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Tracking Training


By Jane Bowers Tracking is a fun activity many dogs can do and that most enjoy. Generally if a dog enjoys retrieving, has some prey drive, shows persistence in finding things and is in good health, they will do well in tracking. Success in tracking is also dependent on the skill of the trainer, the time spent teaching the dog the basics and beyond and the rewards for the dog. Tracking and search work utilizes the incredible senses that dogs possess. In particular, their sense of smell. When trained, dogs… Continued


Did you cause your dog’s separation anxiety?


By Julie Naismith “Is it my fault my dog has separation anxiety?” That’s the most common question dog owners have when they first find out their dog has separation anxiety. It can be hard to ignore the suggestion that you caused your dog’s separation anxiety. But, I’m here to tell you that you didn’t cause your dog to develop a panic disorder. Neither you nor your dog are at fault. As if it weren’t enough that your life is turned upside down by your separation anxiety dog, you had better… Continued


How to Make Medicating Your Cat Easy


By Dr. Lynn Bahr Cats may look like cuddly little balls of fuzz, but as soon as the time comes to administer medication, all cat people know that they turn into lean fighting machines capable of inflicting serious damage to hands, clothes, and more. The last time we had to give medication to one of our cats, Peanut, she summoned the strength of giant tiger into her little 7 lb. body and managed to successfully fight off two grown adults, before running under the couch where we couldn’t get to… Continued


New Delta Rules Signal Tightening Up of Rules for Service, Emotional Support Animals


Updated Feb. 25 to reflect Delta’s change: Travelers with trained service animals are encouraged, but NOT required, to provide proof of health and vaccination records 48 hours ahead of travel; passengers should have this documentation with them as Delta might request it. Those traveling with psychiatric service animals and ESAs will be required to provide all required documentation at least 48 hours ahead of their flight. US-based airline Delta announced January 19 that, effective March 1, it is tightening the rules for passengers wanting to bring service or emotional support… Continued


Teaching Deaf (and Blind) Dogs to Use Their Mouths Gently


By Debbie Bauer A common complaint among those who live with deaf (and blind/deaf) dogs is that they use their mouths roughly. This is very common throughout puppyhood and adolescence, but if dogs are not taught to use their mouths gently, this problem can extend into adulthood.  Deaf dogs sometimes get a bad rap for being more aggressive than other dogs.  But this is a myth.  Let me tell you more … Dogs use their mouths in many ways – when they eat, chew, play, discipline, bark, and too many… Continued


Preventing Dog Reactivity with a Barrier


My back door opens onto an elevated wooden porch. There are ten steps down to the yard. The top of the steps provides a view into the neighbor’s yard, which can be a very interesting place. Clara runs there when anything might be happening, primed to react. In the picture above she is watching a guest dog at the neighbor’s house. You can see that that’s not a friendly look, right? Tight commissures (corners of the mouth) with the muscles bunched and pushing forward. Direct gaze with a fairly hard… Continued


Dogs Require Daily Enrichment


As a professional dog trainer 60% of my cases are behavioral in nature. Training is about teaching dogs (and owners) how to do things while behavioral cases usually involve changing underlying emotional states such as anxiety, stress and fear.  I often see lack of enrichment in the dog’s life in behavioral cases. I often hear from owners they have a “high energy” dog who engages in annoying behaviors such as excessive barking, chewing, jumping on people, and general inability to settle down. Very often the first recourse applied by pet owners… Continued


An Open Letter To Pet Retailers Concerning The Availability of Pet Training and Management Devices That Deliver Electric Shock


In September 2017, the Pet Professional Guild (PPG) rolled out its Shock-Free Coalition, the key purpose of which is to build a strong and broad movement committed to eliminating electric shock devices from the worldwide supply and demand chain. It is our intent to fully realize the goal of shock tools and equipment being universally unavailable and no longer permitted in the training, management and care of pets anywhere. We plan to work diligently to achieve the following: 1.     To engage and educate pet owners and shelter/rescue workers to help… Continued


