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
Scent Tracking as Part of Your ABC
When consulting on canine behavior problems, you will be looking at your ABCs – Antecedent – Behaviour – Consequence – as part of your functional assessment. The immediate antecedents, such as direct environment, setting the dog off doing something the owner is not happy with, are often fairly easy to spot, although sometimes challenging to address. There are excellent protocols developed for that, such as BAT (Behaviour Adjustment Training, developed by Grisha Stewart), LAT (Look at That Training, developed by Leslie McDevitt, author of the book Control Unleashed) and Reactive aggressive… Continued
Do Docked/Missing Tails Lead to Miscommunication in Dogs?
Are dogs with docked or missing tails vulnerable to miscommunication or misunderstanding by other dogs? Or do they learn to rely on other body language communication? I have a little rescue dog (right) who came to me from Romania with her tail missing. I don’t know where it went or why it was removed but I have spent three years watching and being fascinated by her body language, behaviorally. I have also noticed she has a real fear of being knocked on her rear and if she is bumped into by… Continued
Prettier by Another Name
How much does a dog’s breed matter, particularly when that dog is of mixed breed heritage? When people are seeking a pet dog, breed, or, more likely, what they think they know about various breeds, can heavily influence their choices. But in the end, knowing — or guessing at — the dog’s mix of breeds doesn’t tell you very much about an individual dog. A shelter in Costa Rica, as described in Bark magazine, took a creative approach to communicating this message. Working with marketing professionals, the shelter promoted each mixed-breed… Continued
The Benefits of Keeping Cats Indoors
By Paula Garber, MEd, CATEP, CFTBS Some cat owners believe it’s “natural” for their cat to be outdoors, or that their cat won’t be happy unless given the opportunity to roam. These days, most pet cats aren’t as suited to outdoor life as one might think. They are simply ill equipped to successfully navigate the risks and dangers in the modern outdoor world. Understanding the Outdoor Dangers Indoor cats are protected from many threats and potential dangers. Keep this list handy for the next time you’re tempted to let your… Continued
Socialize Your Puppy but Let Him Play, too!
Fifty years ago not too many trainers or owners talked about socialization. Not because puppies did not need it, but because for the most part puppies ‘self-socialized’, they wandered and roamed the neighborhood, accompanied children to school, hung out with other dogs, sometimes got into trouble with one of them, occasionally a child got bitten or a dog hurt by a car. Even 20 years ago back in Switzerland our dog would go to work with my husband, roam the streets, spend time with strangers, steal sandwiches and come back when it… Continued
Quick Fix or Never Fix
When someone first calls me for help, they usually hope their pet behavior problem will be resolved in a couple of weeks. They have tried everything they can think of for themselves, watched TV trainers and scoured the internet. Now they have decided there is nothing for it but to pay for professional help. That should fix the problem! Each day, at consultations, by phone and email, I am encouraging and motivating clients with reactive dogs to keep going and to put in as much time as possible whilst empathizing with their problems. This short sentence in… Continued
What’s in the Bag?
What you don’t know could kill your pet. Like all dog owners I want my pets to be healthy and enjoy a long life as members of our family. My first puppy, Samanatha, was the joy of my life and it came as a painful shock when she died abruptly at just over 12 years of age. It was not long enough and I wondered why she died so young. In retrospect I remember buying the cheapest possible dog food and commercial treats, and giving her things to chew that… Continued
To Prompt or to Reinforce
Click – treat, click – treat, click – treat. As trainers, we all know what is going on here; someone is conditioning a clicker. But the lines can get blurred from here. First we click and treat until the animal alerts to the click. Then we use the click to indicate to the animal that they have done the thing we want and that they will, in all likelihood, get a treat. Before that, though, we use the treat to lure the animal to perform the behaviour we want. This… Continued
Teaching Your Dog to Eliminate on Cue
Teaching your dog how to eliminate on cue (when asked) can be very helpful. I often think back to my service dog training days when discussing the benefits of a dog knowing how to poop on cue. For example, you may know that you are going on a 12-hour car ride and going potty now will help prevent an unnecessary pit stop in 30 minutes because your dog has to go. Or, you know a thunderstorm is going to roll in and taking that poop break will help ensure he doesn’t… Continued
Teaching Your Dog to Be Alone
Dogs are naturally social, enjoying the company of other dogs and people. As a result, when you leave them, they may panic that they are alone, or they can simply get bored. Even if you are there all the time, teaching your dog to accept being by himself can be very useful. Start with putting a baby gate across a doorway and leave your dog one side while you are the other. This way he can see you but can’t get to you. Give him his dinner/a Kong or chew toys etc.… Continued
The Perfect Dog
I have the perfect dog. He doesn’t bark, “potty” in the house, chew on furniture, or do ANY undesirable dog behaviors. Perhaps you have one too; mine is called Fido, and he’s a big stuffed dog! Real dogs bark, dig in the yard, eliminate in the house, whine, chew on furniture and other delectable human artifacts. And they do this unless the dog-guardian knows how to prevent the behavior from occurring while showing the dog what behaviors they’d like him to do. Unfortunately for a lot of our dogs, their… Continued
“Just” – Another Magic Word
Of course we all want well-behaved dogs. Come when called, walk happily on a loose lead, sit to be greeted rather than jump up on people, know when to stop barking. These are all things dog owners want their dogs to do: for the dogs’ benefit as well as the benefit of other people. So, yes, I think we do want well- behaved dogs. But do we also stop to think about what our dogs want? I couldn’t count the number of times I’ve had a client say, “I don’t… Continued
Pet Professional Guild Launches Worldwide Advocacy Program
Project Trade encourages pet owners to exchange aversive training devices for discounted force-free training services provided by PPG members Tampa, FL – The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) has launched Project Trade, an international advocacy program that encourages pet owners to trade aversive equipment for scientifically sound, force-free training and pet care services. PPG members may opt in to the program and, in doing so, will provide incentives for their clients to switch to more appropriate training and pet care tools by giving them professional educational support at discounts of 10-15… Continued
Getting to Know You …
I’ve worked in the service dog field for a long time — as a trainer and as an educator, teaching future trainers. The burning question is and has always been: How do we choose appropriate dogs for training? This post is not going to discuss the merits and disadvantages of breeding for service dogs versus choosing shelter or other available dogs. Trainers have had varying degrees of success with both approaches. More to the point, all these trainers face the same question, whether evaluating a puppy or an adolescent or… Continued
10 Steps for a Happy Office Dog
By Chantal Hughes We know there is a link between happiness in the workplace and increased productivity. And now, findings from research coming out of Virginia Commonwealth University in the USA reports that, “Man’s best friend may make a positive difference in the workplace by reducing stress and making the job more satisfying for other employees.” Great news, right? Yes, generally. And here’s the but….as long as the “lucky” dog has an experienced handler. I work with too many gorgeous dogs with separation anxiety. So, here are 10 steps to ensure… Continued
Are You Suffering From Compassion Fatigue, Stress or Burnout? Three Tips That May Help You!
