How Does Matching Law Affect How We Train Our Obedience Skills?
written by Niki Tudge Much of what we do in everyday life is all about choices. At any given moment we can work or we can do something more pleasurable, let’s say take our dogs for a walk. I can choose to do some work or train my dogs. I could then go to the beach or go to the store. I could food shop or go for a massage. I could deposit money in my bank account or buy a lottery ticket. I could train my dogs or schedule… Continued
We Can Argue over TV. Our Dogs Have to Put Up with It
To take this photograph I have been searching for a football match on TV – a first! Most of my PPG blogs arise from the stories of dogs I have been working with that have got me thinking. Many of the people I visit have their TVs on all the time, whether or not they are watching anything. I myself live with someone whose hearing is not as good as my own and who has different tastes to myself. I find it impossible to concentrate on what I am doing… Continued
False Bravado: Reframing the Old Dog Training Myths
By Karen Deeds, CDBC If you work with dog owners or cruise the dog behavior groups on Facebook you will often see dogs that are labeled ‘dominant’. I hear this most often in client homes where they have multiple dogs and have categorized one as the dominant or “alpha” dog because of his or her interactions with the other dogs. He/she is often described as the dog who is stealing all the toys, pushing the others out of the way at the doorways, hoarding all of the chew bones or… Continued
A Puppy in Winter
By Bob McMillan It’s true, I did not time this very well. It was Indian Summer when I got my Irish wolfhound puppy, Oona. We frolicked in the yard among the butterflies and roses. This month, Old Man Winter’s hung a big “kick me” sign on my Tennessee county. The Arctic chill let up just long enough for it to rain. Again. The yard is either slime or… frozen slime. It’s unfit for either polar bears or mud ducks. And Oona is a canine juvie now. With cabin fever. A… Continued
My Dog Said “Sorry” To My Cat. I Think.
My dog Huckleberry and my kitten Cato play rough-and-tumble games all day. Huckleberry chases Cato, Cato pounces on her neck, Huckleberry fake-bites his leg, he jumps on her belly and fake-gnaws her ear. They’re friends. Not “friends” like the dog and cat who sleep together in the dog’s bed because it’s the softest, warmest spot in the house and they both want to stake their claim to it. Real friends, who have devised a code of fair play that transcends their differences in size, strength and species. You can watch… Continued
Pet Professional Guild Opens Registrations; Announces Impressive Speaker Line-Up for First-Ever Force-Free Convention
Tampa, FL – The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) has opened registrations for its inaugural educational convention, The Force Free Summit – Reaching for a Higher Standard, to take place at the Sheraton Tampa Riverwalk Hotel in Florida on November 11-13, 2015. Aimed predominantly at pet industry training and behavior professionals and savvy pet owners, the principle goals of the summit are to build a greater awareness of PPG as the go-to organization for force-free training professionals, to build a stronger collaboration amongst said professionals, and to build communication and networking opportunities with the veterinary community. Summit 2015… Continued
Pet Professional Guild Raises the Stakes in Virtual Competition
Tampa, FL – The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) is offering an unprecedented range of prizes to entice the participation of members, supporters and pet owners in its virtual community event, The International Day of Celebration for Force-Free Training and Pet Care (ICFF), taking place between now and February 17. Like its predecessor last year, ICFF 2015 entails a photo and video competition where members are invited to submit entries in various categories. However, the prizes on offer this time round are even more alluring, with a free pass to PPG’s… Continued
Helping a Fearful Dog Feel Safe
If you have a fearful dog, you probably read all sorts of conflicting advice about what to do about that. Everybody’s got an opinion, and unfortunately some of them include very poor methods. Even if we rule out the methods that are obviously based on aversive practices, like prong collars or shock systems, we are not out of the woods. A lot of the suggestions made regarding fearful dogs, while well-meaning, are not helpful in the long run and can easily cause our attempts to help the dog backfire. My favorite… Continued
“Only You Can Prevent__________”
That slogan, which has been delivered for over seventy years by the iconic Smokey Bear, is so familiar that we automatically finish the sentence with “forest fires”. If Smokey had said, “Only you can put out forest fires”, the message would have been very different; as well, some might have been compelled to submit applications to their local firefighting training academy! As I walk around my neighborhood that is heavily populated with dogs, I see time and time again, the human trying to “put out the fire” that is the… Continued
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Happy New Year everyone! Like so many of you, this is a time when I reflect back on the old year and think about how I would like to improve things for the new year ahead. Dogs just want to have fun. When it comes to dogs and dog training, there are some many areas that can use our attention. If you are a dog sport competitor, you may focus on a new title or skill in your chosen event. If you are more casual dog owner, you might want… Continued
The Dangers of Stereotyping
A couple of years ago I was in England visiting my family just before Christmas. As is usual for this time of year in the UK, the weather wasn’t particularly nice. The rain was pouring down, the wind was blowing and it was icy cold. My mother and I had decided we would go to a nearby shopping centre and spend the day buying presents for family and friends. On leaving the warmth of the car I pulled up the hood on my sweatshirt, thankful for the extra protection it… Continued
Dogs Scared of Men?
