A Life without Pets
By Fiona De Rosa and Fiona Warton As the aging population of the western world increases, more people are finding themselves moving from their own homes and into aged care accommodations. This can mean that companion animals get left behind, with the new living arrangements unable to accommodate pets. At this time of life, it can be especially distressing for older people to leave not only their community and social networks, but their companion animals too. It is undoubtedly a less than ideal scenario, given that research shows companion animals… Continued
Stimulation for Psittacines
By Amy Martin Physical and mental stimulation is vital to every species on the planet. Squid, poison dart frogs, pigs, rats, cats, tortoises, spiders, jaguars, sheep, dogs, ferrets, parrots, you name it, they all need daily stimulation. Enrichment is a fundamental component of responsible, preventative companion parrot care. But how can we ensure the parrots we care for are getting enough? Vital For Well-Being Studies have shown that when animals are provided with a stimulating environment, they are less stressed, live longer and are better able to develop problem-solving skills,… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Zazie Todd of Companion Animal Psychology: July 16, 2021
PPG president Niki Tudge chats to Zazie Todd, animal behavior expert and award-winning author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy, and creator of the Companion Animal Psychology blog. Listen to Podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click ‘Play’ below. Zazie Todd Ph.D. (psychology, University of Nottingham, England) MFA (creative writing, University of British Columbia, Canada) graduated with honors from Jean Donaldson’s Academy for Dog Trainers and has a Certificate of Feline Behaviour with Distinction from International Cat Care. She is a shelter affiliate member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, a… Continued
The Problem with “Furry Little Humans”
By Andrea Carne Let’s open this discussion with the whole cats vs. dogs “thing.” Honestly, why do we continue to debate this ongoing battle of the species? Social media is filled with cartoons and memes depicting the supposedly obvious differences and, while I can enjoy the funny side as much as anyone else, there is a serious side to the argument when it comes to actual research. Case in point: A new study by Chijiiwa et al. (2021) on cat behavior has already gained a lot of press this year,… Continued
5 Ways to Streamline Your Business as a Pet Professional
By PPG corporate partner, PocketSuite One of the big lessons for pet professionals in the last year and a half is that even a pandemic doesn’t have to tank your business. While many other sectors suffered, pet professionals benefited from the “pandemic puppy” trend, which created even greater demand. But with health concerns at the forefront, the most successful businesses had to innovate and streamline to take advantage of the trend. These changes leave them well poised for growth as recovery begins. Here’s how you can follow their example and… Continued
Lessons in Empathy
By Kathy Wolff According to Wikipedia (2021), empathy is the “capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference, that is, the capacity to place oneself in another’s position. Definitions of empathy encompass a broad range of emotional states.” “Hi, my name is Kathy, and I’m a Nervous Nellie.” At least, that’s the cutsie polite little name we used to call it when I was younger. I was someone who always saw the glass half empty, worried about what was going to happen… Continued
It’s All in the Management
By Dr. Morag Heirs When you are dealing with a deaf puppy or an adolescent deaf dog in a rescue environment, mouthing and nipping is often high on the list of problem behaviors. Do deaf dogs and puppies mouth, nip or grab more than hearing dogs? The honest answer here is that we just do not know. Anecdotally, based on the requests for help we see on forums and websites, mouthing, nipping and/or grabbing does not seem to be more of a problem for deaf dogs than it is with… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Ken MacLeod of My Positive Pup: June 4, 2021
Ken MacLeod of My Positive Pup chats about the incredible results he got with his reactive puppy Scooter via positive reinforcement training and how they inspired him teach others. Listen to Podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click ‘Play’ below. Ken MacLeod KTA CTP of My Positive Pup is an Emmy-honored set designer, a positive reinforcement dog trainer, and a major Bruce Springsteen fan. Throughout his long career in the film industry, he designed sets for many iconic commercials, and worked on several television shows, such as Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Rain Jordan of The Fearful Dogs Project: May 29, 2021
