This week’s newsletter is all about environment—and how deeply connected it is to behavior. From a gas station trying to soften the sting of sky-high prices with live classical music… to dogs learning to “relax” in busy environments… to a 91-year-old so absorbed in a game she tuned out the world entirely—there’s a common thread:

Behavior doesn’t happen in a vacuum.

If you missed it, we published a piece this week asking a simple question: convenient for whom? It’s about the invisible tradeoffs we make when we prioritize ease over connection—and how that shows up in our relationships with our dogs.

👉 Read it here:

Tails of Connection's Substack

Convenient for Whom?

The Inconvenience Trap…

Read more

4 days ago · Tails of Connection

If you’ve been loving what we’re building here, consider becoming a paid substack subscriber yourself! It’s just $8/month (less than your fancy coffee order) and helps keep this newsletter running. Plus, yes, we absolutely do a little happy dance every time someone new joins. 💃

And as always, we’re so grateful when you share this newsletter with fellow dog lovers.

Subscribe now

🧠 Training Tip of the Week: A Cautionary Tale About Training Calm Behavior

We recently came across a post from @clickstartdogacademy featuring their service dog in training, Mouse, peacefully sleeping on a plane.

It’s easy to look at that and think: That’s the goal.

But the caption tells a more important story.

They caution against an approach they’ve been seeing more of on social media: tethering your dog until they eventually settle down. They explain that while this may lead to stillness in your dog, it’s flooding and can have some “nasty fallout.” They offer great alternatives to help your dog genuinely relax in novel environments:

1. Meet their needs first.

2. Build relaxation skills individually.

3. Pick your locations thoughtfully.

4. Take advantage of social learning.

5. Gradually build to more complex environments.

They elaborate on all of these in the post!

And while we can almost always help dogs relax in more environments, it’s also okay if those environments don’t include a brewery or cafe patio. Not all dogs are going to thrive there! Mouse is a rockstar at a young age!

📺 TOC’s Take: Can a String Quartet Change How We Feel?

With gas prices surging, one station in Quincy, Massachusetts tried something unusual: they hired a string quartet to play live music while customers filled up.

For gas station owner Harvey Kertzman, this has been a lifelong dream. He says that most people come to gas stations and have to spend a lot of money, and they don’t leave with a smile. He wanted to change that – change how they feel while they are filling up.

So to change how customers feel, he changed their environment. He gave them a full blown live concert with accomplished musicians while they filled up their tanks.

This is such a beautiful example of how powerful our behavior is. We are constantly creating the environment that everyone else is behaving in.

If we want to make the beings in our life feel good, what can we put in the environment that they would enjoy?

I can also tell you that if I was local, I’d be far more inclined to go to the gas station with the live music. We tend to do the behaviors that lead to more reinforcement – this is true for our dogs too! There are lots of options in the world – our job is to make doing the thing we want our dogs to do worth it for them.

Okay, have we squeezed enough goodness out of this gas station story for you?!

👉 Watch here:

🐶 Community Corner: In the Zone

A 91-year-old woman in Ohio missed her daily welfare check—not because something was wrong, but because she was completely absorbed in a game on her phone.

When police entered, they found her “alive, well, and unbothered”—locked in on beating her high score.

Gamers call it being in the zone.

This happens to be a bit of an extreme example, but it shows something super simple about life on this planet: we are always paying attention to some things and not others.

As much as your dogs love you, you are not the only thing they are paying attention to. There are so many other stimuli that can grab their attention.

So if your dog is acting like they cannot hear you, to be honest, there’s a chance they might not. And if they do, there’s also a chance that they chose to respond to some other stimuli in the environment instead.

Either way, that’s okay – it’s just information. If you need a dog to be able to respond to your cues under more conditions, you can systematically work on that.

As for the 91-year old gamer, we hope she got that high score!

👉 See the story:

🎨 DIY This for Your Dog: The Snuffle Box Test

Christie just launched a new series where she tests the DIY enrichment ideas we share—because let’s be honest, some of them look easier than they are (and some of them fall flat with our dogs).

This one, though? Refreshingly simple (lol as long as I save up some TP rolls!).

Using a cardboard box and toilet paper rolls, you can create a DIY snuffle box that encourages your dog to forage and problem-solve.

We love this idea from @bindisbucketlist—not just because it’s low-effort, but because it taps into natural behaviors like sniffing and searching.

If you try it before we do, tag us. We want your dog’s official review. 🐾

👉 Watch here:

One More Thing: Who Gets to Decide What Matters?

We did a double-take when we spotted a PhD in olfactory ethics making waves in People Magazine. Dr. Ally Louks earned her doctorate in English Literature studying the politics of smell in modern literature — and apparently the internet had feelings about that, because she faced a wave of online backlash (from, as she notes, mostly American men) after tweeting about her degree. Their loss, because her work is fascinating.

Dr. Louks argues that almost everything we think we know about smell is wrong — myths perpetuated by everyone from Aristotle to Darwin to Kant. Two stood out to us given our focus on learning:

Smell preferences aren’t innate — they’re learned. Watch a toddler happily grab something disgusting off the floor with zero reaction, and you’ll see her point. Disgust isn’t hardwired; it’s taught. And that has real consequences, she says, because throughout history entire groups of people have been dismissed or dehumanized through the language of smell.

Humans aren’t bad smellers — we just think we are. Scientifically, we actually rank near the top of the animal kingdom, and can even rival dogs in roughly a third of tested aroma molecules. The limitation isn’t biological. It’s cultural.

Dr. Louks has a book coming in spring 2027, and we’ll be watching for it.

Did You Know We Sell Training E-Courses?

They’re actually more about bonding with your dog and finding joy through learning than achieving perfection. Join us. 

• If you already have our e-courses and still want to support TOC’s future projects, you can always buy us a coffee.

• Do you like our newsletter?! Consider forwarding it to your friend so they can enjoy it too!

• Do you have suggestions for us? We can’t wait to hear from you! Email hello@tailsofconnection.com.

  *[Disclosure: This newsletter may contain affiliate links, meaning TOC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you.]

We Love Y'all,

— TOC

ICYMI: This week Christie published “The Slot Machine Myth: What Science Actually Says About Rewarding Your Dog.” It unpacks why one of the most common pieces of dog training advice—to reinforce behaviors only sometimes in order to maintain them—may actually be working against you.

If you’ve been loving what we’re building here, consider becoming a paid substack subscriber yourself! It’s just $8/month (less than your fancy coffee order) and helps keep this newsletter running. Plus, yes, we absolutely do a little happy dance every time someone new joins. 💃

And as always, we’re so grateful when you share this newsletter with fellow dog lovers.

Subscribe now

🧠 Training Tip of the Week: What Happens When You Really Learn Your Dog’s Language

We talk a lot about the importance of learning to read your dog’s body language, and this week, we wanted to spotlight a powerful post from @jackandjilldogtraining that talks about all of the beauty that you unlock when you do.

In the post, Jill says:

“Your relationship becomes less about control and more about understanding.”

Our dogs learn so much in order to live in our human-centered world. One of the most impactful things we can do is learn how they communicate using their behavior. As Jill illustrates in this post, it’s a gift that kind of just keeps giving.

📺 TOC’s Take: The Internet’s Most Beautiful Reminder to Give Animals Space

This week’s video stopped us in our tracks.

A wildlife photographer spent weeks quietly observing a manatee mom and her calf—no interference, no chasing the shot. Just patience. The result: a breathtaking moment of the calf surfacing for air, with mom close behind.

I continue to be utterly in awe of the planet we live on. I hope that the people in power will start making decisions to honor the preciousness and value of the diversity of life on this planet.

🌱 Community Corner: Why Gardening Might Be the Mental Health Hack You’re Overlooking

If you’ve been here a while, you know Christie loves native plants 🌿(yay for supporting local ecosystems!).

So we loved seeing research backing something we have already experienced firsthand: being in nature helps.

According to research highlighted in The Washington Post, gardening supports nearly every major factor tied to brain health—movement, stress reduction, sleep, social connection, and mental engagement.

In other words: it’s a deeply supportive environment.

While they don’t use this language, it’s a reminder that we can change our conditions to change how we feel. And gardening and nature offer some pretty spectacular conditions. Here’s to hoping you and your dog get to enjoy a little extra time outside this weekend.

🎨 DIY This for Your Dog: Turn Your Living Room Into an Agility Course

We’re switching it up this week.

Instead of a food DIY, we found a fun, low-lift idea: build your own agility course using everyday items (or dollar store finds).

Think: tunnels, jumps, weaving paths—nothing fancy required. You can pick low-impact activities if jumping isn’t the play for your dog’s body.

It’s enrichment, confidence-building, and honestly… a great way to burn energy without leaving the house (if it’s too hot outside like DC already).

If you try it, tag us—we really want to see what you come up with.

🐾 One Last Thing: The Real-Life Paw Patrol Is Even More Impressive Than the Show

In Jackson Hole, dogs are training for years to rescue people buried in avalanches. Their noses, their persistence when digging, their focus—it all becomes life-saving.

One cool example from the post:
A trainer buried himself underground 100 feet from the patrol stations during a drill. An avalanche rescue dog named Cache found and dug him out in under a minute.

Her reward?

A game of tug.

It seems like these dogs live very enriched lives while also potentially being the difference between life and death for somebody.

We will forever be in awe of what dogs are capable of.

Did You Know We Sell Training E-Courses?

They’re actually more about bonding with your dog and finding joy through learning than achieving perfection. Join us. 

• If you already have our e-courses and still want to support TOC’s future projects, you can always buy us a coffee.

• Do you like our newsletter?! Consider forwarding it to your friend so they can enjoy it too!

• Do you have suggestions for us? We can’t wait to hear from you! Email hello@tailsofconnection.com.

  *[Disclosure: This newsletter may contain affiliate links, meaning TOC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you.]

We Love Y'all,

— TOC

ICYMI: This week Christie shared a deeper dive on why “just ignoring it” might actually be making your dog’s behavior worse.

If you’ve been loving what we’re building here, consider becoming a paid substack subscriber yourself! It’s just $8/month (less than your fancy coffee order) and helps keep this newsletter running. Plus, yes, we absolutely do a little happy dance every time someone new joins. 💃

And as always, we’re so grateful when you share this newsletter with fellow dog lovers.

Subscribe now

🧠 Training Tip of the Week: ‘Pain Trials Aren’t Just “Try Some Meds and See What Happens.”’

This week we’re spotlighting an incredibly useful post from Dr. Julie Ashton on pain trials in dogs—it’s definitely one worth reading.

There’s something about the word trial that makes it seem like it might just be throwing spaghetti at the wall. This post illuminates how much more thought goes into a well executed pain trial.

For a lot of people, a pain trial is a more financially accessible diagnostic tool than imaging, so it’s even more important to understand how they work. Vets and whoever else is on your team look at your individual dog and all of the information you bring them to determine what medications to trial. With my dog, Otis, we trialed an NSAID to start, and it made a difference, but not as much as when we also added a neuropathic agent. And I tracked data on his behavior throughout the process. Then we checked back in to determine next steps. And before any medication and every six months since, vets run labs to check his bloodwork.

📺 TOC’s Take: The Viral “Countdown Challenge” (And Your Ego)

That little head lean? Adorable.
The internet’s conclusion? “This dog clearly loves the man more.”

Girl, I got you. While that could be the case, it’s not the foregone conclusion that the clip makes it out to be. If you’ll allow me to poke some holes …

This is one of those moments where understanding a little behavior science might just save your feelings.

Dogs are behaving based on their learning and current conditions. While it’s very tempting to tell a grand story about who a dog loves more, it may not be that deep.

