The Canine Paradigm

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1. Episode 378: Have You Forgotten to Enjoy Your Dog?

   1 november 2026 · 1 uur 27 min

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   Birdy O’Sheedy returns to join Glenn Cooke and Pat Stuart for Episode 378 of The Canine Paradigm, Have You Forgotten to Enjoy Your Dog? Birdy was our very first guest back in episode three, so as we revisit the beginnings of the podcast, it’s a good time to catch up on where life has taken her. Lees meer

   Her focus now is The Magic in Dogs, a community built around appreciating the everyday moments we share with our dogs. That leads us into a conversation about something that can quietly disappear when we become absorbed in training, competing or working through difficult behaviour: enjoying the dog we already have.

   Contains strong language. Please do not take part in the guided meditation while driving.

   When enjoying your dog becomes another job

   One of Birdy’s observations will sound familiar to plenty of dog people. We mention something our dog did well, then immediately follow it with everything that still needs work.

   Progress gets measured against the next goal. Before long, the dog can start to feel like another item on an already crowded to-do list.

   We talk about making room to appreciate what went well. Training goals matter, and we can keep working towards them while enjoying the experience along the way. Sometimes that means letting a good moment have a little time of its own before planning the next session.

   Appreciation when things are difficult

   That can be harder when your relationship with your dog is under pressure. If you’re dealing with challenging behaviour, simply being told to feel grateful may not reflect what your day has actually been like.

   Birdy talks about starting with appreciation. There might be something you can value today, even if the bigger picture still feels difficult. A moment of connection, something you’ve learnt or a part of the day you both enjoyed can be a starting point.

   We also discuss the common ground between sport handlers pursuing a goal and owners working through behaviour problems. Both can become caught up in progress,…

2. Episode 377: Trial by Clip with Haz Othman

   23 oktober 2026 · 1 uur 29 min

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   Haz Othman had already travelled to Europe for the WUSV World Championship when, he says, he learnt that a clip from his training footage had cost him his place in the event. Lees meer

   In Episode 377 of The Canine Paradigm, Haz joins Glenn Cooke and Pat Stuart to talk through what happened, the dog behind the footage and the wider questions it raises for dog training.

   Contains strong language and discussion of serious dog bites.

   Haz Othman and the WUSV controversy

   Haz explains how he qualified for the Canadian team and what happened after footage from a longer Patreon training video was shared with officials. He describes receiving the news that he would not be competing, his attempts to get an explanation and the conversation that eventually followed.

   His concern was that the excerpt showed pressure being applied without the surrounding training or the dog’s response when that pressure stopped. He explains why he felt the full case had not been considered.

   We discuss what an organisation should establish when a welfare concern is raised, how trainers should be given the opportunity to respond and what a fair assessment of the footage would involve.

   The dog behind the footage

   The dog involved belonged to a client and had a history of serious aggression towards its handler. Haz talks through the circumstances of an attack, the owner’s decision to continue working with the dog and the training that followed.

   He makes clear that the filmed session was one part of that work. There were other training and handling protocols, and the dog still presented risks that needed to be managed.

   We ask how the dog is doing now and how the owner is getting on. Those questions lead into a discussion about the responsibilities involved in handling dangerous dogs, explaining difficult training decisions and looking at what happens beyond a single recorded session.

   Showing the work and protecting the sport

   The conversation also turns to the pressures facing dog sport and what happens…

3. Episode 376: Pat Stuart, From Special Forces to Dog Training

   2 oktober 2026 · 1 uur 27 min

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   Pat Stuart had planned to spend his life in the Army. Becoming a professional dog trainer was never the plan. Lees meer

   In Episode 376 of The Canine Paradigm, Glenn Cooke puts Pat back in the interview chair as we revisit our original episode two. Following our conversation about Glenn and Harley, it is Pat’s turn to explain how he got here. This is a new conversation, not a replay, about the experiences, mentors and unexpected turns behind the voice listeners know. episode 376 episode 376

   Content note: Contains strong language and detailed descriptions of military combat, deaths and serious injury, including injury to a child. Discussion of coping and memories reflects personal experience, not mental health advice. episode 376 episode 376

