New Content
BARKS Podcast with Barbara Hodel of Goodog Positive Dog Training
Join Niki Tudge and PPG Canine Committee chair Judy Luther as they Chat and Chuckle with Barbara Hodel of Goodog Positive Dog Training in Bayview, New South Wales, Australia about all things Teen Dog!
All dogs (and humans) have to go through the teenage phase to reach the stability of ...
BARKS Podcast with Emily Wolf and Libby Felts of Summit Dog Rescue
PPG president Niki Tudge chats to Emily Wolf and Libby Felts of Summit Dog Rescue and the podcast, Pod to the Rescue.
Emily and Libby provide us with an inside look at the newly created ...
My Top 4 Features of Geek Week 2021 – The Sequel
by Niki Tudge, PPG Founder and President
I Say This Each Year – Honestly, I Really Mean It!
Each year, the Pet Professional Guild (PPG) hosts a large educational event specifically geared ...
Latest Articles
Does Breed Specific Legislation Work?
Recently a dog incident occurred in the tiny northern village of Plain, Wisconsin. As reported by TV news in the southern part of the state, a lady was walking her dog when three Pit Bulls escaped their home and rushed up to her. The lady ended up on the ground and was “scratched”.
The news ...
Labels and Limitations…..
By Kamal Fernandez
Do you have a nickname for your dog? I mean, an endearing title or word that describes or captures who they are? This can often be a positive thing… all of my dogs, have a ‘second name’, that I often use to reference them… Sugar is ‘shu-shu’….. Punch is ‘P dog’… ‘Super’ ...
A Good Start in Life
By Francine Miller
Thankfully, more people are now aware that puppies need early socialization to have the best shot at being behaviorally healthy, but there are still many that are sketchy on the details of the process.
Very few people are aware that kittens also undergo a sensitive ...
Dog Car Safety: Help – An Escapee!
Recently, my nephew and I saw a dog running down a busy main road. She was very lucky as between us we managed to redirect her down an alleyway away from all the traffic and eventually I got her to come near enough to me so that I could take hold of her collar. She was obviously very ...
Cognitive Dog Training
I first started teaching about what I called cognitive dog training several years ago. I didn't invent it; I simply named what a lot of positive, forward-thinking dog trainers were already doing. Cognitive dog training enlists the dog as ...
The Problem with Punishment
Fortunately today, thanks to force free advocating organizations like Pet Professional Guild, there is much more awareness of the detrimental effects of punishment. Sadly though, in some quarters it still prevails and is even advocated by some and perpetuated by the media. So what ...
Change Is Difficult – We Are Humans After All
As trainers we sometimes talk about owner compliance, or maybe more accurately - in some cases at least - the apparent lack of it. Part of our job as dog trainers is to find ways to motivate our clients to make changes to the lives of their dogs and often this means they also need to change ...
Local Enhancement and Socially Facilitated Behaviors in Dogs
This post started out as one thing and transformed into another as I went along, as many of mine do. I have been familiar for a while with the term local enhancement for a type of social learning in dogs. I had some videos that I felt were good examples. But while researching this post and ...
Putting More Tools in the Tool Kit
Recently I worked with an adolescent dog that I trained as a puppy. Like many adolescents he suddenly forgot several of his training skills and got stuck offering two behaviors in specific circumstances.
When greeting people he climbed upon them with his fore paws, seeking attention. And to ...