Burnout: When Trying to Do Good Makes You Feel Bad


You love dogs. Loved them all your life. I mean, like it’s a your religion. You read about dogs, write about dogs, think about dogs, surround yourself with dogs, can’t imagine life without dogs. And you tie yourself up in knots over dogs in shelters. You want to help them and save them and right the wrongs that may have been done to them. Contrary to popular belief, you do not want to bring them all home. You just want someone like yourself to bring them all home and love… Continued


Cold Weather House Training


By Kelly Fahey This winter I have been getting some inquiries about puppies “backsliding” in their house training. First, let me put your minds at ease and let you know that there is likely nothing wrong with your puppy. It’s COLD out. It’s unusually cold out. These frigid temperatures have moved in and don’t seem to be going anywhere. Here’s what likely is happening: Your puppy doesn’t want to be outside in the terribly cold weather and might be relieving her bladder just enough to take the pressure off, and… Continued


Clicker Training for Cats (2/6)


By Paula Garber and Francine Miller In clicker training, primary reinforcers are things that are instinctively or inherently rewarding to a cat. Reinforcers for cats should be given in small amounts and frequently to maintain learning momentum. For cats who are food motivated, use high-value food or treats for clicker training. Many cats like foods with a high animal protein content, like cooked or freeze-dried meat or fish. Other foods to try include canned tuna, deli meat, meat-based baby food (make sure it doesn’t contain onions), and liver paste made… Continued


Counterconditioning Leash Reactivity, the Hybrid Approach


Leash reactivity towards dogs, humans or traffic, is one of the most challenging training endeavors. This is simply because there is no consistency in the appearance of the stimuli, and there will most assuredly be at some point, an over threshold event for the dog due to “criteria pile up”. More than one piece of criteria at a time combined with a lack of sufficient distance, too much duration, and or both, then add in the stimulus entering the environment with intensity of both the visual and auditory components known… Continued


Separation anxiety: 7 reasons why you need to have strong support


By Julie Naismith Have you been out for a coffee recently? Did you spend the time chatting about your dog’s separation anxiety? I’m guessing not. Or if it did come up, your friends probably didn’t want to go into it in any detail. At the risk of sounding dramatic, it’s a socially isolating condition. Having a dog with separation anxiety sets you apart. No one else is going to get it. No one understands what it’s like to own a separation anxiety dog until they have one themselves. I recently… Continued


Does Your Training Language Potentially Compromise Your Credibility With the Medical Community?


The words we choose to use in our training and behavior change sessions and written client plans impact the way we are perceived. Our words Impact our credibility and thus our ability to work alongside our peers and our industry partners, particularly those who hold more senior credentials such as Board-Certified Behaviorists and Veterinarians. In any profession whether you are a presidential speech writer, a career orator or an individual service provider working with clients transferring skills and knowledge, words really do matter. The nomenclature we choose to use matters… Continued


So Easy to Miscue …


A few days ago, I heard a story on the radio about police dogs and their handlers. The reporter was talking to a retired police dog handler who now trains dogs and works as an expert witness. What he said was disturbing for anyone who gets stopped by a police officer-and-dog team, but, to anyone with dog training experience, sounds plausible. What he was talking about was how common it is for the K9 handlers to miscue their dogs. Sometimes it is conscious and intentional; the officer wants to do… Continued


Ensuring Festive Fun For Fido!


Christmas will be here again before we know it – sadly, every year, dogs can become casualties during the festive season.  So how can we ensure that everyone has a fabulous time including our furry friends? Here are a few tips: KEEP CHRISTMAS PLANTS OUT OF REACH Those lovely Christmas traditional plants are poisonous for our dogs, so keep them well out of the way: mistletoe, poinsettia, holly, and amaryllis. NO BONES It’s nice to share the Christmas turkey but, remember, don’t give your dog any bones as they can splinter… Continued


Are You SURE Your Dog Prefers That Food Toy?