   Pat Stuart before dog training

   Pat’s story starts with an apprenticeship in stonemasonry and a lift to an Army recruiting centre that took his life in an unexpected direction. He looks back on joining Special Forces, committing himself to a military career and the experiences that made that role such a significant part of his identity. episode 376 episode 376 episode 376

   He also recalls the military working dog that first captured his interest, the back injury that changed his options and the difficult decision to leave the Army. The challenge was not simply finding another job. It was working out what life could look like beyond the future he had imagined. episode 376 episode 376

   The mentors who taught him to teach

   Some of Pat’s most lasting lessons came from people who expected more of him than he initially expected of himself. We revisit the clerk’s course he did not want to take, the mentor who made him understand the work of the people around him, and a carefully prepared PowerPoint presentation that fell apart when the power disappeared. episode 376 episode 376

   Those stories lead into a discussion about preparation, responsibility and knowing your subject well enough to teach when the equipment is no longer doing the work. Gl…

4. Episode 375: Glenn Cooke and the Dog That Started It All

   22 september 2026 · 1 uur 7 min

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   Glenn Cooke and his mate Mark wanted a dog for their share house. They each put in $100 and bought a puppy through the Trading Post. They called him Harley. What began as a decision to get a dog became the starting point for a very different life. Lees meer

   In episode 375 of The Canine Paradigm, Pat Stuart puts Glenn back in the interview chair as we revisit our original episode one. This is a new conversation, not a replay. For listeners who have joined us along the way, it is a chance to discover how Glenn got started. For those who have been here from the beginning, it is a return to the dogs, people and experiences behind the familiar voice.

   From an electrician with a puppy to a life in dog training

   Before the training career, Glenn was an electrician learning to live with a puppy who brought sleepless nights, bathroom repairs and a growing sense of responsibility. Harley opened up a world that went well beyond teaching a dog to sit. As their relationship developed, so did Glenn’s interest in what dogs could learn and what it meant to work alongside them.

   That interest connected with another important relationship. Glenn knew Boyd Hooper through kickboxing, but a conversation about Harley led to an invitation to Australian Dog Training. We revisit that first training night, the early NDTF years and the opportunity that eventually turned Glenn from a client into an employee.

   Boyd’s influence was not limited to working dogs. Glenn reflects on being expected to mature, take responsibility and lead by example. The lessons were about handling people as well as dogs, and understanding what others should be able to expect from someone in a position of leadership.

   From there, the conversation follows Glenn through decoy work, behaviour rehabilitation, private lessons, board and train, and the responsibilities of caring for dogs in boarding facilities. He looks back on the mentors and friendships that broadened his experience, the move into managing businesses and teams, an…

5. Episode 374: AI Slop and the Dog Training Echo Chamber

   10 september 2026 · 56 min

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   When polished content replaces practical experience. Lees meer

   In Episode 374 of The Canine Paradigm, Glenn Cooke and Pat Stuart examine AI slop in dog training and the growing distance between content that looks authoritative and work that survives contact with a real dog.

   The conversation begins with an attempt to modernise the podcast’s episode artwork using artificial intelligence. At first glance, the result looked convincing. Look more closely and Pat and Glenn’s faces had changed, the dogs had been subtly altered and the words on Pat’s T-shirt had become complete nonsense.

   It was polished, visually appealing and almost right.

   That failure became the starting point for a much larger discussion: what happens when “almost right” information is presented with enough confidence and professional design that people stop examining it properly?

   From there, Glenn and Pat explore artificial intelligence, online echo chambers, practical dog-training skill, professional accountability, legislative pressure and the increasingly hostile divide between sections of the dog-training industry.

   Episode note: This is a candid and sometimes blunt discussion. Criticism within the episode is directed at particular forms of online conduct, ideological campaigning and claims made without equivalent practical scrutiny. It is not a blanket criticism of force-free trainers. Glenn and Pat explicitly acknowledge capable trainers across different methodologies and discuss professional referrals in both directions.

