Creating Positive Workspaces
It goes without saying that quiet and calm creates an environment which is more conducive to learning. Pick your time when the kids are least likely to be running wild and other family members need your attention. Cut off background noise from TVs, radios and other obvious external stimuli. For dogs who are particularly sound sensitive, think too about less obvious stimuli such as household appliances such as dishwashers, microwaves, cookers, home entertainment, washing machines etc. All of these devices may contribute to an inability to concentrate, especially if your… Continued
Troubleshooting the Hand-Delivered Retrieve
There are many different ways to train a dog to hold a retrieve item in their mouth. One approach involves shaping and differentially marking and rewarding for increasing duration. This approach requires very precise marking. Another strategy often used to build duration involves combining a chin rest with the “take” cue. Yet another approach involves tugging on the item immediately after the dog takes it. Most dogs will pull back in response to the tugging, and this gives the trainer an opportunity to mark and reward for a firmer and… Continued
Harassment in the Workplace
…so much more is needed in terms of education, reporting procedures and protection for individuals not shielded by corporate harassment policies. How, then, does one get help as an independent and small business owner when predatory behavior flies just below the legal radar or when an individual is not sure what constitutes harassment, sexual or otherwise?…As a businesswoman who has had multiple contacts with professionals, over many years, I have heard directly from multiple victims of harassment, social bullying and sexual harassment across a range of disciplines in many industries.… Continued
Phoenix Blog Competition: Where Hope Lives
By Heddie Leger Hope comes in many ways, shapes and forms. We are encouraged in life to never give up Hope. It was a rainy stormy day. A medium sized, white dog was spotted wandering the school yard going from door to door. Every once in while she could be seen sitting by a certain door. She did not appear frightened or scared and most folks thought she had just wandered from her home and was looking for a child in her family. After several hours passed, a kind woman… Continued
PPG Summit 2020 Sessions: Foundation Training Skills to Prepare Dogs for Future Learning After Adoption
BARKS presents session details from PPG’s 2020 Summit and Workshops in Phoenix, Arizona Session Details: Presenter: Emily Larlham Session Title: Foundation Training Skills to Prepare Dogs for Future Learning After Adoption Session Type: Arizona Humane Society Workshop (1.5 Hours) When working with a shelter dog, we always hope that the people adopting the dog will not only provide a safe loving home but also teach their dog skills to help him thrive and fit in with the family’s lifestyle. A skilled trainer can easily teach a dog new skills and… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Coleen Ellis of Coleen Rocks: May 8, 2020
Join Niki Tudge as she hosts Coleen Ellis from Coleen Rocks to talk about how to get your business “Future Ready.” Listen to Podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click ‘Play’ below. Ready to be inspired and energized? In this interactive dynamic discussion you will learn how to think about your marketing from a different perspective. We will discuss the importance of “Honoring Your Story” to understanding the “Experience Economy” and how to use these to get your business Future Ready. Ever wondered about the importance… Continued
Tell Us What You Really Think
By Susan Nilson and Angelica Steinker Amongst dog trainers and enthusiasts, Dr. Gregory Berns is probably best known for his pioneering work that specializes in the use of brain imaging technologies to gain a greater understanding of canine motivation and decision-making. For the last three years, Berns’ team at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia have used positive reinforcement to train a group of volunteer dogs to remain still during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)*. As the dogs are awake during the entire fMRI process, Berns and his colleagues are provided… Continued
Teaching Recall: A New Standard
A favorite expression amongst pet trainers is that we should aim to have a “constructional approach” to changing behavior. This means we should be working to build the most appropriate behaviors rather than focusing on a punitive approach toward what humans consider to be annoying or frustrating behaviors their pets may, at times, exhibit. As such, rather than punishing a particular behavior, we must ask this simple question: What behavior would we prefer the pet to perform as an alternative in this situation? Once we have identified this, we can… Continued
Everything Was Fine Until…
I’m reminded of a young dog who had been housebroken, but suddenly began to refuse to go out in the backyard and would urinate in the home as soon as she had a chance to do so unobserved. The veterinary exam had shown nothing unusual, the diet had not been changed, work schedules the same, no new additions or losses to the household, etc. Watching the dog as the client and I talked, I noticed that every tiny sound outside the consultation room was registering with the dog. Her ears… Continued
Setting the Right Criteria
Why do trainers and dogs reach these impasses? When progress plateaus, trainers begin to consider more invasive measures. Dogs risk being sent to boot camps and being subjected to shock or prong collars because “treat training” didn’t work. The problem is rarely motivation, of course, or the effectiveness of positive reinforcement. The problem is the trainer’s inability to set appropriate criteria…The ability to set good criteria isn’t just for jumpy, mouthy dogs who find themselves in a shelter environment. It is even more important in cases of fear and aggression.… Continued
Learning to Love the Business Side of Your Business
Here’s the honest truth – it’s hard to run a successful business. Let’s face it, you got into this because you want to help people and their animals have a more fulfilling life together, right? You have the passion, dedication, commitment, and interest. But knowing what your vocation is, can be quite different to knowing how to turn it into a reliable and stable source of income…Price setting is a tricky part of running a business, not least because the whole issue of money and worth can be caught up… Continued
E-Fence Fallout
Labradoodle Charlee…started to respond fearfully when the telephone answering machine beeped. She became afraid to enter the room where it was located, even when there was no beeping sound. She traversed a roundabout route through the house just to avoid that room. Her fear further generalized to beeping sounds on television programs, but the most “heartbreaking” response was when the smoke detector battery died and the device emitted a constant screeching beep which terrified Charlee. Read article
Goals in Dog Training: Outcome or Behavior – Which Do You Control?
