[Insert Shiny, Eye-catching Title Here]: New Dog Training Techniques as Marketing Ploy
Recently, some dog training colleagues and I were batting around the issue of popular dog trainers denouncing standard dog training technique as an advertising ploy. The rules and methods of changing an animal’s behaviour are pretty well-known, in the way that “tonsil removal surgery” is pretty well-known, or “building a frame wall” is pretty well-known. […]
Why We Need to Modify the Humane Hierarchy
Why we need to modify the Humane Hierarchy Our guest blogger is Tim Steele, a newly minted Academy graduate and owner of Behavior Matters Academy in Orlando FLA. I love the idea of the Humane Hierarchy. We’ve needed a simple-to-understand graphic which gives people a visual representation of what training and behavior modification techniques are more […]
Predation and Dogs: Normalizing Behavior
One gorgeous summer morning, I watched from across the pool as a small grey bird fluttered down out of a tree and hovered just a few feet in front of my foster dog, Quinn. Quinn tilted her head to the side and froze for a brief moment before lunging forward and snatching it from the […]
Our Responsibility To Dogs: Fear, Self-Knowledge, and Puffs of Air
Have you ever had that test at the eye doctor, the one where they puff air against your eye? If not, just imagine it. Air in a puff right into your eye. “Don’t blink”, the doctor may tell you. Because typically, if a puff of air hits you in the eye, you blink. It’s a […]
Intensity Isn’t Bad
I am one of a small army of applied dog behavior people that fights against stuff every day. Mainstays like the use of aversive stimuli (positive punishment and negative reinforcement) in dog training. The absence of competence standards in dog training. Breed-specific legislation. Leadership leadership leadership. And transient alarming trends such as don’t socialize puppies […]
Bringing Play Back to Sequestered Dogs
One of the most glorious times in a dog trainer’s life is that moment when we gently (if metaphorically) grasp our client’s hands and escort them and their dog into a play session. This is especially the case if the client is a bit wary or unsure—they believe in us, sure, but also trust their […]
The Double Advantage of Reward-Based Training
The science of dog training shows risks to canine welfare from aversive methods, and positive benefits from using rewards Although an increasing number of dog trainers are force-free, there are currently no regulations on dog training and still some on-going debate amongst trainers and dog owners about what is the best method to train a dog. […]
Throw Open the Jailhouse Doors: When and why to choose training over management
As dog trainers, we love management—that is, arranging the dog’s environment to prevent mess-ups. It’s a godsend for a bunch of pesky behaviour issues. We use baby gates, dog-proof rooms, curtains, and crates to provide relief to our clients (and often, their dogs). Management can also protect shy or fearful dogs from experiences that they […]
Ouch! Acquired Bite Inhibition and Puppies
Dogs have extremely strong jaws and powerful bites. Even the smallest of dogs can deliver an injurious bite as an adult, and big dogs can inflict even greater damage. Despite this physical ability, most dog bites do not result in terrible injury. In fact, many leave only a small scratch or a few bruises. Like […]
The Importance of Enrichment
As dog trainers, clients call us in to solve problems both big and small. Often, we need to triage, managing some behavior problems until we work through others of greater importance. We often suggest adding enrichment to a dog’s routine right off the bat, for good reason. While enrichment can definitely help manage behavior problems, that’s […]