That “choice” might come down to:

• Who has historically reinforced the behavior (maybe this is a cute lean the dog usually does when sitting next to the man but not the woman; heck, the man might have even taught the dog this at one point)

• Subtle body language or timing differences

• Physical difference (yes, even something as simple as a more comfortable shoulder could play a role)

In other words: it might not be personal.

So if your dog “chooses” someone else in a video like this, don’t spiral. You may not actually be less loved—you might just be looking at learning history in action.

🐶 Community Corner: Would You Travel for Your Dog’s Medical Care?

This week, we’re digging into a growing trend: veterinary medical tourism.

According to a recent feature highlighted by New York Magazine, rising veterinary costs in the U.S. (up more than 60% since 2014) are pushing some pet owners to seek care abroad. In border states, that can mean traveling to Mexico for more affordable procedures.

However, the American Veterinary Medical Association notes that only one veterinary school in Mexico meets U.S. accreditation standards.

It raises complicated questions about access, cost, and quality of care—and we’re curious where you land.

We thought this comment from a vet on the post offered another important perspective:

“I promise that none of us veterinarians WANT to be giving estimates this high. I nearly barf every time I have to give an estimate. But corporations are buying alllllll the hospitals and it’s really hard to get a job at a hospital that isn’t owned by some sort of corporation now … I’m a specialist in critical care and went to school/training for TWELVE years to become a specialist. I can barely practice my specialty now because it’s too frigging expensive … We feel utterly helpless on a daily basis because of these prices. Having to look yourself in the mirror after you give cost estimates that you in no way dictate (all of this is out of our hands, I promise you), when all you want to do is help the innocent soul in front of you…”

Have you ever considered going outside the U.S. for veterinary treatment? Would you?

👉 Hit reply and tell us—we want to hear your experience and perspective.

🎨 DIY This for Your Dog: Enrichment Isn’t About “Keeping Them Busy”

I want to start by saying I love seeing people doing their best to offer enrichment for their dogs. This week, we are doing a slightly different DIY by sharing a post we saw with a little caveat.

This post shows someone putting a few treats in a wet towel, wrapping the towel up, and freezing it. The text on screen says it took the dog 50 minutes to finish this activity. 50 minutes to get a few treats seems like it might frustrate the hell out of a fair number of dogs.

That being said, it might be great fun for others!

The key with enrichment is to meet your dogs needs – to give them opportunities to practice species-typical behaviors. The enrichment’s effect should be seen in their behavior. It’s not “the longer I keep my dog busy, the better.” (Though I will acknowledge that you can do both at the same time, and sometimes you just need to get your dog doing something that is mutually agreeable.)

Harder ≠ better. Longer ≠ better.

I think it’s really important to ask questions about your own goals when you offer enrichment and then monitor your dog’s behavior – both during the activity and after – to see if it’s having it’s intended effect.

🌍 One More Thing: Faucet Grapes (We Are Not Okay)

Every once in a while, the internet delivers a product that absolutely no one asked for…

…and the comment section delivers exactly what you’d hope for.

This week’s entry: a “faucet grape” contraption designed to change your handwashing behavior.

We’ll let you discover the comments on your own—but let’s just say:
soap dispensers exist for a reason, y’all.

👉 Click at your own risk (and for a very good laugh)

Did You Know We Sell Training E-Courses?

They’re actually more about bonding with your dog and finding joy through learning than achieving perfection. Join us. 

• If you already have our e-courses and still want to support TOC’s future projects, you can always buy us a coffee.

• Do you like our newsletter?! Consider forwarding it to your friend so they can enjoy it too!

• Do you have suggestions for us? We can’t wait to hear from you! Email hello@tailsofconnection.com.

  *[Disclosure: This newsletter may contain affiliate links, meaning TOC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you.]

We Love Y'all,

— TOC

ICYMI: Christie shared a great resource this week on markers after someone asked why she wasn’t conditioning one before using it with a dog for the first time. That question opened the door to a bigger (and super important) conversation about how conditioned reinforcers are actually created—and why it matters.

👉 Read it here:

Tails of Connection's Substack

Do You Need to “Charge the Clicker” First?

Recently someone asked me why I was using a marker in “actual dog training” right off the bat instead of conditioning it first (i.e. “just pairing it with a treat”). In reality, I was pairing. Just not in the way it’s sometimes talked about when trainers are introducing markers…

Read more

25 days ago · 1 like · Tails of Connection

If you’ve been loving what we’re building here, consider becoming a paid substack subscriber yourself! It’s just $8/month (less than your fancy coffee order) and helps keep this newsletter running. Plus, yes, we absolutely do a little happy dance every time someone new joins. 💃

And as always, we’re so grateful when you share this newsletter with fellow dog lovers.

Subscribe now

🧠 Training Tip of the Week: Let Them Sniff (Seriously)

We came across a post this week from @drlisalippman that perfectly explains why sniffing isn’t a distraction—it’s essential.

Dogs’ sense of smell is estimated to be 10,000–100,000x more sensitive than ours, and up to 40% of their brain is dedicated to processing scent (compared to about 5% in humans). So when your dog stops every few steps, “they’re not being stubborn—they’re doing biology.”

Research shows that sniffing:

• Activates key brain regions involved in environmental processing and decision-making

• Lowers heart rate

• Reduces cortisol (stress)

• Leads to calmer behavioral states

In other words: a sniffy walk is often the recipe for a great walk.

📺 TOC’s Take: Viral Video of the Week

Remy the Vizsla recently went viral for staring—and sniffing—straight up at the ceiling. Naturally, the comments section spiraled: Call a contractor! Check the attic! Something is wrong!

To be fair… dogs do have incredible noses. But according to Remy’s human, they checked—and found nothing.

Our take?
It’s possible Remy picked up on something unusual once (a sound, a scent, a critter) and is now repeatedly checking the area. It’s also very possible something is indeed in the attic and the people just missed it. It’s also possible that the dog did this once and contacted some sort of reinforcement from the humans, and now does it to get whatever their response to it was. There may also be some health or pain component. Who knows. Mostly I just have a boat load of questions!

🐶 Community Corner: What Happens When a Town Changes Behavior Together?

This week we were fascinated by a story about Greystones, a seaside town in Ireland that is experimenting with a voluntary ban on smartphones for preteens.

After COVID, parents noticed rising anxiety in their kids. A community-wide survey confirmed it—and instead of tackling it individually, they acted collectively. Parents agreed not to give their children smartphones before age 12, and 70% signed on.

What we love about this:
This is a really cool example of antecedent arrangement to shift behavior (including emotional behavior).

Instead of trying to “fix” individual kids, the community changed the environment. What’s gotta be nice about this for the kids is that if everyone is phone free, you are a lot less likely to feel like you are out of the proverbial loop socially.

Even when you are talking about large groups (instead of individuals), adjusting the environment is still the play!

🎨 DIY This for Your Dog: The Cookie Jar Photo Challenge (Win a Free Substack Subscription!)

We are obsessed with this ridiculously cute cookie jar photo trend—and we want YOU to try it (because there is no world in which we will get our butts in gear to, but the photo results are so cool!).

Here’s the deal:

• Recreate the photo with your dog (feel free to take some artistic license)

• Tag us

• The first 5 submissions win a free year of TOC Substack

Yes, we are serious. Yes, we really want to see real people attempt this to see if it looks as cool as what it shown in the post 😂

🌍 One Last Thing: Harrison Ford on Changing Behavior

We came across a clip of Harrison Ford this week talking about our role in protecting the natural world—and one line really stuck with us:

“We’ve got to understand that we are a part of the natural world. We’re not above it.”

Ford has spent 35 years working with Conservation International, advocating for environmental protection at the highest levels.

He seems to have some optimism, saying, “We can change our behaviors. We can allow nature to preserve our capacity for life on earth.” The behavior nerd in me always wants to follow up with: “So how are we changing the environment to encourage this behavior change?” One of the reasons I love teaching people about “dog training” is because I get to teach them a little about how behavior works. And I think that goes a long way as we work to solve some pretty big problems here on this planet.

Did You Know We Sell Training E-Courses?

They’re actually more about bonding with your dog and finding joy through learning than achieving perfection. Join us. 

• If you already have our e-courses and still want to support TOC’s future projects, you can always buy us a coffee.

• Do you like our newsletter?! Consider forwarding it to your friend so they can enjoy it too!

• Do you have suggestions for us? We can’t wait to hear from you! Email hello@tailsofconnection.com.

  *[Disclosure: This newsletter may contain affiliate links, meaning TOC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you.]

We Love Y'all,

— TOC

ICYMI: This week we released the full video of Christie’s live interview with Laura Perkins on navigating life with kids and dogs—what’s actually worked, what hasn’t, and what they’ve had to learn the hard way.

If you’ve been loving what we’re building here, consider becoming a paid substack subscriber yourself! It’s just $8/month (less than your fancy coffee order) and helps keep this newsletter running. Plus, yes, we absolutely do a little happy dance every time someone new joins. 💃

And as always, we’re so grateful when you share this newsletter with fellow dog lovers.

Subscribe now

🧠 Training Tip of the Week: What to Do If Your Dog’s Behavior Suddenly Changes

We loved this simple, practical framework from our friend and pro trainer Julia (@blueberrylemondrop):

If your adult dog shows a sudden behavior change, start here:

• Rule out pain or medical issues first → schedule a vet visit

• Track patterns → when and where is it happening?

• Look for environmental changes → anything new in the last few months?

• Document everything → the more detail, the better for your vet

The takeaway: behavior doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The more clearly you can observe and document, the faster you can likely get to the why.

📺 TOC’s Take: Viral Video of the Week

This week: Hank the “plumber’s assistant.”

Hank positions himself as close as physically possible to his human—essentially on top of him—while he works next to a toilet. What really got us: his human calmly narrating the repair like Hank is a full participant in the project.

Which raises an important question: Is this what they meant when they said to give your dog a job?

In case you want an extra chuckle, the comment section does not disappoint.

🐶 Community Corner: A Surprising Take on Insomnia

This week Jess flagged a Washington Post piece about cognitive reshuffling—a technique meant to help you fall asleep by rapidly shifting your thoughts.

Honest take: this appeals to me zero percent (lol, which doesn’t mean it couldn’t be great for you!?)

But it got me thinking about something that did work for me during a year of severe insomnia (think: 0–4 hours of sleep a night, on repeat for a year).

And interestingly—it mirrors how we approach behavior change in dogs.

Instead of going into the evening each night praying to the gods of sleep that I might get some, I:

• Picked a fixed wake-up time (6:00am, no matter what)

• Started with a very late bedtime (when sleep was actually likely)

• Gradually moved bedtime earlier in 15-minute increments

• Focused on starting where sleepy behaviors and calm feelings already showed up and built from there

It was wild how quickly non-sleep behaviors and anxious feelings spread to so many “bedtime” stimuli. My task was basically to arrange conditions so that sleepy behaviors and calm feelings showed up in those conditions again – at a reasonable hour.

Sound familiar?

Behavior (human or dog) is context-dependent. Sometimes the fastest way forward is starting where desired behaviors and feelings already exist—and building from there.

🎨 DIY This for Your Dog: The Yogurt Tub Trick

An easy enrichment idea we’re loving in the third clip of this compilation:

• Take a nearly empty yogurt tub

• Smear kibble into the sides

• Freeze it

• Let your dog go to work

That’s it. Cheap, easy, and surprisingly engaging.

If you try it, tag us—we love seeing your dogs in action.

🌍 One More Thing: The Secret to a Longer Life (for You and Your Dog?)

We were fascinated by 60 Minutes’ recent segment featuring the Dog Aging Project. In the clip, you can see some of the activities the researchers have dogs do to track their cognitive decline.

The project—co-founded by Matt Kaeberlein—is studying 50,000+ dogs to better understand aging. Researchers are analyzing everything from diet and exercise to brain scans, and even testing a drug that could extend lifespan.