By Niki Tudge One of the most common mistakes we see dog training professionals make is to try to impart their goals upon their clients. For example, you may feel that pet dogs should behave in a certain way, have specific skills, do certain tasks or not do other things such as climb on furniture or jump at you on arrival. News flash: Your clients may not want any of these things, they may have quite different opinions and therefore goals. To get everyone on the same page and to… Continued
PPG Summit 2020 Sessions: Tell Me Who You Are – Understanding the Individual Dog
BARKS presents session details from PPG’s 2020 Summit and Workshops in Phoenix, Arizona Session Details: Presenter: Suzanne Clothier Session Title: Tell Me Who You Are – Understanding the Individual Dog Session Type:Lecture/LAB – 8 handler/dog teams (1.5 Hours) Each dog presents a unique blend of genetics, history, learning and experience, temperament, preferences, abilities and limits. Humane training is possible when we understand each dog in a nuanced way that reflects who they are as a social, cognitive, emotional and physical being. The more deeply we can understand the individual dog, the… Continued
Phoenix Blog Competition: Mookie’s Tale
By Kim Geisert The gray and white male pit bull was covered in blood. It was flowing down his face, running from the punctures in his forelegs and neck, and streaming from where the tip of his ear had been severed. He limped toward me, but was otherwise unexpectedly calm, considering the obvious trauma he had just experienced. We were at the neighborhood park, on one of the hottest July days on record, and both of our lives were about to change forever. At the time, I had been involved… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Dr. Zazie Todd of Companion Animal Psychology: April 28, 2020
Niki Tudge chats to Dr. Zazie Todd about her new book, Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy. Dr. Todd is well-known among pet professionals for her blog Companion Animal Psychology, but she is also a featured blogger on Psychology Today. 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… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Dr. Hannah Capon of Canine Arthritis Management: April 27, 2020
How much do you not know, but need to know, about canine arthritis, a disease that can affect four out of five older dogs? Join Niki Tudge as she chats to Dr. Hannah Capon of PPG corporate partner Canine Arthritis Management (CAM) about this illness and how you can make changes in your living environment to help with pain management and thus achieve a better quality of life. Listen to Podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click ‘Play’ below. CAM aims to challenge arthritis as… Continued
PPG Summit 2020 Sessions: Canine Welfare – What Is It and How Do We Measure It?
BARKS presents session details from PPG’s 2020 Summit and Workshops in Phoenix, Arizona Session Details: Presenter: Dr. Lisa Gunter Session Title: Canine Welfare – What Is It and How Do We Measure It in the Animal Shelter? Session Type: General Session Lecture (1.5 Hours) Considerable progress has been made to improve the outcomes for dogs arriving to animal shelters, resulting in substantial increases in the number of dogs adopted and returned to their owners as well as reductions in euthanasia. Over this time, the role of the animal shelter has changed… Continued
Dog Trainers: Still Here to Help – Virtually!
Progressively, over the last couple of months, I have seen my client contact change dramatically. Classes, in-person 1-to-1 training sessions, day training, board and train etc…all of this physical, hands-on work has had to end due to COVID-19. Of course, the social aspect for us and our dogs has also come to an abrupt stop. No longer do we have access to that unique rapport with clients and no longer do our dogs have that option to form friendships, bond and learn about social interaction at training classes. For those… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Dr. Kristina Spaulding of Smart Dog Training and Behavior: April 22, 2020
Guest Dr. Kristina Spaulding chats with Niki Tudge about her calling to animal behavior, science and its role in informing practitioners, and much more. Listen to Podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click ‘Play’ below. Dr. Kristina Spaulding operates Smart Dog Training and Behavior, which opened its doors in 2001 and quickly grew to become one of the most well-respected dog training and behavior resources in the area of Saratoga County in upstate New York. Dr. Spaulding holds a Ph.D. in biopsychology and is a Certified… Continued
Message Received!
By Suzanne Clothier At the heart of any relationship is communication. On so many levels, how effectively we communicate plays a huge role in the quality, tenor and overall success of a relationship. As psychologist and family therapist pioneer Virginia Satir (1998) states: “Communication is to . . . relationships . . . as breathing is to life.” As a trainer, my goal is to find the communication approach that serves the human, the dog, and the relationship. I need to recognize what works well for that specific team, and… Continued
E-Fence Fallout
By Daniel Antolec My clients Maggie and George* had both grown up with dogs. Now, as a married couple, they were ready for a puppy of their own. In 2009, they bought a house with a large lot that was ideal for a dog and joyful labradoodle, Charlee, thus entered their lives. As the house was located along a busy boulevard they, of course, wanted to keep Charlee safe while enjoying the yard, so they considered installing either a physical fence or an electronic containment system (ECS). Building a physical… Continued
Tips to Help Your Reactive Dog
As a certified canine behavior consultant I enjoy working with “reactive” dogs. Yes, I said enjoy. Helping a dog and their guardian overcome this common behavioral issue is truly joyful for everyone involved. This is a long post…entire books have been written on this topic after all. I want to give you some virtual help during the global pandemic which has us sheltering at home. So feel free to get a cup of coffee or tea and then continue reading. What “reactive” means This refers to canine behavior in which a… Continued
Quick Cat Behavior Tip: Destructive Scratching
By the Pet Professional Guild Cat Committee Important Reminders about the Behavior Scratching is a normal, natural behavior for cats that serves many purposes: To communicate and modulate social interactions with other cats by: o Leaving behind a long-lasting visual mark (claw marks) and an olfactory mark by way of the interdigital glands. o Being seen physically marking an area (e.g., a confident, assertive cat might scratch in front of a less confident cat). To remove the layered sheaths that comprise the claws (claw maintenance). To stretch the muscles in the backs,… Continued
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