As it is customary, I give the dogs their evening chewies. Deuce dashes to the living room and he settles on the carpet – in the same spot as he does every night to happily chew. Rio runs to the dog bed in the kitchen. I am next to her and I take the opportunity…
Doggie daycares are the rave these days. As with any service, the quality of the establishment can vary to very good (really hard to pull off) to terrible. Personally I do not see doggie daycares as the solution to dog home alone. I think some dogs can benefit from attending a *reputable* daycare perhaps once…
Ah, the world-wide web and even books are a lovely thing. However, like all things in life there are also some sore spots about both of these venues. Ask any professional on pretty much any field how they feel about the advice promulgated on the web or in “how to books” and you will get…
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…
Before I was a professional trainer, I consulted with a well-known trainer in the San Francisco Bay area where I was living at the time, about how to help my dog not feel so afraid of other dogs while on a leash. I remember much of what we talked about with a comment being very…
This week I have spent almost every waking hour taking care of and socializing a young puppy. How do you know what to work on? Well think about it this way: Whatever you want your adult dog to be comfortable with and not scared of for the rest of his life, that is what you…
Dogs that suffer from separation distress, also known as separation anxiety (SA), are coping the best they can. In their view, being left alone is a very scary proposition. One that makes them panic before the event (here is the anxiety piece) and during the event. It is difficult to know why dogs experience anxiety…
Even in the world of training, it is easy to throw around concepts with the implication that everyone else knows and agrees with the definition of said concept. But do we? When it comes to training and setting behavior goals, it is so much easier to be as specific as one can be. It really…
I am talking to my colleague about a recent case he had. We are discussing different possibilities as to why training or behavior modification might not produce the results we would like. We toss around ideas and I settle for three possibilities: 1. The technique or techniques employed are either not appropriate or they are…
In the last post I wrote about the importance of having an independent certifying person certifying anyone that gives advice about pet behavior to pet parents or that work hands-on with the dog. At present the only “voluntary” third-party certification is the Certification Council for Professionals Dog Trainers (CCPDT). Another important factor that comes with…