We all know how most kiddos feel about Halloween and the same would go for a large number of adults. All that mystery, sugar and walks to haunted destinations under crisp conditions can send chills down someone’s spine. But what about our dogs? Do they care about Halloween? I guess we will never know unless……
Category: How Dogs Learn
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…
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…
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…
The Importance of Management
Part of being a responsible pet parent implies that we manage our pups to keep them out of trouble. Trouble could mean a dog running amok into traffic via the front door, a fearful dog finding himself too close to a “scary” stimulus, dogs chasing the family cat and, yes, destroying our precious property. Management…
Arousal
Have you ever seen a dog with “raised-hackles”? I bet you have. The technical term is piloerection and it means just that – the hair standing up. What you probably don’t know is that piloerection is NOT aggression, as many folks believe. It is actually arousal. The best way for me to describe arousal is…
Some Thoughts on Training with Positive Reinforcement
In a world full of buzz-words and marketing messages, it sure pays off to put on the breaks every now and then to reassess what we mean behind marketing messages such as training with “positive” techniques and even our own philosophies. The term “positive reinforcement” is one of those terms that needs clarification. In essence,…
Behavior Chains
Deuce is almost flying as he’s catching the Frisbee that I throw for him while Rio takes the ‘Hound’ approach. She is strolling around the area where we are just sniffing the ground in high hopes of finding a forgotten treat from a past session. I decide to ignore her and just concentrate on Deuce…
Playing Footsy
Do you have aspirations of remaining young for a long, long time? If so, then consider getting a playful pup. I have noticed that one of the best things my dogs contribute to my life and me being active is their spontaneity. Dogs have an amazing ability to entertain themselves and to taunt us into…