Why It’s Important to Teach Your Dog to Love Wearing a Muzzle
By Maureen Backman, MS, CTC, PCT-A of The Muzzle Up Project How wonderful would it be if dogs were conditioned to love wearing their muzzles early on so that if they needed to wear one later in life, it would not be an aversive event for them? The following scenarios illustrate why muzzle training is important for every dog: Aggression If he bites, I’ll muzzle train him. All dogs have the ability to bite. Most dogs display various warning signals prior to biting. These signals may be obvious, such as… Continued
Are You Ready for Your New Puppy? For How Many Years?
Puppies are just too cute, it is almost beyond words! However these cute puppies grow up very quickly and become ‘real’ dogs. The puppy stage only lasts for a few months and the honeymoon phase is often over after a couple of weeks of sleepless nights and urine stains on the carpet. So make sure what you really want is a dog and not just the puppy. Pointing out the obvious, a puppy is a 12 to 15 year commitment and a lot of things can change during this time.… Continued
Introducing a Puppy and an Adult Dog: Take it Slow
Remember “Lessons for My Puppy,” my collaboration with Marge Rogers? She made some videos that I loved so much that I wrote blog posts to go with them. Marge is still out there working with dogs and making great videos, and I’m featuring another one today. Although there is a lesson for a puppy in this video, and also a lesson for the adult dog, the biggest lesson here is for puppy owners. (Isn’t that usually the case, when you come to think of it?) In the video she shows how… Continued
Training is Simple as A-B-C
Animal training can serve useful purposes, be great fun and strengthen the human-animal bond. It can also frustrate folks, especially if they have not formally studied learning theory. Welcome to Learning Theory 101. Training is as simple as A-B-C. The “A” stands for antecedent and that is what occurs before a behavior. “B” stands for the behavior that you observe and “C” is the consequence of that behavior. If I ask my dog Buddha to sit using a word, that verbal cue is the antecedent. It gives Buddha a prompt.… Continued
Competition in the Dog Training World: Is It Necessary?
By Joanne Ometz I am a graduate of Turid Rugaas’ first US offering of her dog behavior counselor/trainer certification course. Most people in the US know Rugaas for her book, On Talking Terms with Dogs, and the study of canine body language is a big part of what I learned. But what is not well known is that she has a full curriculum that she has taught in Europe for many years. Before that, I was the organizer and de-facto teacher for a local dog club where the focus was on fun,… Continued
Changing Perspectives
I don’t know if it’s the same in the UK and the US but, here in Australia, I hear frequent laments from force-free trainers about the difficulty of competing with hard sell trainers of some of the more, shall we say, “traditional” methods. Often these laments relate to difficulties in getting access to vet clinics for their puppy classes. My problems were similar. Three vets in my area recommend my services but their premises are too small for class work. Another that recommends me has a secure outdoor area – well grassed… Continued
Dogs Back Then…..and Now
I don’t remember, here in England back in about 1954 (I was 10), ever seeing a dog on lead. I don’t actually remember seeing many dogs at all. My brother, my friends and I would also be free to walk or cycle around the roads near home or go and play in the woods. My first memory of a dog was when one rushed out of a garden barking ferociously at us. The friend I was with ran. I instinctively kept on walking. Slowly. Not looking at the dog. Perhaps even as a… Continued
A Puppy Owner’s Short Guide to Chewing
Chewing is natural, it helps to clean teeth and relieve stress. Puppies need to chew, but they also need to learn what to chew. Safe chew toys: Kongs, chew toys designed for dogs Not safe chew toys: Furniture, small children’s toys, cables Safe chew toys can be made more interesting by stuffing them with food – dog meat, biscuits, cheese, hotdogs etc. Make sure that whenever you leave your dog he has access to a few safe and interesting chew toys. When your dog starts chewing something he shouldn’t – don’t… Continued
The Smartest Dog?
The other day, I got a good laugh reading the bumper sticker of the car in front of me: “My Dog Is Smarter Than Your Honor Student!” This got me wondering as we “pet-parents” often do, about how smart my own dogs are. By coincidence, I happened upon a newsletter from a local veterinarian’s blog listing the top seven most intelligent dog breeds (border collie, poodle, German Shepherd, golden retriever, Doberman, Shetland sheepdog, and Labrador retriever). Unfortunately my dogs were not on the list, but undeterred, I went to the American… Continued
The Conscious Equestrian – Extinguishing Force From the Rider’s Repertoire
By Sara Richter CPDT-KA As an equestrian coach and riding instructor, most of the clients that I work with come to me with a pre-existing knowledge of traditional horsemanship. One of the most prevalent challenges that I face in my line of work, is transitioning those riders from aversive techniques to force-free methods of riding. Many riders have trouble fathoming that control can come from a non-compulsive approach when they have been using traditional methods with “success” for years. After all, sitting on the back of a 1,000+ pound animal… Continued
Report from the Pet Professional Guild 4-Day Pet Care Technician Certification Program Workshop
Professional Pet Care requires knowledge, skills, individual competency and a high level of responsibility. I recently had the pleasure of attending and presenting at a 4-day workshop designed to do just that. In this blog post, I am going to give you a brief overview of the topics covered and some of the assessment exercises required to qualify as a Certified Pet Care Technician. Don’t worry, I will also share more information about the workshop and all the fun and learning which took place, along with my personal ‘take-home’ points,… Continued
See the Dog in Front of You
Anyone who has had more than one dog in their life has probably fallen into the pitfall of living many years with their “perfect” dog and then suffering a devastating loss. When another dog eventually enters our life we compare, looking at the dog before us through misty eyes and seeing the dog we wish we still had. Sometimes this sets everyone up for frustration and disappointment. At other times the consequence of faulty vision is catastrophic. My first two Labradors were safe and reliable off leash. Samantha was a… Continued
Declawing Can Cause Behavioral and Emotional Changes in Cats
By Bridget Lehet CAFTP CFTBS Take a moment and look at the world through a cat’s eyes. He is removed from his safe, warm, and familiar home and taken to the veterinarian’s office where he gets poked with a needle. When he awakens from general anesthesia his paws are throbbing in pain. For the next 2-3 weeks his paws will be so sore and tender that his ability to walk, climb, and jump may be drastically compromised. He may also begin associating the pain he suffers while scratching in his litter… Continued
It’s Official: Dogs Have Feelings
That dogs have feelings, emotions, and thoughts probably seems obvious to PPG members and readers of my Thinking Dog Blog and to most people who share their lives with pets. But, as I tell my students at Bergin U, sometimes things need the stamp of approval of science, via peer-reviewed research, to be fully accepted as Truth. Many, many studies of dogs’ behavior and cognitive abilities do not, actually, reveal anything that we didn’t already “know.” But these studies solidify that knowledge and induct it into the Body of Knowledge… Continued
Join Me at the Pet Professional Guild Force-Free Summit!
