The Mellow journal
Notes on the practice.
Field notes, guides, and the thinking behind Mellow.
- 01
Building a Reactive Dog Training Plan That Survives Real Life
A reactive dog training plan only works if it survives busy weeks and bad days. How to structure sessions, rest, and tracking so progress actually holds.
2026-06-11
8 min read
- 02
BAT vs. LAT: Choosing the Right Protocol for Your Reactive Dog
BAT vs LAT for reactive dogs: two proven protocols that work differently. How each one changes behavior, and how to choose the right method for your dog.
2026-06-08
8 min read
- 03
Surprise Encounters: When a Dog Appears Around the Corner
Surprise dog encounters are every reactive dog owner's nightmare. A field guide to the emergency U-turn, blind corners, and recovering after an ambush walk.
2026-06-04
7 min read
- 04
Reactive Dog 101: Where to Start When You're Overwhelmed
A reactive dog for beginners guide: what reactivity is, the one concept that organizes everything, and the small first steps that actually calm things down.
2026-05-30
7 min read
- 05
Why Punishing the Bark Makes Reactivity Worse
Correcting a reactive dog's barking suppresses the symptom and feeds the fear underneath. Here is why punishing reactivity backfires — and what changes the emotion.
2026-05-26
7 min read
- 06
What Trigger Stacking Does to Your Dog's Nervous System
Trigger stacking explains why a reactive dog who coped yesterday melts down today. Here is the stress-hormone science behind bad days — and why rest is the fix.
2026-05-20
8 min read
- 07
Your Reactive Dog Isn't Being Dominant or Stubborn
The most common reactive dog myths — dominance, stubbornness, bad socialization — quietly make things worse. Here is what reactivity actually is, and isn't.
2026-05-14
7 min read
- 08
How to Walk a Reactive Dog Without the Daily Meltdown
Learning how to walk a reactive dog comes down to one idea: staying under threshold. Here is how to find that line and build calm walks from it.
2026-05-08
7 min read