The Hand-Delivered Retrieve
By Veronica Sanchez The hand-delivered retrieve is an important task for many service dogs and a wonderful skill for pet dogs. Service dogs trained to help a person who has a mobility impairment, a mental illness or a neurological condition often must be able to perform numerous retrieve-based tasks. Pet owners may want their dogs to retrieve a few items for enjoyment or to simply help out around the home. Owners who participate in Rally or other types of competitive obedience may need their dog to retrieve for performance activities.… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Joan Hunter Mayer of Transpaw Gear: April 6, 2020
Guest: Joan Hunter Mayer with Transpaw Gear, a PPG Corporate Partner. Listen to Podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click ‘Play’ below. TransPaw Gear is a small but mighty operation. Joan Hunter Mayer runs the company in addition to her Santa Barbara, California training business, The Inquisitive Canine. After early experiences working with businesses and people who brought equal parts integrity and passion to their roles, the bar was set high for future collaborators and Joan continues to surround herself (albeit largely virtually these days) with… Continued
PPG Virtual Summit Recordings Now Available!
The recordings for the PPG Virtual Summit on April 2-3, 2020, celebrating the launch of the Pet Rescue Resource, are now available. Register here for access to these eight exceptional educational experiences offering 12 hours of recordings plus Q&A sessions: Preventing and Reducing Fear in The Shelter Environment – Dr. Karolina Westlund of Illis Animal Behavior Consulting Seven Top Tips to Promote Calm in Rescue and Shelter Dogs – Dr. Nick Thompson of Holisticvet Scent Work Solutions for Dogs in Rescues and Shelters – Dr. Nick Thompson of Well Connected Canine… Continued
PPG Summit 2020 Sessions: How Can We Ask Questions from Non-Verbal Animals? Methods to Behaviorally Assess Preference in Applied Settings
BARKS presents session details from PPG’s 2020 Summit and Workshops in Phoenix, Arizona Session Details: Presenter: Dr. Alexandra Protopopova Session Title: How Can We Ask Questions from Non-Verbal Animals? Methods to Behaviorally Assess Preference in Applied Settings (Part 2) Session Type: General Session (1.5 Hours) Modern dog training recognizes that efficacy is simply not enough; ethics in dog training is equally, if not more important. A big part of being an ethical trainer is learning how to understand the animal’s point of view. Whereas using body language to gauge comfort level… Continued
A Summary of the Keeping American Workers Paid and Employed Act
By Niki Tudge Below is a broad summary of the various types of assistance and relief the recently passed legislation may provide you and your business. The situation is constantly changing so this summary is meant only as a general guide. Please check with your local authorities and your accountant for guidance specific to you and your situation. Assistance in the form of Loans: The “Keeping American Workers Paid and Employed Act” provides loan support for: Small employers with 500 employees or fewer plus businesses that meet current Small Business… Continued
Building a Shock-Free World for Pets
By Don Hanson Trainers, behavior consultants and pet professionals, the Shock-Free Coalition needs your help! Specifically, we need your help in educating your clients, colleagues, friends, and family members about the benefits of using reward-based training and the dangers of using a shock collar as a training tool. Our goal is to prepare you so that you can ask pet owners and pet care professionals, especially veterinarians and their staff, animal shelters and rescues, and other dog trainers to sign the Shock-Free Pledge. Pledge Drive The Shock-Free Coalition will be… Continued
Financial Management During Challenging Times
By Niki Tudge Keeping and maintaining accurate and timely business books is always an important function of owning your own business but this responsibility becomes especially critical during challenging times for several reasons. Operating your business without accurate GAAP financial records (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles – all modern financial bookkeeping software uses these principles or the UK equivalent) is like being in the middle of the wilderness without a map (or GPS): 1. What you measure is what you can improve so knowing what your income is and where it… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Veronica Sanchez of Cooperative Paws Service Dog Coach™: March 25, 2020
Guest: Veronica Sanchez M.Ed. CABC, CPDT-KA, founder, Cooperative Paws Service Dog Coach™ Topic: The role of service dogs; service dog training; instructor certification programs, and much more! Listen to Podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click ‘Play’ below. Veronica is known for her expertise in service dogs. She has developed a certificate program for professional dog trainers in service dog coaching and authored the book, Service Dog Coaching: A Guide for Pet Dog Trainers. Be sure to listen all the way to the end or you will miss… Continued
Self-Isolation? Don’t Forget the Furries!
What unprecedented and uncertain times we’re in. I’m speaking from the viewpoint in the the UK but COVID-19, aka the coronavirus, is now sweeping the world. Here in the UK, the situation changes daily as the number cases (and very sadly, fatalities) increases, it is ever-evolving. By the time you read this, who knows what measures will be in place. Currently we have school closures and closures of businesses that provide food, hospitality and entertainment. There are advisories on social gatherings and social distancing and possibly soon to come, enforcement… Continued
Feline Behavior Unmasked: Acting on Instinct
By Amy Martin Q: My older cat does something frustrating while eating his food. He eats some of it, then tries to cover the rest of it with miscellaneous items nearby. Sometimes he even paws at the ground around his food plate or drags his placemat across his food plate, covering it a bit. My other (younger) cat does not do this. Is it related to age? Does this behavior mean he does not like his food? A: Two of our feline family members do this too! Understanding the why… Continued
COVID-19 and Pet Dogs
(Updated 3-16-20) Coronavirus (COVID-19) has spread rapidly around the world, and on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a global pandemic, issuing daily situation reports as this is a very fluid health crisis. WHO identified 90% of cases of human infection to be in China, South Korea, Italy and Iran. The origin of this new Coronavirus strain has been identified as Wuhan city (China) and was thought to have made the jump from animals in a live-animal market to humans. The exact origin of COVID-19 is… Continued
Business Contingency Planning – Need Help?
