The Need for Self-Care
By Sheelah Gullion As pet professionals, many of us have pets with issues, be they behavioral or medical. Some of us got into the business because of a pet with issues. We wanted to learn how to succeed with that pet and then we wanted to share what we learned. But our industry seems to be unique in that we work largely alone, with little or no support to speak of, using our skills and our emotions, and though the focus is almost always on the pet (dog trainer, dog… Continued
Stimulation for Psittacines
By Amy Martin Imagine yourself sitting on a wooden chair in a room that is no more than 6 feet by 6 feet. There are no windows. You cannot leave and no one ever visits you. You have no radio, television, phone or internet. Someone offers you the same food in the same bowl every morning and evening. Your physical exercise consist only of shifting your weight in the chair. What do you think would eventually happen to your mind and body after a day, a week, a month and,… Continued
Scratch Here, Not There
By Patience Fisher Cats are almost as easy to train to use a scratching post as they are to use a litter box…Cats need to scratch for physical, mental, and social reasons. Scratching enables cats to shed the outer sheath of their claws, to maintain claw health. Sinking the claws in and stretching is also beneficial for the cat’s muscles. Scratching is a natural way for a cat to maintain mental health, especially during stressful times and is a way for a cat to help herself relax. As already mentioned,… Continued
Human vs. Canine Behavior: A Brief Comparison
By Joanne Ometz “The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog.” – Mark Twain This quote has become ubiquitous. It is on coffee mugs, bumper stickers, and T-shirts. But why do so many people feel this way about members of our own species? And why do we attribute such high standards of behavior to our canine companions? Some say dogs are more pure; they love unconditionally and are always there for us. But when it comes to each other, are they really any “better” than us? As a… Continued
The Elephant on the Stairs
By Bob McMillan For the dog owner, the experiences of James Howard Williams are an inspiration not only to train their dogs without force, but to learn and respect the ways of their animal friends…Williams tried something never before done with elephants. He and his workers carved a series of crude “steps” up the face of the soft, limestone cliffs. Then he had to convince the elephants to use them. The way up was barely wide enough for an elephant. It would have to be taken one precarious step at… Continued
BARKS Podcast with David Shade – August 1, 2018
Guest: David Shade of At Attention Dog Training; United States military veteran. Topics: Shade’s articles in BARKS, The Best I Can Be and Lulu’s Lottery: Life Lessons from a Boxer, that detail his journey, which started out using aversive methods, to becoming the force-free trainer he is today; and how his boxer, Lulu, saved his life – twice. Listen here.
Pain Underlying
By Dr. Lynn Bahr Pain is not a symptom that exists alone. Other problems associated with pain can include fatigue, withdrawal from activity and increased need to rest, and changes in mood, including fear, depression, anxiety, irritability and stress. In humans, we know that long-term pain has a profound effect on quality of life and we might assume the same holds true for animals. Aside from the physical suffering that it causes, there are also psychological and personality effects associated with chronic pain. Read more.
The Power of Water
By Charlotte Pimm In conjunction with veterinary treatment, hydrotherapy can improve the quality and rate of healing following surgery and traumatic injury while also helping with the treatment of medical conditions by reducing pain and swelling…Warm water increases the circulation of the blood to the muscles, which increases the supply of oxygen and nutrients and flushes away waste products. This leads to muscle relaxation and a reduction in pain and stiffness. Improved circulation reduces swelling around the injured area and enhances healing. Read more.
August 2, 2018: Netherlands Prohibits Use of Prong Collars
According to the Federation of European Companion Animal Veterinary Associations, Netherlands law on animal welfare now considers it an “act of animal cruelty” to “use or tether an animal with an object with sharp spikes or prongs that can cause pain.” Read article. See also Why Prong Is Wrong – Physically and Psychologically
Ask Your Dog Questions – Overshadowing 2
By Yvette Van Veen How to ask your dog questions…overshadowing part two. My last blog introduced the concept of overshadowing by offering a simple example to illustrate the point. For an explanation of the concept, you can read that blog here. But that basic understanding doesn’t go far enough in my opinion. Many unusual variations exist and can interfere with training. To recap, animals are more likely to attach meaning to information that is more important and noticeable – the more “salient.” Abstract variations can be hard to spot. It’s… Continued
Teaching Trailer Loading
By Kathie Gregory Not all horses automatically enjoy the process of going into a trailer, yet in an emergency it may be essential for them to do so…Think of fun ways to teach these things. You may be interested in agility, tricks, or creating a routine to a piece of music. We do all these things with dogs to interest and engage them, so think about how to apply that to your horse. If your horse likes movement, you may look at agility or hoofwork to music as a starting… Continued
A Safe Escape
By Dr. Lisel O’Dwyer Entering and standing in a small, often dark, enclosed space is completely against the average horse’s instincts which is why we need to actually spend time training them to load. Much of trailer training does not involve the actual trailer–the horse should be confident about stepping onto wooden boards and tarps, entering narrow or dark spaces, and moving forward away from light pressure on the halter or on his rump or tail. Target training is a highly useful skill in these situations, and either a nose target… Continued
Get A Successful Start—Today and Every Day
By Veronica Boutelle As small business owners we live with never-ending to-do lists and a constant frustration that there aren’t more hours in the day. While we can’t do anything about that last complaint, it turns out that how we use the first hour of each day can significantly improve the productivity of the rest. Many successful people and “success gurus” have weighed in on how to use that first hour. While there’s no consensus about the one best way to start the workday, there are several strategies to experiment… Continued
Managing Expectations
A wonderful Australian study published July 6 looks at the expectations of potential dog adopters and considers them in light of the potential adopters’ previous dog ownership experience (or lack thereof). It’s a nice look at what people are thinking as they contemplate adopting a dog and whether their expectations are realistic. The authors look at high rates of dog ownership — and satisfaction with dog ownership, as well as at high rates of relinquishment of dogs. Seeking to understand these numbers, they asked prospective dog owners about the expected… Continued
BARKS Podcast “Let’s Opinionate” with Veronica Boutelle & Gina Phairas – July 19, 2018
Guests: Veronica Boutelle & Gina Phairas of PPG Corporate Partner dogbiz. Topics: Would you like some tips on how to successfully grow your business? Get some tips from the experts at dogbiz! Listen here. Subscribe to BARKS Podcasts on YouTube and Vimeo.
