On the Danger of Dog Collars
By Karolina Westlund Ph.D. of PPG corporate partner Illis Animal Behaviour Consulting There’s a debate raging in Sweden about whether choke collars are potentially dangerous to dogs. Pros and cons of choke collars? Photo: Elf, Wikipedia Several influential dog coaches on TV use and recommend them, other experienced dog professionals argue against them. It’s currently causing all kinds of shock waves to ripple across social media, which inspired me for a blog post. I’m not a dog owner – I’ve never owned a dog. I’m guessing that in some people’s eyes, this… Continued
All Hallows and…..All Positive
By Anna Bradley October 31 (and the following week up until November 5 here in the United Kingdom) might be exciting, colourful and full of fun and entertainment, particularly for youngsters, but for pets and pet parents it can be a stressful time. The issue has been compounded in recent years, no thanks to the easy availability of fireworks and sparklers, in the UK at least, which has meant that the former are frequently released both before and after this particular period and at erratic and unpredictable times of the… Continued
Trigger Warning!
We’re all familiar with the term “threshold,” the magical line where, when kept under it, our dogs can focus and learn. During behavior consultations, the concept of a threshold and how to stay under it are, in my opinion, a trainer’s best friend. But how do we know that our dogs are actually under threshold? Certainly, we’ve all been in situations where progress, at times, looks like one step forward and two steps back. In this article, we will look at what one particular dog’s threshold looked like and how… Continued
Training Horses with Positive Reinforcement: Taking Cues from the Dog World
…horses in the wild do not have a strict dominance hierarchy, and your horse is not trying to dominate you if he does something you don’t want him to. Horses do not like physical pain any more than we do. This is not a good way to teach and horses, like any animal, are less likely to do something again if the result is pain. Ask yourself why that is. Is it because they have learned a new behavior or is it simply because they are scared of being hurt?… Continued
Helping Fearful Cats
Cats are solitary hunters and prefer to avoid threats rather than face them. They use hiding as a coping strategy to help them avoid unwanted interactions or difficult situations. Providing a safe place is one of the five pillars of a healthy feline environment, according to the American Association of Feline Practitioners and the International Society of Feline Medicine (Ellis et al., 2013). From the cat’s perspective, a safe place is somewhere secluded that they can withdraw to if they feel stressed or threatened. Since cats like to be high… Continued
Encounter with a Poisonous Toad: How Positive Cues and Scent Games Saved the Day
In the early morning hours of a wet April in 2015, I found myself rushing my gorgeous Staffordshire bull terrier Jambo to the emergency vet. As a result of what happened on that stormy night, I shared our experience and the information that my veterinarian subsequently shared with me in a BARKS blog titled How Force-Free Training Helped Save My Dog’s Life! Here is a quick recap of what occurred: After a particularly bad thunderstorm had finally dissipated, I decided to take my two dogs out for a bathroom break… Continued
A Miniature Puppet Master
By Bob McMillan I’d heard about dogs like Bentley—manipulative, ready to take over the house and quite likely the entire block, a mastermind who bends all other dogs to his will. Bentley was my first chance to observe a Svengali of the dog world in his native habitat, which in this case was in my lap in my own home, looking up at me with huge, sincere, moist brown eyes. The little guy really had me, until a better lap came along and I watched him work his mojo on… Continued
The Pet Professional Guild Position Statement on Cat Declawing
Introduction The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) believes that all cats have an intrinsic right to be treated humanely, to have each of their individual needs met, and to live in safe, enriched environments free from pain, force, and fear. Scratching is a natural feline behavior. Declawing cats for owner convenience or in an attempt to protect property, people, and other pets is both inhumane and unnecessary given that there are highly effective alternatives available to manage the behavior more appropriately and less intrusively. Studies have also shown that declawing a… Continued
Position Statement on PPG’s Pet Industry Education Mandate
