What is that hand going to do to me? Hitting a dog is a bad idea. Even one of those "Oh it didn't hurt them," swats is a bad idea. And here's why. Dogs notice what things predict. If a hand has ever predicted getting grabbed, scruffed, swatted or worse, the dog learns that sometimes hands do unpleasant things to them. Puppies will ...
In my world the reality is that those of us living with a dog with fear-based behavior challenges must be better than average pet owners. I say this meaning no offense to average pet owners. Anyone who chooses to live with an animal is ahead of the curve in my book. Most however do not add a dog to their lives in order to have ...
I was having a conversation recently with parents about hitting small children as a disciplinary action. These were by almost anyone's definition good parents. They loved their children, took great care of them, fed them well, played with them, read stories, and did all the things we would recommend parents do with their children. They also happened to think it was ok to hit them, ...
There is a science to behavior change in animals. That most pet owners are unaware of that is not surprising. That there are dog trainers out there who are unaware of it is disastrous. I know just enough about my car and computer to turn them on and use them, when all is going according to plan. When problems arise, even if my cursing and ...
The neighbor kid has enjoyed learning how to train dogs For the past two summers I've been staying with my mum near Cape Cod. I know that having her youngest, and least fastidious daughter come and stay along with her four dogs is a challenge for her, but it's a trade-off she's had to make. Despite needing to spray the couch with Febreeze ...
How would you justify going to a surgeon who claimed to be really good at cutting out tumors but had flunked out of classes on physiology and biology? Maybe some of their patients survived the surgery and went on to live full lives without a tumor, but what about the others? What about that nerve bundle that the surgeon nicked because they didn't realize how ...
Looking for fish is rewarding to Annie. The fish reinforce this behavior. Dog trainers hear it all the time- pet owners who have 'tried everything' or declare that positive reinforcement training doesn't work because they've tried giving their dog treats and still have not been able to get the behavior they're after. I can say with 100% certainty that if you are among ...
I never gave much thought to the risks of using corrections when training dogs until Sunny, my fearful dog came into my life. Even the casual 'uh uh' that I would use when one of my other dogs' noses was getting precariously close to the cheese on the coffee table, would have sent him cowering off. I had to find ways not only to get ...
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