The researchers are hopeful that what they learn through this project could also be used to expand our knowledge of the aging process in humans too.

It’s one of those rare intersections of science, hope, and the deep bond we share with our dogs—and we’ll definitely be watching where it goes.

Did You Know We Sell Training E-Courses?

They’re actually more about bonding with your dog and finding joy through learning than achieving perfection. Join us. 

• If you already have our e-courses and still want to support TOC’s future projects, you can always buy us a coffee.

• Do you like our newsletter?! Consider forwarding it to your friend so they can enjoy it too!

• Do you have suggestions for us? We can’t wait to hear from you! Email hello@tailsofconnection.com.

  *[Disclosure: This newsletter may contain affiliate links, meaning TOC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you.]

We Love Y'all,

— TOC

ICYMI this week, Christie shared a beautiful story about a quiet moment with her son, a single ant, and the way she thinks about dogs, training, and the brief miracle of being alive. It’s a reminder of how deeply connected all of this really is.

If you’ve been loving what we’re building here, consider becoming a paid substack subscriber yourself! It’s just $8/month (less than your fancy coffee order) and helps keep this newsletter running. Plus, yes, we absolutely do a little happy dance every time someone new joins. 💃

And as always, we’re so grateful when you share this newsletter with fellow dog lovers.

Subscribe now

🧠 Training Tip of the Week: Do Grand Entrances Give Your Dog Anxiety?

YALLLLLLLLLLL. I rarely “take the bait” on anything online, but I couldn’t help myself when Jess sent me this post from @sayitoncedogtraining. In a bold statement, he confidently asserts that by happily greeting your dog, you are creating anxiety. Like me, you may be wondering … how? Fear not. He has an explanation:

“...when you hype your dog up the second you walk in, you reinforce emotional chaos instead of calm. Your arrival becomes a HUGE event. That anticipation builds all day and often turns into jumping, barking, whining, or an inability to settle. Walking in calmly and ignoring your dog for a few minutes feels cold to humans, but to dogs it is grounding. It also allows them to do what they are biologically wired to do: use their nose instead of their eyes.”

This. Is. Bullogna.

And riddled with constructs, inaccurate science, and wild assumptions (I know of zero research to support what he says).

What is “emotional chaos” or “calm”? What do those things look like? How do we know something is “grounding” to a dog? Why does ignoring them allow them to use their nose instead of eyes? What evidence do you have that chaotic greetings create chaotic dogs? What does that even mean? This ignores the entire principle of behavior and conditions – together, always. And, perhaps most importantly, what do you mean by anticipate? Typically when we see anticipatory behaviors in dogs, it’s a result of cue transfer. Imagine your dog would do full body wags and little tippy tappies when you put their leash on at the door before a walk. Then they start doing those behaviors when you put your walking shoes on. When one stimulus gets paired with another, you may see the behaviors transfer from one to the other. This can move behaviors far from where they originated, but I have a hard time imagining the excited greeting behaviors (I can only assume that is what he means when he says “emotional chaos”) transferring to cues around the house that otherwise have a history for evoking behaviors like lying on their bed.

If a dog is showing behaviors we would label as anxious (per his post, “jumping, barking, whining, inability to settle”) when you are not at home, I don’t know of any research or anecdotal information from the leaders in separation anxiety training that supports the claim that you caused all that anxiety by enthusiastically greeting your dog. That’s not how behavior works.

There are times when I would want to train a calm greeting (which is not the same as ignoring - lol), but it isn’t to reduce anxiety in the dog when the human leaves (it is common to use calmer greetings during separation anxiety departure trials since you are measuring recovery time). I could write a whole paper debunking this mess, but I suppose the real tip here is that we all have to be so careful about who and where we get training information from (maybe hearing me briefly talk about it out loud helps you in the future). There is a lot of … stuff … out there that won’t actually help you and may rob you of the kind of greeting that can make your whole day better. I, for one, love a moment of emotional chaos with my dogs.

📺 TOC’s Take: Viral Video of the Week

This week’s internet star: Brownie, the gas station dog.

In the clip, Brownie appears to “run” a service station—taking credit cards and cash, returning them to customers, and generally behaving like a highly competent (and very good) employee.

I often think that one of the real perks of being a dog is that they don’t have to do the 9-5 grind, but Brownie honestly seems to be in his element. He clearly finds these interactions and tasks reinforcing because he keeps showing up to work.

Also worth it: the comments section, where people are fully committed to the bit—claiming Brownie is retired or still on shift.

I might enjoy filling my car up more if I got to interact with Brownie.

🐶 Community Corner: Be Honest… Do You Feed Your Dog Their Eye Boogies?

We’re going there.

Do you… feed your dog their eye boogies?
Why do you do it? Do you think they like it?

This question (sparked by @dapperdoodleduo) turned into a surprisingly passionate debate—and now we need to hear from you.

Jess reached out to Dr. Meghan McIlwain, Stanley’s vet at Bond Vet here in DC, and her answer was… diplomatic:

“I don’t recommend feeding the discharge to pets because it can contain bacteria. If they groom and ingest it on their own, that’s one thing—but I wouldn’t actively feed it to them.

That said, the risk of illness is relatively low since the gastrointestinal tract isn’t very hospitable to pathogens. However, if there are open wounds in the mouth, the risk isn’t zero.”

So… not a hard yes.

But also not exactly a full panic.

Here’s what’s actually more important: not all eye discharge is created equal.

Dr. McIlwain broke it down for us:

• Clear or slightly brown (tear staining): usually normal, as long as it’s not excessive

• White or gray, mucus-like: could signal irritation, dry eye, or early infection

• Green or yellow: a strong sign of infection—definitely time to call your vet

She also noted that redness, swelling, squinting (“winky-blinky”), pawing at the eye, or light sensitivity are all signs your dog should be seen ASAP—especially to rule out something more serious like a corneal ulcer.

Bottom line: the occasional eye boogie isn’t the issue. But changes in color, texture, or behavior? That’s your cue to pay closer attention.

🎨 DIY This for Your Dog: A Smarter Towel Game

We love a good remix of a classic enrichment activity.

This version of the “kibble in a towel” game adds one simple twist: placing the wrapped towel inside the side of a laundry basket. That small change makes the puzzle more challenging, engaging, and longer-lasting.

Simple. Smart. Effective.

(There’s a chance I would weigh the basket down to make it easier for my dog to pull the towels out!)

If you try it, tag us—we love seeing your dogs in action.

🌍 One More Thing: Heaven, Through a Dog’s Eyes

We want to leave you with something softer this week.

Artist Emilie Louise Gossiaux creates deeply moving work shaped by touch, memory, and their bond with their guide dog, London. After losing their sight in their early 20s, Gossiaux’s relationship with London became central—not hierarchical, but mutual.

Following London’s death in 2025, Gossiaux created work imagining heaven from a dog’s perspective: floating together, surrounded by familiar objects, reunited in a shared world.

It’s tender, a little devastating, and—if you’ve ever loved a dog—deeply resonant.

If you’re grieving (or pre-grieving), this is worth a moment of your time.

Did You Know We Sell Training E-Courses?

They’re actually more about bonding with your dog and finding joy through learning than achieving perfection. Join us. 

• If you already have our e-courses and still want to support TOC’s future projects, you can always buy us a coffee.

• Do you like our newsletter?! Consider forwarding it to your friend so they can enjoy it too!

• Do you have suggestions for us? We can’t wait to hear from you! Email hello@tailsofconnection.com.

  *[Disclosure: This newsletter may contain affiliate links, meaning TOC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you.]

We Love Y'all,

— TOC

This week Christie shared an article about a deceptively simple training concept: teaching dogs when they can access something.

It might sound small, but it unlocks a lot—better recall, calmer behavior around distractions, and far less frustration during training.

If you’ve been loving what we’re building here, consider becoming a paid substack subscriber yourself! It’s just $8/month (less than your fancy coffee order) and helps keep this newsletter running. Plus, yes, we absolutely do a little happy dance every time someone new joins. 💃

Subscribe now

🧠 Training Tip of the Week: Dogs Say ‘No’ All the Time. Are You Ignoring Them?

This week we came across a thoughtful post from Dr. Cari Cannon about the many ways that dogs say “no” and some common ways that people ignore those “no’s.” I shared a post last week showing an early “I need space” signal my dog, Sully, gave when my son got too close, so I thought this post was a great follow up to emphasize our role in preventing dog bites.

Dogs are excellent communicators. It’s usually only when their more subtle behaviors are rendered ineffective that they escalate to something bigger. If I had a vote, one of the ways everyone would prepare for living with a dog would be to learn (at least a little) about dog body language.

We have so many opportunities everyday to build trust based on how responsive we are to their behavior.

📺 TOC’s Take: Viral Video of the Week

This week we stumbled across a video of Ace the golden retriever, lying down watching a group of koi fish snack on his cute little toes as they dangle at the surface of the water..

There is something mesmerizing about this video. I don’t know if it’s just always going to delight me when I see other species interacting or if there is something specifically soothing about a dog and koi fish (?!). Maybe a part of me enjoys the idea that Ace gets some sort of enrichment out of this while the fish get a snack and everybody goes home happy. I was nervous for a split second (I don’t know … big size difference!), but the video has a peaceful ending.

I did get a chuckle out of a comment saying “The fish like the fritos too.”

🐶 Community Corner: The Nonprofit Making Sure Seniors’ Pets Aren’t Left Behind

This week we discovered a video from @thatgoodnewsgirl spotlighting the Canadian nonprofit My Grandfather’s Cat.

Founder Angela started the organization after her grandfather passed away, and she suddenly became responsible for his cat, Mackenzie—who had a reputation for being a “mean, grumpy cat.” No one else in the family wanted to adopt her.

But when Angela started sharing Mackenzie’s story online, she began hearing from countless people worried about what would happen to their loved ones’ pets if they moved into care or passed away.

Today, the organization has helped facilitate 500 pet adoptions. It also runs a pet pantry that helps seniors afford food for their animals.

We love the idea of reducing anxiety for both seniors and their pets.

Have you ever suddenly had to take care of a loved one’s pet the way Angela did?
We’d love to hear your stories in the comments.

🎨 DIY This for Your Dog: A Spin on the Kibble Towel Game

Jess here.

When I first brought home my puppy Stanley, Christie taught me one of the simplest enrichment games imaginable: roll kibble into a towel and let your dog sniff and dig it out.

It honestly blew my mind. Stanley would stay busy for ages—and by the end, he was completely calm.

That’s why we loved this video putting a fun twist on the same idea using a paper towel roll for dogs who might want a little “extra.”

If you try it, tag us. We’d love to see how your dog likes it.

🌍 One More Thing: A Rare Bird Has Landed in Virginia

If you’ve followed us for a while, you probably know Christie is a huge birder.

So when a red-flanked bluetail—a bird native to Asia—appeared in her own backyard in Great Falls, Virginia, our hearts sang.

According to the Washington Post, these birds typically breed from Siberia to northeastern China and parts of Scandinavia, then winter in warmer areas of southern China, Taiwan, and Thailand.

In recent years, however, their range has expanded—and a combination of unusual migratory patterns and favorable winds may have brought this one all the way to Virginia.

Is it a random fluke? A shifting migration pattern? Something related to climate change?

We don’t know yet. But we’ll happily enjoy its visit while it’s here.

Did You Know We Sell Training E-Courses?

They’re actually more about bonding with your dog and finding joy through learning than achieving perfection. Join us. 

• If you already have our e-courses and still want to support TOC’s future projects, you can always buy us a coffee.

• Do you like our newsletter?! Consider forwarding it to your friend so they can enjoy it too!

• Do you have suggestions for us? We can’t wait to hear from you! Email hello@tailsofconnection.com.

