The Boss Blog – The Dog is The Boss

Taking the “Pet” Out of Petrified: Why Choice and Control Matter in Canine Care

Tess Erngren August 22, 2026 No Comments

For many dogs, a veterinary visit is stressful long before anyone picks up a stethoscope. The car journey, the smell of the clinic, unfamiliar people, strange sounds, other animals in…

Stop Being the “Alpha”

Tess Erngren June 11, 2026 No Comments

and start being their best friend Are you still being told to “show your dog who’s boss”? Whether it’s an outdated trainer, a well-meaning neighbor, or that one uncle at…

Why preparation matters before an emergency happens

Tess Erngren May 20, 2026 No Comments

Most of us hope we will never need first aid knowledge for our dogs. We hope our dogs never choke on something, cut a paw badly on a hike, collapse…

Why your teenager “Stops listening”

Tess Erngren April 7, 2026 No Comments

(and what’s actually going on) At some point, most dog owners experience a shift: The puppy who used to follow you everywhere starts pulling toward everything else. Recall fades. Focus…

Why your dog do what they do

Tess Erngren March 6, 2026 No Comments

You've probably had this moment: your dog does something frustratingbarks at every passing dog, pulls on the lead, ignores you completelyand you don't know why. Or maybe you've tried to…

Wilful ignorance – or Selective empathy?

Tess Erngren March 6, 2026 No Comments

You love your dog. You say so easily, and you probably mean it. You celebrate birthdays, you worry about diet, you call yourself a “dog person”. And yet, in certain…

Your Dog Is Not “Difficult”

Tess Erngren February 7, 2026 No Comments

Many of the behaviors we struggle with in modern dog life are not training problems.They are inheritance problems. Dogs are not blank slates. They come with genetic programming that shapes…

The Power of Play: Why It’s More Than “Just for Fun”

Tess Erngren February 6, 2026 No Comments

Play is one of the most underrated tools we have for dog wellbeing. It looks like chaos, joy, running, wrestling, toys flying, and sometimes a bit of drama. But underneath…

Stress Is Not a Behavior Problem

Tess Erngren January 8, 2026 No Comments

Stress Is Not a Behavior Problem Understanding stress signals, appeasement, displacement and trigger stacking in dogs Stress is not something that suddenly “appears” in dogs. It builds. It layers. It…

Wolves’ Language and Dogs’ Dialects

Tess Erngren November 13, 2025 No Comments

When we think about how dogs communicate It’s natural to look toward wolves. Wolves represent the original language: a complete, elegant system evolved for survival, cooperation and family life. Dogs,…

The 8 Dimensions of Dog Wellbeing

Tess Erngren October 24, 2025 No Comments

Beyond food and walks When we think about our dogs’ wellbeing, we often focus on the basics: food, walks, and perhaps a cozy bed. But what if a dog’s happiness…

How My Dogs Became the Boss: Where It All Began

Tess Erngren March 24, 2014 No Comments

The Dog is The Boss – the very beginning This is where it all began. First published in 2014, this was my first blog post about the ideas that would…

THE DOG IS THE BOSS

The Boss Blog by Tess Erngren

Taking the “Pet” Out of Petrified: Why Choice and Control Matter in Canine Care

Stop Being the “Alpha”

Why preparation matters before an emergency happens

Why your teenager “Stops listening”

Why your dog do what they do

Wilful ignorance – or Selective empathy?

Your Dog Is Not “Difficult”

The Power of Play: Why It’s More Than “Just for Fun”

Stress Is Not a Behavior Problem

Wolves’ Language and Dogs’ Dialects

The 8 Dimensions of Dog Wellbeing

How My Dogs Became the Boss: Where It All Began