The Many Benefits of Using a Therapy Dog in Speech Language Pathology
This article explains how a speech language pathologist uses therapy dogs in her practice to help clients improve their interpersonal and communication skills, build self-esteem and self-worth, and reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation By Dr. Jane Remington-Gurney Introduction In the literature of journal articles, news stories and websites, animals are often reported to have the ability to improve the well-being of people. Components of well-being include improved interpersonal and communication skills, sense of purpose and motivation, fine motor skills, strength and balance, self-esteem, and self-worth plus a reduction in… Continued
Examining Training Methods
This article delves into the differences of opinion regarding the philosophical approach and structure toward pet training and highlights the need for trainers – and pet owners – to be cognizant of what an animal is communicating, their emotional state, and to understand how and why they are reacting or responding to a specific situation or context By Susan Nilson and Niki Tudge Significantly, there is no consensus across the pet industry with regards to the suitability and appropriateness of the different best practice models. In 2012, the Pet Professional… Continued
How Your Donations Are Helping the Animals in Ukraine
By Dr. Marina Bayeva Dear Supporters, I am happy to bring you the latest update for the Help Animals Survive the War in Ukraine fundraiser – both the big picture and the individual shelter updates. Highlights include: Animals finding new homes even during the war Expanding capacity by building new enclosures to take in even more animals Kitten and puppy season and the need for more spay/neuter access Delivering food all over Ukraine for animals on the streets, in home shelters, and beyond A brand new wood-burning stove to cook for… Continued
Rethinking Your Use of Canine Scent Knowledge and Skills
A few years ago, we hosted Dr. Robert Hewings from the UK College of Scent Dogs to present a couple of back-to-back workshops at our training business in Tampa, FL. One of these workshops was the five-day Canine Scent Instructor Certification workshop. To be honest, at the time I was eager to host Dr. Hewings and his business partner Karen for our membership, but scent training wasn’t something I was really into! I considered it a Canine Sport and given my time constraints and the fact that I already participated… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Dr. Lisa Radosta of Florida Veterinary Behavior Service
Join Niki Tudge and PPG Canine Committee Chair Judy Luther to Chat & Chuckle with Lisa Radosta DVM DACVB. Dr. Radosta is the owner of Florida Veterinary Behavior Service, a specialty practice in southeast Florida and co-owns Dog Nerds, an online educational resource for guardians whose pets have behavior disorders. Listen to the Podcast with Dr. Lisa Radosta here on your choice of platforms. Or just stay on this page and click on the ‘Play’ icon below. Recorded on July 30, 2022. About Dr. Lisa Radosta Dr.… Continued
BARKS Podcast with the PPG Advocacy Panel: Discussion #12 – Animal Emotions and Their Importance in Understanding Behavior
Animal Emotions and Their Importance in Understanding Behavior Join the Pet Professional Guild (PPG) Advocacy Panel for a discussion on Animal Emotions and Their Importance in Understanding Behavior. Pet guardians and pet professionals, we invite you to listen as panel members share their expertise in a fun, free-flowing format. Your Moderators: PPG president Niki Tudge and PPG Canine Committee chair Judy Luther. Your Advocacy Panel for this discussion includes: PPG Shelter & Rescue Committee chair K. Holden Svirsky, PPG Assistance Animal Committee representative Tracey Hagan, Aaron Jones of the PPG Inclusivity Committee, Linda Michaels, Dr. Kristina Spaulding, Dr. Zazie… Continued
Feline Fastidious Foodies
By Patience Fisher From cat food commercials to cartoons and internet cats, it is something of a running joke that cats are picky eaters. But is this common assumption correct? According to C.A. Tony Buffington, a leading researcher in the field of feline nutrition, the answer is a resounding no. Health and Stress Buffington states that cats are very adaptable; left to their own devices they can and do thrive on a wide range of foods. This is important to their survival, since they are opportunistic eaters. If a cat… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Debby Lucken of Kids Around Dogs
Join Niki Tudge and Rebekah King as they Chat & Chuckle with Kids Around Dogs (KAD). KAD is an award-winning association of Dog Professionals and Child Care Professionals who specialize in helping families with children to train their dogs and live in harmony together. Debby Lucken, the founder of KAD, has also designed a successful protocol to overcome the fear of dogs in kids, which all KAD Approved Members are qualified to use. Listen to the Podcast with Debby Lucken here on your choice of platforms. Or just stay… Continued
Why Do Deaf Dogs Bark?
