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Double Asset or Double Trouble?

There comes a time in many dog owner's lives where the thought is sprung.... 'I wonder if Fido would like a friend?' Inextricably bound with the idea are feelings of excitement, guilt, worry because there are so many aspects to consider if you're going to go through this whole doggy journey ...

Behavior Suppression Is Not the Same as Behavior Modification

By Jenny Efimova Reactive behavior is the tip of the iceberg. It’s what we see: the lunging, the barking, the snarling, the growling, etc. It’s what’s above the surface and it’s what we often want to stop. What we don’t see and what’s driving this behavior is the rest of the iceberg below: ...

Scared Dog vs. Happy and Engaged Dog

Here’s a little dog body language study. My dear Zani shows a lot of emotion, which means she is a good dog to observe. She is pretty easy to read and can teach us a lot. The short video below consists of two quick clips taken less than two minutes apart. In one clip, Zani is afraid, and in ...

Lawn Chemicals and Dogs

Spring is a time when people work and play on their lawns. It is also when many folks apply weed killers. I did so for years and thought nothing of it.  Then in 2016 I read an article in a local newspaper and learned that a nearby village was spraying a particular brand of lawn chemical in a ...

BARKS Podcast with Marco Adda: May 7, 2019

Guest: Freelance canids researcher, Marco Adda. Topic: PPG Webinar:  Free-Ranging Bali Dogs:  Behavior, Lifestyle, Personality and Preservation Free-ranging dogs are one of the most widely distributed carnivores in the world, yet scientists are only just beginning to study their behavior. They ...

Dog Tired? When Exercise Wakes him Up Rather than Tires Him Out!

By Sue McCabe Many years ago, at a seminar in Edinburgh, I heard Patricia McConnell say that most dog walks wake the dog up, rather than tire the dog out. ‘But why is he not tired?’ I’m often asked. ‘I’ve taken him for a really long walk.’ We’re just back from a 10km walk followed ...

How to Make the Transition to Full-Time Dog Pro

By Veronica Boutelle of PPG corporate partner, dogbiz If your dream is to work with dogs for a living but you’re still toiling full time outside the dog industry, or juggling a part-time business alongside your “real” job, you need a transition plan: A plan to get you from where you are now ...

How Long Does It Take to Train a Dog?

By Sue McCabe At puppy class recently, we started retrieve training. Students were shown this video (below), with the steps needed to train a reliable retrieve to hand.  The video compresses quite a bit of learning (weeks of short sessions) into just under 2 minutes of demonstration. ‘How ...