Common Mistakes People Make When Training Their Animals
Have you ever thought, “Why aren’t they getting this?” You are not alone. Many people get stuck while training their animals. Whether it’s with clients or a post on social media asking for help, I see animal caretakers making the same mistakes over and over while training their animals. Professionals like us frequently make them too! In this multipart article, I’ll list mistakes I commonly see and how you can fix them. Mistake #1 –Training without a Plan Are you using a training plan to train your animal? If not,… Continued
Let’s Go on Sniffari!
Should people allow their dogs to sniff during walks, or is it all about marching forward in lockstep? I suppose the tone of the question predicts my response. I suggest that dogs not only be allowed to sniff but should be encouraged and empowered to do so…and here is why. As a professional dog trainer and behavior consultant, I enjoy educating the public about dogs. My motivation is to help others avoid the many mistakes I made with my puppy in 1983, when I knew nothing about raising a puppy. Note to… Continued
Need Before Breed: Assistance Animals Are Not Limited to the “Fab Four”
Not everyone wants or can handle one of the “Fab Four” (Lab, golden retriever, standard poodle, or German shepherd dog). Some people may need a smaller or larger dog. Some may have fears of specific breeds. The “Fab Four” in the Assistance Animal Community The Labrador retriever and the golden retriever are two of the most commonly seen breeds trained to be assistance animals. Generally speaking, it is because these two breeds have temperament traits that best fit with the requirements necessary for a working dog who will encounter a… Continued
Why is “Balanced” Dog Training Controversial?
The term “balanced dog training” reflects a specific approach within the broader spectrum of dog training methodologies, aiming to strike a balance between reinforcement and correction techniques. However, “balanced” training has been a subject of debate and controversy. Critics argue that the use of aversive techniques can be harmful to a dog’s well-being and damage their trust in their owner or handler. Core Principles of “Balanced” Dog Training Types of Corrections Key Factors Contributing to “Balanced” Dog Training’s Popularity “Balanced” dog training remains in the public eye despite empirical evidence… Continued
Benefits of Force-Free Dog Training
Dog training is essential to pet ownership, shaping your dog’s behavior, enhancing communication, and ensuring their well-being. Training without aversives (force-free) focuses on positive reinforcement and promotes trust, confidence, and consistent behavior without the risk of causing harm or distress to our dogs. Strengthened Trust and Bond Reduced Behavioral Issues Ethical Considerations Trainer Transparency Transparency about training methods often reveals a trainer’s commitment to force-free methods and is critical when hiring a dog trainer for several key reasons: ★Ensuring humane treatment: Knowing the training methods helps ensure that the techniques… Continued
Help Pets Overcome Their Fears with Counterconditioning
If our pet doesn’t like something that we need them to tolerate, like vet care or grooming, we need to help convince them it’s worth it. Focus on Feelings We spend a lot of time training our animals’ behaviors (stationing, picking up feet), but sometimes the problem is emotional (fear, stress). We want to approach these situations from a more classical psychology perspective. It’s important to start by making the thing they dislike as small and mild as possible. So, whether you make it quieter, smaller, slower, or further away,… Continued
Why Is Advocating for Our Pets So Important?
Some dogs spend so much of their relatively short time with us hoping to be noticed…hoping that the door may open, or the cookie cabinet will open, hoping for even a short massage. I see many dogs daily, weekly, yearly who are trying their best to live in our modern world, a world of rushing, Zoom calls, humans with good intentions but not much time… We need to help dogs to feel accomplished, happy, cared for and heard. But in this crazy busy world, we might instead tend to push… Continued
Welcome to Hotel Bruno: How I Transformed the Space Beneath Our Basement Stairs into a Storm Shelter
This spring has brought frequent severe weather, requiring us to take shelter in the basement due to tornadic activity. I was motivated to create a storm shelter beneath the basement stairs and described how to plan ahead for people, and their pets. I describe how I built and stocked the shelter. Considering the nearly daily severe weather events all across the nation, this may help families stay safe. Meteorologists just a few years ago hesitated to link local weather catastrophes with climate change, but now it is common for them… Continued
What Do the Boy Scouts of America and U.S. Dog Trainers Have in Common?
