I am going through my AM routine. The dogs have been fed and now I am hustling a bit to get ready myself. John happens to be in town and he is going back and forth from his home office and the kitchen. The dogs, meanwhile, do what they do most mornings once they have…
Category: Enrichment
Playing & Training for Reliability in Predatory Behaviors, part 2
As a continuation to last week’s post, here are some specific ways by which you cannot only give your dog a “legal” outlet for predatory behaviors and up your chances that you will be able to stop your dog from chasing after wildlife, cars, etc. As I stated last week, predatory behaviors, which in plain…
Can We STOP Our Dogs From Chasing?
As we all know, canines are predators. As such they all come hard-wired for chasing after their food. Even our domesticated pampered dogs come hard-wired for hot pursuit even when a warm dinner awaits them – day in and day out. How close to the surface are these hard-wired behaviors varies from dog to dog….
Setting Boundaries
I have often read and even used the phrase myself of “setting boundaries” for dogs. But what exactly do we mean by this? And why (and if) should we set boundaries? The dictionary defines boundary as: a line that marks the limits of an area; a dividing lines. A boundary wall. A limit of a…
It’s a Revolution!
One of my colleagues and I are having a conversation about the state of affairs in the world of animal training- specifically we are talking about dogs. We both have reached the conclusion that hearing about misconstruction, inhumane methods of training in the name of helping animals wears really heavy on us. We agree to…
Sharing Cookies With The Dogs
A few months back I turned vegan. So part of my time and entertainment involves looking for recipes that fit my new lifestyle habit. I found some store-bought a-mazing Quinoa. They are pretty healthy, super tasty and pricy! So I decided to try and make my own version of delicious vegan quinoa cookies. My friends…
Training For Success
This is the second installment of the Frisbee saga with Deuce and Rio. As I mentioned in the previous post, I was quite frustrated with the fact that they had no interest in going after the thrown less-than-perfect Frisbee and my frustration with this. The changes that I introduced in our following Frisbee sessions are…
Handling Our Frustration with Our Dog’s Behavior
Those of you who read my blog regularly know by now that I have been struggling with Deuce’s and Rio’s “performance” or interest when it comes to flying Frisbees. Well, this morning was one of those mornings. I am gathering the Frisbees and the energy to start working with these guys. Both Deuce and Rio…
Throw the Food Bowl Away!
It is one our dogs’ most salient instinct: to hunt/search for their food. They are indeed scavengers. The fact that some of the world’s dogs live their lives in a people’s world means lots of good stuff for these pups, such as them actually leading pretty “comfy” and safe lives that can also translate into…
Frustration
The dogs and I are playing our usual soccer game in the morning. I see Rio turn towards Deuce, as they both are trying to get to the orange ball, and she playfully grabs his tail in her mouth and gives it a tug. Deuce’s focus is on the ball and potentially landing so he’s…