   In This Episode

   Glenn and Pat discuss:

   The AI-generated image that changed their faces and produced nonsense text

   Why AI promotional material is beginning to look increasingly repetitive

   How artificial intelligence can reinforce a user’s existing beliefs

   The difference between information about dog training and the physical skill of training a dog

   The difficult space between reinforcement and the next shaping repetition

   Timing, restraint, release, pressure and frustration dur…

6. Episode 373: From Elephants to Dogs with David McKelson

   29 augustus 2026 · 1 uur 18 min

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   In Episode 373 of The Canine Paradigm, Glenn Cooke and Pat Stuart sit down with David McKelson, founder of Pro Dog Training. Lees meer

   David has one of the more unusual backgrounds in Australian dog training. Before moving into dogs, he spent 17 years working in zoos. Much of that time was centred around elephant handling and training.

   He also worked with marine mammals and assisted with the training of many other species. Those included gorillas, giraffes and maned wolves.

   That experience gave David a very different perspective on training, animal welfare, staff development and risk management.

   From Elephants to Dog Training

   David’s career with animals began in a small wildlife park before he eventually secured a position at a major zoo.

   Early in his career, he worked across several departments. He eventually moved into elephant handling, where he remained for many years.

   Working with elephants carried serious consequences. David explains that when things go wrong with an elephant, the result may not simply be an injury.

   That reality shaped the way his team approached training.

   Clear systems mattered. Preparation mattered. Staff development mattered. David also became increasingly focused on creating training processes that reduced unnecessary errors.

   Over time, he travelled internationally and worked alongside experienced elephant trainers in Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States and Asia.

   Animal Welfare, Suppression and Enrichment

   One of the strongest parts of the episode explores the relationship between training and animal welfare.

   David discusses elephants that had experienced heavily suppressive handling earlier in life. Some became extremely difficult and potentially dangerous.

   One female elephant provides a particularly striking example.

   She rarely vocalised and displayed repetitive behaviour. She also struggled to settle and sleep normally.

   After she was introduced to another female elephant, her behaviour changed dramatically. She began voc…

7. Episode 372: Does Your Dog Love the Game or Just the Reward?

   20 augustus 2026 · 55 min

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   Dog training motivation is not simply about how quickly a dog performs or how intensely they pursue a reward. Does your dog genuinely enjoy training, or have they simply learned to chase the food, ball or tug at the end of it? The difference matters. When the reward is the only valuable part, performance can become dependent on what the dog can see, while the training itself holds very little value. Lees meer

   In Episode 372 of The Canine Paradigm, Glenn Cooke and Pat Stuart explore dog training motivation, what actually matters to the individual dog, and how handlers can build training that dogs actively choose to participate in.

   What Actually Matters to Your Dog?

   Owners can easily assume they know what their dog values. Some dogs are strongly motivated by food, while others place greater value on play, movement, social interaction, environmental access, relief from pressure or the opportunity to perform the work itself.

   Understanding dog training motivation requires us to observe the individual dog rather than decide what should motivate them. A reward is only reinforcing if it genuinely increases or strengthens the behaviour that preceded it.

   Creating Dog Training Motivation That Lasts

   Creating value in the game means allowing the handler, cues, equipment and opportunity to work to predict worthwhile outcomes. Sessions should be clear, rewarding and short enough to preserve the dog’s enthusiasm.

   Visible lures should gradually disappear. Reward placement and timing should support the next repetition, while difficulty should increase without producing constant failure. The aim is a dog that engages before seeing the payment, persists when challenged and recovers comfortably from mistakes.

   For sporting and working dogs, intensity alone is not enough. Strong motivation also includes clarity, connection and the ability to settle after the work finishes. Fair pressure and well-timed correction can exist within balanced training, but they cannot compensate for confusing c…

8. Episode 371: People are reflected in their dogs

   12 augustus 2026 · 1 uur 10 min

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   In Episode 371 of The Canine Paradigm, Glenn and Pat explore the idea that people are often reflected in their dogs. This topic came from conversations Pat had with his boot camp attendees and Skool subscribers, where the discussion turned to how much a trainer can observe about an owner simply by watching the dog. Lees meer

   Dogs do not live in isolation. They live inside our habits, our timing, our emotional patterns, our inconsistencies, and our expectations. As a result, the way a dog behaves can often reveal the structure, confusion, pressure, or clarity that exists in the human side of the relationship.

   In this episode, Glenn and Pat discuss how trainers can read these patterns without turning it into judgement or blame. Sometimes the dog’s behaviour tells us the owner lacks clarity. Sometimes it shows too much emotion, poor timing, mixed rules, or a household that has no consistent system. However, it can also show dedication, effort, improvement, and a person trying hard to get better.

