Behind the Scenes
By Frania Shelley-Grielen Americans love pets. We love them so much that most of us, or 68 percent of us, live with them. That’s 85 million families according to the 2017-2018 National Pet Owners’ Survey (American Pet Products Association, 2018). Cats are our number one pet because we usually have more than one, but more of us have dogs. That makes 60 million dog-owning families with 90 million dogs at home and 47 million cat-owning families with 94 million cats at home. With so many pets in so many doggedly… Continued
Conditioning Confidence
By Vicki Ronchette Whether or not you are bringing home a new baby bird, a rehomed adult bird or just want to upgrade your current bird’s cage, it is important to put some thought into your cage set up. There is a lot to consider when putting together a bird’s cage. This not only includes the size and shape of the cage, but what it is made out of, how you will outfit it and where it will go in your home. If you have done any research on how… Continued
Successful Cage Set-Ups
By Vicki Ronchette Whether or not you are bringing home a new baby bird, a rehomed adult bird or just want to upgrade your current bird’s cage, it is important to put some thought into your cage set up. There is a lot to consider when putting together a bird’s cage. This not only includes the size and shape of the cage, but what it is made out of, how you will outfit it and where it will go in your home. If you have done any research on how… Continued
From the Horse’s Mouth
By Dr. Lisel O’Dwyer Since I began clicker training, I have observed horse owners have a few misconceptions about clicker training, such as:• Hand feeding is dangerous, making the horse mouthyClicker training is the best way to deal with a mouthy horse because it clarifies the expectations the handler has for the horse’s taking food.• What happens if I don’t have a clicker with me? Or I don’t want to carry a clicker and treats with me when I am riding. Or I want my horse to do as he… Continued
Notacatperson
By Caroline Kocman When one knows and understands how an animal communicates, it becomes easier to appreciate that creature. Cats have their own communication system that is both similar and disparate from that of other animals. Cats communicate with eyes, ears, mouth, whiskers, tail, body position, and vocalizations. Communication is expressed in actions as well. While, then, one may perceive a cat’s actions as being “aloof,” there may be far more that is being communicated. In an effort to understand the feline better, it is essential to separate fact from fiction.… Continued
Don’t Believe the Hype
By Eileen Anderson A typical product description for an electronic fence will say it is safe and simple. Its references to the collar will make it seem like it is comfortable for the dog. It will highlight the dog’s enjoyment of his yard. When describing the deterrent effect, it might say the dog will hear a sound as he approaches the wireless fence and then receive a static correction, avoiding the word shock, and implying that what the dog feels is a mild sensation. The implication is that the product… Continued
When Food Toys “Fail”
By Eileen Anderson How many of us have heard about food-toy failures from our friends and clients? “I tried the Kong with my puppy, but she didn’t like it,” or, “My dog is not smart enough for those puzzle toys!”…The most common problem with food toys is that the dog lacks the skills to get to the food and the owner does not understand how to teach him.Many food toys come with no instructions for the naive dog. For instance, toys that have a cavity that can be filled with… Continued
Five Days from Fear to Fun – Classical Counterconditioning
By Yvette Van Veen I decided to spend some recent holiday time working on a whistle recall. This is when a dog learns to come to the sound of a whistle. Pamela Dennison has a number of resources on how to teach this skill for anyone who might be interested. Unlike other whims, I remembered to grab my camera. When I blew the whistle for the first time, Karma tucked her tail and ran. I probably should have been a bit more thoughtful in my introduction of the whistle. However,… Continued
Dogs CAN Learn That … and That, and That!
Do you know anyone who has more than one service dog because “one dog couldn’t be taught to do all the tasks” that person needs? Have you ever heard a dog owner (or worse, trainer) claim that dogs “can’t learn” to distinguish similar commands or tasks or learn multiple related tasks — for instance, detection of more than one type of drug or contraband or … the list of things that people claim dogs “can’t learn” is endless. And mostly wrong. “Our conservation detection dogs are agile, portable, and endlessly… Continued
September 25, 2018: New Study on Canine Communication Says More Investigation Still Needed
New study aims to “provide an overview of the recent literature about dog communication, describing the different nature of the signals used in conspecific and heterospecific interactions and their communicative meaning” and concludes that: “Dogs have a vast repertoire of visual, tactile, acoustic, and olfactory signals that they use for an expressive and fine-tuned communication with both conspecifics and humans. Nevertheless, the communicative importance of the different body parts in social interactions still remains poorly investigated.” Read study.
The Power of Desensitization
Desensitization is a tool I use in my armory virtually every day – it’s ultra powerful, versatile and it works well, that is IF it’s applied correctly! Here I’m going to take a look at this ‘behaviour fixer’ in a bit more detail because if it’s worked with in the right way, you’re just not going to get the results you want and even worse, the dog may relapse. What’s Desensitization Anyway? I have a definition that I use for Desensitization or (to give it it’s full name) Systematic Desensitization.… Continued
Ringing the Bell to Go Out: Avoid These 4 Common Errors!
