Teaching My Hound NOT To Hunt
This article details how a dog obsessed with chasing squirrels learned, through repetition and reinforcement of an alternative behavior, to leave the squirrels alone By Karen Baragona Shhhh. Can you keep a secret? I used to HATE walking my dog. Why? Because my neighborhood is full of squirrels, and every time my dog saw one, she went freak-show crazy. Airborne. Yowling, lunging, sometimes even pulling me off my feet and dragging me along the sidewalk. People literally stopped and stared. Windows flew open and heads craned out to investigate the commotion.… Continued
Car Woes: A Tale of Botched Socialization
This article tells the tale of Huckleberry, a dog fearful of riding in the car, and the importance of moving at the dog’s pace when engaging in a DS/CC protocol By Karen Baragona Poor shivering, quivering Huckleberry. Not because it’s cold out; she couldn’t care less about that. This is fear. Huckleberry is about to experience something that makes most dogs jump for joy, and she’s beside herself with fright: She’s going for a ride in the car. Part of this is my fault. When we adopted her, Huckleberry was… Continued
Punishment in Animal Training
This article examines the growing body of research indicating that reward-based training, and the subsequent absence of stress, anxiety, pain, force, and fear, may improve an animal’s ability to learn; and that aversive training techniques can have adverse effects on a dog’s behavior By Susan Nilson and Niki Tudge The United Nations (UN) Committee on the Rights of the Child (2006), defines corporal or physical punishment as “any punishment in which physical force is used and intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort, however light…Physical punishment… Continued
How Animals Learn
This article presents an overview of the types of learning, animal emotions vs. animal behaviors, applied behavior analysis, and choice and empowerment in animal training By Niki Tudge Like humans, animals can learn in a healthy, humane and safe manner, or, conversely, through pain, force and fear. In cases of high emotional arousal (“emotional hijacking”), the emotional brain inhibits the rational brain and an animal will go into fight or flight mode. In biological terms, this means it is difficult, if not impossible, for them to learn productively when in… Continued
The Topic of Microaggressions for Identification and Educational Purposes!
Introduction To some degree we are all products of cultural conditioning that instills within us biases and prejudices that can impregnate our behavior towards others. The term and concept microaggressions was first identified and termed in the 1970’s by Chester M. Pierce. The term refers to “subtle, stunning, often automatic, and non-verbal exchanges which are ‘put downs’” (Pierce, Carew, Pierce Gonzalez, & Willis, 1978, p. 66). Racial microaggressions have also been described as “subtle insults (verbal, nonverbal, and/or visual) directed toward people of color, often automatically or unconsciously” (Solorzano et… Continued
Exotic Animals and Shelter Awareness
By Lara Joseph As animal trainers and behavior consultants, our work can appear very appealing to pet owners and those who work with and take care of animals. What we demonstrate in our training is a very important tool we can use to educate the public about how our work is done, its impact on behavior and mental stimulation, and responsibility in animal care. Being an animal trainer and understanding applied behavior analysis, using it, and showing others how to use it is very important to me. My intention… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Molly Neher and Jennifer Kolar of Atlas Assistance Dogs
Join Niki Tudge and PPG Canine Committee chair Judy Luther as they Chat and Chuckle with Molly Neher and Jennifer Kolar of PPG corporate partner Atlas Assistance Dogs. Atlas Assistance Dogs states its mission as follows: “Atlas fundamentally expands access to assistance dogs. We support people with disabilities to train and certify their own service dog using positive, ethical training methods. At Atlas, we believe anyone who would benefit from a qualified assistance dog should be able to have one.” Listen to the Podcast with Molly and Jennifer here on your… Continued
The Aftermath of “Boot Camp”
By Amanda Ballard [At the time of writing] Kobe is an 18-month-old terrier cross, who is loved madly by his person, Lizzie. My private consultation session with them is the only one in 10 years that has moved me to tears, right there in front of the owner. It absolutely broke my heart to witness a dog displaying visible signs of anxiety, triggered by hearing very basic and commonly used verbal cues. Sadly, it would not be the last time I would witness this. There is no doubt about… Continued
