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BARKS Podcast with Dr. Lisa Radosta of Florida Veterinary Behavior Service


Join Niki Tudge and PPG Canine Committee Chair Judy Luther to Chat & Chuckle with Lisa Radosta DVM DACVB. Dr. Radosta is the owner of Florida Veterinary Behavior Service, a specialty practice in southeast Florida and co-owns Dog Nerds, an online educational resource for guardians whose pets have behavior disorders.   Listen to the Podcast with Dr. Lisa Radosta here on your choice of platforms.   Or just stay on this page and click on the ‘Play’ icon below.  Recorded on July 30, 2022.   About Dr. Lisa Radosta Dr.… Continued


BARKS Podcast with the PPG Advocacy Panel: Discussion #12 – Animal Emotions and Their Importance in Understanding Behavior


Animal Emotions and Their Importance in Understanding Behavior   Join the Pet Professional Guild (PPG) Advocacy Panel for a discussion on Animal Emotions and Their Importance in Understanding Behavior. Pet guardians and pet professionals, we invite you to listen as panel members share their expertise in a fun, free-flowing format.   Your Moderators: PPG president Niki Tudge and PPG Canine Committee chair Judy Luther. Your Advocacy Panel for this discussion includes: PPG Shelter & Rescue Committee chair K. Holden Svirsky, PPG Assistance Animal Committee representative Tracey Hagan, Aaron Jones of the PPG Inclusivity Committee, Linda Michaels, Dr. Kristina Spaulding, Dr. Zazie… Continued


Feline Fastidious Foodies


By Patience Fisher From cat food commercials to cartoons and internet cats, it is something of a running joke that cats are picky eaters. But is this common assumption correct? According to C.A. Tony Buffington, a leading researcher in the field of feline nutrition, the answer is a resounding no. Health and Stress Buffington states that cats are very adaptable; left to their own devices they can and do thrive on a wide range of foods. This is important to their survival, since they are opportunistic eaters. If a cat… Continued


BARKS Podcast with Debby Lucken of Kids Around Dogs


Join Niki Tudge and Rebekah King as they Chat & Chuckle with Kids Around Dogs (KAD). KAD is an award-winning association of Dog Professionals and Child Care Professionals who specialize in helping families with children to train their dogs and live in harmony together. Debby Lucken, the founder of KAD, has also designed a successful protocol to overcome the fear of dogs in kids, which all KAD Approved Members are qualified to use.   Listen to the Podcast with Debby Lucken here on your choice of platforms. Or just stay… Continued


Why Do Deaf Dogs Bark?


By Morag Heirs Barking is a form of communication for all dogs so it is important that we spend some time thinking about why our dogs might be barking. Are they anxious, over-excited, upset, fearful, thrilled, frustrated? Something else? Avoid concentrating on stopping the barking (particularly through the use of ‘aversives,’ e.g. telling off, harsh signals, water spray or air sprays, exclusion from the room or crating on a regular basis) as this gets in the way of understanding why the barking is happening. Without understanding why our dog is… Continued


BARKS Podcast with Toni Clarke of Well Done Charlie Dog Training


Join Niki Tudge and Rebekah King as they Chat & Chuckle with Toni Clarke of Well Done Charlie Dog Training, about how to develop and execute training plans to prepare pets to fly.   Listen to the Podcast with Toni Clarke here on your choice of platforms. Or just stay on this page and click on the ‘Play’ icon below. Recorded July 19, 2022.     About Toni Clarke   Toni Clarke CTC, CSAT, VSA-CDT received her Certificate in Training and Counseling (CTC) from the elite Academy for Dog Trainers. She… Continued


BARKS Podcast with Annie Phenix of Phenix Dogs


Join Niki Tudge and PPG Canine Committee chair Judy Luther as they Chat and Chuckle with Annie Phenix of Phenix Dogs about reactive dogs and Annie’s new project and book, Positive Training for Aggressive and Reactive Dogs: Proven Techniques to Help Your Dog Recover from Fear and Anxiety and Enjoy Walks Calmly (available in November 2022). Annie is the author of The Midnight Dog Walkers published in 2016, and is a Certified Behaviourist and Family Dog Mediator.   Listen to the Podcast with Annie Phenix here on your choice of platforms.… Continued


