Portland Blog Competition: Conflict vs. Cooperation
By Marie Selarque At the time of writing, Bix was almost 8 months old and was staying with me for board and train. The focus of his training was jumping and biting, but the truth is, he taught me as much as I taught him. Silly me though, I did not initially get quite enough information about his undesirable behaviors and was caught by surprise in the middle of the first night of his stay when he had vomited and I got up to clean it. I saw his “worried”… Continued
Herrnstein’s Matching Law and Reinforcement Schedules
When we bake cookies, some reinforcement is on a variable interval schedule. Have you heard trainers talking about the matching law? This post covers a bit of its history and the nuts and bolts of what it is about. I am providing this rather technical article because I want something to link to in some other written pieces about how the matching law has affected my own training of my dogs. In 1961, B.J. Herrnstein published a research paper in which there was an early formulation of what we call the matching law… Continued
Dog Adoption, Done Right
Dog adoption is near and dear to my heart, and one which, hopefully, leads to a celebration that lasts for the life of the pet. The main concern I have heard people express is that adopting a dog is likely to result in dealing with “issues” such as fear, aggression or separation anxiety. I often hear the person express a desire to buy a puppy in order to begin with a clean slate and avoid pre-existing “issues”. I appreciate that not everyone is suitable to adopting a pet with pre-existing “issues”… Continued
February 14, 2019: Australian Capital Territory Considers Making “Sentience” Law
In an Australian first, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) is currently considering the introduction of legislation that would acknowledge animal sentience, meaning that the government would, for the first time, consider animals’ feelings in addition to their physical well-being, and how these feelings may impact their welfare. Read article
An Allegory: What Happens if a Dog is Punished for Having a Phobia?
By Sandra Machado Johnny is five years old and he is a great kid. He is loving, does very well in school and absolutely adores his mom. One day he was playing in the park and was badly bitten by a spider. He was never afraid of them before until he got bitten. He became so fearful that every time he saw one he would cry, tremble and have a panic attack. He would sweat and almost faint. Almost all physiological signs of fear were present at the mere sight… Continued
Treat Value: What Should You Use?
By Yvette Van Veen Which Treat Value Is BEST? It depends. There’s so much variation in how food reinforcements are used that we have to look at the objective of the training. Generally there are two styles of training. We can primarily work in classical conditioning or we can primarily work in operant conditioning. It is correct that Pavlov is on your shoulder and Skinner is on the other. Hopefully we have a plan when training. Our plan should be clear as to which strategy we are using in the moment. You can’t… Continued
Addressing Aggression, the Force-Free Way
By Diane Garrod Reactivity is by no means necessarily an intent to do harm; the dog who hides shivering behind her owner or the dog who lashes out with growling and lunging are both experiencing the same emotion of fear. Both have the same choices that we would have for dealing with it: fight, flight, or freeze. The reaction would not be displayed in the first place if the dog were more confident in how to handle a situation. Read article
What Does “Happy” Look Like?
By Lara Joseph I think it’s fair to say that most animals in our care have their choices restricted to some degree. For example, we have to limit options for their safety. Our companion cats and dogs are often confined to the four walls of our homes and the fences in our backyards. Exotics, both in the home and in educational organizations, are often restricted to cages within four walls. Many of them are undomesticated animals that have naturally evolved to navigate miles of land or fly vast distances. These… Continued
Protecting Your Business
By David Pearsall Unfortunately, most general liability policies contain exclusions for personal property in the insured’s care, custody, or control. And for many types of businesses this would be okay. However, for the professional dog trainer, (or pet sitter, dog walker or boarding facility), it is perhaps the most significant exposure of all. This is because dogs are considered personal property under the law. Without including this coverage under your general liability policy, you simply have no insurance for the dogs in your care. Read article
Calm Vet Visits
By Victoria Blais For cats, less really is more. This means less noise, less handling, less restraint, fewer loud voices, fewer odors, fewer bright colors, and fewer lights. When I arrive for at the veterinarian’s office for an appointment, I call from the parking lot, so we can directly enter the cat-only exam room. Next, we take five to 10 minutes to acclimate, accompanied by low volume relaxing instrumental music, soft exam surfaces, pheromones, and choices. We have the choice of treats or toys, to explore or to retreat, to… Continued
A Better Dog-Human Understanding
By Susan Nilson We may assume that a free-ranging dog lives unhappily without a human family. In some instances, this may be the case. But we also need to remember that free-ranging dogs have a lot of freedom that dogs living as companions, say pets, do not necessarily have. Free-ranging dogs have the privilege of deciding their daily actions and habits and displaying behaviors according to their personalities. Their sociality, and in some cases sexual conduct, are not, or are just minimally, conditioned by humans. Read article
The Durability of “Dominance”
By Anna Bradley The internet is great because there’s so much knowledge out there, but here’s the caveat – is it always good knowledge? Of course not. Miller (2018) states: “The alpha myth is everywhere. Google “alpha, dog” on the Internet and you get more than 16 million hits. Really. While not all the sites are about dominating your dog, there are literally millions of resources out there – websites, books, blogs, television shows, animal care and training professionals – instructing you to use force and intimidation to overpower your… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Dr. Nathan Hall: February 7, 2019.
