Even in the world of training, it is easy to throw around concepts with the implication that everyone else knows and agrees with the definition of said concept. But do we? When it comes to training and setting behavior goals, it is so much easier to be as specific as one can be. It really…
I have a beef with rescue organizations when they equate a good home for a dog just purely based on love. Yes, really. So, my rumination begs the question: How does our love translate in our daily life with our pets? Let me explain my position above. Not long ago I had a client who…
As I stated in the previous blog post, the dominance model does very little in really helping us understand dog social stratification. More importantly, it does not help us in keeping harmony in the home within our dog population or resolve problems when they arise. Instead, consider the following suggestions to keep the peace at…
By now most everyone that lives with a pet has heard about the “dominance” theory also known in the popular literature as being the “alpha of the ‘pack’”- which frankly is very unfortunate. Unfortunate because this watered-down premise does very little to advance our day- to-day relations with our pets and does much harm in…
Before I became a professional trainer, I consulted with a well-known trainer in the San Francisco Bay area where I was living at the time, about how to help my dog not feel so afraid of other dogs while on a leash. I remember much of what we talked about with a comment being very…
Is it best to “add” or to “subtract” when dog training? This is indeed an interesting question. By adding I mean presenting a reinforcer as a consequence for behavior. By subtracting I mean removing a reinforcer as a consequence for behavior. In my view, the answer is that both modalities are of use when teaching…
I often get asked if it is “okay” to sleep with a dog in bed. This is one of the issues that is actually quite personal. Some people – I would say most people, love sleeping with their dogs but other folks would rather not. And sometimes the “rather nots” do not know how to…
Have you ever traveled with your dog and really needed her to eliminate, and have found yourself doing laps around and around the hotel grounds because your dog is having such a fun time and she not ready to eliminate? Or, how about when it is raining or snowing, and your pup decides this is…
Ah, the world-wide web and even books are a lovely thing. However, like all things in life there are also some sore spots about both of these venues. Ask any professional on pretty much any field how they feel about the advice promulgated on the web or in “how to books” and you will get…
I would argue that some dogs are gaining too much weight because they are given too many treats during training, and perhaps high caloric treats in addition to their daily meals. A dog that is even a few pounds overweight can be considered obese so it is really important that we do not end up…