rather they feel the energy that percolates up through their cells and then through their metabolic, mechanical and neurological systems and then go on to formulate a coherent response [...]
Stump A Chump
Scientists use the following as an example of reasoning and subterfuge in an animal. A blue jay is in a tree while its fellow blue jays are scavenging some food on the ground below. As a corvid it is capable of mimicking many sounds, such as the screech of a hawk and it emits just [...]
Your Questions
Thanks to our readers, the Natural Dog Training site is full of fantastic questions and interesting scenarios. We are continuing to develop the site in order to nurture this dynamic, growing community, and hope to provide more and more resources to improve your learning experiences with NDT. At the moment, we realize that there are [...]
Physical Center of Gravity
The physical center of gravity is the kernel of a dog’s self and it is activated by eye contact. This is because a state of attention is composed of two beams, the external focal gaze by which the dog looks outward, and which is simultaneously accompanied by an internal subliminal beam by which the dog [...]
Stump the Chump Part 2
From Christine Randolph: “One of my dogs jumps up to lie on my belly and licks my face, I understand that is a regurgitation signal for parents.
She also pushes her cheek to mine and yodels excitedly while wagging her tail. especially if I start singing a song for her at that stage (resonating chambers?)
Would all [...]
Stump the Chump
Thanks to Christine for suggesting this section! The following is an excerpt from her comment:
“My first contribution is a scenario:
A few years ago my family was out at camp. My sister brought her dog “Happy” a very nervous and high-strung beagle mix. The first thing she did was to bite Duncan [...]
Charlie Rose Brain Series 8 Damasio and the Role of Emotion in our Lives
Very enjoyable intelligent discussion with ideas clearly articulated. However an energy theory sees emotion in a different light. My main critique is that they miss the fundamental aspect of emotion, which is that it is a universal and monolithic “force” of attraction. And this means that there is no such thing as a negative emotion [...]
Examples of Emotional Projection in the Wild
Here are some good examples on Youtube of advanced forms of emotional projection and emotional center of gravity.
Persistence Hunting
The Barefoot Professor
Kevin: What’s profoundly compelling to me is watching these hunters get into an almost musical rhythm as they synchronize with the movements of their prey, they pick up the cadence and I believe this internal [...]
Athens Stray Dogs Participate in Protests
Interesting news story from NPR shows strays dogs in Athens, Greece, participating in the local protests. What are your thought about what’s going on here? Athens Stay Dogs Mingle At Protest Rallies
Listen to the Q&A with Neil Sattin, Kevin Behan and Your Questions!
Neil Sattin of the Natural Dog Blog recently hosted a conference call with Kevin Behan. As he had mentioned in an earlier interview, he wanted to provide owners with the opportunity to speak directly with Kevin to get their most important questions answered. Below is an excerpt from Neil’s site about the conference:
“We had some [...]