   Further Details

   This conversation is about learning to observe the whole picture. If we want to help the dog, we often need to help the person first. Better owners create better outcomes, and better coaching helps both ends of the lead.

   Are you looking for trusted dog trainers, canine professionals, and supporters of The Canine Paradigm? Below are the people, businesses, and organisations that help support the show, contribute to the wider canine community, and keep the podcast moving forward.

   Glenn Cooke oversees a wide range of canine-related services through Pet Resorts Australia.

   Pat Stuart offers coaching, education, and dog training services through Serious Dog Business.

   You can support The Canine Paradigm and access exclusive content through our Patreon page. Your support helps cover the ongoing costs of producing the show, and we are deeply grateful for the community that continues to grow around it.

   Explore our complete range of merchandise at our Teespring store.

   You…

9. Episode 370: What makes people aggressive talking about punishment

   28 juli 2026 · 1 uur 15 min

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   In Episode 370 of The Canine Paradigm, Glenn and Pat begin with a quick recap on The Bear and the lessons carried over from the previous conversation. However, the main focus quickly moves into a topic that always seems to stir emotion in the dog training world: punishment. Lees meer

   Recently, parts of the training community have been poking holes in each other’s understanding of punishment, learning theory, and how these concepts apply in real dog training. Some of those conversations have been useful. They have encouraged trainers to think harder, define terms more clearly, and question whether they truly understand the concepts they discuss. In that sense, good critique can improve the industry.

   At the same time, not all of it has been helpful. Some discussions have looked less like education and more like performance. When the goal shifts from clarity to clicks, the conversation can quickly become personal, hostile, and unproductive.

   In this episode, Glenn and Pat try to stay out of the cheap shots while still spitballing their own thoughts on punishment, communication, consequence, and education. The aim is not to win an argument. Instead, it is to think more clearly about a difficult topic and encourage better conversations around training.

   Further Details

   Are you in search of top-tier dog trainers and steadfast supporters of the Canine Paradigm? Below is a comprehensive list of individuals and businesses that stand by our mission, contribute to our operational costs, and make significant contributions to the canine community.

   Glenn Cooke oversees a wide range of canine-related services at Pet Resorts Australia.

   Pat Stuart offers a full suite of coaching and dog training services through Serious dog business

   We invite you to support our show and access exclusive content on our Patreon page. Your contributions directly support the show’s ongoing production, and we deeply appreciate the wonderful community that has formed around it. If you’re unsure how to contri…

10. Episode 369: Dog life lessons from The Bear

    16 juli 2026 · 1 uur 7 min

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    In Episode 369 of The Canine Paradigm, Glenn and Pat catch up after a run of recent adventures, including PSA trials, Red Team work, and the arrival of a new dog. However, the main thread of this episode comes from two powerful episodes of The Bear, titled Fishes and Forks and the phrase, every second counts. Lees meer

    Glenn explains how he interpreted those episodes through a dog training lens. Fishes shows chaos, pressure, poor communication, emotional overload, and the damage that can happen when people are stuck reacting instead of leading. In contrast, Forks shows what can happen when someone is placed in the right environment, given structure, trusted with responsibility, and allowed to discover their own value.

    From there, we connect those ideas back to dogs, handlers, and trainers. Some dogs live in constant noise, pressure, and confusion. Others begin to change when we give them clarity, standards, purpose, and a chance to succeed. The same applies to people learning the craft. Training is not just about commands. It is about environment, timing, leadership, confidence, and creating moments where the learner starts to believe they can do better.

    This episode is part catch-up, part television breakdown, and part dog training reflection. If you loved The Bear, or if you care about how pressure and purpose shape behaviour, this one will make sense.

    Further Details

    Are you in search of top-tier dog trainers and steadfast supporters of the Canine Paradigm? Below is a comprehensive list of individuals and businesses that stand by our mission, contribute to our operational costs, and make significant contributions to the canine community.

    Glenn Cooke oversees a wide range of canine-related services at Pet Resorts Australia.

    Pat Stuart offers a full suite of coaching and dog training services through Serious dog business

    We invite you to support our show and access exclusive content on our Patreon page. Your contributions directly support the show’s ongoing producti…

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