Multinational Canine Behaviour Modification
Over the last two years or so, my behaviour practice has welcomed more and more dogs from overseas. Sometimes these are canines with profound behavioural difficulties. I have always assisted several imported dogs per year but there seems to have been an explosion of dogs from a variety of countries, thanks to the efforts of many local and larger International welfare charities rescuing such animals from dire conditions. So this year alone, I have assisted dogs from USA, Russia, various countries in Africa, India, Romania and many European countries. The… Continued
Does Ignoring an Unwanted Behavior Really Work?
By Debbie Bauer I often hear the advice given to ignore the behavior we don’t like and it will go away. But is this really true? In my experience, and in the experience of many others, ignoring a behavior does not cause it to go away. In many instances, ignoring can even cause the behavior we are trying to get rid of to escalate. Ignoring a behavior can cause it to escalate. If we are trying to ignore a behavior and it escalates, we will often at some point give… Continued
Pet Guardians Need Help Finding Professionals
As a professional dog trainer taking behavioral cases I see how confusing it can be for pet owners to know what sort of help they need and where to find it. Lack of regulation and transparency in the industry can lead pet guardians into pitfalls. This happened to a client whose dog was fearful of other dogs during leash walks. He would bark and lunge, but then retreat. The owner sought help from a trainer who took her dog into his care for several days. The trainer called her a… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Dr. Lynn Bahr – July 10, 2018
Guest: PPG Cat Committee, PPG Summit presenter, and founder of Dezi & Roo, Dr. Lynn Bahr. Topics: Dr. Bahr’s recent PPG blog post, Why Every Cat Needs a Place to Hide and her article in BARKS, Pain Underlying, in which she discusses the issue of pain, how well cats can hide it, and the impact chronic pain can have on behavior. Dr. Bahr also talked about the long-term physical and behavioural effects of declawing cats, a procedure that is banned in over 20 countries but is still widely practiced in the United States. Listen here. Subscribe… Continued
Pet Professional Guild to hold inaugural Australia summit in Sydney – Two weeks to go and 15 spots left!
Convention guarantees three full days of high-level education and networking opportunities for pet training and behavior professionals. The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) will hold its inaugural Australia summit on July 26 – 29, 2018 at the Bankstown Sports Club in Bankstown, NSW. PPG represents pet industry professionals globally and who are committed to results based, science-based, force-free training and pet care. Aimed predominantly at pet industry training and behavior professionals, the principle goals of the event are to build a greater awareness of PPG as the go-to organisation for force-free… Continued
July 26, 2018: New Study Compares Personality and Behavior of Companion vs. Free-Ranging Bali Dogs in Bali
The study, Companion and free-ranging Bali dogs: Environmental links with personality traits in an endemic dog population of South East Asia, examines the personality traits of dogs based on their lifestyle “either living as human companions or as free-ranging animals, exploring at the same time the impact of demographic variables (such as age, sex, and neutered status) on personality.” Read study.
Fear Free™ Vet Visits: A Feline Behavior and Training Specialist’s Journey
By Victoria Blais Desperately visiting a veterinarian I had never seen before, I had a sick feeling in my stomach when I was encouraged to put on protective leather gloves to hold my highly anxious cat, Haddie. My normally sweet, affectionate girl, flattened her ears, pupils dilated, as she leaned away from the doctor. Reading her cat body language, I knew we should stop, but I reasoned, “This vet specializing in felines knows what is best.” As the vet approached Haddie, whose tail was thrashing, a loud guttural, fearful sound… Continued
Busy Toys Gone Bad
By Yvette Van Veen Toys…are neither good nor bad. Rather it’s how they are used. They can strengthen behaviour you like. If you’re not careful, they will strengthen behaviour you dislike. There are more toys out there than you can shake a stick at. You could say that busy toys are the new stick. Many people are convinced that if they just buy enough toys, the right toy, their dog will stop pestering them with jumping, nudging, barking, whining and more. They hope to buy calm. But could your busy… Continued
Learning a New Way to Communicate
By Debbie Bauer Sometimes we know in advance if our dog will lose sight and/or hearing. I have a senior dog now who is mostly deaf from age. So far his sight seems OK, but I know it too may begin to fade. There are some things we can do to help ease this transition for our dogs. One is to teach hand signals to our dogs for basic every day behaviors (sit, lie down, wait at the door, come) and for some of the fun tricks they know (fetch,… Continued
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