As Patricia McConnell says in a blog on her website: Why Dogs are More Afraid of Men, “people in the training and behavior field know that almost all shy dogs are more afraid of men than women, even if men have been nothing but kind to them their entire lives. We’ve always speculated that it had something to do with the way men walked (more assertively?) or their bigger chests, larger jaws, and/or deeper voices. But we’ve never really known for sure what it was – perhaps it is related to… Continued
Built for Speed… and Service
By Bob McMillan Greyhounds might not be the first dog you’d think of if you were looking for candidates for service dogs for U.S. war veterans. They’re bred for explosive bursts of speed. No other breed is better equipped for sprinting than the greyhound. They have chests, lungs and hearts larger than other breeds and even their blood is different — greyhounds have more red blood cells to deliver more oxygen to muscles for running. They have a higher percentage of “fast twitch” muscles than any other breed. So how… Continued
The PPG Key Charter – Renew Your Passion
PPGs Key Charter is supported by our Vision, Mission & Values and collectively known as The PPG “Guiding Principles” As we come close to our third year of operation I wanted to share this message with you all. I personally find it very pleasurable to read and it is as meaningful today as it was when it was first written. Read our full Guiding Principles here The Guild Key Charter States That: a) By combining and coordinating our knowledge, efforts, skills, talents and passions to pursue a common purpose, we… Continued
“Bad” Dogs Make Good Teachers
OK, I’ll admit it, I’m having a tiny bit of puppy envy. I’m working with a private client and his 13 week old springer spaniel. This wide-eyed cutie pie has already met everyone and everything on the ASPCA socialization list except the hot air balloon (and since we’re not in Albuquerque, we can probably skip this one). He’s game for anything and well on his way to being practically bomb-proof. He’s had very few chances to develop exasperating habits. He started learning basic manners the moment he stepped through the… Continued
The Many Faces of Behavior Myopia: Recognizing the Subtle Signs
By Angelica Steinker and Eileen Anderson with additional contributions by Jan Casey and Niki Tudge. Originally published in BARKS from the Guild, October 2014. The fundamental goal of any behavior modification program should be to improve the dog’s (1) and owner’s emotional states, both during and after the process. If emotional, genetic or medical information is omitted from the functional assessment process however, the ensuing behavior modification plan will be incomplete, which not only runs the risk of recommended interventions being inappropriate and misdirected, but may also have disastrous consequences. Unfortunately,… Continued
LEFT FOOT OR RIGHT FOOT – What is the best foot to start forward when heeling?
LEFT FOOT OR RIGHT FOOT – What is the best foot to start forward when heeling? by Barb Levenson For years most obedience people, except yours truly, have been taught to start heeling with their left foot, the foot closest to the dog. I started my obedience training in Dallas with two individuals who were teaching a beginner obedience class at a local high school. I didn’t know at the time they had multiple OTCH’s (Obedience Trial Champion) on their dogs and were well known in Dallas obedience circles. They… Continued
Get Your Paws Off My Plate!
It was my first day on the job and I was sitting in the cafeteria at a table with other new employees. This was an exciting time, not only beginning a new job, but also the opportunity to get to know more people. As I was attentively listening to the woman’s conversation on my left, I couldn’t help notice that the gal on my right was taking food off my plate and eating it. As I whipped my head around in her direction, she smiled at me, like there was… Continued
A Dog is for Life, Not Just for Christmas
Now that Thanksgiving is in the past, our focus turns to Christmas. Finding the perfect gift for a loved one can be a daunting task. If you are considering giving or getting a pet as a present, please do some research. First, be sure the intended recipient wants an animal. A client once confided in me she didn’t really want the dog her children gave her. The children thought the woman was lonely after the death of her spouse. The woman had been looking forward to traveling and living a… Continued
Can You “Baby-Proof” Your Dog?
The dog training school where I teach has a exciting new partnership with Babies-R-Us: We’re about to start monthly seminars for expecting and new parents on finding your “new normal” with a baby plus a dog. I’m using today’s post to organize my thoughts and brainstorm a bit. I’ll lay out the best advice I’ve gathered from my research and toss out some insights from personal experience. I’m also inviting readers–other trainers, dog lovers, parents–to share their knowledge, success stories, and cautionary tales. I’m a mom myself. In addition to… Continued
Humans Have Feelings Too
Most extreme behavior issues will take considerable time and work to resolve. The case of two of little dogs I went to a few weeks ago, was very unusual in that the dramatic change was virtually instant. It was all about the humans and not about the dogs at all. Seldom have I been to dogs that so extremely reflected the state of mind of one particular person as these two did. People like myself are called out to help with the dogs’ behavior but we also are well aware that… Continued
Captivating Clever Trevor
More than a month has passed since my wire fox terrier Trevor died suddenly of acute right-sided congestive heart failure at the age of 14. I picked up his ashes and paw print from the vet clinic two weeks ago when I took Zip in for an EKG following a weekend of accelerated heart rate. Life goes on in spite of loss. As I carried the vellum “gift” bag containing Trevor’s cremains, the pouring rain made me think of my unshed tears and pain too difficult to express as I… Continued
Ten Ways To Use Problem-Solving Games in Behavior Modification
Mental, intelligence games and problem solving activities can be used in a behavior modification program. We use games in environmental enrichment, but why couldn’t we use them, like we use toys in behavior modification? How would you do that, you ask? And, you might not know that this can be done? So let’s explore the 10 ways physical-type purchased intelligence games (like Nina Ottoson, and Dog Kingdom Pet Supply) can be used, as well as homemade games (1) and problem solving activities (2) that uses the dog’s brain to mentally… Continued
Watch Your Language
By Bob McMillan It was an electric moment. After having Oona for seven weeks, something clicked. Our Irish wolfhound puppy realized that the sounds I was making with my mouth meant something to her. She looked me directly and unflinchingly in the eye and — wham —a gap had been spanned. Clear communication was suddenly happening. A lifelong connection had begun. After that subtle but memorable moment, our rowdy puppy was changed. She was interacting with my wife and I with more purpose in a more mature way. She was… Continued
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