The Mop Up Squad
There is a trope—long disproven and actually dangerous for dogs—among those trainers who continue to use aversive stimuli in dog training: they say that they are the only ones who can train aggressive dogs. They regularly accuse us positive reinforcement trainers of allowing dogs to needlessly die when their antagonistic and outdated training techniques could […]
Reality Testing
Years ago I was chatting with a friend about the lay of the land in dog training and mentioned that in the US it was still legal to use electric shock on dogs, by anyone and at any time. She, who is not in dogs, said something to the effect of, “isn’t that extreme?” This […]
Buyer Beware! (And “HUSH”?)
It’s one of my most common refrains. I say it again and again. I warn; I apologize; I explain; I complain. “Dog training is an unregulated industry.” Did you know it may also be an industry that, in some corners, is taking steps to squelch honest but negative reviews of itself? Could that possibly be […]
Our Specious Enemy: Friendly Fire in the Trenches of Dog Training
Caveat: I usually work to avoid military metaphors in my writing, but in writing this piece I found them simply too useful, especially considering my somewhat depleted state. Please click away if these will be distressing for you. Recently, my boss/colleague/dear friend Jean Donaldson said, with the wisdom of decades in the dog training biz […]
Holidays with Stranger Danger Dogs
With COVID restrictions dwindling and the holidays approaching, families with dogs who are uncomfortable around strangers may be feeling trepidation. Fear not: you can all survive this and even, in some cases, slightly improve your dog’s comfort level with strangers. The first thing to think about is whether you’ve got the bandwidth and your impending […]
The Ethics of Aversives Use
Academy director Jean Donaldson and staffer Kristi Benson unpack the argument that all training is “science-based” in this thoughtful conversation. Science has given us, as dog trainers (heck, as humans) such an incredible bounty of goods. Scientists have turned their hypothesis-generating magnifying glasses on questions both broad and specific: what is reinforcement? How does reinforcement […]
Our Heroes
Academy director Jean Donaldson and staffer Kristi Benson in conversation about their heroes: those people who have opened their eyes with the most glorious of epiphanies and motivated them to be better dog trainers and teachers. I’m curious about your own heroes: those from within our professional domain and those who are adjacent or outside […]
Everything Important About Dog Training I Learned From Learning Music
Academy director Jean Donaldson and staffer Kristi Benson in conversation about the interesting overlaps between learning music and learning to train dogs. In my mind, two of mankind’s greatest inventions are music and dogs and there are interesting parallels between these two things. The low-hanging fruit for me is repetition, so let’s start with that. […]
The Magic of Management in Dog Training
You’ll get a new perspective on using management to help dogs (and their guardians) with these inspiring posts from the Academy’s March is Management Month.
Conversations About Management
The Academy’s director Jean Donaldson speaks with staffer Kristi Benson about management in pet dog training and why standard operating procedures are often more important. Kristi: For us dog trainers working in the real world with pet dogs, management is absolutely vital. It’s often the first thing we bring up with our clients, once we’ve […]
