I am taking Thor a lovely and super handsome 5 month old puppy/adolescent for a socialization walk this morning. The intent is to get him super comfortable with all sorts of stimuli such as cars, people of all types, but mainly men and children. I park by a local and not too busy park where…
How can one measure whether the training done with a dog has been successful? What parameters should one have in order to evaluate if success has been reached? While the questions above are valid, we also must keep in mind that behavior and changes in behavior are quite complex which requires that we take a…
I recently received a testimonial from a client that came to meet with me because of her severely fearful dog named Che. I met with Haley and Che. Che was so concerned with my presence that most of the work I did was at a distance – for this reason, we met outside and with…
I recently noticed that my dogs had no interest in going after a thrown “less-than-perfect” Frisbee. So I decided to make changes in our next Frisbee sessions – all based in principals of animal learning which everyone wanting to work with animals professionally or even just with their own pet should really understand. One of…
In this post, I would like to review some of the most popular gear to help minimize (or not) dog-pulling on leash. When deciding what kind of equipment to use, there are a few considerations to keep in mind. 1. Efficacy of the equipment2. Comfort level for the dog3. Ability of the person(s) walking the dog in using…
One of the most salient mistakes people make when using treats in training besides using treats as bribe or agonizing if to continue using food, as discussed on the last post, is not fading the food lure soon enough so that the dog learns to work for food as a consequence for behavior instead of…
So what happens when someone acquires a dog that is not a puppy anymore? Since socialization has such a short window, a lot of people will not have the opportunity to socialize their new dog. While this is true, the good news is that dogs never stop learning. Yes, indeed, it is not the same…
Deuce brings his ball to me so that we can play one of his favorite games. As I am trying to get the ball from him, he tightens his jaw with the ball in his mouth. I remove my hand from under his chin and I turn away. No release of the ball, no throwing…
I am sitting at a local eatery waiting for a friend to arrive. A group shows up with a dog and sits almost in front of me. I like the fact that the owner of the dog immediately positions the dog next to her and away from foot traffic. Nice! I think to myself. Someone…
I want to share some ideas for keeping your dog’s life interesting and engaging. This is a really dear topic/issue for me. I get such joy in knowing that dogs are having fabulous lives and on the other hand it pains me deeply when they don’t. A bit about engagement and the importance of this:…