  *[Disclosure: This newsletter may contain affiliate links, meaning TOC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you.]

We Love Y'all,

— TOC

Earlier this week we shared a new piece on cooperative care—a training philosophy that centers your dog’s consent and participation in everyday handling. If you’ve ever struggled with things like putting on gear, grooming, or vet care, cooperative care can completely change the dynamic between you and your dog. In the piece, we shared a preview of our e-course Challenge 2.0, where you work on getting your dog to cooperatively put on a hat as a low stakes way to work on cooperative care.

We also published a more personal essay about loving a dog who resource guards. Resource guarding can be one of the most misunderstood behaviors in dogs, and we wanted to talk honestly about what it’s like to live with it, train through it, and build trust along the way.

If you missed either piece, we’d love for you to take a look.

If you’ve been loving what we’re building here, consider becoming a paid substack subscriber yourself! It’s just $8/month (less than your fancy coffee order) and helps keep this newsletter running. Plus, yes, we absolutely do a little happy dance every time someone new joins. 💃

And as always, we’re so grateful when you share this newsletter with fellow dog lovers.

Subscribe now

🧠 Training Tip of the Week: What If Your Dog Isn’t “Misbehaving”?

We loved this post from @friendofthedog (trainer Madeline Pape) that challenges us to reconsider what it means to have a “perfectly well behaved dog.” I got a little chuckle out of her saying that if you strongly dislike your dog’s chaos, there is a chance you might just not like dogs all that much - ha. Madeline is spot on in calling out that so much of the way the world labels dog behavior a “good” or “bad” is rooted in human culture and constructs. Dogs do what works. Period. And there is information in their behavior (including about their needs). So before we go “solving a problem,” it behooves us to ask if it’s really a problem (you can read some of my previous musings about this question here) and consider the function of the behavior. Our dogs are allowed to have needs and communicate them. Some of the most elegant “behavior solutions” are really just people messing with motivating operations (often called meeting dogs needs).

📺 TOC’s Take: Viral Video of the Week

We double-dog dare you to watch this without smiling.

This viral clip features trainer Samantha Valle and her dog Geronimo, a Border Collie/Kelpie mix who broke her own Guinness World Records record for the most double-Dutch-style jump-rope skips in one minute (128!).

The video may be resurfacing now, but it originally made waves years ago — and learning that it only took about six weeks to train (without YouTube tutorials!) is pretty wild.

Also, can we talk about the rope-spinning dogs? One commenter said:

“The dogs swinging the ropes don’t get enough credit these days.”

Correct. Justice for the supporting cast.

I remember doing double dutch in elementary school, so there is something so nostalgic about this. I don’t know that I have dogs who would at all be interested in learning this, but I am always rooting for doing things just for fun with your dogs! My fun tends to be teaching a dog to knock something off a chair, but if you’ve got an athlete and the will, maybe double dutch is in your future!

🐶 Community Corner: The Case of the Shrinking Mailbox

Sometimes you just need a good laugh.

This video from @creationross shows a postal worker delivering mail to a mailbox that keeps mysteriously changing size. What makes it brilliant isn’t just the visual gag — it’s watching how his behavior changes as the environment does. The tweezers!

The comment section is gold, but this one stuck with us:

“I bet this made him want to go to work.”

There’s something meaningful there. Novelty can be enriching. Once the postal worker began to anticipate the ever-changing mailbox, the experience seemed to shift from confusing to rewarding. There was something reinforcing in this experience because he kept engaging with the mailboxes – with an awesome smile on his face.

It’s a funny reminder: keeping things fresh matters — for humans and dogs alike.

🎨 DIY This for Your Dog: Free & Easy Enrichment

We loved this post from @goldenpup.mika sharing a full week of “free” enrichment ideas using things you already have at home.

No fancy puzzle toys required.
No Amazon cart necessary.

Just cardboard boxes, towels, egg cartons, and a little creativity.

🌍 One More Thing: A New Olympic Sport?

We’ll leave you with this: Kimbo the Dutch Shepherd pulling his human on a snowboard down a slope.

We get so many questions from people trying to stop their dogs from pulling. And here’s Kimbo, clearly thriving because his human leaned into the behavior instead of fighting it.

This harkens back to this week’s training tip as a clear reminder that “well behaved” is just made up. Pull is unwanted in some contexts and wanted in others. It doesn’t mean you can’t train one way or the other – it just has nothing to do with whether a dog is “well behaved” or not. For so many dogs – pulling is fulfilling and a great way to exercise and be out in nature with their person – whether it’s canicross or skijoring (is there a word for it when it’s with a snowboard!?). This is a great example of meeting this dog’s needs and giving him an outlet to pull and go fast.

If I could snowboard, I would sign up for this in a heartbeat.

Did You Know We Sell Training E-Courses?

They’re actually more about bonding with your dog and finding joy through learning than achieving perfection. Join us. 

• If you already have our e-courses and still want to support TOC’s future projects, you can always buy us a coffee.

• Do you like our newsletter?! Consider forwarding it to your friend so they can enjoy it too!

• Do you have suggestions for us? We can’t wait to hear from you! Email hello@tailsofconnection.com.

  *[Disclosure: This newsletter may contain affiliate links, meaning TOC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you.]

We Love Y'all,

— TOC

This week Christie shared a thoughtful article on how to begin low-pressure cooperative care sessions that build trust, predictability, and real dialogue — starting with something as simple as a dish towel or spoon.

If you’ve ever struggled with administering medicine, wiping paws, or cleaning ears, this is a wonderful primer. Cooperative care shifts the dynamic from “just get it done” to genuine two-way communication. And that shift can change everything.

If you’ve been loving what we’re building here, consider becoming a paid substack subscriber yourself! It’s just $8/month (less than your fancy coffee order) and helps keep this newsletter running. Plus, yes, we absolutely do a little happy dance every time someone new joins. 💃

And as always, we’re so grateful when you share this newsletter with fellow dog lovers.

Subscribe now

🧠 Training Tip of the Week: It’s Okay to Embrace Your Dog’s Bids for Affection

This week we loved a video from @JessDogTraining about so-called “attention-seeking” behaviors.

She writes:

“Too many voices online suggest we should shut down our dogs’ bids for connection in the name of ‘not reinforcing attention seeking.’ But attention-seeking is not a dirty thing. If your dog is asking for connection, it is okay to give it. It will not ruin them 🩷 And if you do not want to meet a dog’s social and emotional needs, it is worth asking whether you really want a dog at all.”

Dogs are social beings. When they nudge your hand, rest their chin on your knee, or paw at you gently, they’re not manipulating you — they’re communicating. They’re using their behavior to access reinforcers. They are connecting. And in a world that often feels like a dumpster fire, it sort of seems like connection might be the whole point.

And FWIW, this doesn’t mean that you have to always drop what you are doing to attend to your dog (though I have never once regretted doing that). It’s just not always possible. If I find a dog’s attention-seeking behaviors causing problems, I tend to think of a few big things:

• Are there ways to add more of whatever your dog is asking for into their days at times that work better for you?

• Is it how your dog is asking or that your dog is asking that is the problem? We can teach other ways of asking.

• Can we teach your dog clearer signals for when you are available vs. when you are not (especially if there are certain times where it’s an issue – like on a work call)?

At the end of the day, I am with Jess. The time we get with our dogs is not all that long. Bids for connection are a gift.

📺 TOC’s Take: Viral Video of the Week

It’s no secret that Christie is a birder, so this week’s viral pick celebrates the incredible architecture of bird nests.

The video reminds us:

“Bird nests are some of the most impressive examples of natural engineering. Using nothing but their beaks and feet, birds create structures that look almost impossible to design — carefully adapted to their climate, surroundings, and predators.”

It’s so easy to assume that birds just come into the world knowing how to build these incredible nests. And to some extent, they do come into the world with some behaviors that somehow get written into their genes. But there is still so much learning involved. They have to develop skills to use their beaks to move and carry objects. There is social learning from other birds who build nests. And as soon as they start building their own nests, they get feedback from the environment about how to build next time. They’ll adjust materials they use, where they build, etc. based on what they learn.

While I will always be amazed by how life comes into this world, I’ll also never tire of the magic of learning and how that super power allows so many individuals to navigate this planet.

🐶 Community Corner: The JetBlue Movement

Last week, we came across the gut-wrenching story of a dog abandoned at a JetBlue ticket counter at the airport in Las Vegas.

According to The Washington Post, the owner left the dog behind after failing to complete the required paperwork to travel with him. She was later charged with animal abandonment.

Airport workers and police cared for the goldendoodle until animal protection services transported him to a shelter. When his owner failed to claim him within 10 days, a rescue group took him in and renamed him “JetBlue.”

What happened next was extraordinary:

• More than 2,700 people applied to adopt him.

• He was ultimately adopted by one of the responding airport officers.

• JetBlue (the airline) donated $1,000 toward his adoption fee and veterinary bills and $5,000 to the rescue, which supports abused dogs from overseas and currently has 40 unadopted dogs still seeking homes.

I will admit: while I don’t love this (okay, I actually strongly dislike this story), a part of me is also crying out that we don’t know the story of this person. And I’ve seen people weaponize dogs so many times to make people (usually BIPOC) look like they don’t care so that someone else (usually a white person) can appear like a savior. So I think it sucks to abandon a dog at a gate, but also what if this person had a parent who was on their death bed and was put in the worst position ever? Maybe this “what if” doesn’t work because I assume they would have come back for their dog. Perhaps I am just a sucker who wants to believe the best in people and still knows that people aren’t bad – they are behaving based on experience and current conditions.

We know people attempt to skirt airline policies by misrepresenting pets as service animals, but literally abandoning a dog at the counter feels like a new low. Glad to see the dog wound up okay and hoping the person is okay too.

What would you have done if you’d witnessed this while waiting for your flight?

🎨 DIY This for Your Dog: Ball Brain Game

We love a good cardboard box repurpose.

This enrichment idea uses a box and a ball to create a super cheap ball dispenser! Your dog gets the mental stimulation of figuring this out (help them out if they don’t have the experience needed for this!) and a way to play with a ball without needing a person to toss it. Plus, it’s a ball game that is easy on the joints! If you try it, tag us. We love seeing your dogs in action.

🎙 Voice Memo: A Return to My Trail Musings

It’s been a while since I recorded one of these.

Recently, I’ve been overwhelmed with the feeling that I’m not doing enough for my dogs. Not enough enrichment. Not enough novelty. Not enough everything. UGH.

But on a recent walk in the woods, Otis told me — so clearly — what he wanted. And it reminded me that he does communicate his needs. Often simply. Often directly.

And this brought me great peace of mind.

This week’s voice memo is a little vulnerable. I hope it resonates if you’ve ever felt the same.

🌍 One More Thing: Hide and Seek

Sometimes winter just calls for days inside, and that’s one reason why we loved this hide-and-seek video from Apollo the Lil Aussie, whose human actually climbed into a dog crate to make the game more fun.

But even if it’s a perfectly fine day to be outdoors, I can attest to the fun of this game. I feel like I was squealing and laughing like a little kid – and that is reason enough to do this.

To be fair, I don’t think it’s very hard for the dogs, but mine still seemed to get a kick out of it. Games don’t have to be hard to be fun!

Sometimes the best enrichment isn’t a fancy toy — it’s you.

Did You Know We Sell Training E-Courses?

They’re actually more about bonding with your dog and finding joy through learning than achieving perfection. Join us. 

• If you already have our e-courses and still want to support TOC’s future projects, you can always buy us a coffee.

• Do you like our newsletter?! Consider forwarding it to your friend so they can enjoy it too!

• Do you have suggestions for us? We can’t wait to hear from you! Email hello@tailsofconnection.com.

  *[Disclosure: This newsletter may contain affiliate links, meaning TOC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you.]

