Cutting-edge research in psychology has helped us understand the importance of play in general and social play, particularly for the rehabilitation of timid and fearful dogs. I define social play as the engagement between a person and their dog that is voluntary and with no purpose other than to have a “good” time and “connect”…
I am reading an intake questionnaire from a new client and my internal alarm goes off. Reading a potential client’s intake form is very helpful in learning about what the present situation is like, as well as learning what the client’s goals and expectations of training are, and what their future life with their dog…
Many dogs are labeled: “hyper, “stubborn,” “problem dogs,” or “aggressive” when in fact, it is their lack of Confidence that is the underlining factor for their behavior. As the guardians of these dogs will attest, living with a dog that lacks Confidence is a challenge. Luckily I am offering a four-week course that will explore…
A dog barking is one of the most (normal) dog behaviors for most people. Part of it is because of how stressful noise is in general and in part frankly because we fail to understand what barking is all about. Barking is not simply just noise coming from our dogs or embedded with one significance….
This is a continuation of last week’s post on the same household dog fights. As I mentioned in that post, having to manage and live with dogs that are injuring one another is not a picnic. It can be very stressful for the dogs as well as the people. Also, depending on the severity…
We are at the vet’s office having Rio’s bandage changed when an acquaintance walks through the doors with her dog. Her dog appears somewhat shaken-up and has a bloody injury close to his eye. “What happened?” I inquired. They tell me that this is the fifth time their dog has been attacked by their other…
I have been working with a small dog and his “parents” to help this little one be more comfortable with people approaching or picking him up. He is also concerned about riding in the car. He will shake like a leaf on a regular basis especially when someone walks in his direction, and will shake…
There is something called “learned irrelevance” and if you live with dogs you have experienced this my friends. You have also experienced the opposite: your dog realizing that what is happening at the moment is frankly quite relevant to them. Learned irrelevance refers to our dogs becoming keen observers of circumstances that mean nothing relevant from…
I am behind closed doors taking some quiet time in. My rambunctious board & train just realized that I am in my bedroom and she is adamant to get in. I do my best to ignore her barking at the door. I begin counting: 1,2,3,… I manage to not acknowledge her barking. She stops the barking but begins to whine….
As it’s ringing, I pick up the phone almost mindlessly only to hear a female voice speaking at 1,000 miles an hour with little room for intervention on my part. I try to interject now that I realize this is a telemarketing type of call by saying that I am not interested in this conversation…