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BARKS Podcast with the PPG Advocacy Panel: Discussion #9 – What Key Skills Should Pet Professionals Be Able to Demonstrate and Why?
What Key Skills Should Pet Professionals Be Able to Demonstrate and Why?
Join the Pet Professional Guild (PPG) Advocacy Panel for a discussion on What Key Skills Should Pet-Professionals Be Able to Demonstrate and Why?
Pet guardians and pet professionals, listen as panel members ...
BARKS Podcast with Helen Phillips and Jules Morgan of The Gun Dog Trainers Academy: July 9, 2021
Helen Phillips and Jules Morgan of PPG corporate partner Gundog Trainers Academy chat about positive gundog training and the increasing demand for ethical gundog training, as well as all the ...
Meet Geek Week 2021 – The Sequel
By the Pet Professional Guild
We’re Back – and Better than Ever! Geek Week: November 13-17, 2021 Early Bird Discount till July 31!
We had so much fun last year and learned so much about ...
Latest Articles
Toads, Snakes, Spiders and Chocolate!
Did you know that an encounter with a toad could have devastating consequences? During a recent class I was teaching, one of the students said that her training buddy and his friends had found a large toad in their yard. They were very fortunate as none of them made actual contact with the ...
Why Do Cats Purr?
By Diana Hutchinson
When you hear your cat purr, the common assumption is that your favorite fur ball is feeling quite happy and contented. However, there’s more to purring than just pleasure. One might view purring as similar to a baby’s cry – the sound may be the same but it could ...
Sticks and Stones…
..may break my bones, but words will never harm me"
This, or one of its variations, is a childhood phrase that most of us are familiar with. We know that physical violence hurts and, as is suggested by the rhyme, words cannot cause harm. Or can they?
As a dog behaviour counsellor and ...
Project Trade: Economics 101
In the spring of 2016 The Pet Professional Guild rolled out Project Trade, an “international educational advocacy program promoting the use of force-free pet equipment by asking pet guardians to swap choke, prong and shock collars” (1). In return for swapping their aversive gear, pet guardians ...
That Loving Gaze
Oxytocin is a hormone that plays a role in social bonding, as implied by some of its nicknames: the love hormone, cuddle chemical, or bliss hormone. It’s also something that dogs and humans share.
Studies published in 2009 found that, when dogs gazed at their owners — you know, that adoring ...
Halloween Candy Can Be Hazardous to Pets
Guest blog by the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine
Halloween can be a fun, family time, but please remember to watch out for your four-legged family members. A number of items related to Halloween can be hazardous to your pets:
Chocolate is popular with people, but your dog is attracted ...
Making It Fun for Performance Dogs
I got told a couple of times lately: Shellbe (my German Shorthaired Pointer who I compete with in Agility) really covered you there! It was in competition or training when I made a mistake and Shellbe did everything she possibly could to make up for it. And she did! Isn't that what friends are ...
Pet Professional Guild Lines Up Canine Behavior Specialists for Podcasts on Breed Specific Legislation
In light of ongoing events in Montreal, PPG podcasts will feature a host of dog training and behavior experts to explain why breed bans are ineffective in reducing frequency of dog bites
Starting next month, Pet Professional Guild (PPG) is to host a number of canine behavior experts in a ...
A Bit on the Nose
When you’re teaching people to use luring, it can be hard for them to actually find their dog’s nose. And then it can be hard for them to put that tasty treat that they’re using to lure the behaviour right up close to the dog’s nose.
I’ve tried all sorts of things. In my dog free lesson at ...