The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) and its membership hold themselves accountable to a high standard of ethics, protocols and transparency. Since its inception in 2012, PPG has been unwavering and unequivocal about where it stands on equipment philosophy and training methods for pets. As such, its members are committed to the use, promotion and education of humane, scientific and effective training, care and management protocols, as espoused in PPG’s Guiding Principles (2012). While PPG has taken an exclusively force-free approach and a promise to “do no harm,” it also recognizes… Continued
PPG Summit 2020 Sessions: Bunny Cooperative Care
BARKS presents session details from PPG’s 2020 Summit and Multi-Species Workshop Events in Phoenix, Arizona Session Details: Presenter: Emily Cassell Session Title: HusBUNdry Basics: Language, Observation and Behavior in Bunny Cooperative Care Session Type: Arizona Humane Society Workshop (1.5 Hours) HusBUNdry Basics workshops will build on themselves throughout the week at Best Friends. All learners will be exposed to the basics in body language, observation skills, and common behavior objectives in rabbit cooperative care. As prey animals, rabbits often have different behavioral tendencies than dogs and cats, so learning to build… Continued
PPG Summit 2020 Sessions: Building Stronger Teams for the Shelter
BARKS presents session details from PPG’s 2020 Summit and Multi-Species Workshop Events in Phoenix, Arizona Session Details: Presenter: Sherry Woodard Session Title: Building Stronger Teams for the Shelter, Community, Rescue, Adoptions, Daily Care and Enrichment Session Type: Lecture (1.5 Hours) In the shelter environment, strong teams are important to expand every aspect of your work with animals and the community. A limited number of staff can only do so much. You can increase your effectiveness by creating teams composed of staff members, community partners and volunteers, so much more can… Continued
Pushing and Pulling are for Luggage, Not for Dogs
One of my recent puppy clients was a precocious fellow named Colt. He was hardly bigger than the family cat, and it was the first puppy the family ever had. From day one we covered all the basics of raising a puppy, with an emphasis on keeping things safe and fun, and applying the training skills in everyday life. Each time I work with a “first time puppy” family I am reminded of the enormous amount of work which is required of them, and how easily they forget what I… Continued
PPG Summit 2020 Sessions: How Emotions Impact the Outcome of Your Training
BARKS presents session details from PPG’s 2020 Summit and Multi-Species Workshop Events in Phoenix, Arizona Session Details: Presenter: Dr. Karolina Westlund Session Title: How Emotions Impact the Outcome of Your Training Session Type: Keynote Session (1.5 Hours) Emotional experiences impact brain development, personality, social skills, and stress sensitivity, and this presentation will focus specifically on how emotional reactions impact learning and performance. It will examine several of the mechanisms involved and discuss the importance of not only the animal’s emotional experience, but also the human part of the equation. The… Continued
How I TRAINED My Dog to Take a Pill
By Eileen Anderson Most of us have used the “hide it” method at one time or another to get our dogs to take pills. In fact, I wrote a whole post about some ways to sneak pills into dogs. But there’s a better way. What if you never had to hide a pill again? What if your dog would take a pill almost like a human? Instead of washing it down with a drink of water, your dog would get a favorite treat afterward instead. Pill-taking can be trained as a behavior. It… Continued
Training Tips: My Puppy Is a Scaredy Cat
By Sally Bradbury The world can be a scary place for a puppy sometimes, so it is important that we don’t put him into situations that he cannot cope with. For example, if your puppy is scared of large chubby bearded men in red coats, then you can just keep him away from the chimney on Christmas Eve. However, we also need to help him to not be scared of everyday things like the vacuum cleaner, the dog behind the fence up the road, visitors to the house…all the things… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Amy C. Martin: September 25, 2019
Guest: Amy C. Martin, the owner of Conscious Companion™, member of the PPG Cat Committee, retired zoologist, animal behavior consultant, published author, and artist. Topic: Cats, Kids, and Compassion. Education creates understanding. Understanding facilitates compassion. Compassion creates harmony. Harmony increases safety. A safe, fun, and peaceful home is a happy, harmonious home. Both cats and kids deserve this kind of home environment. We can create conditions where both cats and kids are thriving as an empowered team. By piquing curiosity, playing games, getting creative, and fostering compassion, we can bridge… Continued