Guest: Dr. Nathan Hall, assistant professor of companion animal science at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, and the director of the canine olfaction research and education laboratory in the department of animal science. Topic: Understanding Gene-Behavior Relationships in Domestic Dogs. Dr. Hall’s PPG Annual Summit, presentation. Canine Aggression & Bite Prevention Education Seminar, April 2019 Portland, OR. Listen to the Recorded Podcast here
Tips for Working with Clients with Mobility Impairments
By Veronica Sanchez A large and rambunctious dog can pull an owner off their feet, even if they do not have any physical limitations. However, people who have mobility impairments are at a higher risk. Additionally, the consequences of an injury may be more serious. Fortunately, there are a variety of strategies that can help clients with mobility limitations be successful in training their dogs to walk on a loose leash. Many people may experience a mobility limitation, including people with disabilities, people with temporary health injuries as well as… Continued
Portland Blog Competition: May I Speak to the Manager?
By Tina Ferner Last week, I received a voicemail that a trainer NEVER wants to hear. It went like this, “Tina, this is Eileen. Dolly just killed Miley.” Dolly was a rescued mixed breed dog that weighed approximately 65 pounds while Miley was a Maltese mix that weighed 8 pounds. There had been problems in the past with resource guarding and several “scuffles” between the two dogs. After our initial consultation, Eileen and I had mapped out a management plan. This plan involved leashes, gates, crates and securely closed doors.… Continued
The What, Where and When of Rewards
By Lily Mickleburgh The use of rewards in dog training is becoming increasingly popular as an effective way of encouraging desired behaviours. However, subtle differences in what you use as a reward, where and when you reward them, can all change depending on your end goal. This may also vary depending on breed traits, age of the dog and whether you want to build energy or encourage calm in your goal behaviour. WHAT is the motivator? Toys are a great way of building energy and enthusiasm for something like heel work or recall,… Continued
January 28, 2019: New Study Examines Adult Womens’ Sleep Quality, Routines in Relation to Pet Ownership
Scientists have gathered data to investigate whether the presence of a pet in the bed impacts human sleep quality either positively or negatively, and found that “dogs who slept in the owner’s bed were perceived to disturb sleep less and were associated with stronger feelings of comfort and security. Conversely, cats who slept in their owner’s bed were reported to be equally as disruptive as human partners, and were associated with weaker feelings of comfort and security than both human and dog bed partners.” Read study
Dogs and Marshmallows
I’ve been interested in dogs and self-restraint for as long as I have trained dogs. So, several years ago, a friend and I applied an adapted version of the Marshmallow Test to her guide dog. Alberta passed with flying colors. Her current guide, Koala, also aced the test. For decades, the Marshmallow Test has been a sort of shorthand for self-restraint; it was thought to predict all sorts of things, like whether a person would do well on SATs or succeed in saving enough for retirement. In the spring, I… Continued
Dog Owner Confidence Crash!
There’s so much written about emotions of our dogs, how they’re thinking and what they’re feeling in various provocative situations and scenarios, but sometimes I think we, the dog owners, may end up being a little neglected! You can’t successfully help dogs with behavioral or training issues alone; you also have to see how they interact with their owner/dog guardian and what that relationship is. It’s a complex dynamic. One component of that incredibly complicated relationship I want to bring to the fore here though is confidence – one small… Continued
Winter Hiking Tips for You and Your Dog
Winter is here, but that doesn’t mean you and your dog need to stay inside. A dog needs both physical and mental daily exercise. Hiking with your dog in the winter can be a lot of fun. But, before you walk out the front door with your dog in tow, you and your dog need to be prepared for your winter hike. Below are some suggestions to get you and your dog ready for your Arctic adventure. Physical Abilities– Before setting up to climb Mount Everest, you want to truly… Continued
Getting Started with Touch Cues
By Debbie Bauer There are two types of touch cues – these are cues that you give to your dog by touching various parts of his body in different ways, to mean different things. If your dog can’t see or hear you cues, touch cues give you the perfect way to begin communicating with him. Having a way to communicate is crucial to living in harmony with your dog. You can tell him what to expect to happen, and how you want him to respond. And your dog will feel… Continued
A Quadrant by Any Other Name is Still a Cornerstone of Operant Learning
This 2003 edition book is $4.89 on Amazon. Contents: priceless. There is a science that deals directly with how organisms learn and how to use that information to change the environment in order to change behavior. It’s called applied behavior analysis (ABA). It is the applied version of behavior analysis, which was referred to as the experimental analysis of behavior earlier in the 20th century. It is descended from the work of the behaviorists such as Skinner and is a sub-discipline of psychology. It is a rich field of study.… Continued
Getting Scientific about Dominance
By Don Hanson What we know about the science of canine behavior and dog training is continually evolving. As such, every year I like to select a new book to recommend to my students, my staff, area veterinarians, and my colleagues that I feel will be the most beneficial to them and their dogs. This year I have chosen Dog Smart: Evidence-based Training with The Science Dog by Linda P. Case. At the beginning of her book, Case states she has two primary objectives: “…to provide accurate summaries of some… Continued
Give New Pets Time to Adjust
Getting a new pet is exciting and family members may feel eager to get started with all the fun they have imagined having with their new addition. That is certainly how I felt about every new animal which I took into my care over the years. Even though the new pet may well be in a better place than previously, this is a significant change for animals and people alike. Planning ahead can help avoid pitfalls. Considering the needs of the specific species is a good first step, and the… Continued
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