Dogs are incredible social beings that thrive as companion animals. Isolation for this reason is very hard on most dogs and as such a welfare issue for the dog. Isolation is hard on dogs at all stages, but is extremely difficult on young puppies. We can for sure make the lives of “outside dogs” more…
Author: Almudena Ortiz Cue
Allergies and Dogs
When a member of the family develops allergies to dogs their doctor most often recommends the following measures: Containment of the dog – preferably by keeping the dog outside at all times Bathing and brushing the dog often (sometimes too often!) Removing carpets and replacing furnishings with fabrics (such as sofas) for non-fabric ones Preventing…
How to help your adolescent male dog with other dogs
On last week’s post I shared with you the excellent book excerpt from Dr. Dunbar about what to expect in adolescence from your dog. In this post I want to concentrate on interactions between male dogs that are not neutered because they are too young to do so, and other male dogs- neutered or otherwise….
Fall Courses
C.H.A.C.O.’s Agility from the Ground Up 1& 2, Recall (Come When Called), and Kinder Pup 2 classes are starting up the Fall! Below are the details. If interested, sign up now as these tend to book fast. **Agility From The Ground Up: Mini-Course 1 (AG1) Welcome to Agility From the Ground Up, a series of…
Adolescent Male Dogs
Need I say more? Adolescence in dogs is very similar to adolescence in people in the sense that both sets of adolescents begin to look away from the comfort and security of their caregivers and begin to explore their surroundings. When it comes to dogs, owners notice that the polite social graces their dog had…
Ask with Abandonment
We constantly want our dogs to do stuff for us. And that is not really a problem. One could argue that any relationship is to a greater extent built on what the individuals in the relationship do for one another. While, of course, our relationship with our dog(s) is precious, I am not saying that…
MULTIPLE PRONG APPROACH
I can’t speak for any other trainer’s approach in helping their clients and the client’s dogs. However, for most of the behavior modification work that I do – and most of what I do is behavior modification – my approach is a multiple prong approach. Yes, of course, on occasion the situation is quite simple…
Getting More Out Of Your Walks with Your Pup
This past weekend as part of the Dog T.I.P. program at the Stray Hearts Animal Shelter in Taos, NM the conversation gravitated towards the benefit (or lack thereof) of walking shelter dogs and even dogs that are already living in a home. Erica and I discussed the benefits of walks as well as dispelling some common…
101 Negotiations
I have written in the past why the model of Dominance or the idea that dogs are pack animals in search of a “pack leader” (the owner) is not only an erroneous construct, but really bad news for all dogs. There is so much to say about this construct, but today I want to focus…
DOG T.I.P. – A Volunteer Training Program
My colleague Erica Beckwith (also a graduate of Jean Donaldson’s Academy) and I have been very busy getting ready for our pilot program for Dog T.I.P. at the Stray Hearts Animal Shelter in Taos. While the program has been designed we are marching full speed with all our presentation materials, and finalizing the weekend-long training….