We Love Y'all,

— TOC

This week Christie shared an excellent breakdown of how to help dogs who get spooked by random “foreign objects” — think traffic cones, rogue trash bags, or mysterious garden gnomes.

Her go-to game? “Check It Out.”

It’s a simple, confidence-building exercise that gives dogs agency and helps them approach novelty with curiosity instead of fear. If you have a dog who startles easily, this one’s worth bookmarking.

If you’ve been loving what we’re building here, consider becoming a paid substack subscriber yourself! It’s just $8/month (less than your fancy coffee order) and helps keep this newsletter running. Plus, yes, we absolutely do a little happy dance every time someone new joins. 💃

And as always, we’re so grateful when you share this newsletter with fellow dog lovers.

Subscribe now

🧠 Training Tip of the Week: Preventing Dog Bites with Kids

This week we’re highlighting a powerful reel from @cooperandkids and @familypawsofficial that breaks down a real-life dog bite incident involving a crawling baby and a family dog (shared with permission).

The video walks through the dog’s subtle body language leading up to the bite — cues that are easy to miss in everyday home moments.

As they wrote in the caption:

“Because the truth is — most bites to children don’t come from ‘bad dogs.’ They happen in everyday homes, during everyday moments, when subtle warning signs are missed.”

It’s an important reminder that prevention is about supervision, management, and education — not blame.

And as a reminder: I’m a licensed Family Paws Parent Educator. If you ever need support navigating life with kids and dogs, I’m here.

📺 TOC’s Take: Viral Video of the Week

We are huge fans of the Olympics, so naturally we loved this video of Cherry the golden retriever watching the luge competition.

Why is watching dogs watch TV so endlessly entertaining? Sometimes I wonder if it would be annoying for dogs to watch something move that seems like you might be able to chase it but never be able to get to it? Or maybe I just overthink everything lol.

We may never know. But according to Cherry’s human:

“Cherry loves to watch all of the Olympic sports.”

Frankly, same, Cherry.

🐶 Community Corner: New York’s Poop Problem

Jess lived in New York City for 15 years — so this one caught our attention.

According to the New York Post, there were 643 dog waste complaints made to the city’s 311 system between Jan. 25’s snowstorm and Tuesday — a nearly 94% increase compared to the same period last year.

The streets with the highest concentration of complaints?

• 49th Street in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park

• Fort Washington Avenue in Washington Heights

Washington Heights logged the highest total number of complaints citywide.

Snowstorms can make cleanup trickier — but they don’t make it optional.

It does raise interesting civic questions:

• Are garbage cans too sparse in certain neighborhoods?

• Would public bag dispensers near trash cans help?

• Is this about accountability … or infrastructure?

If you live in New York, we’d genuinely love to hear:
Is it as bad as the headlines suggest? And what would actually fix it?

🎨 DIY This for Your Dog: Cup Banner Enrichment

We love this simple enrichment idea: stringing together old paper cups to create a hanging “banner” your dog can forage through for treats.

It’s inexpensive.
It’s mentally stimulating.
And it’s perfect if another snowstorm keeps everyone inside this weekend.

Bookmarking immediately.

🌍 One More Thing: A Needle in a Haystack

Dogs are superheroes. Case in point: Moose the bloodhound, who located a corn dog buried in a massive field of snow.

In the comments, someone asked whether Moose followed his human’s scent or the corn dog’s scent. The answer from Moose’s humans?

He got a sniff of the corn dog before it was hidden.

Regardless, I still get such a thrill anytime I watch the power of a dog’s nose.

Sometimes “find it” games are more than just enrichment — they’re a reminder for us of what these noses are truly capable of.

Did You Know We Sell Training E-Courses?

They’re actually more about bonding with your dog and finding joy through learning than achieving perfection. Join us. 

• If you already have our e-courses and still want to support TOC’s future projects, you can always buy us a coffee.

• Do you like our newsletter?! Consider forwarding it to your friend so they can enjoy it too!

• Do you have suggestions for us? We can’t wait to hear from you! Email hello@tailsofconnection.com.

  *[Disclosure: This newsletter may contain affiliate links, meaning TOC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you.]

We Love Y'all,

— TOC

ICYMI, Christie went live last night to talk more about markers and reinforcement systems. We are going to send out a recap of that Live in the coming days for paid subscribers.

If you’ve been loving what we’re building here, consider becoming a paid substack subscriber yourself! It’s just $8/month (less than your fancy coffee order) and helps keep this newsletter running. Plus, yes, we absolutely do a little happy dance every time someone new joins. 💃(Also grateful to have you share this newsletter with folks you think might enjoy it!)

Subscribe now

🧠 Training Tip of the Week: A Party Trick

We feature a lot of practical advice in this newsletter, but this week’s training tip is a little different: having silly fun with your dog matters. For so many dogs, trick training can be a super enriching part of their lives, and as it turns out, it’s often quite enriching for the human-end of that training duo too! Trick training can build confidence, but beyond that, having fun is a good enough reason to do something. So this week, we leave you with Zoya the Husky doing a delightful trick with a spatula. Perhaps one of you will try teaching this too!

Watch here:

📺 TOC’s Take: Viral Video of the Week

You know what sounds good? Cuddling up on the couch with the ones you love to read a book. And it turns out that Ren the dog agrees. In this clip, he brings a kids’ board book over to his human on the couch and sits captivated and cozy while she reads to them. Not all dogs are going to want to be around kids, but it’s nice to see an example of a dog who is comfortable, opts in, and gets to enjoy time together with the family.

🐶 Community Corner: How to Be Successful at a Low-Buy Year

There was a time when we shared new dog products almost every week in this newsletter, but you may have noticed that we spend more time these days sharing things you can DIY. Unsurprisingly, we loved loved this Washington Post–designed post that breaks down the benefits of a low-buy year through beautiful illustrations and thoughtful reporting. News designer Chelsea Conrad writes:

“Last year I implemented a low-buy year. There are a lot of reasons this is a growing trend: paying off debt, saving for a big purchase, preparing for economic downturn, minimizing environmental impact, leaving 9–5 jobs, and prioritizing political activism.”

She spoke with personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary and psychiatrist Gail Saltz to get some tips and shared them in the post. While they may not be using the exact language of behavior science, what I loved about these tips is that they focus on arranging antecedents to make the “low-buying” behavior more likely and the “impulse buying” behavior less likely. We have verbal language that lends itself to rule-goverened behavior that, as far as I know, doesn’t exist with our dogs, but it’s the same basic thing we do when we try to change our dog’s behavior. To change behavior, you change conditions. We can use our behavior so powerfully to make changes in our own life!

Have you ever tried a low-buy year? How did it go? We’d love to hear from you.

See the post:

🎨 DIY This for Your Dog: Try This Puzzle

We are obsessed with this simple DIY dog puzzle made from an old box, kibble, and toilet paper rolls.

One commenter even suggested stuffing the rolls with newspaper to make it extra tricky. We love enrichment ideas that use things already lying around the house—and can’t wait to try this one ourselves.

Try it here:

🌍 One More Thing: Happy Dog Photos

This week, we’re ending with a post that’s living rent-free in our heads.

According to the caption, Grizzler, a rescue dog, was equipped with a camera that automatically takes photos when his heart rate increases. The result is a visual record of moments that – in colloquial terms – excited him—a cat, a trunk full of groceries including toilet paper, and another dog.

While an increased heart rate can happen in moments when a dog is comfortable or uncomfortable, it’s still fascinating (and fun) to scroll through what Grizzler “chooses” to photograph.

Did You Know We Sell Training E-Courses?

They’re actually more about bonding with your dog and finding joy through learning than achieving perfection. Join us. 

• If you already have our e-courses and still want to support TOC’s future projects, you can always buy us a coffee.

• Do you like our newsletter?! Consider forwarding it to your friend so they can enjoy it too!

• Do you have suggestions for us? We can’t wait to hear from you! Email hello@tailsofconnection.com.

  *[Disclosure: This newsletter may contain affiliate links, meaning TOC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you.]

We Love Y'all,

— TOC

Y’all we made it to Friday. We hope that you can take some time to relax with your dog this weekend.

If you’ve been loving what we’re building here, consider becoming a paid substack subscriber yourself! It’s just $8/month (less than your fancy coffee order) and helps keep this newsletter running. Plus, yes, we absolutely do a little happy dance every time someone new joins. 💃(Also grateful to have you share this newsletter with folks you think might enjoy it!)

Subscribe now

🧠 Training Tip of the Week: Finding Balance When Your Dog Has a Medical Condition

This week we came across a post from @mybravemona that we absolutely loved.

Mona was diagnosed with a rare neurological condition called Occult Tethered Cord Syndrome (OTCS), and her human does a beautiful job describing the daily balancing act of protecting Mona’s physical health while still meeting her mental and emotional needs.

In the caption, she writes in part:

“My risk assessment tells me we can’t do too much physical activity… but it also tells me that we can modify exercise… Her mental needs are just as important as her physical ones… By meeting her needs, undesirable behaviors decrease.”

This post is a beautifully written look into some of the complexities of caring about our dogs’ overall welfare – especially when pain is involved. If your dog is navigating an injury, chronic condition, or recovery period, bookmark this post. It’s a compassionate, realistic look at how one person is helping their dog thrive while doing their best to keep them comfortable and safe.

📺 TOC’s Take: Viral Video of the Week

You know how dogs will often come running when they hear a treat bag open? Well, what happens when the sight and sound of you joining a meeting basically does the same thing? In this very adorable video, Nicole shows her dog peeking up at her from under the table with text on screen that says, “Accidentally taught my dog that he gets a treat for being a good boy when I’m on meetings and now this is him every time a get a call.” I am a HUGE fan of feeding dogs. It brings me immense joy. But dogs can also get stressed out and frustrated if an environment signals that food is available, but food is not being delivered. So while training with treats is certainly a lower risk endeavor than using aversive tools, I think understanding a little bit about how behavior works can help us prevent a lot of frustration in dogs. And maybe prevent us from having to give treats every time we get on a call. Unless that is what you want to do. In that case, rock on. Afterall, it is an adorable meeting view.

🐶 Community Corner: Jennifer Lawrence on Rehoming Her Dog

This week we came across an excerpt from a recent interview where the actress Jennifer Lawrence opened up about rehoming her dog to her parents’ home after she had kids.

In the clip she said, “after I had a kid, dogs became so scary … It’s almost like I don’t recognize dogs right now … I just see them as a threat … One of them bit my son and that just made me want to obliterate every dog ever.”

This may sound extreme, but we actually think it’s a really important conversation starter because so many people have these thoughts in their heads and feel so much shame and guilt. It’s actually incredibly common when you bring a baby home to want to rehome your dog. For a lot of people, with the right support, this desire passes. For others, it might legitimately be the right move in order to prioritize everyone’s safety and comfort. And unfortunately, bites with kids happen more often than you might think. Successfully integrating dogs and kids requires a lot of prep and management, and even then, it may still be a challenge (it may also go really well!).

As two moms with kids and dogs, we feel strongly about having conversations out in the open to normalize them and to help people find the resources they need to prep before welcoming a baby into the home, but we do have a little fear that this language from someone with such a huge platform could discourage responsible adoptions and reinforce fear-based thinking. PS I never talk about this but I am a licensed Family Paws Parent Educator in case you ever need any support with kids and dogs!

🎨 DIY This for Your Dog: Try the Cone Game

We love simple enrichment games, and this one is a favorite.

The Cone Game gives your dog a chance to work their nose, problem-solve, and burn mental energy—all with minimal setup.

No cones? Plastic cups work just fine.

Hide treats under some of them and let your dog figure it out.