Join Niki Tudge and Rain Jordan of The Fearful Dogs Project, as they discuss how the initiative helps dogs — and the humans who care for them — move beyond fear and enjoy their lives together with as little distress, and as much joy. as possible. Listen to Podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click ‘Play’ below. The Fearful Dogs Project is currently offering 10% off its Advanced Fear Abatement Mastery Program for PPG-member canine training professionals seeking the CFDP (Certified Fearful Dogs Professional) certification. Additional group rate… Continued
Playing It Safe
By Andrea Carne “Play with your cat more – and give him a meaty diet…” I wouldn’t be surprised if variations on this kind of advice has been given by vets and cat behavior consultants over the eons. And indeed, in addition to being supportive of feline well-being in general, a new study suggests it could also reduce hunting behavior and, perhaps more importantly for many cat guardians, reduce the number of prey animals brought home as unwanted “gifts.” The study, conducted by Martina Cecchetti and colleagues from the University… Continued
Alone Training
By Don Hanson Dogs are social animals, and most will actively seek out our companionship. They can quickly become accustomed to having their people around all the time (especially during these pandemic times when many of us are spending more time at home than usual), but this is not a necessarily good thing if they will need to spend some time on their own at some stage. And as much as we might want to believe we will always be with our dogs all the time, that scenario is improbable.… Continued
Play vs. Aggression
By Maureen Tay As a trainer, the issue of aggression is raised a lot. Indeed, it is the most commonly reported behavior issue by dog owners (Overall, 2013). One owner who contacted me recently had adopted a new dog and called me to say that the new dog and the resident dog were now growling at each other and going after each other’s legs and necks. But without being there to see the actual situation, it is obviously impossible to tell if these dogs are just playing or if there… Continued
The Porcine Phenomenon
By Lara Joseph As we all know, animals are fascinating, especially when it comes to their ability to learn and their individuality. I am attracted to intelligent animals who learn quickly and are able to change their behavior to get a new outcome, for example, the pig, the vulture, the parrot and the octopus. I train many animals and am often asked to train pigs. The rate at which a young, healthy pig who lives in an enriched environment can learn often stuns people, including the professional trainer. This rate… Continued
Pet Professional Guild Announces Geek Week 2021; Invites Proposals for Presentations from Industry Experts
Following on from success of inaugural event, second edition of Geek Week will take place on November 13-17, 2021 The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) has announced that the second edition of its virtual event Geek Week will take place on November 13-17, 2021. Jointly hosted by PPG, Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) Australia, INTODogs UK, Pet Professional Guild Australia (PPGA), and Pet Professional Guild British Isles (PPGBI), this year’s event will build on the success of the inaugural 2020 event and take on an expanded, more streamlined format. PPG… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Victoria Stilwell: April 23, 2021
Join Niki Tudge and Victoria Stilwell of Positively as they chat about all things “positive.” Listen to the Podcast here on your preferred platform. Or simply click ‘Play’ below. Victoria Stilwell is a world-renowned dog trainer best known as the star of the international hit TV series It’s Me or the Dog. She is also editor-in-chief of Positively.com, which features a roster of Positively Contributors comprised of the world’s leading veterinary behaviorists, dog trainers and behavioral scientists, and CEO of Victoria Stilwell Positively Dog Training (VSPDT) – a global network of world-class positive reinforcement dog trainers. She is also… Continued
Life Beyond Leash Reactivity
As far as behavior consults go, it’s fair to say that reactivity is probably my most commonly encountered issue. The term ‘reactivity’ has become, I feel somewhat of a buzzword over recent years but what I’m referring to in this post is dogs who are reactive on the leash when they encounter unfamiliar dogs. Symptoms might include vocalization (barking, whining, howling, growling, yapping for example), lunging, pulling and straining, wild and frantic spinning, attempts to bolt and multifarious postural displays – from the very subtle to the overt. Some dogs… Continued
