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The Canine Paradigm

The Canine Paradigm

By: Glenn Cooke & Pat Stuart
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The Canine Paradigm is an honest and practical dog training podcast hosted by Glenn Cooke and Pat Stuart. Drawing on decades of experience with pet dogs, working dogs, obedience, canine sport, law enforcement and scent work, Glenn and Pat examine what works, what does not and why. Episodes explore dog behaviour, aggression, reactivity, learning theory, training methods, handler development and the realities of living and working with dogs. The conversations are practical, candid and occasionally challenging, without being restricted to one training ideology. Created for dog owners, trainers, handlers and canine professionals who want to think more clearly about dogs, behaviour and training.© 2026 The Canine Paradigm. All rights reserved
Episodes
  • Episode 376: Pat Stuart, From Special Forces to Dog Training

    Episode 376: Pat Stuart, From Special Forces to Dog Training
    2 Oct 2026
    Pat Stuart had planned to spend his life in the Army. Becoming a professional dog trainer was never the plan. 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. Glenn explains why the PowerPoint story also changed how he approached staff training and the responsibilities that come with teaching people to handle dogs. episode 376 Finding a different purpose through dogs Pat reflects on becoming a father, building a life outside the Army and turning an intense interest in dogs into professional work. He acknowledges the trainers who invested in him, the early puppy-training project with Sam Montgomery and the opportunities that came from starting The Canine Paradigm. episode 376 episode 376 We also talk about the experience of travelling to teach while continuing to learn from the people who invited him. Alongside those opportunities came decisions about independence, family and the relationships he was not prepared to sacrifice for work. episode 376 episode 376 There is a catch-up on Valerie, Remco and Sundance, and Pat explains why teaching online and spending less time away from his family are now important priorities. episode 376 For long-time listeners, this adds context to stories and opinions heard across the show. For anyone who has only recently joined us, it is a chance to understand how Pat found his way into dogs and the people who helped him find his feet. Who helped you find your way into dogs, and which lesson from them has stayed with you? Join the conversation in The Canine Paradigm discussion group. Further Details Find Glenn’s work through Pet Resorts Australia and Pat’s coaching and education through Serious Dog Business. Support the show and access additional content through our Patreon page, or visit our merchandise store. Explore our podcast listening options and subscribe to The Canine Paradigm on YouTube. Share the episode with a friend, leave a review, or get in touch at info@thecanineparadigm.com. Support Our Supporters Visit Narelle Cooke’s Canine Ceuticals and listen to her podcast, Natural Health for People and Pets. Our thanks also go to Jason Firmin at Einzweck Dog Quip, From the Heart Dog Training, and Birdy O’Sheedy at The Magic in Dogs. Special Thanks Thank you to our contributing artists, Jane Stuart, Avery Keller and Zoie Neidy, for their creative contributions to the show.
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    1 hr and 27 min
  • Episode 375: Glenn Cooke and the Dog That Started It All

    Episode 375: Glenn Cooke and the Dog That Started It All
    22 Sep 2026
    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. 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, and the work at Pet Resorts Australia that eventually brought him and Pat together. The dog, the people and the stories that stayed Glenn also explains why the podcast has become the book he always wanted to write. The conversations have given him somewhere to record the stories, acknowledge the people who helped him and share how his thinking has developed. His appreciation of Pat and Boyd brings the episode back to Harley, the dog he credits with setting so much of it in motion. We catch up on life with Narelle, Mando, Opie, Ladybug and Pixel, before talking about Glenn’s interest in returning to dog sports and making more room for training at home. Whether you are a trainer, a dog owner or someone whose plans changed after bringing a puppy home, this episode asks a familiar question: which dog changed the direction of your life? Content note: Contains strong language and graphic descriptions of violence and dog-bite injuries. Related listening Return to Episode 1: Pat interviews Glenn for the original conversation, and hear from Boyd in Episode 200: Boyd Hooper. Further Details Find Glenn’s work through Pet Resorts Australia and Pat’s coaching and education through Serious Dog Business. Support the show and access additional content through our Patreon page, or visit our merchandise store. Explore our podcast listening options and subscribe to The Canine Paradigm on YouTube. Share the episode with a friend, leave a review, or get in touch at info@thecanineparadigm.com. Support Our Supporters Visit Narelle Cooke’s Canine Ceuticals and listen to her podcast, Natural Health for People and Pets. Our thanks also go to Jason Firmin at Einzweck Dog Quip, From the Heart Dog Training, and Birdy O’Sheedy at The Magic in Dogs. Special Thanks Thank you to our contributing artists, Jane Stuart, Avery Keller and Zoie Neidy, for their creative contributions to the show.
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    1 hr and 7 min
  • Episode 374: AI Slop and the Dog Training Echo Chamber

    Episode 374: AI Slop and the Dog Training Echo Chamber
    10 Sep 2026
    When polished content replaces practical experience. 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 textWhy AI promotional material is beginning to look increasingly repetitiveHow artificial intelligence can reinforce a user’s existing beliefsThe difference between information about dog training and the physical skill of training a dogThe difficult space between reinforcement and the next shaping repetitionTiming, restraint, release, pressure and frustration during practical trainingThe importance of measurable outcomes and professional accountabilityOnline echo chambers and the rewards attached to polarised contentOwners living with dangerous or severely challenging dogsDog-training timelines that may not be practical for every householdAttempts to restrict or prohibit particular training methodsThe difference between methodological disagreement and personal campaigningCommon ground between capable balanced and force-free trainersThe role of professional friendships, observation and appropriate client referralsGlenn’s closing reflection on respectful disagreement and the future of the industry AI Slop in Dog Training The phrase “AI slop” is often used to describe the flood of generic, repetitive material now appearing online. The individual image, article or graphic may initially look impressive, but the effect diminishes when the same structure, wording and design appear everywhere. Glenn and Pat discuss seeing the same dark backgrounds, repeated layouts, predictable typography and recycled arguments across community groups, dog-training pages and professional advertising. The greater concern is not simply unoriginal artwork. It is the possibility that artificial intelligence can give a polished form to ideas that have not been properly examined. Someone can begin with anger, certainty or a fixed ideological position and ask an AI system to formulate the argument. The resulting material may appear articulate, balanced and professionally produced even though the original premise has never been tested against practical outcomes. Repeated approval can then produce its own feedback loop. A person publishes increasingly polarised content, receives validation from a like-minded audience and becomes more committed to producing the material that generated the attention. Can AI Replace Practical Dog-Training Experience? The strongest practical section of the episode centres on shaping. When a dog offers a desired behaviour, the trainer marks and reinforces it. However, the period between the dog receiving the reinforcer and beginning the next repetition can be one of the messiest parts of the exercise. The dog may still be eating. The handler may begin talking too soon. The dog may wander immediately back towards the target without a clear separation between repetitions. Glenn explains that the trainer may need to hold or restrain the dog briefly, create separation, feel the dog beginning to lean back towards the task and then release at the appropriate moment. That restriction and release can also create useful frustration, energy and clarity. It is possible to describe the general process in words, but competent application depends on timing, observation and physical feel. Those qualities are developed by repeatedly working dogs, making errors, adjusting technique and learning to recognise what is happening in front of you. AI can provide information. It cannot physically feel the dog loading into the ...
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    56 min
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