Tag us if you try it—we love seeing your pups in action. 🐾

🌍 One More Thing: Counting Sheep

We’re leaving you with this oddly soothing video of sheep leaping between giant hay bales. It’s a fun example of an environment providing opportunities to behave in a variety of ways. The sheep could easily walk beside the bails, but they choose to hop up across them. It’s a good reminder that sometimes enrichment might just be giving your dog opportunities to go up and over things!

Did You Know We Sell Training E-Courses?

They’re actually more about bonding with your dog and finding joy through learning than achieving perfection. Join us. 

• If you already have our e-courses and still want to support TOC’s future projects, you can always buy us a coffee.

• Do you like our newsletter?! Consider forwarding it to your friend so they can enjoy it too!

• Do you have suggestions for us? We can’t wait to hear from you! Email hello@tailsofconnection.com.

  *[Disclosure: This newsletter may contain affiliate links, meaning TOC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you.]

We Love Y'all,

— TOC

You’re getting this week’s newsletter a day late. Yesterday we participated in the National Shutdown Campaign to protest continued funding of ICE.

We also delayed posting an article for paid subscribers that breaks down markers in dog training. You will get that shortly too.

If you’ve been loving what we’re building here, consider becoming a paid substack subscriber yourself! It’s just $8/month (less than your fancy coffee order) and helps keep this newsletter running. Plus, yes, we absolutely do a little happy dance every time someone new joins. 💃(Also grateful to have you share this newsletter with folks you think might enjoy it!)

Subscribe now

🧠 Training Tip of the Week: ‘The Biggest Lie You’re Told About Dog Reactivity’

This week, a post from @yourdogbehaviorist caught our eye because of its bold claim about the biggest lie people are told about their dog’s reactivity:

“If you just work hard enough at your dog’s triggers, they’ll eventually go away.”

While I do know there are some dogs who drastically improve around triggers to the point that they even enjoy interacting with them, the idea that a few treats around a trigger is going to produce that type of outcome can be really tough on guardians if/when that doesn’t happen. It’s very reasonable to assume that with good, patient training, you can reduce your dog’s reactivity and stress levels around triggers, but the potential for that reactivity to creep back up if conditions change (age, pain, etc.) is still there. It’s often really hard to control all the conditions we’d need to control to totally eliminate reactive behaviors.

Having realistic expectations can be so helpful – especially when living with a reactive dog. If you have a reactive dog, we’re curious: what were your initial expectations around the progress you would make with training and does that differ from your expectations now?

📺 TOC’s Take: Viral Video of the Week

Snow Bunny Hops, Texas Edition

Much of the U.S. is still iced over, and cabin fever is real. So we’re offering you this gift: Roland the Aussie seeing snow for the first time in Texas.

The hops? Immaculate.
The joy? Unmistakable.

After some light investigative journalism (aka scrolling), we learned Roland doesn’t just hop in snow. He hops often in a variety of environments—sometimes while wearing dragon wings. We are not going to attempt to explain this behavior, but we respect it deeply.

Please enjoy these while temporarily numbing yourself to the state of the world:

🐶 Community Corner: The Quiet Magic of a Tree Swing

We’re big fans of shaping environments to invite connection. This simple video of a tree swing installed across the street from someone’s house is a perfect example of a thoughtful antecedent arrangement.

Neighbors stop.
They rest.
They hug, stretch out, bring their dogs, or just stare at the sky.

A small invitation to slow down created space for connection—with themselves, each other, and the world around them. What a powerful thing a small change to the environment can be.

🎥 Tree swing (must-watch):

🎨 DIY This for Your Dog: Frozen “Barcuterie” Tray

Snow days = inside enrichment season.

We love this DIY frozen barcuterie tray for dogs—simple, engaging, and endlessly customizable. Several folks suggested using dog-safe bone broth instead of water (always check with your vet before introducing something new).

Cold weather boredom, meet your match.

🧊 Original tray idea:

🌍 One More Thing: A Tiny Stairway That Saves Lives

We’re suckers for examples where changing conditions leads to better outcomes.

In Amsterdam, the city is installing tiny wooden staircases along canal walls so cats and other small animals can escape if they fall in. As one official put it, a slick wall can turn a manageable situation into a deadly one—but a small ladder changes everything.

We love seeing governments use thoughtful design to help animals thrive.

Did You Know We Sell Training E-Courses?

They’re actually more about bonding with your dog and finding joy through learning than achieving perfection. Join us. 

• If you already have our e-courses and still want to support TOC’s future projects, you can always buy us a coffee.

• Do you like our newsletter?! Consider forwarding it to your friend so they can enjoy it too!

• Do you have suggestions for us? We can’t wait to hear from you! Email hello@tailsofconnection.com.

  *[Disclosure: This newsletter may contain affiliate links, meaning TOC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you.]

We Love Y'all,

— TOC

This week Christie shared an update on the situation with mold in her home and how it’s impacting her life with her family and her dogs in particular.

If you’ve been loving what we’re building here, consider becoming a paid substack subscriber yourself! It’s just $8/month (less than your fancy coffee order) and helps keep this newsletter running. Plus, yes, we absolutely do a little happy dance every time someone new joins. 💃(Also grateful to have you share this newsletter with folks you think might enjoy it!)

Subscribe now

🧠 Training Tip of the Week: All Dogs Deserve To Be Advocated For, Especially Small Dogs

Our dogs need us to advocate for them – perhaps especially our small dogs – so we really loved this video from our friend Juliana (@jwdogtraining) who shared clips from a recent trip to a pet store with her new chihuahua, Matilda. Juliana explained that they are very mindful of the environments they put Matilda in during this first year with them as those experiences have a huge impact on how she behaves and feels in the world (and they’re being extra mindful until her knee surgery because she’s in pain).

In the video Juliana walks through the pet store with Matilda, who is wearing a yellow nervous dog tag on her leash. In the caption she wrote, “Why did I move her away after she approached the people? She walked near the people when they were ignoring her—something she’s feeling more comfortable with. You see the moment she startles because she realizes they’re looking directly at her. She stares at them, tail tucked, completely still—a freeze fear response (another option from fight or flight). I think part of being a good guide/leader/support/etc to a fearful or reactive dog is helping them get out of sticky situations they aren’t getting out of themselves.”

Just because a dog approaches someone does not mean that they want to interact, and our ability to help our dogs can prevent some scary moments for them. In the video, you can see Juliana prompting and tossing treats for Matilda to help her in addition to verbally telling people that Matilda doesn’t want to be touched – so she’s advocating and supporting her in multiple ways.

I always find examples like this helpful since it can feel socially awkward for so many to advocate for their dogs in public.

📺 TOC’s Take: Viral Video of the Week

Well this video of a golden retriever sprinting out of the water to shake off as close to one specific person as possible gave me a good chuckle. The text on the video explains that the film-er’s dog will only shake off near their brother. In the clip, you can see the golden get out of the water and look directly at the brother, who for a moment, is standing still on the doc. The brother takes off running and playfully hollering as the golden chases him up the steps. As soon as the golden gets close, he shakes all that water right off. In addition to this being delightfully silly, it’s a great example of behavior. The original function of shaking off after getting out of the water is to send water flying off their body. At some point, this golden must have shaken near the brother and realized there were some other reinforcers available when the shaking off was done near him – hollering, chasing, etc. There is also a chance that the golden and brother already had some chase/play history outside of the water context. Either way, I am glad I don’t have a dog in my life who has decided that they will only shake off near me – lol!

🐶 Community Corner: Surviving 2026 With Critical Ignoring

Sometimes new behaviors become more important as environments change. Social media today is compared to a dangerously polluted ecosystem—“about as healthy as Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River in the 1960s,” when the water was so toxic it literally caught fire. While those disasters led to environmental protections like the EPA and the Clean Water Act, no such safeguards exist for our modern media landscape.

Instead, we’re left to protect ourselves from what this piece from the WSJ calls “the pink slime of AI slop,” the “forever chemicals of outrage bait,” and the “microplastics of misinformation-for-profit.” With information now abundant but often low quality, the challenge isn’t access—it’s discernment.

That’s where critical ignoring comes in. Coined by Stanford education professor Sam Wineburg, the concept isn’t about tuning everything out. “It’s not total ignoring,” Wineburg explains. “It’s ignoring after you’ve checked out some initial signals… constant vigilance over our own vulnerability.”

Developed from research on how professional fact-checkers evaluate information, critical ignoring emphasizes quickly assessing credibility, filtering unreliable sources, and resisting the urge to consume everything we see. In an online world full of noise, learning what not to engage with may be one of the most essential skills we have.

🎨 DIY This for Your Dog: A Snuffle Box

We love a good variation on a classic and this week’s diy enrichment project combines the snuffle mat and the box game. We can’t wait to try this one at home, especially since it sounds like many of us may be snowed in for days. If yall try it, please tag us.

🌍 One More Thing: Scratch the Itch

I’ve been seeing a clip everywhere of Veronica the cow scratching her body with a long brush that she holds in her mouth. It’s often followed by commentary like “challenging the assumption that cows are dumb.” But do we need to rely on ideas like insight or intelligence to explain what’s happening? That really depends on the lens we choose.

Through a behavioral lens, we can fully appreciate this behavior—and the animal’s cognition—while still looking to learning history and current conditions to explain what we observe. The “tool” here is simply an object that alters the environment in a way that produces feedback. We’ve all seen cows use fixed objects, like brushes or posts attached to barns, to scratch themselves. If a cow already has a learning history of holding objects in her mouth, it’s not much of a leap to see how that behavior could expand into using an object to create the same kind of tactile relief on her body.

I still think it’s a really cool behavior. And notably, scientists have identified this as the first experimentally verified instance of tool use in cattle.

Did You Know We Sell Training E-Courses?

They’re actually more about bonding with your dog and finding joy through learning than achieving perfection. Join us. 

• If you already have our e-courses and still want to support TOC’s future projects, you can always buy us a coffee.

• Do you like our newsletter?! Consider forwarding it to your friend so they can enjoy it too!

• Do you have suggestions for us? We can’t wait to hear from you! Email hello@tailsofconnection.com.

  *[Disclosure: This newsletter may contain affiliate links, meaning TOC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you.]

We Love Y'all,

— TOC

This week, Christie shared more about the urgent situation with black mold in her home and how it’s impacting her family and her health. Our friends Kiki Yablon and Juliana DeWillems set up a GoFundMe in case you want to/are able to support her family as they navigate the long journey ahead.

If you’ve been loving what we’re building here, consider becoming a paid substack subscriber yourself! It’s just $8/month (less than your fancy coffee order) and helps keep this newsletter running. Plus, yes, we absolutely do a little happy dance every time someone new joins. 💃(Also grateful to have you share this newsletter with folks you think might enjoy it!)

Subscribe now

🧠 Training Tip of the Week: The Myth of the Well-Trained Dog

Many people first find TOC for dog training, but obedience has never been our goal. For us, training has always been about connection. That’s why we loved the sentiment of this post from @yourdogbehaviorist about her journey with her dog Nero. She writes:

“If we’re only focused on changing the behavior—making the dog compliant, quiet, easy—we miss the actual relationship entirely. Everything I know about behavior, I filtered through what Nero taught me about actually seeing a dog as they are, not as I need them to be.”

Training can be an important part of our animal’s welfare. Afterall, as Dr. Susan Friedman famously says, freedom comes from big skill repertoires. It can also be a fun way to interact and add enrichment to their lives (I can’t tell you the number of tricks I’ve taught for the fun of it without putting them on a verbal cue). But training is still so often caught up in a world that places a priority on compliance, so we appreciate conversations that separate the two.