Presenting: TrickMeister Reinforcement Strategies for Success! I can’t believe how quickly the second Pet Professional Guild’s Force-Free Summit is approaching! It doesn’t seem like two minutes since we were in Tampa attending the first Summit in November, 2015! November, 2016 will soon be here and we will all be back in Tampa for the second round! I’m fortunate to be presenting at the Summit on a subject that I believe to be absolutely crucial to our pet clients’ well-being – reinforcement! My presentation and working LAB is entitled: TrickMeister Reinforcement… Continued
The Challenges of Teenage Dogs
Dog owners are not always prepared for the challenges of a teen-aged dog: This can include their emotional response and sometimes over the top reaction to certain stimuli, ‘forgotten’ training, increased exercise requirements, need for more mental stimulation, ongoing socialization and training. Many new dog owners will do a puppy pre-school and if the class is well run this will set them up to successfully navigate the first few months; house train their puppies, teach them to sleep in their designated area, get the first steps in training right, socialize… Continued
You’re Too Close! Dogs and Body Pressure
So you are standing at a party, or in your office, or on your front lawn. Someone you know only vaguely walks up to you. He walks up very close, face to face, close enough that you can see up his nose and smell his breath. He starts a conversation. What do you do? What you desperately want to do is step back! You may or may not do it, depending on the social situation or a host of other reasons. But when someone we don’t know well enters our personal space bubble,… Continued
No Trainer Is an Island
When I opened my new dog training and behavior consulting business four months ago, I reached out to local veterinarians, groomers and boarding facilities. I also took a little time to research other trainers in my area to see who was out there and what kind of services were being offered in our community. It came as no surprise to find some of the national punishment-based chains . The good news is that I also found a handful of force-free trainers who shared my training philosophy and whose websites promoted… Continued
Advocacy is Where You Look for It
In April 2016 I attended the 11th annual Applied Animal Behavior Conference hosted by the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Each year veterinary professionals and students gather to learn about animal behavior, a subject not typically included in veterinary curricula. The conference was divided into small and large animal presentations. I only work professionally with dogs so I chose the small animal option. The entire day was focused on Dr. Marty Becker’s Fear-Free iniative and its practical applications. Steve Dale, CABC began by addressing feline enrichment and fear-free… Continued
Things You Don’t Know
There are many myths and misconceptions about dog training, some of which are broadcast on TV or written in popular books. Do you know the truth? You don’t need to worry about being alpha. Dogs don’t need to be rolled over on their backs, approached aggressively, or made to wait while their owners walk through doors in order for dogs to “know their place” or learn respect for their owners. Dogs understand and respect those who treat them with kindness and who behave consistently. Clear-cut, consistent rules make for healthy… Continued
Teaching Your Dog Eye Contact
How many times have you thought to yourself, “I sure wish my dog would focus on me and not x.” Well, this is something you can certainly start to tackle by teaching your dog a reliable “Watch” behavior. Imagine, how nice it would be if a squirrel ran down the tree and you said, “watch” and your dog happily gazed into your eyes instead of barking or chasing the squirrel. It can be done, and I’m going to teach you the foundation skills on how to do it. But, first,… Continued
Human Attitudes
I’m sure others might feel the same way as I have recently so I have decided to share this as I have found a positive way forward if one is feeling somewhat burned out… The last few months I’ve been feeling slightly overwhelmed with what I face when visiting pet dog and horse owners who call for my assistance. Like many of my colleagues who read this, I’ve got a very strong view on how other animals should be perceived and therefore treated – sometimes what we see out there… Continued
The Game Of Know, Not No!
Many years ago when I was first learning this “new” method called positive reinforcement training, even though my dog was learning in huge leaps to do all the behaviors I asked him to do, I had this nagging question: But how can I tell him when he does something wrong? Humans seem to be wired that way and are more apt to point out someone’s errors more often than looking for something correct. And unfortunately for our canine friends, we take the same punitive stance. This makes sense to some… Continued
Yelling at My Dogs
The “yelling” question comes up regularly for positive reinforcement-based trainers. “Am I a bad person if I yell at my dogs?” “Is it positive punishment to yell at my dogs?” And the accusatory version, “Do you NEVER yell at your dogs? Of course you do! And that’s punishment, so you aren’t a ‘positive’ trainer after all. Gotcha!” Rather unbelievably, I’m not going to go into a quadrants discussion here. Wow. But check out “Only if the Behavior Decreases” if you want to address the question of whether yelling can be punishment. Instead,… Continued
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