This article, “The Debate over Neutering” is likely to be the most controversial aspect of Natural Dog Training, but it is the inescapable conclusion of the belief that dogs are social by nature. Because if this is true, that dogs are the most cooperative animal on earth, then by definition, even their sexual makeup is […]

In the early eighties I found myself describing certain behaviors as “electric,” as for example when a dog is defensive, fearful or hyper, bristling, tense, taut and touchy, while other behaviors I intuitively would call “magnetic,” as for example when a dog is rolling on the ground, body contacting with others, supple to the touch, […]

Whether we know it or not, we all develop highly complex theories for animal behavior, most especially dogs. Even someone who doesn’t own a dog and never even thinks about why animals do what they do: nonetheless develops a highly elaborate theory for their nature and for their evolution as well, and without even knowing […]

Why do dogs (circle before lying down or eliminating, play chase games on long round curves, spin like a top before a ball is thrown or when confined in a kennel or tied to a chain, approach other beings along an arc, quarter into the wind, twirl around a scent marking to position themselves, circumnavigate […]

The purpose of this section: why dogs do what they do is to demonstrate that dog behavior is a function of a “networked-intelligence”. The system logic of this intelligence is emotion. Dogs “know” what to do by virtue of how they feel. To date explorations of why-dogs-do-what-they-do; from the days of Descartes versus Voltaire to […]

Because animals are emotional beings and human beings displace the most “emotional mass.” I’ll never forget the first litter I helped my father raise when I was a young boy. They were housed in a stall set up in the back of our boarding kennel. It was quiet there and so the mother and her […]

What are we trying to accomplish when we correct a dog? Do we want to make the dog submissive to us? Are we trying to show the dog that we’re displeased with his behavior? Do we want the dog to feel guilty or ashamed over what he has done or how he is behaving? I […]

If we could ask a dog how he felt about living in Man’s civilized world, and if he could put his feelings into our human language, he would say, “Every time I get excited or nervous, I get into trouble. What am I supposed to do with my energy?” Dogs see the world in their […]

Question: if dogs are social by nature as Natural Dog Training claims them to be, how could a dog ever do something “anti-social?” Answer: because emotion must move. A brief primer on emotion: Emotion is energy. And as pure energy, before it becomes entangled in the higher processes of the nervous system and either elaborates […]

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 […]

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…

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 […]

By K.C. Baker Daily News Staff Writer Celest Guda’s husky mix, Chelsea, doesn’t much like people, often baring her teeth and charging at strangers. But when the 7-year-old dog met trainer Kevin Behan, she sidled up to him, wagging her tail as she let him slip a leash around her neck. “There’s just something about […]

A recent experiment involving dogs “giving paw” has been hailed as demonstrating that dogs are endowed with an innate sense of fairness. NPR summed up the results on its website as quoted below: “Dogs have an intuitive understanding of fair play and become resentful if they feel that another dog is getting a better deal, […]

Why do dogs wag their tails? The quick answer is that a dog wags its tail for a reason which seems self-evident enough, being that it’s the tell-tale mark of a friendly dog. Indeed, anyone who’s stood near the pounding tail of a prototypical friendly breed, such as a Labrador Retriever, can take a veritable […]

For most of my thirty years as a dog trainer, I thought dog training, and in particular working with problem dogs, meant first and foremost changing the dog’s behavior; a “fix-the- dog-to-make-things-better” approach. But the more I became aware of the inner emotional dynamic that was running a dog’s behavior, and how this was also […]

We will be discussing at length the notion of Temperament and it would be helpful to consider everyday examples of it in action. Even though it is the central faculty from which all behavior springs, nevertheless it isn’t a tangible organ like the brain or the heart. The easiest way to directly appreciate it and […]

Kita, a 9 year old Akita-mix female, came to me for training because she was aggressive to other dogs. It had become impossibe for Cecille, her owner, to take Kita for a walk through the neighborhood. Kita had been in several serious brawls and she had become so violently “charged” that on sight of a […]

Evolution is the story of overcoming resistance. Things must be broken down in order to exploit their energy. Concentrating and storing energy in order to overcome resistance is the organizing principle of every species’ anatomy, physiology and behavior. Inside your dog is a battery, an emotional reservoir filled with “unresolved emotion”. Unresolved emotion is created […]

Understandably, the number one concern of puppy owners is what to do about puppy mouthy-ness since canine aggression is every owner’s number one fear. However, DO NOT TEACH YOUR PUPPY NOT TO BITE. RUN, don’t walk from such advice. Do not fall into this trap and have this fear become a self-fulfilling prophecy. First of […]

Dogs love car rides because they feel as if they are on a hunt. For example, cats never love car rides, or at best merely learn to endure them because when riding in a car cats don’t feel as if they are on a hunt. Why when in a moving car, can a dog feel […]

Behaviorists call the syndrome of a dog running helter-skelter around the yard, or zooming from room to room in the house “frequent, random activity periods (FRAPS). However this is a profound misnomer because there’s nothing random about this activity. When a dog goes zoom-zoom-zoom it is actually fear coming to the surface so that it […]

Good Housekeeping If your dog starts growling as you walk into the veterinarian’s office, or if your cat hides under the bed at the sight of his carrier, try these anxiety-reducing steps: Before You Go 1. Let your vet know you want to be involved in the visit by feeding your pet snacks and petting […]

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.

My experience with Kevin and his Natural Dog Training method has been groundbreaking, influencing the work I am able to do with animals. He is an asset to the dog training community and dog owners worldwide.

Lee Charles Kelley Dog Trainer and Novelist New York, New York Website: Visit Lee Kelley’s Website About 15 years ago I was looking for a training method that didn’t cause dogs physical and emotional distress and came across Kevin’s book, Natural Dog Training. Dogs are energized by (these methods) and really, really love them. I’ve […]

Dogs are animals, and animals learn according to the protocols of temperament, not according to the acuity of a mentality. There are two fundamental questions the canine temperament evolved to solve, and to this day, these issues determine the behavior of the domesticated family pet. 1) What is the prey? 2) Where is the danger? […]

Perhaps this might suggest to the reader how physical memory, because 1) it causes universal physical affects, 2) it serves as a filter on experience, and 3) it means that direct and vicarious experiences are equivalent so that dog A can feel just as if it is dog B, would prove to be the most logical platform for the high social traits such as altruism, cooperation and devotion to have evolved upon. I’m arguing that in contrast, saying that dogs entertain a concept of fairness is a step backward in our understanding of why-dogs-do-what-they-do.