📺 TOC’s Take: Viral Video of the Week

Would your tiny dog take on a 1.7-ton rhino? This Chinese muntjac apparently did. 😂 According to a caption from a Polish zoo:

“Someone here must have forgotten to look in the mirror this morning. Respect to Maruśka for her angelic patience! 🦏❤️🦌 Where does this boldness come from in a Chinese muntjac male? It’s the call of nature! His partner is in heat, and the bachelor’s testosterone is surging. He has to release energy and show who’s boss—even if his sparring partner weighs 1.7 tons.”

While hormones are certainly a part of the conditions for behavior (afterall, it is a body doing the behaving), I’d argue there was still some observable event in the environment that evoked the muntjac’s behavior – even if we don’t know what it was from this post.

Check it out here: Rhino vs. Muntjac and zoo post with more info.

🐶 Community Corner: This Year, Try a New Hobby

We loved this reminder from the Washington Post: hobbies aren’t just fun—they’re good for your brain, your stress levels, and your time offline.

Author Kerr Jolie even points out a TikTok corner called CrowTok, where people share tips for befriending crows. Why not become a Friend of the Crows in 2026? The gist: leave them food, watch their antics, and enjoy the company of some seriously smart feathered friends. 🐦

Whether it’s our dogs or ourselves, finding ways to engage in activities we enjoy matters.

Check it out here

🎨 DIY This for Your Dog: Muffin Tin/Tennis Ball Game

Enrichment doesn’t have to be complicated or super challenging for your dog. All you need is a muffin tin, tennis balls, and some treats. Hide the treats under the balls and let your dog sniff, paw, and problem-solve their way to victory. Simple, fun, and mentally stimulating!

Try it here

🌍 One More Thing: Is Your Dog Eavesdropping on You?

Ever feel like your dog is listening to your human conversations? Turns out, some “genius dogs” really are. Scientists in Vienna and Budapest discovered that these dogs can pick up the names of new toys just by listening to their owners talk about them.

“So, they can kind of eavesdrop on their owners’ conversation and pick up new words, new object labels from this,” says Shany Dror, postdoctoral researcher.

Learn more here.

If you want more, here is a NYT article on the topic, and here is the actual study.

Did You Know We Sell Training E-Courses?

They’re actually more about bonding with your dog and finding joy through learning than achieving perfection. Join us. 

• If you already have our e-courses and still want to support TOC’s future projects, you can always buy us a coffee.

• Do you like our newsletter?! Consider forwarding it to your friend so they can enjoy it too!

• Do you have suggestions for us? We can’t wait to hear from you! Email hello@tailsofconnection.com.

  *[Disclosure: This newsletter may contain affiliate links, meaning TOC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you.]

We Love Y'all,

— TOC

Happy New Year! We took a short break over the holidays to spend time with family, and we hope you were able to do the same. So far, 2026 has come in hot—with a mix of grown-up illnesses and kid germs—and we really appreciate your patience as we get back into the swing of things this week.

If you’ve been loving what we’re building here, consider becoming a paid substack subscriber yourself! It’s just $8/month (less than your fancy coffee order) and helps keep this newsletter running. Plus, yes, we absolutely do a little happy dance every time someone new joins. 💃(Also grateful to have you share this newsletter with folks you think might enjoy it!)

Subscribe now

🧠 Training Tip of the Week: Your Dog Needs More Rugs

We loved this post from @littleweirdosdogtraining on why rugs and mats are so important for dogs’ physical and emotional wellbeing.

As they explain in the caption:

“Providing non-slip flooring is SO important if you have a dog in the home—no matter how old they are, no matter how much they slip (or don’t appear to), or no matter their behaviours. But it becomes ESPECIALLY important for dogs who have known or suspected pain concerns, and for dogs with behavioural challenges (and often these categories overlap).”

The post does a great job breaking down where rugs are most helpful, why traction matters more than many people realize, and even includes recommendations for affordable places to buy them.

As a side note, a few years back I went on a snowy hike not realizing the hazards of slush (I grew up in the south). After 2 hours of walking where my feet never felt stable, I had tension everywhere and perhaps even more notably, my nervous system was completely shot. I can only imagine what it does to our dogs to be slipping regularly everyday.

📺 TOC’s Take: Viral Video of the Week

For some reason, I’ve always been delighted by people doing seemingly over the top things for their dogs. Life is short – go ahead and froth their water. In this week’s viral video, Spencer, the dachshund, patiently waits for his frothed water like the tiny king he is. Truly—show us something more absurdly adorable.

This also happens to be a fun behavior example! In this case, the frother has become a part of the antecedent picture that evokes Spencer’s drinking behavior. These were certainly not the original drinking conditions for Spencer, but you can see how easily behavior moves.

We did get a kick out of Spencer’s human explaining how this behavior evolved in the comments:

“He watches me make frothy coffees and thought … I want some of that.”

Same, Spencer. Same.

🐶 Community Corner: Falling Birthrates? Don’t Blame the Dogs

Over the holidays, we came across a curious New York Times article by Amanda Taub titled “Birthrates Are Falling, but Don’t Blame Dogs in Strollers.”

The piece explores declining birthrates worldwide and the growing tendency of critics—from policymakers to religious leaders—to blame pet ownership for people choosing not to have children. But a new working paper suggests that conventional wisdom may be wrong.

Looking at government data in Taiwan (where birthrates are among the lowest globally), researchers found that pets—especially dogs—aren’t replacing children. They’re often preceding them.

In fact, people with pets were more likely than non-pet owners to go on to have children.

So rather than puppies replacing babies, pets may actually be a steppingstone to parenthood.

I always get a little squirmish when anything epitomizes parenthood as THE thing everyone should be doing (yes, I am a parent), so I had some discomfort reading this article (even though I don’t think it was the author’s point).

We’re curious—where does this land for you?

🎨 DIY This for Your Dog: The Pringles Can Game

We love a good DIY enrichment activity—especially one that repurposes things you already have at home. This one is pretty genius.

If you’ve got an empty Pringles can (or something similar), you’ve got a quick boredom-buster for your dog. As always, use common sense—and you may want to check with your vet if you’re introducing new materials or treats.

🔗 Try it here:

🌍 One More Thing: A Woman’s Life Among the Bears

Our friend and reader David Litt shared a Washington Post review of Canadian environmental journalist Trina Moyles’s new memoir, Black Bear: A Story of Siblinghood and Survival—and we’re immediately adding it to our 2026 reading list.

The review describes the book as:

“A full-throated memoir that asks how our species can live alongside wildlife—like the black bear—without exerting dominance or usurping their habitats… entwined with a deeply personal story of siblinghood, loss, and love.”

It’s part nature writing, part family memoir, and part meditation on how we live with both animals and each other.

🔗 Learn more:

Did You Know We Sell Training E-Courses?

They’re actually more about bonding with your dog and finding joy through learning than achieving perfection. Join us. 

• If you already have our e-courses and still want to support TOC’s future projects, you can always buy us a coffee.

• Do you like our newsletter?! Consider forwarding it to your friend so they can enjoy it too!

• Do you have suggestions for us? We can’t wait to hear from you! Email hello@tailsofconnection.com.

  *[Disclosure: This newsletter may contain affiliate links, meaning TOC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you.]

We Love Y'all,

— TOC

ICYMI: Christie shared the first installment in our moving series “Before Your Move: Our Guide To Plan and Prep For a Move With Your Dog.” The article is something one of our paid subs requested in our subscriber only chat (ask and you shall receive!).

And If you’ve been loving what we’re building here, consider becoming a paid substack subscriber yourself! It’s just $8/month (less than your fancy coffee order) and helps keep this newsletter running. Plus, yes, we absolutely do a little happy dance every time someone new joins. 💃(Also grateful to have you share this newsletter with folks you think might enjoy it!)

Subscribe now

🐾 Training Tip of the Week: Thinking Critically About Dog Training Resources

Once upon a time, we were both dog parents who knew very little about training and were overwhelmed trying to figure out which training resources were the right ones to lean on.

That’s why this week we loved @dog_atheart’s post, “Thinking Critically About Dog Training Resources.” It empowers you, the learner, to make informed decisions for your dog by encouraging things like:

• Letting compassion and ethics guide your choices

• Examining language like “command,” “obey,” or “stubborn”

• Considering how much agency your dog is given

This list sits so well with me, and I wish I’d had it as a guide 10 years ago. But alas, we all get a chance to learn and do better (phewf!).

📺 TOC’s Take: Viral Video of the Week

This week, we came across a video of a really adorable english cocker spaniel puppy having her ears brushed. What struck me about this was the incredibly natural way that the dog and the person are engaged in a conversation about the brushing. So often when we talk about cooperative care, it looks pretty formal and structured. I enjoyed this video as a reminder that the dialogue we have with our dogs can absolutely look natural and less like a trainer planned the whole thing out. Or sometimes, we may start with a more pre-planned dialogue with our dog and move to something like this. Either way, very cute to see the puppy’s little opt in behavior!

💬 Community Corner: ‘If It’s Too Cold For You, It’s Probably Too Cold For Your Pet’

This week we came across a Washington Post article making the rounds about dogs wearing jackets—and it gave us pause.

It’s been unusually cold in the DC area this December, and while we’ve never been huge fans of dogs wearing clothes for the sake of fashion, the article thoughtfully pulls in reputable sources (including veterinarians) who outline warning signs for hypothermia—especially for dogs spending extended time outdoors.

Many pet dogs spend most of their lives indoors and simply aren’t acclimated to extreme cold. If you’re considering a coat for your dog and haven’t yet worked on cooperative care to help them opt in to wearing it, we suggest checking out our on-demand e-course, Challenge 2.0.

🎁 DIY This for Your Dog: Wrap Your Dog’s Toys

Looking for an easy enrichment idea? Try wrapping up your dog’s toys.

If you have extra wrapping paper scraps lying around while prepping holiday gifts, this can be a fun way to add novelty and mental stimulation to playtime. Just be sure to supervise closely and make sure your dog doesn’t ingest the paper.

Simple, festive, and surprisingly engaging.

One other idea is to re-purpose any wrapping paper you get as a part of gifts from others for some post-holiday enrichment!

🌍 One More Thing: Kiki the Sheep

We’ll leave you with the incredible story of Kiki the sheep, who was born without the use of her legs.

She lives at an animal sanctuary that designed a custom motorized wheelchair just for her—and she quickly learned how to operate it using her head. Watching her move independently is a powerful reminder of how adaptable and resilient animals can be.

Animals are truly extraordinary.

Did You Know We Sell Training E-Courses?

They’re actually more about bonding with your dog and finding joy through learning than achieving perfection. Join us. 

• If you already have our e-courses and still want to support TOC’s future projects, you can always buy us a coffee.

• Do you like our newsletter?! Consider forwarding it to your friend so they can enjoy it too!

• Do you have suggestions for us? We can’t wait to hear from you! Email hello@tailsofconnection.com.

  *[Disclosure: This newsletter may contain affiliate links, meaning TOC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you.]

We Love Y'all,

— TOC

ICYMI: This week, Christie published a gorgeous, thoughtful piece about the one thing she deeply regrets doing as a pet parent.

If you’ve been loving what we’re building here, consider becoming a paid substack subscriber yourself! It’s just $8/month (less than your fancy coffee order) and helps keep this newsletter running. Plus, yes, we absolutely do a little happy dance every time someone new joins. 💃(Also grateful to have you share this newsletter with folks you think might enjoy it!)

Subscribe now

🐕 Training Tip of the Week: Steal These Mantras When Your Dog Is Stressing You Out

This week we loved a post from @blueberrylemondrop about the mantras she repeats to herself when she’s in a stressful situation with her dog. I’ve learned over time that how I feel about my dog’s behavior says FAR more about my conditions than about my dog’s actual behavior. These mantras and descriptions have so much heart and are a simple way for us humans to shift the contingencies in play when our dogs are struggling. Sometimes we can’t change the world for our dogs in the way we wish we could, but we can find ways to navigate tough situations as best we can with our dogs. So this week’s training tip may not be about “training your dog,” but it can still have a big impact on how you live together.

