Developing Food Manners
By Michelle Martiya One of the top reasons I believe people move away from clicker training with their horses is being unsure of how to manage their animal’s behavior around food. Horses can often become over-excited with the introduction of food reinforcers and offer unexpected or even dangerous behaviors that can scare or injure their handlers. In my experience, “food manners” is often taught as an isolated behavior in which the horse stands calmly next to his handler, facing forward in a neutral position. While this behavior is an excellent… Continued
Understanding Our Dogs: Separation Anxiety in Canines
By Animal Courses Direct How is your dog coping with changes during the pandemic? For many of us, the coronavirus and lockdown have brought a chance to spend more time with our beloved pets and families. Lots of dogs are benefitting from increased walks, interactions and new opportunities for mental stimulation. Some dogs will be loving this extra time with their loved ones and the company day-to-day, however for some dogs this will feel unusual and they may struggle with this change to their normal routine. It’s also likely that… Continued
Empowering Dogs and Humans to Have a Deeper, More Connected Relationship – One Harness at a Time
By Joan Hunter Mayer of PPG corporate partner Transpaw Gear® At TransPaw Gear®, our goal to help move society forward into a mutually respectful space between dogs and humans – thereby creating a pawsitive cultural shift. Walking together is one of the most basic activities dogs and the people who love them do together, so we set out to create pet harnesses that ensure an easy, enjoyable, walking experience. More importantly though, we are on a mission to empower dogs and humans to have a deeper, more connected relationship –… Continued
COVID-19: 3 Tips for Dog Trainers on Adapting to the ‘New Normal’
By Susan Nilson Last month, the Pet Professional Guild (PPG) hosted a webinar with Anna York, BSc (Hon) PhD, Stephanie Perniciaro PhD MPH, Anne Wyllie PhD, Maikel Boot PhD, Chantal Vogels PhD MSc BSc, and Kayoko Shioda DVM MPH of the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut and Dr. Hannah Capon of Canine Arthritis Management in the U.K. to examine how, in this time of pandemic, dog trainers, animal behavior consultants and pet care professionals can engage in best practice to keep themselves and their clients safe as… Continued
Living with a Dog Who’s Going Deaf
Buddha, my black Labrador, has always had a sharp sense of hearing. Teaching him to respond to word cues was easy, and I also taught him several hand cues. Doing so probably saved his life on one occasion. About eight years ago a solar panel system was installed on our barn roof. That required a crew of workers to have access in, out and on top of our barn for three days straight. I put our horse and sheep in their paddock and let my three Labradors play in their… Continued
A Foot in the Door
By Tabitha Davies Shelter is defined as a place to rest, a place for comfort and a place for safety. But with 3.9 million dogs entering shelters and an average of 1.2 million of them being euthanized each year (Source: ASPCA), this is sadly not the case for many dogs in US shelters. Life in the shelters in Coachella, CA, where I am based, means a concrete floor with drains, full access to food, water, and, only if you are without behavior problems, a blanket, bed and toy. It also… Continued
Target Practice
By Lara Joseph Training animals to target makes husbandry a lot less stressful and much safer. It is also a useful tool to have at your disposal in an emergency situation. But first, let’s define some of the terms: Targeting is getting an animal (or human) to touch a predetermined body part to a particular object. Stationing is teaching the animal (or human) to continue targeting until cued to do otherwise. Targeting is such a common behavior that many people train it without realizing. When we attend an event and… Continued
Surviving the Storm
By Gail Radtke Looking back to March-April time, it seems like the entire dog training business as we know it pretty much crashed overnight. As COVID-19 started to take hold, decisions had to be made fast – especially for those of us who run a business at a physical location that is under a lease who realized we were not going to earn any income at that venue for the foreseeable future. Of course, we had all heard about the coronavirus and what was happening overseas but had no idea… Continued
Everything Was Fine Until…
By Suzanne Clothier Does this sound familiar? “Everything was fine until… [fill in months, age, event].” It’s a statement that is common, and sometimes accepted without much thought. For example, a client might tell us that their puppy was a saint until he turned 7 months old. Or that there were no problems until Grandma Tilley came to stay for a week. Perhaps a new neighbor was bitten, or the owner was nearly pulled into the street when the dog spotted a squirrel. Whatever the precipitating event(s) that brought the… Continued
Muzzles Schmuzzles…Not “Just Another Piece of Kit!”
