Blog Archives

New findings on shock collars: why the UK wants to ban them

In the dog world, few subjects are as controversial as the debate on shock collars (electronic or e-collars). Advocates for their use claim that such devices don’t hurt but mostly emit an unpleasant vibration. They’re often the last resort for dogs

Tagged with: , , , , , ,
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog training, Misc, News, Technology, Training tools

Animal Abuse, Training and “The Dark Triad”

I was recently reminded of how insensitive and cruel some people could be with the account of a trainer who had muzzled and hung a dog in order to teach him to accept his toenails trimmed. Despite criminal sentences for

Tagged with: , , , ,
Posted in Dog training, News, Psychology, Resource

Dog crates dens or prisons?

Over the past decade or so, dog crates have become a must have piece of equipment for all dog owners. Trainers and pet stores have done a great job at promoting its use and most dog lovers today have adopted

Tagged with: , , , , , ,
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog training, Educational, Positive Animal Training, Resource

Confidence – the key ingredient to successful training

When the dog pays attention, a walk in the park or a training exercise are easy, fun and rewarding. When the dog spends the majority of the time looking for anything else to do besides focusing on the human, the

Tagged with: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog training, Educational, Positive Animal Training, Resource

Yielding to pressure – From horses to dogs, an example of negative reinforcement

When teaching dogs new behaviors, we mostly focus on positive reinforcement, in other words, on adding something to the situation that will increase the chances of a particular behavior or aspect of a behavior to occur. Giving the dog a

Tagged with: , , , , ,
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog training, Educational, Positive Animal Training, Resource

6 ways to prepare your dog to meet the new baby

Dogs are a wonderful addition to any household and growing up with a dog provides a child with valuable learning experiences about respect and care of another being. Most of all, growing up with a dog can be fun and

Tagged with: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog training, Educational, Positive Animal Training, Resource

10 effective ways to help our dogs feel safe

Barking, aggression, destruction, separation anxiety, resource guarding, … Many behavior issues that directly affect the dogs welfare can be attributed to stress and fear. These emotions dominate the dog’s life experience and are often responsible for the human/dog relationship breakdown.

Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog training, Educational, Positive Animal Training, Resource, science

Punishment affects both the dog and the owner

Reward based training methods are slowly gaining in popularity among dog professionals including: trainers, veterinarians and behaviorists. But popular beliefs about the value of punishing for so-called ‘bad’ behaviors still run strong. In a society where we justify scolding, handing

Tagged with: , , , , , ,
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog training, Educational, Positive Animal Training, Resource, science

Blah, blah, blah… Do dogs understand anything we say?

‘Do you want to go out for a walk?’ ‘Sit, sit, sit, I know you know how to do this, SIT, good boy, good doggy’. ‘Did you take my shoe? Rover, fess up! I know you did it!’ ‘Stop jumping

Tagged with: , , , , , ,
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog training, Educational, News, Positive Animal Training, Resource, science, Technology

To use or not to use high value treats…

Most owners and trainers frequently rely on high value treats when working with their dog. We may use them to get better focus during dog classes, more motivation when working outdoors and they generally help us work through the more

Tagged with: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Dog training, Educational, Fun, Misc, News, Positive Animal Training
Disclaimer