BARKS Podcast with Rosie Robinson of Wuf Design
Join Niki Tudge and PPG Canine Committee chair Judy Luther as they Chat and Chuckle with Rosie Robinson of Wuf Design in the UK about websites, lead generation, Google, and so much more. Rosie offers support from simple sites to full on e-commerce and has the digital solutions to ensure your business reaches the right customers. Listen to the Podcast with Rosie Robinson here on your choice of platforms. Or just stay on this page and click on the ‘Play’ icon below. Recorded July 11, 2022. About Rosie… Continued
The Value of Non-Verbal Communication
By Angelica Steinker Consent testing is an informal experiment which allows a dog to offer consent regarding a specific situation. Via her body language the dog communicates a yes or no response. This information is used to: • Improve the quality of life of the dog. • Improve a training plan. • Make behavior modification more effective. • Generally improve communication. The yes or no is determined by assessing the dog’s body language and observing for distance increasing or distance decreasing behaviors. Distance increasing behaviors are considered a “no” and… 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
‘Excessive‘ Barking – Are There Any ‘Quick Fixes’ That are Humane?
“Oh, I LOVE it when my dog shouts at the mail carrier and won’t be quiet when I ask him to,” said no one ever! Don’t we all love a quick fix? If only there was a quick way to make our dogs be quiet…well, one that’s humane that is. You see, there are many ‘quick fixes’ in dog training and some of them make your eyes water and are really not very nice for your dog. We love our dogs, don’t we? So there’s no need to go… Continued
The “Keeping Your Cool” Issue
Welcome! The July 2022 Issue of Pets and Their People focuses on tips, tools and resources to help you and your pets stay cool, even if things get a little heated. Yes – ‘heated’ in the literal sense – be sure to take a look at the article from The DogSmith on preventing heatstroke in pets. But, even if you’re joining us from a part of the world that isn’t very warm right now, there’s still plenty in this issue that you don’t want to miss! From ‘pet peeves’ like… Continued
The Challenge of Breed Discrimination
By Kym Iffert It was finally a beautiful day in Chicago so I grabbed my bag, my leash, a pocket full of treats and tennis ball and set out for a walk. The neighbors were out and it was the perfect opportunity for a social outing – but not for me and my dog. As we walked down the sidewalk, others may have looked, some would wave, a few may have offered a smile… and then crossed the street. Social pariah? No, just me and my Rottweiler out for a… Continued
When Can I Stop Training My Dog?
My students often ask when they can stop training their dogs. That’s when I ask them, “When do you anticipate you will stop learning?” My point is that we are still learning as long as we are alive. The same is true of our dogs. If dogs are awake, they are learning from both us and the environment in which they live. Since the environment is vast and almost always available to our dogs, it provides more learning opportunities than we do. For example, a child in a high chair or… Continued
BARKS Podcast with the PPG Advocacy Panel: Discussion #11 – The Top 10 Things We Can Do to Help Veterinarians Help Us Help Our Pets
The Top 10 Things We Can Do to Help Veterinarians Help Us Help Our Pets Join the Pet Professional Guild (PPG) Advocacy Panel for a discussion on the Top 10 Things We Can Do to Help Veterinarians Help Us Help Our Pets. Pet guardians and pet professionals, we invite you to listen as panel members share their expertise in a fun, free-flowing format. Your Moderators: PPG president Niki Tudge and PPG Advocacy Committee chair Don Hanson Your Advocacy Panel for this discussion includes: PPG Shelter & Rescue Committee chair K. Holden Svirsky, Kristi… Continued
Pets & Automobiles – Part 1: Safety
Cars, trucks, mini-vans, basically any automobile are often as much a part of our pets’ lives as they are ours. It’s how we brought them home the first time and how we transport them to all types of activities. We have all known someone who has a dog that the mere mention of “car ride” has the dog leaping in ecstasy. However, some dogs are or become terrified of riding in a moving vehicle. Some cats enjoy car rides, but many find the crate and car a predictor of getting… Continued
The Click Starts the Behavior
By Yvette Van Veen A common expression used in clicker training is that the click “ends the behavior.” Rarely do we stop to think what this really means but it bears closer examination. Typically, the phrase indicates that dogs get reinforcement post-click, even if they have broken out of position. We click. The dog gets a cookie. There is no reneging. When I say click, I really mean marking the behavior. For the sake of clarity, I will also be using the word click to reference the wide array of… Continued
Thunder, Lightning and Barometric Pressure
By Carolyn Kocman Owners and caretakers can almost always recognize phobia related behaviors. Shaking, drooling, panting, restlessness, pacing, clinging to owners and hiding are all fairly overt and recognizable behaviors that can be triggered by such things as loud noises or thunderstorm activity. Immediate Recommendations for Panicking Dogs There are a number of things pet owners can do to comfort an animal that is in the throes of phobia related behavior. What follows is a list of more immediate recommendations. These are not tips on modifying the behavior and should… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Mychelle Garrigan of Pet Pro Marketing
Join Niki Tudge and PPG Canine Committee chair Judy Luther as they Chat and Chuckle with Mychelle Garrigan of PPG corporate partner, Pet Pro Marketing. Pet Pro Marketing provides digital marketing services for pet care professionals including website design, audits and maintenance, search engine optimization, content creation/copywriting, and social media/digital marketing strategy. Listen to the Podcast with Mychelle Garrigan here on your choice of platforms. Or just stay on this page and click on the ‘Play’ icon below. Recorded June 10, 2022. About Mychelle Garrigan Through Pet Pro Marketing Mychelle Garrigan… 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