📺 TOC’s Take: Viral Video of the Week

We are absolute suckers for a great head tilt—and this video of two German shepherds tilting their heads in near-perfect synchrony did not disappoint.

The caption explains it beautifully: dogs tilt their heads to better locate and interpret sounds, especially familiar words or tones from their humans. It helps them adjust their outer ears for directional hearing. Some studies even suggest it may be linked to memory and attention. I’d also wager that it gets some reinforcement from the responses of the people who are talking to the adorable head-tilting dog.

Have you seen your dog tilt their head? Are there specific words and phrases that evoke the tilting? Is it only when you sit down and talk directly to them?

💬 Community Corner: David Sedaris’ Dog Bite

This week, The New Yorker published an op-ed from David Sedaris about being bitten by a dog while walking near his hotel in Portland. He encountered four people leaning over what looked like a baby carriage (it turned out to be empty—they were doing fentanyl), and their two unleashed dogs ran at him. One bit him on the leg.

When Sedaris confronted them, the group shrugged it off. Later at his book signing, a fan responded with unexpected sympathy—for the dog.

From the piece:

“‘I was bitten by a dog today,’ I said…
‘What kind of dog was it?’ she asked.
‘Whatever Toto was in The Wizard of Oz.’
‘A cairn terrier. That poor thing.’
‘Did I leave out the part where it bit me?’”

It’s a nuanced conversation about addiction, responsibility, and what it means to have the privilege of caring for an animal. This country’s resource inequity and longstanding systemic barriers make living with pets significantly harder to some people. So where does that leave us in situations like this? Are the people on fentanyl not at fault for the bite? While we don’t think strangers should be bitten by dogs as they pass, what does it look like to provide support for people and their dogs?

🎣 DIY This for Your Dog: Go Fish!

We don’t often see a DIY dog enrichment project that involves pink and purple flip cups, a fishing line, and the caption “I need her to chill so I can get sh*t done”—but here we are.

First, we wanted to validate this sentiment. Sometimes life gets hard and you just need a minute. Ultimately, I think when we center our dog’s experience in their enrichment and measure the success of our enrichment attempts by the way their behavior shifts (rather than thinking about how to just kill some time), we tend to get dogs that are able to settle better anyway.

By the way, the comment section is the real masterpiece. 😂

Watch it here (and seriously, read the comments):

🌍 One More Thing: Sharing Our Planet

We loved this gorgeous reminder from the National Trust (UK) about how lucky we are to share the planet with creatures big and small. It’s a calming, beautiful closing note to the week.

Did You Know We Sell Training E-Courses?

They’re actually more about bonding with your dog and finding joy through learning than achieving perfection. Join us. 

• If you already have our e-courses and still want to support TOC’s future projects, you can always buy us a coffee.

• Do you like our newsletter?! Consider forwarding it to your friend so they can enjoy it too!

• Do you have suggestions for us? We can’t wait to hear from you! Email hello@tailsofconnection.com.

  *[Disclosure: This newsletter may contain affiliate links, meaning TOC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you.]

We Love Y'all,

— TOC

Hi friends,

We’re back from holiday break and hope you had a chance to read Christie’s beautiful essay about how her dogs are helping her navigate a deeply challenging family moment.

If you’ve been loving what we’re building here, consider becoming a paid substack subscriber yourself! It’s just $8/month (less than your fancy coffee order) and helps keep this newsletter running. Plus, yes, we absolutely do a little happy dance every time someone new joins. 💃(Also grateful to have you share this newsletter with folks you think might enjoy it!)

Subscribe now

🐕 Training Tip of the Week: Train Your Dog’s Nervous System, Too

This week we came across a fascinating post from @waldrupsomaticmethod about the idea of “training your dog’s nervous system” as a foundation for behavior work. The video demonstrates different massage-based techniques — once you have your dog’s consent — that aim to calm the nervous system.

I’ve actually done a lot of somatic work myself and generally find that movement and touch support my physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. I also understand that the nervous system is involved in literally everything we do. However, I don’t know enough about nervous systems to talk specifically about them. I do know that touching a dog changes conditions, and the body behaves and feels things based on those changes.

I always (ALWAYS) care about how a dog feels. I also don’t know how to make a judgment call on how they feel without observing their behavior. So while I think supporting nervous systems is important (truly), I don’t want to leave out observable behavior and conditions from these conversations.

🎹 TOC’s Take: Viral Video of the Week

This week we were captivated by Swedish YouTuber and musician Mattias Krantz, who attempted to teach an octopus — Takoyaki — to “play the piano.” Yes, really.

His incredibly detailed video shows how he repeatedly adapts the piano setup inside Tako’s fish tank, studying the octopus’s behavior and redesigning the keys to match how an octopus actually moves. What makes the video so delightful is his commitment to meeting Tako as a learner — reframing the entire teaching process around the animal’s natural abilities. While he talks about some stalls in learning, you can see how quickly learning happens when the antecedent arrangement is honed in, the right reinforcers are used, and the criteria for reinforcement works well with the learner’s skills.

💬 Community Corner: Would You Clone Your Dog?

TODAY recently profiled Arthur Murray, a vineyard owner in Healdsburg, CA, who cloned his Maremma Sheepdog, Stella — the dog responsible for protecting his vineyard from birds and wild turkeys. When Stella turned ten, Murray started researching cloning and eventually worked with ViaGen Pets & Equine, the same company behind the cloning technology used for Dolly the sheep.

The process costs around $50,000 and takes a year. Stella’s clone, Mella (short for gemella, Italian for “twin”), was born earlier this year. Now the two dogs “run” the vineyard together.

We’re curious:
If money was no object, would you clone your dog? Or does the idea feel… complicated?
Tell us in the comments — we genuinely want to know.

🎁 DIY This for Your Dog: Paw Print Ornament

There’s still time to DIY a holiday keepsake, and we melted over this sweet idea from @jadethesablegsd: a homemade paw-print ornament. Sometimes I like to imagine myself as a crafty holiday elf, and this is exactly the kind of shit I would be doing. As it turns out, I am not a crafty holiday elf, but maybe you are! If you make one, please tag us — as people who tend to pre-grieve our dogs, this one hit us right in the heart.

Watch here:

🦈 One More Thing: Can Sharks Play?

Sharks playing with toys? An article on Science.org covers a new study from Southern California that suggests exactly that. Researchers watched leopard sharks, skates, and horn sharks interact eagerly with plastic hoops, rings, and even goofy squid toys—sometimes ramming them head-on, other times rolling them around like oversized toddlers.

The behavior, documented in Applied Animal Behaviour Science, offers some compelling research on how sharks in captivity use enrichment objects. Lead biologist Autumn Smith launched the experiment after noticing how bored captive sharks often seem, and the animals’ growing enthusiasm surprised even her.

Some sharks developed clear preferences, especially for bright colors, and one little horn shark named Bud reportedly “fell in love” with an orange hoop. The findings could reshape how many people think about shark intelligence—and how aquariums care for these often-misunderstood creatures. Now, aquarium teams and engineers are designing new enrichment toys to keep these underwater “players” happily engaged

Did You Know We Sell Training E-Courses?

They’re actually more about bonding with your dog and finding joy through learning than achieving perfection. Join us. 

• If you already have our e-courses and still want to support TOC’s future projects, you can always buy us a coffee.

• Do you like our newsletter?! Consider forwarding it to your friend so they can enjoy it too!

• Do you have suggestions for us? We can’t wait to hear from you! Email hello@tailsofconnection.com.

  *[Disclosure: This newsletter may contain affiliate links, meaning TOC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you.]

We Love Y'all,

— TOC

Hi friends,

A quick programming note: we’ll be taking next week off for Thanksgiving and will be back in your inbox the following week. We hope you have a nice holiday if you’re celebrating.

And if you’ve been loving what we’re building here, consider becoming a paid substack subscriber yourself! It’s just $8/month (less than your fancy coffee order) and helps keep this newsletter running. Plus, yes, we absolutely do a little happy dance every time someone new joins. 💃(Also grateful to have you share this newsletter with folks you think might enjoy it!)

Subscribe now

💡 Training Tip of the Week: The Importance of Claw Care

This week we really appreciated this post from @sitstaysquat about claw care and why maintaining healthy claws is so important. In the caption they write, “Each claw is a living, functional structure connected to bone, tendons, nerves, and blood vessels… and it plays a major role in how your dog moves. Here’s why claw care is whole-body wellness, not just grooming: Claws = stability + traction + safer movement. Every weight-bearing digit ends in a keratinized claw attached directly to the distal phalanx (P3). This connection helps dogs brake, turn, grip, climb, and navigate uneven or soft terrain.” We know nail care can be really challenging, so if you are new to thinking about cooperative care, our e-course, Challenge 2.0 has a bunch of low pressure cooperative care activities to help you get started!

📹 TOC’s Take: Viral Video of the Week

In a world that idolizes productivity, there is a part of me that simply delights in the fact that somebody used their precious time to hole punch lettuce to look like tiny leaves for their turtle to eat. My take away from this is that doing things that you enjoy with the animals in your life for the delight of it is a good enough reason to do them.

💬 Community Corner: The ‘Viral Bird Test’

Jess has a habit of sending bird content to Christie (our resident birder), and this week’s Washington Post story about the “viral bird test” on TikTok absolutely delivered.

The idea:
You mention a small, seemingly insignificant observation—like “I saw a bird”—to your partner. Their reaction supposedly reveals a lot about the health of your relationship.

The article explains that this is really a “bid for connection,” a concept from Gottman’s research. In one study of 130 newlywed couples followed for six years, the couples who stayed together turned toward each other’s small bids 86% of the time. Couples who later divorced did so only 33% of the time.

Our dogs offer us bids for connection all the time. What a gift it is to turn into them as often as we can.

🎁 DIY This for Your Dog: Wrapping Paper Photoshoot

It’s holiday card season, and we came across this DIY wrapping-paper photoshoot that had some adorable results. However, I am highly skeptical about how many dogs would be comfortable in this context. I suppose you could be a total training nerd and use it as a joint training and photo op? If your dog is like most dogs, please know that there are many other ways to get adorable holiday photos without stressing your dog out. If your dog is comfortable with this, then I guess you get a cute (kind of hilarious) photo out of it?!

🐦‍⬛ One More Thing: Crow Vending Machine

We want to leave you with a vending machine for crows that dispenses peanuts in exchange for the crows depositing cigarette butts with the goal of cleaning up the streets at a lower cost. On the one hand, I love seeing behavior in action. I am not at all surprised that people taught crows to do this. On the other hand, I felt a little weird about crows having cigarettes in their mouths and wondered how the company would manage these vending machines to make sure they stayed clean and healthy for the birds. I found an article on Corvid Research’s website that articulated my skepticism better than I could: “Rather than exploiting wildlife, why not use the money and creativity being invested here to better train people? After all, humans like a good reward-based dopamine hit as much as the next animal. What’s the smallest amount of money that would encourage someone to dispose of their cigarette waste? That’s the start-up I’d rather see. Or better yet, pay people living wages to act as care takers for our communal spaces. Some problems don’t need a grand solution, they simply need our humanity.” Food for thought!

Did You Know We Sell Training E-Courses?

They’re actually more about bonding with your dog and finding joy through learning than achieving perfection. Join us. 

• If you already have our e-courses and still want to support TOC’s future projects, you can always buy us a coffee.

• Do you like our newsletter?! Consider forwarding it to your friend so they can enjoy it too!

• Do you have suggestions for us? We can’t wait to hear from you! Email hello@tailsofconnection.com.

  *[Disclosure: This newsletter may contain affiliate links, meaning TOC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you.]

We Love Y'all,

— TOC