By Morag Heirs Barking is a form of communication for all dogs so it is important that we spend some time thinking about why our dogs might be barking. Are they anxious, over-excited, upset, fearful, thrilled, frustrated? Something else? Avoid concentrating on stopping the barking (particularly through the use of ‘aversives,’ e.g. telling off, harsh signals, water spray or air sprays, exclusion from the room or crating on a regular basis) as this gets in the way of understanding why the barking is happening. Without understanding why our dog is… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Toni Clarke of Well Done Charlie Dog Training
Join Niki Tudge and Rebekah King as they Chat & Chuckle with Toni Clarke of Well Done Charlie Dog Training, about how to develop and execute training plans to prepare pets to fly. Listen to the Podcast with Toni Clarke here on your choice of platforms. Or just stay on this page and click on the ‘Play’ icon below. Recorded July 19, 2022. About Toni Clarke Toni Clarke CTC, CSAT, VSA-CDT received her Certificate in Training and Counseling (CTC) from the elite Academy for Dog Trainers. She… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Annie Phenix of Phenix Dogs
Join Niki Tudge and PPG Canine Committee chair Judy Luther as they Chat and Chuckle with Annie Phenix of Phenix Dogs about reactive dogs and Annie’s new project and book, Positive Training for Aggressive and Reactive Dogs: Proven Techniques to Help Your Dog Recover from Fear and Anxiety and Enjoy Walks Calmly (available in November 2022). Annie is the author of The Midnight Dog Walkers published in 2016, and is a Certified Behaviourist and Family Dog Mediator. Listen to the Podcast with Annie Phenix here on your choice of platforms.… Continued
A Better Dog-Human Understanding
By Susan Nilson Marco Adda is a freelance dog behavior consultant, independent researcher, dog-human facilitator (or dog trainer if you prefer), animal advocate, and educator who is passionate about all things canine. He describes himself as a “globetrotter who moves through different continents” but is now considering settling in one place to set up his own canine center offering several programs of education, training, research, animal assisted intervention, and community activities around dogs, humans and other animals. In 2012, Adda initiated preliminary observations of Bali street dogs (BSD). The observations… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Rosie Robinson of Wuf Design
Join Niki Tudge and PPG Canine Committee chair Judy Luther as they Chat and Chuckle with Rosie Robinson of Wuf Design in the UK about websites, lead generation, Google, and so much more. Rosie offers support from simple sites to full on e-commerce and has the digital solutions to ensure your business reaches the right customers. Listen to the Podcast with Rosie Robinson here on your choice of platforms. Or just stay on this page and click on the ‘Play’ icon below. Recorded July 11, 2022. About Rosie… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Barbara Hodel of Goodog Positive Dog Training
Join Niki Tudge and PPG Canine Committee chair Judy Luther as they Chat and Chuckle with Barbara Hodel of Goodog Positive Dog Training in Bayview, New South Wales, Australia about all things Teen Dog! All dogs (and humans) have to go through the teenage phase to reach the stability of adulthood. Some dogs breeze through this stage with barely a glitch, but most of us will have a challenging time. It is normal to sometimes feel despondent or disappointed because we thought we did everything right when they were puppies and now… Continued
Help the Animals in Ukraine – Inspiring Fundraiser Update
By Dr. Marina Bayeva Dear Supporters, I am happy to bring you the latest update for the Help Animals Survive the War in Ukraine fundraiser – both the big picture and the individual shelter updates. Highlights include: Animals finding new homes even during the war Expanding capacity by building new enclosures to take in even more animals Kitten and puppy season and the need for more spay/neuter access Delivering food all over Ukraine for animals on the streets, in home shelters, and beyond A brand new wood-burning stove to… Continued
The Value of Non-Verbal Communication
By Angelica Steinker Consent testing is an informal experiment which allows a dog to offer consent regarding a specific situation. Via her body language the dog communicates a yes or no response. This information is used to: • Improve the quality of life of the dog. • Improve a training plan. • Make behavior modification more effective. • Generally improve communication. The yes or no is determined by assessing the dog’s body language and observing for distance increasing or distance decreasing behaviors. Distance increasing behaviors are considered a “no” and… Continued
The Challenge of Breed Discrimination