Don Hanson Reviews Dr. Conor Brady’s “Feeding Dogs”
Feeding Dogs: The Science Behind The Dry Versus Raw Debate by Conor Brady, Ph.D. will hopefully end the debate over how to feed our dogs for optimum health. Dr. Brady spent 10 years examining what the scientific literature tells us about canine nutrition, answering such questions as: Is the dog a carnivore or omnivore? What are the problems with feeding kibble? Why are so many people pro-kibble and anti-fresh food despite evidence to the contrary? And how to feed a dog a species-appropriate diet for optimal health. In addition,… Continued
Six Tips to Keep At-Home Dog Training Fun and Consistent
Keeping up the consistency of training your dog at home, when you don’t have a dog trainer looking over your shoulder or need to be top of the class can be hard! Let’s be honest, there is a lot of other stuff we do at home, and sometimes training our dogs takes a back seat, to you… know ALL THAT OTHER life stuff! But training relies on keeping things consistent and interesting; there aren’t any shortcuts, honestly. Dogs learn through repetition and being rewarded for things we want them to… Continued
Meet the People Behind the Fundraiser for Ukrainian Animal Shelters
Quick Links: Donate to help animals survive the war in Ukraine. BARKS podcast with Dr. Marina Bayeva: Hear updates on the use of funding and the animals benefiting from your generous support. Lifelong animal welfare advocate, Dr. Marina Bayeva, began a grassroots campaign to help animals survive the war in Ukraine. On May 4, the Pet Professional Guild (PPG) streamed an informative and inspiring live discussion with Dr. Bayeva, veterinarian Dr. Paula Klek, and members of PPG’s Shelter & Rescue committee. Meet the the people behind the campaign and… Continued
The Many Benefits of Fostering Shelter/Rescue Pets
Fostering animals gives them a break from the stressful environment that they encounter while in the shelter. BENEFITS FOR THE ANIMALS AND SHELTERS If you foster an animal, they will have the ability to get away from the continuous noise caused by the other animals there. Even one or two nights in a home has been shown to reduce the stress hormone known as cortisol. The pets will also get the much needed and important human interaction that they wouldn’t receive as often when staying in the shelter. Some… Continued
People Are Risking Their Lives to Help the Pets of Ukraine – And They Need Your Help
Quick Links: Help Animals Survive the War in Ukraine (Click on link to donate.) Meet the People Behind the Fundraiser for Ukrainian Animal Shelters (Click on link to listen to the inspiring BARKS podcast.) Everything has changed for the beloved pets of Ukraine. You Can Help The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) Shelter & Rescue committee is asking you, our dedicated and generous community, to help these animals and the people caring for them. On Wednesday, May 4, PPG livestreamed a free event for the public to meet… Continued
I Pushed My Friend off the Sofa! Whoops… [How to deal with undesirable guest/animal interactions]
By Ryan Cartlidge 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… Continued
Compulsive Eating in Dogs
By Maureen Tay Also known as compulsive eating disorder, compulsive eating is a disorder where a dog tends to eat everything – from food items to non-food items. The specific practice of eating non-food, non-nutritive substances, such as wool or paper, is known as pica. Stool eating (coprophagia) can also be categorized under pica. Common among Puppies Puppies are curious animals. They eat just about anything they can find, including things that are inedible. Puppies love to investigate their surroundings. An excellent way to do this is for… Continued
Just the Thought of Leaving Pets in a War Zone is an Incredibly Difficult Mental Exercise
The thought of losing my dogs or being forced to leave them behind in a war zone if I had to evacuate is an incredibly difficult mental exercise. I can barely even write about it. And yet I had been faced with this dilemma in my previous life when I lived in Nigeria. During my three years there we experienced two coups and I had to face the possibility that in the event of a mandated evacuation I would have to leave my pets behind. I was told in clear… Continued
The Pets Left Behind in Ukraine Need You – Here’s How You Can Help Today!
