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Fear of Dogs: Expert Tips for Trainers
The Right Choice
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Tell Us What You Really Think
"...humans are very noun-centric. We name everything. Dogs, however, may have very little use of nouns. Instead, they may be verb- or action-centric. So, when they hear “ball” they may actually think, “get ball.” Because dogs do not have the ...
Message Received!
The “high squeaky voice” rule is meant to provide the dog with more motivating, stimulating auditory input that – in theory – will excite the dog in a positive way. This may or may not be true for that dog, and even if it is, the handler has ...
Sam, I Can
People would ask me, “How do you prevent him from flying?” and my response was always, “A blind bird isn’t going to want to take off in flight if he doesn’t know where he’s going. Just don’t scare him.” A few times I also heard, “Why ...
Cooperative Care: It’s Not Just for Dogs!
Horses, as a species, are prey animals. They are often space conscious and uniquely aware of their surroundings and sensitive to the elements within them. Physically large and robust animals, horses easily dwarf their trainers or handlers ...
A “Spoiled” Dog or a Frustrated Dog?
Respond to behavior, not the dog’s history. Imagine that you just found this dog in the Piggly Wiggly parking lot with no information available. What would you know? You'd know what the dog shows you in his behavior. Start there. Do not ...
Testament to Targeting
Training is not a luxury, but a key component to good animal care,” states Ramirez (qtd. in Gordon, 2012). Working with an animal on a targeting behavior helps to build a solid foundation for a positive relationship; because it does not ...
Trigger Warning!
We’re all familiar with the term “threshold,” the magical line where, when kept under it, our dogs can focus and learn. During behavior consultations, the concept of a threshold and how to stay under it are, in my opinion, a trainer’s best ...
Training Horses with Positive Reinforcement: Taking Cues from the Dog World
...horses in the wild do not have a strict dominance hierarchy, and your horse is not trying to dominate you if he does something you don't want him to. Horses do not like physical pain any more than we do. This is not a good way to teach ...