A Lot, the Fox Is in the Henhouse By Annie Phenix and Pilley Bianchi Best-selling authors Annie Phenix and Pilley Bianchi have teamed up to write a compelling, fact-based news article that examines how family dogs are living in a time of major transition as they become more and more embedded in our families. More is expected of them, and more often than not, people expect their dogs to inherently know the rules of order. Sit, stay, come, chew this, not that. But despite 40,000 years by our side, dogs… Continued
Celebrating Life Together – Our pets share our lives, and never for long enough!
I recently lost my Kitty Kat; it gave me pause, as always when we lose a pet. We flashback to all the memories, laughs, and lovely moments we shared over the years. I sat in a quiet location as my tears subsided and flashed back to how she came into my life. I have not yet reached the point where I can think back fondly with a smile; the pain is still too raw. But what I can do is reflect on our time spent together, our reinforcement history, the… Continued
A Puppy’s Tale of the Yellow Brick Road
My understanding of the “Wizard of Oz” film is that it’s about a group of individuals who struggle to deal with fear and then seek recovery from it. This is a story about Juniper’s journey along that “Yellow Brick” road. I think that we all travel along that particular road at one time or another. Juniper’s mother was a stray, pregnant and struggling to stay safe, living in a deep southern state. She was captured with her pups and taken to a local shelter, eventually packed into a truck with… Continued
Cat Not Using the Box? It Could Be the Litter Box Setup!
Unwanted elimination is one of the most common behavioral reasons cats are surrendered to shelters. Why is this problem so common? And what can be done about it? First, take your cat to the vet to check for possible medical causes. If the cause isn’t medical, it could be behavioral, such as separation anxiety, inter-cat aggression, or outside threats. In these situations, I’d recommend you contact a cat behavior consultant to help you problem-solve. As a cat behavior consultant, experience has taught me that elimination issues are often due to… Continued
How to Train Your Equid to Stand for a Foot Soak
From softening the hoof so that it’s easier to trim in dry weather, to drawing out an abscess or treating a hoof condition, there are many reasons why you might need to soak your equid’s feet. Here is a brief guide to training your equid to stand for a soak. Step 1: To teach your equid to stand for a foot soak, I like to start with training them to stand on a mat. This behavior is useful for many different things, and the more you strengthen this behavior, the… Continued
Avoiding the ‘Brush-Off’! (Part Two)
All dogs need to be groomed – to rid the hair of dirt and debris, to check for parasites, stimulate oils and to avoid tangles, are just a few reasons. How do we make sure though that the whole process is pleasant, or even something the animal may come to look forward to, rather than a negative experience or a battle of wills? Turn grooming into a game I like to use target training as a fun game with grooming issues. Essentially, you’re changing the whole association of the tool… Continued
Avoiding the ‘Brush-Off’! (Part One)
Grooming is something that all dogs will need in their lives, and it should not be something they have to endure or dread. I’m going to focus on dogs in this article since that is my specialty, but you could just as easily apply my words to pretty much any furry friend- small or large. Preventing issues The key point is to start early with puppies; I cannot stress that enough. It is just so much easier if you start at eight weeks, gaining a puppy’s trust on handling everywhere and… Continued
What is Reactivity in Dogs?
‘He’s reactive’ or ‘I have a reactive dog’ is quite commonly heard nowadays, and is a bit of a catch-all label that gets put on dogs who respond in a certain way. So, what is reactivity really, and what is a ‘reactive dog’? A dog who is reactive is generally one who overreacts in certain situations, or to certain things (science calls these stimuli) in their environment, and this overreaction can vary in intensity, how long it goes on for (duration), or volume. What triggers reactivity in dogs? Common triggers… Continued
How Much Fetch Is Too Much?