By K. Holden Svirsky This article looks behind the scenes to find out how the animals left behind in Ukraine are being cared for by a dedicated and devoted network of animal lovers and professionals (including photos and video footage). It also explains why they urgently need donations from the international community, shows how the funds donated so far are being utilized, and if you want to make a contribution, tells you exactly how you can do it. Quick Links Help Animals Survive the War in Ukraine (Direct link to… Continued
Training a Blind Dog
By Miki Saito Unfortunately, even knowledgeable and experienced trainers sometimes hesitate when it comes to working with a blind dog. It is as if they consider the dog’s blindness an obstacle that cannot be overcome. Since blindness cannot be changed, this mindset can lead trainers to believe that these dogs cannot be trained but this is, of course, untrue. The dog’s blindness does not inhibit training. His emotional state, however, may be preventing him from having a positive learning experience. As explained by Dr. Jesus Rosales-Ruiz at the Clicker… Continued
Advocating for Humane Techniques
This article examines the scientific data on aversive dog training methods, and discusses: Potential fallout such as habituation, learned helplessness, pain sensitivity, physical damage, emotional damage, and contact force; The stance on punishment in dog training taken by numerous professional organizations; Understanding basic behavioral science; Alternative, positive reinforcement training protocols for more optimal results. By Susan Nilson and Niki Tudge The current scientific data, in addition to the moral and ethical concerns about mental and physical damage to animals subjected to methods using force, fear and/or pain, have… Continued
How to Manage Dogs with a High Prey Drive
This article examines what prey drive means, identifying motivations, and adapting the Predatory Motor Sequence to ensure dogs still get the opportunity to perform innate behaviors By Tracey McLennan Prey drive is one of those areas of dog behavior that can generate a lot of discussion. It is also one of those things that can cause problems for dog owners. Yet the subject remains somewhat mysterious, with little data available that could help companion dogs and the people who care for them. I got into this fascinating subject when I… Continued
Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks
This article discusses the importance of ongoing training, learning, and enrichment for dogs, from puppyhood through to old age, and provides suggestions for fun games and activities By Anna Bradley I often wonder why so many of us train our dogs for a certain period of time and then just stop. For example, we get a puppy and train him to do a bunch of skills, maybe take him to puppy school and out to meet new friends, and practice our skills out and about. Maybe we engage the services… Continued
The Benefits of Using Food Rewards
This article addresses some of pet owners’ common concerns and criticisms surrounding the use of treats in dog training By Diane Garrod In some circles, using treats in training has gotten something of a bad rap. But I have to ask myself, why is there even hesitation about this? Using food in positive reinforcement for results IS science. It is a proven, highly productive technique that involves pairing good things with triggers, or reinforcing behavior so it is repeated, or giving a “paycheck” for a job well… Continued
Ask the Experts: Planning for Difficult Conversations
This article provides suggestions on how to address the situation with a dog trainer who isn’t getting good reviews from their class students By Veronica Boutelle Ever had to deal with a good dog trainer who is knowledgeable but whose students are not enamored of their teaching skills? Our experts from dogbiz have the answer! Bad Reviews Dear dogbiz, One of the trainers who teaches classes for me isn’t getting the greatest reviews from our students. A few have even complained. It’s nothing terrible. She’s a good… Continued
The Essence of a Dog: A Free Education from a Free Choice Walk
By giving our dogs as much autonomy as we safely can, we can learn a lot about body language and social interactions from observing their behavior © Karolin Klinck One cold day last spring, snow still clinging to the ground and ceding to the warm sun only on the tips of south-facing hillocks, I decided to do something new. I wouldn’t walk my dogs; nor would I walk with my dogs. I would instead be walked by my dogs. I decided to simply follow my dog Mischa for… Continued