Saying the word “muzzle,” suggesting the use of and/or using one, or seeing a dog wearing one can have negative connotations for some. But why? Perhaps because we have become used to seeing guard dogs or so-called aggressive dogs wearing them. They are used by the military, armed forces and law enforcement. We see them in cartoons and we also see them in regions where Breed Specific Legislation decrees that certain breeds have to wear them (based purely on appearance), and in sports such as greyhound racing. These are just… Continued
Quick Cat Behavior Tip: Petting-Induced Aggression
By the Pet Professional Guild Cat Committee Petting-induced aggression is a commonly reported feline behavior issue whereby adoring owners often find themselves at a loss to understand why their beloved kitty is so accepting of their affection one moment, only to go completely on the offensive the next. Important reminders about the behavior: As both a predator and prey species, cats need to be highly sensitive to their environment to survive, which includes being sensitive to touch. Cats have touch receptors all over their bodies, some of which are continually… Continued
It’s a Dog’s Life
By Cecelia Sumner Not surprisingly, I love living with dogs. I embrace their essential dogginess. Barking, jumping, digging, hunting, these are all normal canine behaviors. I recognize I need to provide an outlet for these behaviors to keep my dogs happy and stress-free. Many pet owners struggle with understanding their dogs’ behavioral needs. While dogs evolved alongside humans, in recent history, our environment and expectations of our dogs have changed. Increasingly we fit our dogs into small compartments in our lives, often rendering us unable to allow them an appropriate… Continued
Setting the Right Criteria
By K. Holden Svirsky Guppy, a young male “pit bull” and German shepherd dog mix, didn’t know how to sit. Or, more accurately, he didn’t know how to sit on cue. To be considered adoptable by the suburban families that frequented the shelter, this was a pretty important behavior. Guppy was incredibly friendly and goofy and he loved people. So he jumped all over them. Admittedly, 70 lbs. of exuberance, tongue and pointy teeth a few inches from your face isn’t exactly what most folks write down under “I’m looking… Continued
Lockdown to Normality…What Does It Mean for Dogs?
I’ve spent a lot of time over these last few weeks writing about how to help dogs and their guardians during the somewhat challenging situation of social distancing and lockdown posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, how do we cope with restricted exercise, the lack of social contact, changed routine etc.? There’s no doubt that it has been extremely difficult for some. From my own perspective, my dogs have coped very well, and within my dog training business, I have implemented measures such as ‘virtual’ contact for guardians. It… Continued
‘Laundry List’ Dogs
By Kristi Benson As dog trainers, we may frequently find ourselves sitting across the kitchen table from our clients in something of a conundrum. While we may have been called in to assist with house-training, or jumping up, or biting strangers, or any other typical concern, clients do not always stick to the script. For example, we may find out that the dog who is eliminating inside the house is also chewing the walls when left alone, or that the dog who is jumping up on guests cannot be enticed… Continued
PPG Joins Six Leading Organizations to Support UK Dog Behaviour and Training Charter
Milestone agreement sees seven professional bodies join forces to set professional standards and ensure consumer transparency, with animal welfare at the forefront TAMPA, Fla. – May 28, 2020 – PRLog — The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) has signed up to be one of seven founding organizations to support the UK Dog Behaviour and Training Charter set to be launched on June 8. The initiative aims to provide clarity regarding the future direction of dog behavior and training throughout the UK in relation to professional standards, tools and methodologies, with canine welfare at the heart of its… Continued
PPG Summit 2020 Sessions: Cooperation, Control, and Counterconditioning
