Even in the world of training, concepts are thrown around with the implication that everyone else knows and agrees with the definition of said concept. When it comes to training, and setting behavior goals, it is so much more valuable to be as specific about what we can observe in our dogs instead of labeling…
A dog barking is one of the most (normal) dog behaviors for most people. Part of it is because of how stressful noise is in general and in part frankly because we fail to understand what barking is all about. Barking is not simply just noise coming from our dogs or embedded with one significance….
I have been working with a small dog and his “parents” to help this little one be more comfortable with people approaching 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 someone walks in his direction, and will shake…
It is unfortunate that the idea that we can reinforce fear in our pets is still so prevalent. Frankly, nothing can be further from the truth. Think about this: Fear is an emotion, involuntary for the subject feeling it, so how then can we make a dent on it by consoling our pet? This is…
When it comes to any behavior including dog bites, looking at the context surrounding the episode will give us some very much-needed information. What I am saying is that not all bites are the same. Even sometimes people cannot even agree on what they call a bite. This is the typical example of a herding…
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…
A while back I was working with a couple and their very aggressive dog. His displays of fear and aggression which constitutes barking, growling, and lunging are quite sobering, and I really take them seriously. De-escalating the situation is part of what I need to do as well as making sure I don’t get bitten….
When we’re slowing down, it has many benefits. It permits us to enjoy what is in front of us- begging for our undivided attention. It allows us to make better decisions, it calms frail nerves and it splendidly reminds us that while the clock is ticking we can choose to show up to live our…
The dogs and I are playing outside with the beloved “orange ball”. Deuce is running to get the ball while Rio is tugging with gusto with me. I see Deuce running past me holding the big ball tightly in his mouth. He is dashing towards the house literally ignoring me as I call him to…
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…