EXCLUSIVE! This SF Artist Paints Dogs Like Nobody Else—And You Can Get Your Pup on Canvas!

San Francisco painter Mark Ulriksen is famous for his bold, punchy expressionist canvases and illustrations. With clean, sharp lines and loud colours, he makes graphic works bursting with personality that grab your eye at once.

Words by Nicole Wilde, CPDT-KA

Last reviewed and updated: August 19, 2024

San Francisco painter Mark Ulriksen is famous for his bold, punchy expressionist canvases and illustrations. With clean, sharp lines and loud colours, he makes graphic works bursting with personality that grab your eye at once.

When he paints dogs—a top pick among his subjects—Mark nails the goofy playfulness, the silly streak, or the soft heart of each one. His muse and dear pal Ted, a chocolate Lab, recently passed. But as the star of so many paintings, he keeps on charming us. Baseball is another love; in summer 1999 Mark toured the U.S., hitting ballparks marked for demolition and replacement. Snippets from chats with fans and crew made it into his art. The fall of Detroit's Tiger Stadium, first opened in 1912, is what sparked the whole ballpark series.

Calling his slide into art a 'stumble,' Mark started as a graphic designer, then a magazine art director, and in 1994 began illustrating and painting for a living. Fed by magazines, museums, The New York Times, galleries, CD-ROMs, tapes, films, and buildings, he 'slow-cooks' his pieces from a mix of inspirations. His work has landed on covers of many titles, including The New Yorker, New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, Time and Newsweek Japan. Zeroing in on two things—what he loves and what he fears—gives him room to roam, and, as he says, 'beats seeing a shrink.'

Working from his home studio lets him hang with his wife, two daughters, two cats, and new puppy Henry (another chocolate Lab). He says the setup is great: music all day, dressed like a teen, doing what he feels born to do—making something purely his and sharing it. ■

#2 Taking away food during mealtime prevents food aggression

The thinking here is that you’ll get your pup used to hands near the bowl, but snatching food while he’s eating only teaches him your approach means something bad happens. Instead, teach him your approach is wonderful. Now and then, walk past while he eats and drop a super-yummy treat into the dish.

#3 Dogs want to dominate you

Everything from jumping on people to pulling on-leash to bolting through a doorway first has been pinned on doggy dominance. But the truth is dogs aren’t up at night plotting to overthrow our kingdoms. They simply do what works, and need training and boundaries. That dominance myth came from an ‘alpha wolf’ study that was later debunked. Sadly, the mindset had already seeped into dog training and never left—even though the ‘correct the dominance’ methods it spawned are outdated and damaging.

#4 A wagging tail means a happy dog

Many dogs wag when happy, but don’t assume a waving tail always signals joy. Dogs wag to express a range of emotions—happiness, feeling threatened, anxiety, submission, excitement. An anxious or fearful dog may tuck the tail low and wag in a small, fast arc. A confident dog, or one showing dominance over another, may hold the tail high and wave it stiffly like a flag. Read tail wags alongside the rest of the body language to judge how a dog really feels.

Pro Tip: The direction of a tail wag can signal emotion. Studies show dogs wag slightly to the right when happy or confident, and to the left when frightened.

#5 You should wait until puppies are fully vaccinated to socialize

Most behaviourists agree the optimum socialization window—the period when exposing a pup to new things makes him less likely to fear them later—is roughly four to 12 weeks. But vaccinations usually aren’t done until 16 weeks. Old advice said wait for full shots before socializing; the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior now says introduce pups to new people, places, and experiences before 16 weeks—just choose safe settings and skip dog parks and sick animals. A puppy who isn’t socialized early is far more likely to grow into a reactive or aggressive dog.

