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The Right Choice
Tracking Equines
A while ago I hosted a tracking workshop for dogs at my hobby farm in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, hosted by Margaret Keast of Jigsaw Dog Training and Behaviour Consultancy, who is based in Newcastle, NSW. I had a blast! The dogs seemed to pick it up quickly and ...
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Saving Detainees and Dogs, One Life at a Time
Our dog training company, Cold Nose College, has been teaching a dog training program at the Georgia Department of Corrections Colwell Probation Detention Center, a minimum-security, short-term sentencing facility housing probation and ...
What Makes a Good Temperament?
It is a common misconception that “All a dog needs is love” or “It’s how you raise them” to increase the chances – or even “guarantee” – a dog will have a good temperament. And although these things are very important, there are a lot more ...
Understanding, Identifying, and Coping with Canine Stress
Just like us, our dogs can and do experience stress. And just as stress can make us feel afraid, hyper, edgy, or irritable, it can do the same to our dogs.
As a pet behavior consultant, I have observed that most behavior problems with ...
The Emotions of Reactivity
Reactivity refers to canine behavior whereby a dog is over aroused by something in the environment. For some dogs it may be the sight of another dog. For others, it may be a child riding a bike or a jogger passing by the window. Or any ...
Resource Guarding vs. Rule Setting: Training and Management
How do we know if we’re dealing with resource guarding or rule setting? For me, the answer lies in a constellation of observable behaviors which, taken together, tell the tale. I think of this as The Zones.
Ownership ...
A Positive Strategy
As I set up my dog on the start line of an agility course, I want her to feel excited and exhilarated. At the same time, I also want her to feel relaxed within the environment and completely engaged with me, focused on my communication and ...
Predictive Detective Work
I often hear my clients say they don’t understand why their dog is doing this or that, or that there’s no reason or cause for the behavior at all. But of course, there is always a cause for a dog to behave in a ...
Resource Guarding or Rule Setting?
In my experience, it appears that for dogs, possession is truly 9/10ths of the canine “MINE!” law, i.e. if it’s in your possession, you have the right to retain possession. These seem to be the details of what constitutes “mine” in the dog ...