Being Social…..and Polite
I have seen many posts on social media recently by dog owners regarding ‘out of control’ dogs in public spaces. I don’t recall this much of an outcry 3, 5 or way back 10 years ago, so is it really warranted? Or is it simply the case that now we have a facilitated platform for such views? It’s only a personal opinion, but in my view the simple answer is, yes, it is warranted. The great thing is that modern society largely embraces canine culture. There’s still a lot of… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Tabitha Kucera: August 22, 2019
Guest: Tabitha Kucera, Certified Cat Behavior Consultant, Co- Chair of PPG’s Feline Committee and Owner of Chirrups and Chatter Cat Behavior Consulting and Training and Positively Pawsitive Dog Behavior Consulting and Training in Cleveland, Ohio. Topic: From Hiss to Purr – Kitten Socialization. Please click here if you would like to register for Tabitha’s PPG Webinar From Hiss to Purr: Keeping Kittens in Life Long Loving Homes. We are all familiar with puppy socialization, but do not often hear about kitten socialization. Kittens need socialization too! Listen in to this… Continued
Mentoring the Next Generation of Trainers
I entered the field of dog training late in life, following my initial career in law enforcement. When I consider the things which made that 30 year career successful a long line of teachers parade through my memory and make me smile. They saw my potential, fueled my interest in learning and guided me toward my goals. They prepared me for the success which followed. At this stage in my life I think the older trainers and behavior consultants among us have an important role to play by preparing the… Continued
Resolving Destructive Behaviour in Your Pet
By Karolina Westlund Ph.D. of PPG corporate partner Illis Animal Behaviour Consulting Destructive behaviour can be extremely frustrating. Image: concept by ILLIS ABC, drawing by Pyrrth Destructive behaviour from your beloved pet can be a nuisance. Assuming there’s not an underlying medical condition or the behaviour isn’t anxiety-related, let’s look at some ways of addressing these types of behaviour, regardless of whether you’re a dog dude, a cat gal or a parrot person. Or hang out with any other critter, for that matter. I’m going to use cat furniture scratching as… Continued
Dog Play and Prediction Error
Dog play is comprised of “ritualized aggression”, and aggression is rooted in fear. In ritualized aggression, there are varying degrees of fear/stress/aversions, along the spectrum from slight stress to possibly full blown fear, that results in a fight or bite or an attempt to flee. The fun, enjoyable parts of the “dog play stress spectrum” are positively reinforced, and intrinsically so, by their very nature. These are behaviors that are reciprocated and or result in play being accepted by the other dogs. Play bows, shoulder rolls, invitations to be chased,… Continued
Four Steps to a Thriving Group Class Program
By Veronica Boutelle of PPG corporate partner, dogbiz Do any of these group training class challenges sound familiar? Students who tell you their dogs “only behave during class” or “when the trainer is around” Starting class with 6 students and ending with 3 Students who check training off their list after Puppy or Basic Manners class, never to return Cancelling or postponing classes that don’t fill in time. Teaching half-empty classes Struggling to teach students with a wide variety of skill levels and needs Fitting in make-ups for students who… Continued
Case Study: Stress and Fights in a New Home Living with Another Dog
An elderly family member is no longer able to look after her dog, so her Cairn terrier Ben has gone to live with a couple and their dog Bonnie, a Labrador cocker spaniel mix. She’s small in size, no bigger than a cocker. Fights Each dog is great individually but being together is a challenge for both of them. In the short while that Ben has been living with his new family, there have been a couple of fights and another few altercations that the owners have interrupted. Six-year-old Bonnie… Continued
From 1 to 2…Smoothing the Transition
So you’ve decided after much decision and debate that another four-legged member will join your household. It’s definitely something that needs lots of careful consideration: A quick checklist to think about: Should you choose a dog or a bitch? How does your existing dog get on with either and of course think about the obvious – is your current dog neutered? If you are going for a dog of the opposite sex and your current dog is entire, how are you going to work that out? Are you absolutely sure… Continued
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