A Better Dog-Human Understanding


By Susan Nilson Marco Adda is a freelance dog behavior consultant, independent researcher, dog-human facilitator (or dog trainer if you prefer), animal advocate, and educator who is passionate about all things canine. He describes himself as a “globetrotter who moves through different continents” but is now considering settling in one place to set up his own canine center offering several programs of education, training, research, animal assisted intervention, and community activities around dogs, humans and other animals. In 2012, Adda initiated preliminary observations of Bali street dogs (BSD). The observations… Continued


BARKS Podcast with Rosie Robinson of Wuf Design


Join Niki Tudge and PPG Canine Committee chair Judy Luther as they Chat and Chuckle with Rosie Robinson of Wuf Design in the UK about websites, lead generation, Google, and so much more. Rosie offers support from simple sites to full on e-commerce and has the digital solutions to ensure your business reaches the right customers.   Listen to the Podcast with Rosie Robinson here on your choice of platforms.   Or just stay on this page and click on the ‘Play’ icon below. Recorded July 11, 2022.   About Rosie… Continued


BARKS Podcast with Barbara Hodel of Goodog Positive Dog Training


Join Niki Tudge and PPG Canine Committee chair Judy Luther as they Chat and Chuckle with Barbara Hodel of Goodog Positive Dog Training in Bayview, New South Wales, Australia about all things Teen Dog! All dogs (and humans) have to go through the teenage phase to reach the stability of adulthood. Some dogs breeze through this stage with barely a glitch, but most of us will have a challenging time. It is normal to sometimes feel despondent or disappointed because we thought we did everything right when they were puppies and now… Continued


Help the Animals in Ukraine – Inspiring Fundraiser Update


By Dr. Marina Bayeva   Dear Supporters, I am happy to bring you the latest update for the Help Animals Survive the War in Ukraine fundraiser – both the big picture and the individual shelter updates. Highlights include:   Animals finding new homes even during the war Expanding capacity by building new enclosures to take in even more animals Kitten and puppy season and the need for more spay/neuter access Delivering food all over Ukraine for animals on the streets, in home shelters, and beyond A brand new wood-burning stove to… Continued


The Value of Non-Verbal Communication


By Angelica Steinker Consent testing is an informal experiment which allows a dog to offer consent regarding a specific situation. Via her body language the dog communicates a yes or no response. This information is used to: • Improve the quality of life of the dog. • Improve a training plan. • Make behavior modification more effective. • Generally improve communication. The yes or no is determined by assessing the dog’s body language and observing for distance increasing or distance decreasing behaviors. Distance increasing behaviors are considered a “no” and… Continued


The Challenge of Breed Discrimination


By Kym Iffert  It was finally a beautiful day in Chicago so I grabbed my bag, my leash, a pocket full of treats and tennis ball and set out for a walk. The neighbors were out and it was the perfect opportunity for a social outing – but not for me and my dog. As we walked down the sidewalk, others may have looked, some would wave, a few may have offered a smile… and then crossed the street. Social pariah? No, just me and my Rottweiler out for a… Continued


BARKS Podcast with the PPG Advocacy Panel: Discussion #11 – The Top 10 Things We Can Do to Help Veterinarians Help Us Help Our Pets


The Top 10 Things We Can Do to Help Veterinarians Help Us Help Our Pets   Join the Pet Professional Guild (PPG) Advocacy Panel for a discussion on the Top 10 Things We Can Do to Help Veterinarians Help Us Help Our Pets. Pet guardians and pet professionals, we invite you to listen as panel members share their expertise in a fun, free-flowing format.   Your Moderators: PPG president Niki Tudge and PPG Advocacy Committee chair Don Hanson Your Advocacy Panel for this discussion includes: PPG Shelter & Rescue Committee chair K. Holden Svirsky, Kristi… Continued


The Click Starts the Behavior


By Yvette Van Veen A common expression used in clicker training is that the click “ends the behavior.” Rarely do we stop to think what this really means but it bears closer examination. Typically, the phrase indicates that dogs get reinforcement post-click, even if they have broken out of position. We click. The dog gets a cookie. There is no reneging. When I say click, I really mean marking the behavior. For the sake of clarity, I will also be using the word click to reference the wide array of… Continued


Thunder, Lightning and Barometric Pressure


By Carolyn Kocman Owners and caretakers can almost always recognize phobia related behaviors. Shaking, drooling, panting, restlessness, pacing, clinging to owners and hiding are all fairly overt and recognizable behaviors that can be triggered by such things as loud noises or thunderstorm activity. Immediate Recommendations for Panicking Dogs There are a number of things pet owners can do to comfort an animal that is in the throes of phobia related behavior. What follows is a list of more immediate recommendations. These are not tips on modifying the behavior and should… Continued