Why You Should Avoid “Obedience” Training Tactics for Dogs and Consider this Alternative Instead
By Animal Courses Direct Firstly, let’s look at the definition of obedience – ‘It is a form of social influence that involves acting on the orders of an authority figure.’ The word ‘obey’ is all over the internet when it comes to training dogs, and unfortunately, it is giving the wrong signals to dog guardians and their position of power. Whilst trying to achieve a status of authority could be a desirable outcome for a parent, teacher, or law enforcement, it’s not the same when it comes to your dog.… Continued
The Essence of a Dog: A Free Education from a Free Choice Walk
By Kristi Benson 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 our whole walk. Wherever he chose to go, well, I’d go just the same. I crawled under logs, I lumbered across frozen wetlands sinking thigh-deep into the granular… Continued
The Itch to Scratch
By Andrea Carne Regardless of whichever behavior issue I have been called upon to assist a cat guardian with – whether it be inappropriate toileting, aggression towards humans, or aggression between cats in a multicat household – I can almost guarantee that when I ask at the end of a consult, “Is there anything else you wanted to chat about while I’m here?”, the response will always include some variation of, “How do I get them to stop scratching the furniture?” My first response is generally to explain that scratching… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Dr. Dorothy Heffernan: March 19, 2021
Join Niki Tudge and guest Dr. Dorothy Heffernan as they discuss all things equine. Listen to the Podcast here on your preferred platform. Or simply click ‘Play’ below. See also Straight from the Horse’s Mouth where Dr. Heffernan discusses transitioning to bitless horseback riding in a BARKS blog post. Dr. Dorothy Heffernan is a psychologist who applies her knowledge of learning, cognition and neuroscience to help horse guardians improve their horses’ lives through a changed approach to management, training and environment. She uses a force-free approach to training and enjoys making science… Continued
Navigating the Storm
By Mary Jean Alsina “I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.” – Louisa May Alcott Many dogs who come into this world quickly learn that there are many storms of which to be afraid. These storms come in many guises: other dogs, bearded men, men in general, vacuum cleaners, leaves rustling, visits to the vet and a whole myriad of other spooky things. Fearful dogs see the world around them as a very unsafe environment in which to live, relax and enjoy the lives… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Lisa and Brad Waggoner: March 12, 2021
Join Niki Tudge and guests Lisa and Brad Waggoner of Cold Nose College in Murphy, North Carolina, as they discuss their work with the dog training program, RESCUED: Saving Detainees and Dogs One Life at a Time, at the Colwell Probation and Detention Center in Blairsville, Georgia. The program focuses on the rehabilitation of detainees through training their dogs using positive reinforcement training techniques. Listen to the Podcast here on your preferred platform. Or simply click ‘Play’ below. Lisa Lyle Waggoner is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, a Pat Miller Certified Trainer-Level… Continued
A Cautionary Tale
By Kayla Sprague Before entering the world of dog training I had never really had an opinion on shock collars. To me they were just another kind of collar, another way to train a dog. I was unaware of any negative effects. After studying more about positive reinforcement training, however, I began to see another side to them as I realized exactly what they did and how they worked. It made me think about how this type of collar can mentally, physically and emotionally affect a dog. Then, on September… Continued
Pet Professional Accreditation Board launches French language option for training and behavior credentials
LECANTO, Fla. – March 9, 2021 – The Pet Professional Accreditation Board (PPAB) has completed translation of its study guides and instructions into French in a move that will make a force-free credential immediately accessible to French speaking canine training and behavior consultants worldwide. Two Québec, Canada-based canine training and behavior consultants, Lucie Malouin and Raphaël Pépin, are behind the drive to translate the program, having undertaken and acquired their PCBC-A credential and recognized the need to help other French speaking people undertake the same process. Malouin, of Complètement Canin, and Pépin, of… Continued