BARKS presents session details from PPG’s 2020 Summit and Workshops in Phoenix, Arizona Session Details: Presenter: Leslie McDevitt Session Title:Cooperation, Control, and Counterconditioning Session Type: Lecture/Lab (1.5 Hours) The presenter will discuss two cooperative counterconditioning games from her new book Control Unleashed: Reactive to Relaxed. These groundbreaking games were created to empower dogs to direct their own counterconditioning procedures. Voluntary Sharing (VS) is for dogs who have difficulty sharing resources or taking turns. Requested Approach Training (RAT) is for dogs who are reactive to being approached, or approaching others (people,… Continued
Phoenix Blog Competition: Starting Straw for Dogs
By Metis Riley Even as a child, I always noticed dogs outdoors… especially during our long, dark Alaskan winters. Dogs living in yards, chained to an old car, trying to stay warm by burrowing under the deck. I was familiar with the buzz of a sled dog yard, maybe a hundred dogs bouncing and barking, but these dogs outdoors alone stuck out to me as extra sad. One night, one of our neighbor’s dogs didn’t survive a cold night outdoors. I remember my grandmother marching over and taking their other… Continued
Phoenix Blog Competition: Where Hope Lives
By Heddie Leger Hope comes in many ways, shapes and forms. We are encouraged in life to never give up Hope. It was a rainy stormy day. A medium sized, white dog was spotted wandering the school yard going from door to door. Every once in while she could be seen sitting by a certain door. She did not appear frightened or scared and most folks thought she had just wandered from her home and was looking for a child in her family. After several hours passed, a kind woman… Continued
PPG Summit 2020 Sessions: Foundation Training Skills to Prepare Dogs for Future Learning After Adoption
BARKS presents session details from PPG’s 2020 Summit and Workshops in Phoenix, Arizona Session Details: Presenter: Emily Larlham Session Title: Foundation Training Skills to Prepare Dogs for Future Learning After Adoption Session Type: Arizona Humane Society Workshop (1.5 Hours) When working with a shelter dog, we always hope that the people adopting the dog will not only provide a safe loving home but also teach their dog skills to help him thrive and fit in with the family’s lifestyle. A skilled trainer can easily teach a dog new skills and… Continued
Tell Us What You Really Think
By Susan Nilson and Angelica Steinker Amongst dog trainers and enthusiasts, Dr. Gregory Berns is probably best known for his pioneering work that specializes in the use of brain imaging technologies to gain a greater understanding of canine motivation and decision-making. For the last three years, Berns’ team at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia have used positive reinforcement to train a group of volunteer dogs to remain still during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)*. As the dogs are awake during the entire fMRI process, Berns and his colleagues are provided… Continued
Goals in Dog Training: Outcome or Behavior – Which Do You Control?
By Niki Tudge One of the most common mistakes we see dog training professionals make is to try to impart their goals upon their clients. For example, you may feel that pet dogs should behave in a certain way, have specific skills, do certain tasks or not do other things such as climb on furniture or jump at you on arrival. News flash: Your clients may not want any of these things, they may have quite different opinions and therefore goals. To get everyone on the same page and to… Continued
PPG Summit 2020 Sessions: Tell Me Who You Are – Understanding the Individual Dog
BARKS presents session details from PPG’s 2020 Summit and Workshops in Phoenix, Arizona Session Details: Presenter: Suzanne Clothier Session Title: Tell Me Who You Are – Understanding the Individual Dog Session Type:Lecture/LAB – 8 handler/dog teams (1.5 Hours) Each dog presents a unique blend of genetics, history, learning and experience, temperament, preferences, abilities and limits. Humane training is possible when we understand each dog in a nuanced way that reflects who they are as a social, cognitive, emotional and physical being. The more deeply we can understand the individual dog, the… Continued
Phoenix Blog Competition: Mookie’s Tale
By Kim Geisert The gray and white male pit bull was covered in blood. It was flowing down his face, running from the punctures in his forelegs and neck, and streaming from where the tip of his ear had been severed. He limped toward me, but was otherwise unexpectedly calm, considering the obvious trauma he had just experienced. We were at the neighborhood park, on one of the hottest July days on record, and both of our lives were about to change forever. At the time, I had been involved… Continued
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