It just occurred to me that it is super easy to make assumptions about how much our dogs prefer a particular food toy, or even whether they really enjoy them that much. Don’t yell at me. To be clear: I use food toys for my dogs every single day. I think they can be enriching and that they are ethical things to use. But food toys present us with a funny little problem. The laws of behavior get in the way of something we might like to know. How can we tell… Continued


Santa Claus May Scare Dogs


People around the world enjoy the winter season and many nations celebrate a version of Saint Nicholas. In the United States I witnessed an increase in commercialization and marketing hype since I was a child and Christmas decorations now appear after Halloween in my locale.  There is a lot of social pressure to “be happy” during the Christmas season. Personal and social expectations of “joy and happiness” rose substantially over the years and today pet owners may draw their dogs into the frenzy by dressing them in holiday attire or… Continued


An Open Letter to Pet Industry Representatives Regarding the Use of Shock in Animal Training, Management and Care: We now know enough to stop shocking our pets


Shocking pet dogs remains a common, if controversial, training practice worldwide. In this open letter, Pet Professional Guild (PPG) combines decades of research, the opinions of certified animal behaviorists, and the question of ethics to explain why using electric shock in the name of training and care is both ineffective and harmful. PPG concludes that shocking constitutes a form of abuse towards pets, and, given that there are highly effective, positive training alternatives, should no longer be a part of the current pet industry culture of accepted practices, tools or… Continued


Making Peace with Muzzles


I’ll give you the moral of this story first: Make peace with muzzles. Be OK with dogs who wear them, applaud owners who use them, and put one on your own dog if the situation warrants it. Now I’ll tell you the story. It’s about mistakes I made that led me to this moral. I hope it’ll bring you there, too. (And if you only read this far, at least check out The Muzzle Up! Project’s website.) Years ago I had a gentle, low-key mutt named Sachem. She was easygoing with… Continued


How to Teach Your Deaf (and Blind) Dog to Wake Up Gently


By Debbie Bauer There is a myth that deaf dogs can be “dangerous” because they will bite when they are startled or woken up. Could this ever happen? Yes, it could. But it could also happen with a dog that can hear just fine. Does it happen a lot? No. Most deaf dogs are no threat when startled. Can this scenario be prevented? Yes, definitely! You can teach your deaf dog to wake up easily and happily. By teaching this skill to your new dog, you can prevent this issue… Continued


Clicker Training for Cats (1/6)


By Paula Garber and Francine Miller Why train a cat? Why indeed. Myths about the trainability of cats abound: “Cats can’t be trained because they’re too independent.” “Cats are difficult to train because they are not food motivated.” “Cats don’t need training like dogs do.” These are all common misconceptions, but get ready to kick all the myths to the curb and add some useful cat training tools and techniques to your repertoire. Clicker Training Professional dog trainers will already know all about clicker training and many use the method… Continued


Why do food rewards win, but not for separation anxiety?


By Julie Naismith Rewards-based training is the best. Dogs love it because it’s fun and it doesn’t involve fear or pain. And best of all, it works. In fact, research shows that it works better than any other method.  Hands down, the best tool for training is food. But, despite the fabulousness of food, it’s best left in the cupboard when we’re training a dog with separation anxiety. It’s not that we couldn’t use food for separation anxiety training, it’s just that we don’t need to. When it comes to… Continued


Rehomed Dogs – Expectations and Reality


Everyone knows that worldwide there are millions of dogs in the most awful predicament.  The lucky ones are rescued, rehabilitated and await homes in shelters – so, why not be their saviour?  Rehoming a dog is a richly rewarding experience for both parties, but there is a caveat – know what you are in for and be prepared.  If you are not, this is to the detriment of the dog of course and you. Can you do this? Seriously, question this! The majority of people want to help and not… Continued


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