Building the ‘Super Learner’
By Kate Mallatratt One of my behavior colleagues posed a very interesting question recently, “If you always set your dog up for success and aim for errorless learning, are you not stunting your dog’s ability for critical thinking, limiting his opportunity to enjoy problem solving and shortening his fuse for frustration?” This excellent question raises several more in my mind: Can learning truly be 100 percent errorless? Does setting up a learning environment for a successful outcome really have a detrimental effect on a dog’s learning ability? Do mistakes actually… 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
Loving Partners: The Bonds We Share with Assistance Animals
Anyone who has the luck to have a dog as a part of their lives knows just how much love and joy both guardian and dog share with one another. For Assistance Animal guardians, this relationship is even more deeply amplified. A Unique Bond This is not to disregard the love that all guardians share with their dogs, but to explain the unique bond assistance animal guardians have with their animals. For guardians of assistance animals, the guardian, and the animal– regardless of species– spend all of their time together,… Continued
Upcoming Pets and Their People Online Events
You’re invited to join us for the following events, streaming live on the Pets and Their People Facebook page: Facebook Live with Annie Phenix Date: Friday, July 1, 2022 Time: 3 PM ET Link: https://fb.me/e/1vNkyJC4i Your Host: Niki Tudge Special Guest: Annie Phenix of Phenix Dogs Training, LLC Topic: REACTIVE DOGS About Your Host: Niki Tudge is a frequent Pets and Their People contributor. Niki’s professional credentials include: AABP-Professional Dog Trainer, AABP-Professional Dog Behavior Consultant, PCBC-A and PCT-A through the Pet Professional Accrediting Board and she has… Continued
Therapy Work for Pet Dogs
Many people feel that their dogs are missing out on something as a pet, or feel that others could also enjoy their dogs. Therapy work is a great way to give your dog a job that can improve life for both you and your dog, and also people in your community. Opportunities For dogs with very calm temperaments and basic training, there are many opportunities for you both to pay visits to specific places such as schools, hospitals, retirement homes, and other workplaces to offer help to others. Therapy… Continued
Agility for Cats!? A Cat Behavior Consultant Answers What, Why and How
Our three cats coax us daily for their agility time in our basement! Agility is also a sport that I have introduced to more than one of our foster kittens and taught to more than one of my clients and/or students. What is Agility? It’s a sport whereby a handler directs a cat through a preset obstacle course. Modeled after the equestrian sport of show jumping, and adapted first by the dog world, agility is designed to demonstrate coordination, intelligence, beauty of movement, training, and speed. In competition, cats… Continued
Calling All Pet People
While tips and advice are super helpful, often the most profound inspiration and understanding comes from people sharing their real-world experiences. So, we want to hear from you! Have an inspirational story about pets and people to share? Submit it here. (View our submission guidelines.) Have a training question for our feline, canine or equine experts? Submit it here. Want to Connect? Find us on Facebook. Pets and Their People is looking for writers, story ideas and breaking mews. Throw us a bone…we’d love… Continued
Because Dogs Are Cool!
PPG Member Profile featuring Pet Professional Guild member Chris Lopez-Santiago of Happy Tails Pet Care in Orlando, Florida Tell us a little bit about yourself, how you first got into animal behavior and training and what you are doing now… Honestly, getting into animal behavior was not something I thought I would ever do. I knew I always loved animals of all types. Dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, fish, and even insects and arachnids are fascinating to me. I’d often watch Zak George on YouTube to learn how to teach… Continued
Building Your Client an Effective Pet Training Program
This article presents guidelines for dog training professionals to help them build training programs for their clients, including lesson and individual session plans By Niki Tudge When we are building an effective training program for clients and their dogs, we usually start the process by completing a full client intake procedure and going to the client’s home and completing the informant interview. From here, we should then be ready to build our client a training program that includes the Training Road Map, Individual Lesson Plans, and Hands-on Sessions.… Continued
A Masterclass in Enrichment
This article reports on some of the wonderful work being done by the teaching staff and students at a New England Technical High School to ensure their resident birds and animals have an array of enrichment opportunities available to ensure mental stimulation By Sheila S. Blanchette As a professional certified parrot behavior consultant and trainer, I enjoy finding opportunities to improve my skills and also have a little fun along the way. As such, I volunteer at local animal rescues in my area and in doing so,… Continued
New Beginnings
This article relates the impact the pandemic had on one professional dog trainer’s business and how it empowered her to make life-changing decisions about her future – both personally and professionally By Gail Radtke In April 2020, right at the beginning of the pandemic, I closed my dog training facility that I had been operating in Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, and moved all the equipment into my garage. Like so many other people at the time I was unsure, unprepared, and overwhelmed, but knew I had to make fast decisions… Continued