Zani learns to ring the bells This post is for the people who have tried–and failed–to teach their dogs to ring a bell to go outside. I suspect there are a lot of bell ringing failures out there. Not that it’s so hard to teach a dog to poke a bell with his nose or paw. But it can be tricky to teach him when to do it, to let him know that this is a way to communicate with you about a certain thing. I went through the top hits… Continued
September 19, 2018: Pet Professional Guild Celebrates Shock-Free Coalition with Photo/Video Competition Showcasing Force-Free Training
By Pet Professional Guild The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) has marked November 17, 2018 as the International Day of Advocacy to celebrate the first anniversary of the official launch of its international advocacy initiative, the Shock-Free Coalition. The focal point of the celebration will be Let’s Celebrate +R, a photo and video competition where pet professionals and enthusiasts can showcase the best of positive reinforcement-based pet training and education. Let’s Celebrate +R will run from seven days prior to seven days post November 17. Entry will be via both PPG’s North America/International and Europe websites with prizes issued… Continued
Targeting Like a Pro
By Lara Joseph I have worked with several birds that have been labeled aggressive. One of the first things I teach them is to target. If I ever find myself in an accidental or uncomfortable situation, I can quickly rely on the former target training to guide that bird’s beak, or animal’s mouth or feet away from me so I can get myself out of a compromising position. This works very well and prevents the need to use force in trying to avoid anything worse occurring. Before targeting a raptor or… Continued
A Two-Way Conversation
By Kathie Gregory What is often missing in the horse human relationship is “conversation.” In many instances, communication with a horse often involves telling him what to do. If he does not comply, he is told again, sometimes in a stronger manner, which may also include force or punishment. Unfortunately, taking the time to listen to what a horse is saying, to understand him and adjust for his response, is usually a strategy more often employed when working with dogs than horses. Whilst some horses are seen as companions and… Continued
Money in the Bank
By Patience Fisher People often assume their cats are fine because they are not doing anything to upset the people in the home. Cats avoid broadcasting stress—in terms of survival, showing weakness could be fatal and result in them being preyed upon. We see this when medical problems remain hidden for weeks as the cat quietly copes. In the same vein, cats will often cope with stress caused by environmental factors. Cats in over-crowded conditions, or with too few litter boxes, poorly placed litter boxes, too few hiding places or… Continued
Adapting To Change
By Lara Joseph …changes outside the everyday routine, such as traveling or having visitors, can be a huge source of stress…Cats and dogs aside, think of how we keep other species of animals, either at home or at educational facilities. Many of these animals spend the majority of their lives in an enclosure, mostly for their own safety, and there are some important questions we need to be asking. Do their environments change? Do some of the challenges they face on a daily basis compare with or complement how they… Continued
The Human Impact
By Anna Bradley As dog owners, trainers, and behavior consultants, we have a deep empathy with our dogs and, consequently, we understand how troubling struggling to cope with a given situation, context, event etc. may be for our dogs. What though, do we feel? I think sometimes this aspect is neglected, but it very much shouldn’t be. It is a very important aspect of behavior therapy to address the human as well as the animal slant. Frustration, sadness, hopelessness, failure, embarrassment, pity, even anger are just a few of the… Continued
What the Experts Say about BSL
By BARKS from the Guild Scientists, canine behavior and training professionals, animal welfare associations and veterinary behavior bodies worldwide have all contributed to the debate surrounding Breed Specific Legislation (BSL), and much literature is available detailing the reasons why it has been shown to be ineffective in dog bite prevention and improving the safety of the public at large. In its Position Statement on BSL, PPG announces its opposition of any law or regulation that discriminates against dogs purely because of their breed or appearance, stating that a neutral approach… Continued
Canine Car Anxiety
By Lori Nanan Many people are left scratching their heads when it comes to car sickness and anxiety. It often feels much like a chicken or egg question: which came first? Why is my dog getting sick in the car? Is it because he’s anxious about being in the car and this makes him feel sick? Or is my dog suffering from motion sickness and has become anxious in the car because of this?…Before moving forward in the plan, it is important that we are doing so based on observation… Continued
Ideas for Touch Signs to Use
By Debbie Bauer You can give touch cues in many ways – you can use your hands, your feet, your body, your breath, the equipment you use with your dog, an extended touch stick, etc. Any way that you can make contact with your dog’s body to provide information can become a touch cue. The most common way I communicate with my blind/deaf dogs is with my hands. I do give certain cues with my feet because it is easier for me than bending or because it blends more perfectly… Continued
Appearances Can Be Deceiving
Adoption is a popular option among many families who wish to bring a dog into their lives. Sometimes, their goal may be to adopt a specific breed. Science Daily defines “A dog breed is a group of dogs that have very similar or nearly identical characteristics of appearance or behavior or, usually, both, primarily because they come from a select set of ancestors who had the same characteristics.” Many of us have our favorites and mine happens to be Labradors. Of the five Labs I have lived with the last… Continued
September 13, 2018: Pet Professional Guild Response to Joint Industry Code of Conduct
“While PPG commends the initial move made jointly by the IAABC, APDT and CCPDT, it calls for a bigger initial step to be made. Surely all professionals involved in the training, care and management of pets can agree that there is never a scenario, morally or ethically, where the implementation of electric shock can ever be justified or deemed necessary. PPG thus proposes an alternative first step: that electric shock is taken off the table once and for all.” Read full response here.
Pet Professional Guild Response To Joint Industry Code of Conduct
Official Pet Professional Guild (PPG) response to the announcement (September 11, 2018) by the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC), the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT), and the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT) that they have combined to adopt a unified Code of Conduct, a Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice for professional animal behavior consultants and trainers. Download the pdf. PPG wishes to acknowledge the efforts of all those who participated in the development of the combined Code of Conduct, Code of Ethics and… Continued
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