#6 Your dog feels guilty

You come home to find your dog has shredded your favourite slippers. “Bad boy! What did you do?” you scold, as he hangs his head, averts his eyes, ears flat. Is he feeling guilty? Probably not—he’s reacting to being yelled at. Dr. Alexandra Horowitz, a dog-cognition expert at Barnard College, studied whether people can read guilt in dogs. Her work found dogs most often looked guilty when a person scolded or was about to scold them—not when the dog had actually ignored the request not to eat a treat.

So, do dogs truly feel guilt? The jury’s out. “My study was decidedly NOT about whether dogs ‘feel guilt’ or not,” says Horowitz. “I’d feel dreadful if people then thought the case was closed on dogs (not) feeling guilt, which it definitely isn’t.”

#7 In a multi-dog home, the ‘alpha’ should get treats and attention first

Dogs sort out dominance and submission among themselves. Some owners give the ‘top dog’ treats and attention first to ‘support the hierarchy,’ but in truth, trying to prop up either dog’s rank by treating first won’t change much.

#8 Petting your dog when he’s afraid will reinforce the fear

Fear is an emotion, and as such it can’t be reinforced by a reward. If I feared being mugged and had to walk a dark alley, would you handing me chocolate when I got out make me less afraid next time? No. Behaviours can be reinforced; emotions can’t—so comfort your dog however you like.

#9 Using treats to train dogs is bribery

Most dogs are food-motivated, and treats make training easy and fun for everyone. But a reward and a bribe aren’t the same. Treating a dog who comes when called is a reward. Waggling a treat while saying “Come!” is bribery. Treats can later be swapped for real-life rewards—like a door opening for a walk—or phased out entirely if you wish; there’s no harm in rewarding good behaviour. positive reinforcement strengthens your bond.

Visual by graphicphoto / Stock photo

#10 If your dog growls, you should punish him

Growling is a dog’s way of saying he’s uncomfortable with something. You want him to communicate that, not jump straight to biting. Think of growling as his early-warning system. Veterinarian, behaviourist, and trainer Ian Dunbar calls silencing growls “removing the ticker from the time bomb.” Plus, punishing a growl gives him one more negative link to whatever is stressing him.

Pro tip: If your dog growls, defuse the situation as calmly as you can. Then start changing the behaviour by tackling its root cause.

#11 You can’t teach an old dog new tricks

An oldie but a goodie—much like senior dogs themselves! You can absolutely teach an old dog new tricks. Done right, trick training keeps canine minds active and dogs engaged and happy. Studies of cognitive decline show a multi-targeted approach—antioxidants plus behavioural enrichment—works best to ward off dementia in dogs, so keep working that mental muscle!

Visual by Annette Shaff / Stock photo

#12 When my dog barks at people or dogs who approach on walks, she’s protecting me

While some dogs are protective of their owners, the vast majority are actually protecting themselves. The leash stops your dog from fleeing when a big, scary thing (a person or another dog) approaches. The bark is his way of saying, “Don’t make me come over there, you big scary thing!” when what he really wants is to drive it away.

#13 Dogs afraid of men have been abused by a man

A common assumption, especially with shelter dogs found to fear men. Fearful dogs are usually more afraid of men than of women or children. Men are generally larger, deeper-voiced, move differently, and may stare more. Abuse by a man is always possible, but never assume it.

Photo Sandra Del Rio/Bigstock This is a key point to understand.

#14 Dogs urinate or defecate when we’re gone to spite us

People often think their dog eliminated indoors to get back at them—maybe for leaving him alone. Not so. Dogs can’t plan revenge. A housetrained dog still having ‘accidents’ when left alone may have separation anxiety. Or he may simply be opportunistic: caught in the act at home, he’s scolded, but with no one around, all bets are off!

#15 Some dogs need a heavier hand when being trained

Whether a dog is reactive, aggressive, or what some call stubborn, no dog needs harsh physical corrections. Meeting aggression with aggression is never the answer and tends to make things worse. Positive, gentle training and behaviour modification is the way to go—even with the most severe cases.

This piece first appeared in Modern Dog magazine. Don't miss out—subscribe!