by Niki Tudge The signs of work and personal time imbalance are unmistakable. Every day we hear of people in our industry suffering from poor health, burnout and stress. If you recognize the signs of imbalance in your own life, then you need to take action immediately and focus on achieving a more balanced approach. Work-life Imbalance can promote poor health and over time this can lead to devastating, and possibly life changing consequences. Imbalance and The Effects On Our Health: Obesity: Not taking the time to exercise or eat… Continued
Stress-Free Holidays with Your Dog
Easter is just around the corner and what could be better than taking the dog for a short or long break. There is really nothing like a holiday with your four-legged best friend. However to have a stress free time, planning and preparation are essential. Choose a destination that provides entertainment and adventure for you and your dog. Beach holidays are great if there are dog friendly beaches to go to. Most dogs will love to run and play. Or the country side with space to walk and discover wineries… Continued
Professional Competency, Transparency and Accountability. Have You Got What It Takes?
Written by Niki Tudge There is much chatter within the pet industry about transparency, competency and accountability amongst professionals. So let’s look at each of these individually and what they mean. 1. Transparency to me implies openness. Are you transparent in your business practices? Can others see, read or listen to information that informs them upfront about each of the actions you may perform when caring for or training their pet. Are you honest about the protocols, procedures, equipment, techniques you may use to achieve mutually agreeable goals? Are… Continued
Force-Free: Are You Getting the Correct Message Across?
Recently I learned of a trainer whose specialty is working with hunting dogs. For the purpose of this blog I will call him Bob, mostly because I like that name, and I like the trainer. The majority of hunting dog trainers use traditional methods, but several years ago Bob gave up the methods he was most familiar with and formally studied modern methods based on reinforcing desired behaviors. Today Bob identifies himself as a “positive” trainer meaning that he does not use a shock/choke/pronged collar and does not impose fear,… Continued
The Top 7 Reasons You Absolutely Cannot Miss The Pet Professional Guild’s Annual Educational Summit
The Top 7 Reasons You Absolutely Cannot Miss The Pet Professional Guild’s Annual Educational Summit 1. You Will Have Lots of Fun From the Welcome Reception, to Quiz Night, ‘Munch and Learn’ Merry-Go-Round and the Gala Dinner you will have more fun packed into a few short days than you thought possible, all while honing your skills and enhancing your professional education. The PPG Summit is just so much fun! Surrounded by like-minded professionals, you are free to socialize and share ideas, and reconnect with old friends while making new… Continued
Trick Training Bloopers
I decided a while back to teach my dogs to cross their paws as a trick. I followed the instructions on one of Emily Larlham’s excellent videos: Dog Tricks Tutorial: Cross Your Paws. But I didn’t end up making the neat, quick progression shown in the movie when I tried it with my dog Summer. I think that besides my rather clumsy training, it is just not a very natural behavior for her. I used a target, and when I finally got the behavior (sometimes), it took a long time before she… Continued
Why Do Dogs Eat Toilet Paper and Paper Products?
I am often asked why dogs eat toilet paper. I would estimate that in every group dog training class I teach, it’s asked at least once during the course. And during that inquiry, more than one person’s dog eats toilet paper or paper towels, paper, paper plates, you get the picture. So, just why do dogs eat paper products? At this point, I’m not sure there is one definitive answer, but I believe there are many reasons. Here are my top 5 reasons why a dog might enjoy a roll… Continued
Dining Experience
I’m not a fan of feeding dogs from bowls, as it doesn’t provide any type of enrichment. A bowl filled with food, is typically devoured within a few minutes, and needless to say, there is no particular skill or challenge to that act! Dogs are highly evolved animals that need a job to do. And while some dogs still work herding, guarding, hunting and other forms of service to humans, the typical lifestyle of today’s dog can be a mentally and physically impoverished environment. The good news is that there… Continued
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