By Kym Iffert It was finally a beautiful day in Chicago so I grabbed my bag, my leash, a pocket full of treats and tennis ball and set out for a walk. The neighbors were out and it was the perfect opportunity for a social outing – but not for me and my dog. As we walked down the sidewalk, others may have looked, some would wave, a few may have offered a smile… and then crossed the street. Social pariah? No, just me and my Rottweiler out for a… Continued
BARKS Podcast with the PPG Advocacy Panel: Discussion #11 – The Top 10 Things We Can Do to Help Veterinarians Help Us Help Our Pets
The Top 10 Things We Can Do to Help Veterinarians Help Us Help Our Pets Join the Pet Professional Guild (PPG) Advocacy Panel for a discussion on the Top 10 Things We Can Do to Help Veterinarians Help Us Help Our Pets. Pet guardians and pet professionals, we invite you to listen as panel members share their expertise in a fun, free-flowing format. Your Moderators: PPG president Niki Tudge and PPG Advocacy Committee chair Don Hanson Your Advocacy Panel for this discussion includes: PPG Shelter & Rescue Committee chair K. Holden Svirsky, Kristi… Continued
The Click Starts the Behavior
By Yvette Van Veen A common expression used in clicker training is that the click “ends the behavior.” Rarely do we stop to think what this really means but it bears closer examination. Typically, the phrase indicates that dogs get reinforcement post-click, even if they have broken out of position. We click. The dog gets a cookie. There is no reneging. When I say click, I really mean marking the behavior. For the sake of clarity, I will also be using the word click to reference the wide array of… Continued
Thunder, Lightning and Barometric Pressure
By Carolyn Kocman Owners and caretakers can almost always recognize phobia related behaviors. Shaking, drooling, panting, restlessness, pacing, clinging to owners and hiding are all fairly overt and recognizable behaviors that can be triggered by such things as loud noises or thunderstorm activity. Immediate Recommendations for Panicking Dogs There are a number of things pet owners can do to comfort an animal that is in the throes of phobia related behavior. What follows is a list of more immediate recommendations. These are not tips on modifying the behavior and should… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Mychelle Garrigan of Pet Pro Marketing
Join Niki Tudge and PPG Canine Committee chair Judy Luther as they Chat and Chuckle with Mychelle Garrigan of PPG corporate partner, Pet Pro Marketing. Pet Pro Marketing provides digital marketing services for pet care professionals including website design, audits and maintenance, search engine optimization, content creation/copywriting, and social media/digital marketing strategy. Listen to the Podcast with Mychelle Garrigan here on your choice of platforms. Or just stay on this page and click on the ‘Play’ icon below. Recorded June 10, 2022. About Mychelle Garrigan Through Pet Pro Marketing Mychelle Garrigan… Continued
Building the ‘Super Learner’
By Kate Mallatratt One of my behavior colleagues posed a very interesting question recently, “If you always set your dog up for success and aim for errorless learning, are you not stunting your dog’s ability for critical thinking, limiting his opportunity to enjoy problem solving and shortening his fuse for frustration?” This excellent question raises several more in my mind: Can learning truly be 100 percent errorless? Does setting up a learning environment for a successful outcome really have a detrimental effect on a dog’s learning ability? Do mistakes actually… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Dr. Kristina Spaulding of Science Matters Academy of Animal Behavior
Join Niki Tudge and PPG Canine Committee chair Judy Luther as they Chat and Chuckle with Dr. Kristina Spaulding of PPG corporate partner, Science Matters Academy of Animal Behavior. The trio discuss upcoming Research Bites topics and so much more. Listen to the Podcast with Dr. Kristina Spaulding here on your choice of platforms. Or just stay on this page and click ‘Play’ below. Recorded June 3, 2022. About Dr. Kristina Spaulding Dr. Kristina Spaulding operates Science Matters Academy of Animal Behavior, which opened its doors in 2001 and quickly… Continued
Because Dogs Are Cool!
PPG Member Profile featuring Pet Professional Guild member Chris Lopez-Santiago of Happy Tails Pet Care in Orlando, Florida Tell us a little bit about yourself, how you first got into animal behavior and training and what you are doing now… Honestly, getting into animal behavior was not something I thought I would ever do. I knew I always loved animals of all types. Dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, fish, and even insects and arachnids are fascinating to me. I’d often watch Zak George on YouTube to learn how to teach… Continued
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