How does a pet steward satisfy a dog’s strong desire to play without turning it into an obsession? Most dogs love to play, and some dogs love it so much that it can become an obsessive behavior. When my wife and I adopted Bruno, a chocolate Labrador, the foster family told us that he would play fetch for hours. Uh-oh. When I worked at a dog daycare, among the 200 dogs I knew, there was one who herded plastic balls constantly, all day long, for several days a week, never taking… Continued
How Can Sniffing Improve Your Dog’s Life?
Our dogs make no secret of how much they love to use their noses and have a good sniff. Some dogs make a very respectable career out of their nose power, detecting drugs or explosives. Others though, put their noses to much more embarrassing use, crotch sniffing visitors or poking it where it’s really not wanted! So why is sniffing so important to your pet? And what can you do to fulfill their sniffing needs without any embarrassment? As humans our primary sense is our sight, but for our dogs,… Continued
Ask a Trainer: A Friend for a New Feline
Q. I recently acquired a male, neutered cat, who is about 3 years old. He lived indoors all the time, his first two years with a sibling. They were separated when the owner passed away, then fostered. I’m the third owner in a month now. He is a gentle lapsitter, content to be in his room, looking out the window. I am contemplating getting him a companion. What’s your suggestion? Same age or a younger cat? Male or female? Breed? (He is a domestic shorthair, tuxedo.) – Thanks, C. A:… Continued
Ten Tips to Help Your New Dog Decompress
You’ve brought home a new dog! Congratulations! Let’s look at some important things to help keep your new dog safe, emotionally and physically, in the first few weeks. Over the next several weeks and months, you will really start to see his personality blossom as he starts to bond with you, gets comfortable, and settles into your home and your routine. That’s when the fun really happens! Good luck and congratulations! About the Author Kate LaSala, CTC, CBCC-KA, PCBC-A, CSAT, FFCP-E is a certified, professional behavior consultant and trainer, who specializes in helping fearful,… Continued
UK Residents: Urgent Action Needed to Make a Kinder World for Pets
We have less than six months for UK citizens to get 100,000 signatures on this petition to ban electric shock collars for dogs and cats. Your signature attests, “I petition for the ban of electric shock collars due to the harmful effects they can have.” Five Reasons to Act Now: Inflicting Pain on Animals is Unlawful Let’s explore European Animal Welfare laws, specifically the UK Animal Welfare Act of 2006, and its Five Freedoms, which are: Advocates believe the use of electric shock collars on dogs is inconsistent with animal… Continued
Ask a Trainer: When Will My Puppy Stop Biting Me?!
Q. Is there a time when I can stop training my puppy? He’s 12 weeks old now. When will he stop biting me? –– via Facebook Messenger A. It’s great that you’re seeking guidance on training your puppy! Puppy Biting At 12 weeks old, your puppy is still in the early stages of development. Puppy biting is a common behavior at this age, as they explore their environments and learn about their surroundings through their mouths. Puppy biting is a natural part of their teething process and social development, but… Continued
Holiday Safety for Dogs
While the holiday season can be a fun time of year for us, we also need to be thinking about how to keep our canine friends safe. This article explores some common seasonal pet hazards and how to avoid them. Holiday Decorations Pine needles – Real Christmas trees have sharp needles; not only can these hurt your dog’s paws, but if eaten they can cause tummy issues, including blockages, or puncture your dog’s tummy or intestines. Hoover up pine needles regularly. Tree water – Do not let your dog drink… Continued
Eye Drops for Dogs, the Premack Principle, and Stationing on the Stairs
Students often ask me, “When can I stop training my dog.” That’s when I reply, “I never stop training.” By continuing to train, I keep my dog engaged, her life enriched, and my skills sharp. For example, my continued training with Muppy helped me quickly address a new behavioral challenge related to her health. Last spring Muppy was seen by an eye specialist and was prescribed eye drops that she requires every morning. Dr. Blackwood explained that one of the drops might sting and could cause Muppy to be less… Continued
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