Is Love Enough?
By June Pennell I would love to be able to say that love is enough to help a troubled dog. Indeed, perhaps it is enough for a dog without any behavior issues or a troubled background. Perhaps. But although the idea that you can help a dog (in this case, one who is reactive towards other dogs or strangers) purely by showing him that he is loved may be an attractive one, is it actually possible? I would say, “probably not.” So many of us (me included) would like our… Continued
Pet Professional Guild Establishes Advocacy Panel to Broaden Educational Reach
OFFICIAL PPG NEWS RELEASE | LECANTO, Fla. – July 29, 2021 – The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) has established an Advocacy Panel as part of its key mission to support pet guardian education and make it accessible to a wider audience. PPG considers it to be critical that pet guardians are equipped with the tools they need to ask informed questions of training and behavior professionals prior to hiring, so they are aware of what training philosophy, equipment and methods will be implemented. As such, the newly-launched Advocacy Panel will host a series… Continued
A Life without Pets
By Fiona De Rosa and Fiona Warton As the aging population of the western world increases, more people are finding themselves moving from their own homes and into aged care accommodations. This can mean that companion animals get left behind, with the new living arrangements unable to accommodate pets. At this time of life, it can be especially distressing for older people to leave not only their community and social networks, but their companion animals too. It is undoubtedly a less than ideal scenario, given that research shows companion animals… Continued
Stimulation for Psittacines
By Amy Martin Physical and mental stimulation is vital to every species on the planet. Squid, poison dart frogs, pigs, rats, cats, tortoises, spiders, jaguars, sheep, dogs, ferrets, parrots, you name it, they all need daily stimulation. Enrichment is a fundamental component of responsible, preventative companion parrot care. But how can we ensure the parrots we care for are getting enough? Vital For Well-Being Studies have shown that when animals are provided with a stimulating environment, they are less stressed, live longer and are better able to develop problem-solving skills,… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Zazie Todd of Companion Animal Psychology: July 16, 2021
PPG president Niki Tudge chats to Zazie Todd, animal behavior expert and award-winning author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy, and creator of the Companion Animal Psychology blog. Listen to Podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click ‘Play’ below. Zazie Todd Ph.D. (psychology, University of Nottingham, England) MFA (creative writing, University of British Columbia, Canada) graduated with honors from Jean Donaldson’s Academy for Dog Trainers and has a Certificate of Feline Behaviour with Distinction from International Cat Care. She is a shelter affiliate member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, a… Continued
BARKS News – July 2021
Listen to the July 2021 edition of BARKS News! Highlights include: Geek Week 2021 – Early Bird discount available till July 31, 2021! / Special options for shelter and rescue / Schedule now available / First scholarship tickets awarded Upcoming Facebook Live events This month’s Cat and Dog Lounges Project Trade update New BARKS Podcasts July BARKS from the Guild PPAB fee waiver This month’s live and discounted webinars New on the Guild Archive…and more. Prefer to read your BARKS News? Click here to read BARKS News online.
BARKS Podcast with Helen Phillips and Jules Morgan of The Gun Dog Trainers Academy: July 9, 2021
Helen Phillips and Jules Morgan of PPG corporate partner Gundog Trainers Academy chat about positive gundog training and the increasing demand for ethical gundog training, as well as all the great work they are doing in the UK. Listen to Podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click ‘Play’ below. About the Guests Helen Phillips is the owner of Gundog Trainers Academy in the UK and is a qualified teacher and an animal training instructor with the Animal Behaviour and Training Council (ABTC). Helen taught a canine training and behavior… Continued
Meet Geek Week 2021 – The Sequel
By the Pet Professional Guild We’re Back – and Better than Ever! Geek Week: November 13-17, 2021 Early Bird Discount till July 31! We had so much fun last year and learned so much about hosting virtual events that we only had one choice: hit the replay button to bring you Geek Week 2021 – The Sequel. It’s not just a repeat event. It includes all the best from Geek Week 2020 and more. Based on attendees’ professional feedback, we have incorporated many of last year’s most popular features, and added… Continued
The Problem with “Furry Little Humans”
By Andrea Carne Let’s open this discussion with the whole cats vs. dogs “thing.” Honestly, why do we continue to debate this ongoing battle of the species? Social media is filled with cartoons and memes depicting the supposedly obvious differences and, while I can enjoy the funny side as much as anyone else, there is a serious side to the argument when it comes to actual research. Case in point: A new study by Chijiiwa et al. (2021) on cat behavior has already gained a lot of press this year,… Continued
5 Ways to Streamline Your Business as a Pet Professional
By PPG corporate partner, PocketSuite One of the big lessons for pet professionals in the last year and a half is that even a pandemic doesn’t have to tank your business. While many other sectors suffered, pet professionals benefited from the “pandemic puppy” trend, which created even greater demand. But with health concerns at the forefront, the most successful businesses had to innovate and streamline to take advantage of the trend. These changes leave them well poised for growth as recovery begins. Here’s how you can follow their example and… Continued
The Emotions of Reactivity
Reactivity refers to canine behavior whereby a dog is over aroused by something in the environment. For some dogs it may be the sight of another dog. For others, it may be a child riding a bike or a jogger passing by the window. Or any number of things. The behavior response includes an abrupt increase in tension and arousal, which may be manifested in repeated barking and/or lunging, a display of teeth designed to be threatening/intimidating, or various other behaviors which guardians often perceive to be aggressive. The next… Continued
Resource Guarding vs. Rule Setting: Training and Management
How do we know if we’re dealing with resource guarding or rule setting? For me, the answer lies in a constellation of observable behaviors which, taken together, tell the tale. I think of this as The Zones. Ownership Zone: This is the actual physical space in which the dog has ownership of or control of the resource. Defense of Possession Zone: Where is the point where the dog feels that his control of a resource may be threatened in some way? Where is defense of possession triggered? Influence Zone: Where… Continued
