I love to take time in the morning to hang out with my dogs. In fact, anytime when I get to just watch them is precious for me. Many times I try to watch inconspicuously wishing that I could fly or hover unnoticed by them as I take away every secret of their “doginess”. This…
Author: Almudena Ortiz Cue
The Wolves of Yellowstone
“It seems ironic that just as we’ve started to get a better handle on the complex factors driving the relationships of a given habitat… those systems themselves are increasingly at risk of unraveling. In that sense, maybe the gift of the WOLF (my emphasis) to Yellowstone, and to the world, isn’t simply its beauty…Its gift…
Does Punishment Work? Part 2
As promised, the conversation as to if punishment works continues. Before I dive into the explanation and exploration of this topic, I want to make my position clear: I DO NOT ENCOURAGE OWNERS TO PUNISH THEIR DOGS. INSTEAD I ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO LEARN HOW TO USE EFFECTIVE AND HUMANE METHODS TO GET TO THE SAME…
Does Punishment Work?
As a continuation from last week’s blog post about presenting consequences for dogs, I am addressing the use of punishment as a consequence. There is a lot of confusion about the definition of punishment as the term has different connotation in everyday parlance and the behavioral sciences. The behavioral sciences define punishment as the presentation…
Feedback Loop
I am reading an article in Outside magazine “The Metric System”, October 2015 (pg. 50) about exercise gadgets and studies as to why most people abandoned the gadget all together. I won’t spoil it for you, but one of the reasons why this happens according to John Bartholomew, professor of Health Education at the University…
Genetics or Learning
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…
What is Puppy Socialization?
Dog parents have learned about the importance of taking their pups to puppy classes to ensure their puppy will not only be a delight-of-a- dog to be around, but also one that is comfortable and thriving in all sorts of circumstances. In other words: well socialized. But what is socialization? Socialization is the process of…
Using Food as a Reinforcement, Part 2
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…
Are we bribing our dogs with food?
I am working with a client and her dog with recall (come when called). My client calls her dog and seconds later produces a treat for the dog. The dog meanwhile remains motionless down the hallway of the home. I tell my client that it’s best not to bribe the dog. She looks at me…
Decide How You Want To Spend Your Time
I am working with a client who has three large dogs. We are practicing waiting at the door. He tells me that his newest addition to the family has escaped twice from the front yard. One of those times it was when he was taking the three dogs on leash to get in the car….