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 […]
Puppy Socialization and Vaccination – A Balancing Act
You’ve just picked up your beautiful, wriggling, sweet-smelling little puppy, and you are loving every second of it. You’ve got everything ready: chew toys, that perfect tiny collar, and of course, your pup’s first ever trip to the vet scheduled. First puppy visits to the veterinarian are fun and packed with information! Your vet will […]
Socialisation et vaccination des chiots – Une question d’équilibre
Vous venez d’aller chercher votre adorable petit chiot, tout frétillant et qui sent bon, et appréciez chacune des secondes passées en sa compagnie. Vous avez tout ce qu’il vous faut: des jouets à mâcher, un parfait petit collier, et bien sûr, son premier voyage chez le vétérinaire est déjà planifié. Les premières visites du chiot […]
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 […]
Academy Vet Talk: Resource Guarding in Dogs
As a veterinarian and dog trainer, I often get asked, “How can I stop my dog from snarling at me when he’s eating? It is so disrespectful. No matter how much I yell at him or take his food away when he does it, he still seems to forget that I’m the one who feeds […]
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 […]
On-Leash Etiquette, Management and Reactivity
It can be helpful to understand and appreciate the inherently frustrating situation we put our dogs in a lot of time. Dogs are highly social animals and when we put them on a leash they are set up for frustration by the sight of people and dogs they cannot access. If this happens repeatedly, the […]
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 […]
