Blog Archives

Dog play, fun and seriously therapeutic

Butts up in the air, after a quick play bow, the dogs take off running, barking, jumping, chasing, growling, stalking and mouthing. Dogs having a good time playing together are quite a spectacle to watch! They can go from stalking

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Posted in Children, Dog behavior, Dog/human relationship, emotions, Fun, Psychology, science, Shelter

Dog barking: different types and treatments

Barking is loud, obnoxious, irritating and is very hard to tolerate. It’s meant to be! When a baby cries, we feel an insurmountable urge to do something about it. In the same way, when our dog barks, we’re compelled to

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Posted in Dog behavior, Dog training, Dog/human relationship, emotions, Fear, Misc, Psychology, Separation anxiety

‘The Dog Whisperer’ & other animal TV shows – Entertainment over Education?

Even though we’re acutely aware of how the media distorts realities to captivate our attention and play with our sensitivities, we still fall victim of their games. In the past 50 years, diversity gave way to just a handful of

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Posted in Misc, Positive Animal Training, Psychology

Reactivity and Aggression in dogs – Managing and Treating

It’s hard to enjoy a walk in the park, when we know our beloved companion can suddenly turn into Cujo at the first sight of a strange dog or a jogger. Not only do we have to face the challenge

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Posted in Dog behavior, Dog training, emotions, Fear, Positive Animal Training, Psychology

Behavior momentum: increasing efficiency in training

Regardless of what species we’re referring to, whether human, dog, horse, dolphin or bird, when teaching something new, the easier we can make the training session, the better the results. If a dog or a child feels successful, their desire

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Posted in Dog training, Learning theory, Misc, Psychology, science

Learning theory basics – Part 2: Operant conditioning: if it works do it again!

Just waking up from a nap, the 2 month old puppy is now replenished and full of energy. Since he’s locked up in a crate, little Jake starts vocalizing and scratching at the door. Thankfully, Coleen, hearing her pup in

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Posted in Bob Bailey, Dog behavior, Dog training, Educational, Learning theory, Psychology, science

Our dogs love us – the proof is in the nose!

Dogs and humans live together, play together, show affection, communicate and love each other. We develop deep bonds with one another and feel that we understand each other fairly well. Yet, when we look closely into the world of senses,

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Posted in Dog/human relationship, Psychology, science

How Do Dogs Think? The Scientific Revolution in Dog Intelligence

When I first started to study dogs from a scientific perspective, finding research on canine behavior was a long and difficult task. It wasn’t just because at the time we didn’t have Internet and most of the publications had to

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Posted in Dog behavior, Dog/human relationship, Educational, Psychology, Resource, science

Dominance and pack leadership in dogs – Controversial and still misunderstood

If there is one subject that has been beat to death in the dog world, it’s certainly the notion of pack hierarchy in dogs! For the longest time everything was about leadership. Most dog behavior problems were interpreted as a

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Posted in Dog behavior, Dog/human relationship, Psychology, science

Enrichment – 8 easy ways to increase your dog’s quality of life

When we compare the lives of wild animals to that of our pets, there is a striking difference in their activity levels. Dogs, cats, birds, hamsters and gerbils of all sorts, spend a large part of their days just lying

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Posted in Dog behavior, Dog/human relationship, Psychology, Resource, Technology, Training tools
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