A Positive Strategy
As I set up my dog on the start line of an agility course, I want her to feel excited and exhilarated. At the same time, I also want her to feel relaxed within the environment and completely engaged with me, focused on my communication and maintaining our connection throughout this adventure together. In human psychology we talk about ‘flow’ as being ‘in the zone,’ i.e. giving the task at hand our full attention, oblivious to whatever else is happening. Flow is also what we want to achieve with our… Continued
Lessons in Empathy
By Kathy Wolff According to Wikipedia (2021), empathy is the “capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference, that is, the capacity to place oneself in another’s position. Definitions of empathy encompass a broad range of emotional states.” “Hi, my name is Kathy, and I’m a Nervous Nellie.” At least, that’s the cutsie polite little name we used to call it when I was younger. I was someone who always saw the glass half empty, worried about what was going to happen… Continued
Case Study: From Reactive to Relaxed
By Dr. Sheryl L. Walker Of all my years studying animal behavior and consulting with individual clients and animal shelters, there was one case in particular that stood out, partly because it featured two incredibly dedicated guardians. Ironically, it was also one of my most complex cases. It was a case of canine anxiety- and pain-induced dog-directed aggression involving a young neutered male named Gerhardt who had approximately six bite events between August 2009 and November 2012, beginning when he was approximately 7 months old. The environmental trigger, initially, seemed… Continued
Stress-Free Car Travel with Your Dog
Just recently I’ve helped several owners with dogs who’ve developed real aversions to car travel. Definitely this hasn’t been helped by not going places in the car during lockdown. Maybe these dogs haven’t set foot in the car at all but now they’re expected to just jump right in. But what if they are not comfortable to do so? What can we do to set our dogs up for easy, trouble free car travel? Happy car experiences should be part of the ‘habituation collage’ you put together as a new… Continued
BARKS News – June 2021
Listen to the June 2021 edition of BARKS News! Highlights include: Geek Week 2021 – Registration now open! Early Bird discount available till July 31, 2021 Geek Week presenters + sponsor opportunities Geek Week scholarships Two new PPG corporate partners: PocketSuite and Pet Pro Marketing Upcoming Facebook Live events Project Trade New BARKS Podcasts Sneak peek at July issue of BARKS from the Guild This month’s webinars New on the Guild Archive…and more. Prefer to read your BARKS News? Click here to read BARKS News online.
It’s All in the Management
By Dr. Morag Heirs When you are dealing with a deaf puppy or an adolescent deaf dog in a rescue environment, mouthing and nipping is often high on the list of problem behaviors. Do deaf dogs and puppies mouth, nip or grab more than hearing dogs? The honest answer here is that we just do not know. Anecdotally, based on the requests for help we see on forums and websites, mouthing, nipping and/or grabbing does not seem to be more of a problem for deaf dogs than it is with… Continued
Empowerment for a Better Quality of Life
By Miki Saito When looking after a blind dog, it is vital to know his abilities as well as his challenges so we do not limit his world any more than necessary. Blind dogs still need to explore and achieve things on their own. All we have to do is set up their environment differently and approach training in a new way to ensure their safety. We need to consider the potential frustration, confusion and fear caused by the loss of vision. With this in mind we need to help… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Ken MacLeod of My Positive Pup: June 4, 2021
Ken MacLeod of My Positive Pup chats about the incredible results he got with his reactive puppy Scooter via positive reinforcement training and how they inspired him teach others. Listen to Podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click ‘Play’ below. Ken MacLeod KTA CTP of My Positive Pup is an Emmy-honored set designer, a positive reinforcement dog trainer, and a major Bruce Springsteen fan. Throughout his long career in the film industry, he designed sets for many iconic commercials, and worked on several television shows, such as Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Rain Jordan of The Fearful Dogs Project: May 29, 2021
Join Niki Tudge and Rain Jordan of The Fearful Dogs Project, as they discuss how the initiative helps dogs — and the humans who care for them — move beyond fear and enjoy their lives together with as little distress, and as much joy. as possible. Listen to Podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click ‘Play’ below. The Fearful Dogs Project is currently offering 10% off its Advanced Fear Abatement Mastery Program for PPG-member canine training professionals seeking the CFDP (Certified Fearful Dogs Professional) certification. Additional group rate… Continued
Playing It Safe
By Andrea Carne “Play with your cat more – and give him a meaty diet…” I wouldn’t be surprised if variations on this kind of advice has been given by vets and cat behavior consultants over the eons. And indeed, in addition to being supportive of feline well-being in general, a new study suggests it could also reduce hunting behavior and, perhaps more importantly for many cat guardians, reduce the number of prey animals brought home as unwanted “gifts.” The study, conducted by Martina Cecchetti and colleagues from the University… Continued
Alone Training
By Don Hanson Dogs are social animals, and most will actively seek out our companionship. They can quickly become accustomed to having their people around all the time (especially during these pandemic times when many of us are spending more time at home than usual), but this is not a necessarily good thing if they will need to spend some time on their own at some stage. And as much as we might want to believe we will always be with our dogs all the time, that scenario is improbable.… Continued
Play vs. Aggression
By Maureen Tay As a trainer, the issue of aggression is raised a lot. Indeed, it is the most commonly reported behavior issue by dog owners (Overall, 2013). One owner who contacted me recently had adopted a new dog and called me to say that the new dog and the resident dog were now growling at each other and going after each other’s legs and necks. But without being there to see the actual situation, it is obviously impossible to tell if these dogs are just playing or if there… Continued
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