I am so excited to share with you a new book: Roja! The Crazy and Fun Adventures of a Smart Little Dog with Magical Powers and the Family who Adopted Her (ages 8-12); a project that has been in the works for some time written in collaboration with Marcos Ortiz Cué and illustrated by Macarena…
Category: Fear
Should dogs meet on leash?
There are many examples that illustrate how our nature is so different from our dogs. Both species are highly social beings, but how we go about being social really differs. I realize in talking to clients that they think it is a good idea to have their dog meet others on leash because they want…
Making Sense of the World
Dogs notoriously make sense of their environment by predominantly using their sense of smell and sight. Their top priority always being the one of safety – of being safe. Their world is basically divided into two categories: safe and unsafe. After the dog has decided that a certain thing, person, etc. is safe, their next…
Free Presentation: Help For Your Thunder-Phobic Dog
Thunder phobia in a dog can produce mild anxiety to a full-blown anxiety response. Since there are many factors that contribute to the thunder-phobic experience, and most of them out of our control, we must at least learn to create protocols to help our dogs better cope during a storm. When our dogs learn that…
Success in Helping A Very Fearful Dog
Last week I received a testimonial from a client that came to meet with me because of her severely fearful dog named Che. I met with Haley and Che. Che was so concerned with my presence that most of the work I did was at a distance – for this reason, we met outside and…
Unless The Dog Is Dead
Unless the dog is dead, he/she will respond to its environment. Case in point; Deuce who is an avid Frisbee player suddenly stopped chasing after the Frisbee. I tried several things to encourage him to go after it, but he wouldn’t. He actually just stood in place looking at me as if he had never…
Using Drugs to Help Dogs Learn
I have been working with a small dog and his “parents” to help this little one be more comfortable with anyone approaching him 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 one walks in his direction, and will…
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…
He is in Conflict!
Deuce brings his ball to me so that we can play one of his favorite games. As I am trying to get the ball from him, he tightens his jaw with the ball in his mouth. I remove my hand from under his chin and I turn away. No release of the ball, no throwing…