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BARKS Podcast with the PPG Advocacy Panel: Discussion #10 – Recognizing Microaggressions
Recognizing Microaggressions So They Can Be Managed and Avoided
Join the Pet Professional Guild (PPG) Advocacy Panel for a discussion on Recognizing Microaggressions So They Can Be Managed and Avoided
Pet guardians and pet professionals, listen as panel members share their ...
BARKS Podcast with Geek Week Presenters Emily Tronetti, Tracey Lee Davis, Michael Shikashio, Rain Jordan, and Nancy Tucker
Join Niki Tudge as she Chats and Chuckles with Emily Tronetti, Tracey Lee Davis, Michael Shikashio, Rain Jordan, and Nancy Tucker about their planned sessions for Geek Week 2021. Listen as they ...
It’s Not Them – It’s You
By Andrea Carne
Aggression in cats. It’s a sensitive and difficult issue for many cat owners and one that can lead to relinquishment or even euthanasia – particularly when the behavior is ...
Latest Articles
No Magic Bullet
A recent New York Times article discussed growing skepticism of a common test that supposedly assesses dogs' aggressive tendencies. The test uses a fake hand, called an Assess-A-Hand, to "determine" whether a dog will be aggressive in protecting his food bowl. The idea is to identify ...
Pet Professional Guild launches Shock-Free Coalition to end use of electric shock as training tool for pets
Initiative calls for the worldwide elimination of shock devices in animal training, care, management, and behavior modification; seeks consumer transparency for pet owners seeking professional advice
The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) has launched the Shock-Free Coalition, a global advocacy ...
Ping Pong Recalls
When I ask new puppy owners 'what are the most important objectives for you and your new pup?' you can bet that right at the very top of that list is 'I want to be able to let my dog off lead and for her to come back when called!' I think that's pretty reasonable - most of us have at some ...
Using Annoying or Scary Sounds for Dog Training
Let’s pretend you saw an ad for a new dog training product. It read something like this:
Introducing the Noise-Aided Obedience Device (NOD)! Never have trouble with your dog again. When you jerk or flap the lead attached to your dog’s collar or harness to punish him or to force him into the ...
Professional Training and Pet Sitting
As a professional dog trainer and behavior consultant I developed a working relationship with hundreds of families over the years, and many pet owners have asked for my recommendation when they needed a pet sitter or dog walker.
This often arose when there was a planned vacation, a wedding or ...
Front Door Freakout
If you come to my house, brace yourself.
You walk up the stairs, ring the doorbell. Suddenly...the shrieking of a hundred banshees? Maybe an exorcism in progress? Or fiery-eyed, froth-mawed Cerberus guarding the gates of Hades?
Nope. It’s my people-loving hound Huckleberry going freakshow ...
Pain Underlying
By Dr. Lynn Bahr
Most people who work professionally with cats know what stoic creatures they are and how well they can hide their pain. There are many different theories as to why this is. Until relatively recently, it was thought cats did not experience pain at all, based purely on the ...
It is Unwise to Say, “Just Ignore the Problem Behavior!”
By Niki Tudge
Last week, while perusing my Facebook news feed while I drank my morning coffee, I came across a link to a blog advocating for force-free dog training methods. This short blog had a video link which was showing a dog trainer punishing a dog for a problematic behavior. In ...
Do Helicopter Moms Impede Pups’ Success?
Talk about a tough graduate research assignment: Watching puppy videos. Where can I sign up?
Seriously … it’s been done. A research team watched hundreds of hours of video of puppies interacting with their moms. The goal was to evaluate how the way moms treated their very young puppies ...