Help Prevent Separation Anxiety Related Problems with The Flitting Game
There’s a two-part game that I call The Flitting Game. This game, and The ‘Where’s Your Dinner?’ Game, are the preparatory stages for building your dog’s confidence and sense of security. Together with careful management and avoiding leaving your dog alone before they can cope, these are the foundations for preventing separation anxiety related problems. STEP ONE To play, start off by choosing two adjacent rooms, ideally the kitchen and living room. Set the timer on your phone (silently) for five minutes, then make multiple trips from one room to the next;… Continued
Shared Blog Post – Secret Reasons for Behavior Changes in Your Dog
The following article was written by C.C. Bourgeois and originally appeared on the Wonder Dog University Blog. Particularly, if you notice a sudden, dramatic behavior change in an adult dog, teamwork will be essential in discovering the underlying cause and addressing it to bring your pet relief. The post describes how pet guardians, animal behavior professionals and veterinarians can all work together to help our pets. An excerpt: Of course, there could be a hundred reasons under the sun why a dog has begun displaying a particular behavior. One of… Continued
Book Review: “Dog Training and Behaviour Solutions”
Reviewed by Lottie Bennett, Lottie’s School for Dogs “Dog Training and Behaviour Solutions” is not your average dog training book. Indeed, it is a collaboration piece between multiple force-free and fear-free professionals and if two heads are better than one, then twelve must be even better than that! The book is a compilation of articles written by these professionals on various aspects of puppy and dog ownership, care, training, and managing and treating behavior problems. As such, you do not need to read the book cover to cover, but the… Continued
Getting Your Puppy or New Dog Used to Being Alone: Where’s Your Dinner Game
Where’s Your Dinner Game This game is an easy and simple way to build a bit of independence and confidence in a puppy or a new dog. It is based on free choice on the dog’s part and can be adapted in any number of ways as their confidence builds. It requires two people and a bowl of food! One person holds the puppy at one end of the room while the other places their bowl of food down at the far end of the room, and then quickly… Continued
Managing and Training Fearful Equids
Fearful Equids Caring for fearful equids brings its own special challenges but can also be exceptionally rewarding. Here are a few simple tips to ensure your success. Move how you naturally move, but slower. One of the things most people do when they start working with fearful animals is to tiptoe around them and move hesitantly. Instead of helping, this can actually make them more anxious and it makes you seem suspicious. Instead, try moving the way you naturally move, but slower. As I often tell my students,… Continued
Dogs Who Growl with Teeth, Oh My!
My dog growled at me today and that made me happy! Why, you ask? It is very simple actually; he is a rescue dog that had a bite history when I adopted him. Warning Signs He is a dog that had been punished for growling, and so he no longer growled when upset or scared. His name is Oso and he has turned out to be an amazing dog. He just needed love, and to be taught that warning signs are acceptable and appreciated in this house. He… Continued
Separation Anxiety in Puppies and Dogs
Is your dog struggling to be left on their own? Do you wish you knew how to help them feel better when you’re not there? Prevention of Separation Anxiety in Puppies Puppies are not designed to be on their own. Every inch of them wants to be with a carer for their survival. Once we understand that bit, it helps us move on with their alone training. Here are our top tips to help prevent Separation Anxiety in puppies: Don’t leave your puppy to cry it… Continued
Prepare Your Dog for Fireworks and Thunderstorm Season
While the Fourth of July can be great fun for us humans, the loud bangs can be dreadful and terrifying for many dogs. As compassionate pet parents, we all know how important it is to come up with a preparedness plan for this holiday’s celebrations. We are here to help to get you ready in the weeks before the holiday. Understand Why Dogs are Scared Learn How to Create a Safe Place Discover Training Games Prepare the Days Before the Fourth Products to Support Your Dog How We Can… Continued
That Crazy Puppy Behavior
Imagine this: You just finished cleaning up from dinner and are about to sit down and relax when it happens…….CRAZY PUPPY BEHAVIOR! Almost daily puppy parents ask me how to change crazy puppy behavior. After discussing this with the puppy parents, I find most of this behavior happens in the evening. Puppies are like little children; they get overtired after a long day. Puppies need a lot of sleep. Most people don’t realize how much sleep a puppy needs. Depending on the age, they need as much as 20… Continued
A Dog’s Communication System
A dog’s communication system is greatly ritualized, and has evolved specifically to avoid or cut off conflict. This has made dogs, as a species, very successful in terms of their numbers, variety, and adaptability. Things, however, can go awry when we humans misread the signals dogs send us, leaving them helpless to effectively communicate their feelings to us no matter how hard they try. We cannot know or understand what dogs think and vice-versa. What we can do, though, is understand their body language, observe them carefully as we interact… Continued
Is Your Cat Counter Surfing? The PPG Cat Committee Has an Answer!
Getting up high is a natural feline behavior that enables cats to survey their territory and feel safe. Other reasons cats might jump onto counters include to obtain food, look out a window, get attention, find something to play with, hide, or avoid a dog, toddler, or another cat. High spaces that cats consider acceptable or desirable need to be in places that are interesting to them and/or where they feel safe—which, depending on the circumstances, may mean near you. Punishing counter surfing when you see it happen will not… Continued
What Do You Know About Canine Communication?
All behaviors that dogs exhibit are designed either to access pleasurable situations and desirable objects or to avoid and escape unpleasant situations and undesirable objects. (Note: this is based on what each individual dog considers to pleasant or unpleasant, not the human, and it is important to be aware that the canine and human opinions may differ in any given situation!) A dog’s communication systems are greatly ritualized, and have evolved specifically to avoid or cut off conflict. This has made dogs, as a species, very successful in terms of… Continued
I Pushed My Friend Off the Sofa! Whoops … (How to deal with undesirable guest/animal interactions)
I’m not proud of it, but recently I pushed a friend – who was staying at our house – off our sofa! Find out why below (as well as how to avoid doing it yourself) … This happened during the festive season, and if you are like us, you probably have lots of people coming to visit and/or stay at this time. So what do you do if these people (who might be strangers to your animals) come in and engage with your animals in ways you don’t like? Recently… Continued
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