BARKS Podcast with Mychelle Garrigan of Pet Pro Marketing


Join Niki Tudge and PPG Canine Committee chair Judy Luther as they Chat and Chuckle with Mychelle Garrigan of PPG corporate partner, Pet Pro Marketing. Pet Pro Marketing provides digital marketing services for pet care professionals including website design, audits and maintenance, search engine optimization, content creation/copywriting, and social media/digital marketing strategy.   Listen to the Podcast with Mychelle Garrigan here on your choice of platforms.   Or just stay on this page and click on the ‘Play’ icon below. Recorded June 10, 2022.   About Mychelle Garrigan   Through Pet Pro Marketing Mychelle Garrigan… Continued


Building the ‘Super Learner’


By Kate Mallatratt One of my behavior colleagues posed a very interesting question recently, “If you always set your dog up for success and aim for errorless learning, are you not stunting your dog’s ability for critical thinking, limiting his opportunity to enjoy problem solving and shortening his fuse for frustration?” This excellent question raises several more in my mind: Can learning truly be 100 percent errorless? Does setting up a learning environment for a successful outcome really have a detrimental effect on a dog’s learning ability? Do mistakes actually… Continued


BARKS Podcast with Dr. Kristina Spaulding of Science Matters Academy of Animal Behavior


Join Niki Tudge and PPG Canine Committee chair Judy Luther as they Chat and Chuckle with Dr. Kristina Spaulding of PPG corporate partner, Science Matters Academy of Animal Behavior. The trio discuss upcoming Research Bites topics and so much more.   Listen to the Podcast with Dr. Kristina Spaulding here on your choice of platforms.   Or just stay on this page and click ‘Play’ below. Recorded June 3, 2022.   About Dr. Kristina Spaulding   Dr. Kristina Spaulding operates Science Matters Academy of Animal Behavior, which opened its doors in 2001 and quickly… Continued


Because Dogs Are Cool!


PPG Member Profile featuring Pet Professional Guild member Chris Lopez-Santiago of Happy Tails Pet Care in Orlando, Florida     Tell us a little bit about yourself, how you first got into animal behavior and training and what you are doing now…                                     Honestly, getting into animal behavior was not something I thought I would ever do. I knew I always loved animals of all types. Dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, fish, and even insects and arachnids are fascinating to me. I’d often watch Zak George on YouTube to learn how to teach… Continued


Building Your Client an Effective Pet Training Program


This article presents guidelines for dog training professionals to help them build training programs for their clients, including lesson and individual session plans     By Niki Tudge When we are building an effective training program for clients and their dogs, we usually start the process by completing a full client intake procedure and going to the client’s home and completing the informant interview. From here, we should then be ready to build our client a training program that includes the Training Road Map, Individual Lesson Plans, and Hands-on Sessions.… Continued


Ask the Experts: How to Run a Dog Training Business Online


This article provides guidance on how to move an in-person dog training business to an online dog training business     By Veronica Boutelle   Q: I’m at a turning point with my dog training business and just don’t know how to move forward. During lockdown I had to shift my services online and while it was daunting to begin with, I ended up really enjoying it. It allowed me to spend more time at home and less time driving for hours in the car, and the results with clients were… Continued


A Complete Guide to Equine Enrichment


This article presents multiple suggestions for providing enrichment to our horses, including food puzzles and games, different turnout options, opportunities for social interaction, environmental enrichment, and feeding options     By Kathie Gregory   Enrichment is a word that is becoming increasingly used to describe how we do more than provide welfare to our companion animals. Awareness of enrichment is very high in the dog world, and there are plenty of ideas and products that cater for the different breeds, traits, and personalities to ensure dogs have a wide variety… Continued


A Masterclass in Enrichment


This article reports on some of the wonderful work being done by the teaching staff and students at a New England Technical High School to ensure their resident birds and animals have an array of enrichment opportunities available to ensure mental stimulation       By Sheila S. Blanchette As a professional certified parrot behavior consultant and trainer, I enjoy finding opportunities to improve my skills and also have a little fun along the way. As such, I volunteer at local animal rescues in my area and in doing so,… Continued


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