By Niki Tudge Join us on Tuesday, March 17, 2020 to discuss all these important points and more with the experts at dog*biz. Click here to register for this interactive webinar hosted by PPG president Niki Tudge. By now, we are all well aware of the impact of the coronavirus. Things are changing rapidly, on a daily, if not hourly, basis. First off, let’s not panic! But let’s also recognize that it may get a little rough and rocky for a while. No one knows for how long, but in… Continued
Dogs in the Zone
By Barb Levenson Have you ever seen that look in your dog’s eyes? He looks at you and it feels like he truly loves you. Well, you are probably right. Scientists are discovering that we may actually be correct. Our dogs are indeed expressing their love for us. Several weeks ago I was working with my eight-month-old border collie puppy, Classy. I wanted to shape the behavior of him putting his head down while he was in his bed. In this situation I used a clicker as my marker so… Continued
Pigs at Work
By Lara Joseph Many people are astounded at the intelligence of pigs. Of all the animals that I train, one of my attractions to pigs is how quickly they learn. I had wanted to train pigs for quite a while, having been aware of their intellectual ability. I now have several who are regular clients and am contacted quite a bit for porcine behavior issues. With the latest craze for the ‘Teacup Pig’ or ‘Micro-Mini Pig’, this does raise concern. A Teacup Pig is only a Teacup when he is… Continued
PPG Summit 2020 Sessions: How Can We Ask Questions from Non-Verbal Animals? The Basic Science of Choice
BARKS presents session details from PPG’s 2020 Summit and Workshops in Phoenix, Arizona Session Details: Presenter: Dr. Alexandra Protopopova Session Title: How Can We Ask Questions from Non-Verbal Animals? The Basic Science of Choice (Part 1) Session Type: General Session (1.5 Hours) Modern dog training recognizes that efficacy is simply not enough; ethics in dog training is equally, if not more important. A big part of being an ethical trainer is learning how to understand the animal’s point of view. Whereas using body language to gauge comfort level is one method,… Continued
Sign Up for the Virtual Summit!
PPG and PPGBI are to join forces and host an international online event next month to celebrate the launch of the Pet Rescue Resource Behavior and Welfare Toolkit, a brand new product designed by PPG’s Shelter and Rescue Committee. Registration for the Virtual Summit is already open for business and you can sign up either through the PPG or PPGBI website. Registrants will gain access not only to the live event, but also to audio session recordings for their own personal use for 12 months. Read article
Building a Shock-Free World for Pets
The Shock-Free Coalition will be launching a 61-day pledge drive on April 1, 2020 and will be awarding prizes to those that get the most people to sign the pledge at https://www.shockfree.org/2020-Pledge-Drive. This event is open to anyone that has signed the Shock-Free Pledge and will end on May 31, 2020. Read article
Ask the Experts: Finding Longevity
Change is hard, especially when you’re already stretched thin. And feelings of guilt and fear are challenging to wrestle with. It’s always painful to adjust a relationship or end an era, and the fear of missing out—of leaving a void for another trainer to step into—can be paralyzing…keep in mind that while everything on your plate likely has value, that value is not all equal. You know you can’t continue to fit everything, so you must pick and choose based on how well each thing vying for your time and… Continued
A Change of Perspective
Let’s take the example of an elderly horse. An owner may base all their decisions about him with his age in mind, but there are still other things to consider. When, then, they ask questions such as, “Does the horse need a rug on or not?”, “Should he be brought in at night or not?”, or “What should he be fed?”, the answers should take into account all aspects of the horse and his environment and not just the fact that he is elderly. This would include assessing his body… Continued
Lessons from Exotics
As my experience working with this lemur pair shows, training the multiple varieties of species the exotic world encompasses helps us fine-tune our application and understanding of the Laws of Behavior: What does that behavior mean? When does the behavior happen? When doesn’t it happen? Is this a positive reinforcer or an aversive and how do I find out? Am I actually using a negative reinforcer and, if so, how can I change my approach? Read article
Reading Cats’ Minds
Has your cat shown a physical change to the way he goes about his normal daily routine? Has he stopped jumping up into his favorite chair, couch or cat tree? Often, this is the first sign that there may be some pain issues going on. Jumping hurts, so the cat simply avoids it. Has the cat’s gait changed? Does his walking style seem a little odd? Again, he may be experiencing pain and is walking in a way that helps alleviate the discomfort. Read article.
From Shelter Dog to Service Dog
Much of the debate surrounding service animals in public spaces has to do with how well-behaved the animal is and whether the animal is experiencing an undue level of stress. While many behaviors can be trained, some natural ability and inclination for the task expected of them is also required. For example, a 10-lb Chihuahua would not be expected to pull a wheelchair; and a dog uninterested in environmental noises could find it challenging to rouse from a deep sleep to alert a hearing-impaired or deaf person. Read article .
Tell Us What You Really Think
“…humans are very noun-centric. We name everything. Dogs, however, may have very little use of nouns. Instead, they may be verb- or action-centric. So, when they hear “ball” they may actually think, “get ball.” Because dogs do not have the neural real estate for language processing, it is imperative that humans use their words concisely and consistently for dogs to understand them. Speak the dog’s name, followed by a one or two-word cue. Anything more than that is a distraction and will only serve to slow down learning.” – Dr.… Continued
Message Received!
The “high squeaky voice” rule is meant to provide the dog with more motivating, stimulating auditory input that – in theory – will excite the dog in a positive way. This may or may not be true for that dog, and even if it is, the handler has to be able (and willing) to sustain that behavior…Trainers face the challenge of figuring out the dog’s preferences as well as the handler’s, and then trying to find common ground between the two. If we forget the handler’s needs as a receiver,… Continued
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