When we bring a new puppy home, we expect to teach her the basics of potty training, bite inhibition and general good manners around the house. We hopefully make sure to socialize her, and do our best to get her…
Blog Archives
Surviving our dog’s adolescence
Tagged with: abandonment, animal shelters, Animal training, Dog, dog adolescence, dog teenager, Jennifer Cattet, Smart Animal
Posted in Adolescence, Dog behavior, Dog/human relationship, Fear, Psychology, Roughhousing
Posted in Adolescence, Dog behavior, Dog/human relationship, Fear, Psychology, Roughhousing
Impulse control – the 6 keys to teaching dogs calm and polite behavior
We all know dogs that jump on people, push them out of their way to get through doors, rush their way in and out of the car or the crate and up and down the stairs. Dogs can be impatient…
Tagged with: Animal training, Behavior, impulse control, Jennifer Cattet, reward based training, self-control, Smart Animal
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog training, Dog/human relationship, Positive Animal Training
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog training, Dog/human relationship, Positive Animal Training
Dogs learn best with treats. What about horses?
Most dog trainers today understand the value of using treats. Dogs are more focused, learn faster, are more motivated and the results speak for themselves. If personal experience isn’t enough, a recent study even confirmed that dogs worked better for…
Tagged with: Animal training, clicker training, horse, Jennifer Cattet, reward based training, SMART
Posted in Dog training, Horse, Positive Animal Training, Training tools
Posted in Dog training, Horse, Positive Animal Training, Training tools
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: Animal training, Dog, Dog training, e-collar, electronic collar, Jennifer Cattet, shock collar
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog training, Misc, News, Technology, Training tools
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog training, Misc, News, Technology, Training tools
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: Animal training, clicker training, Dog, dog handling, Jennifer Cattet, leash walking, reward based training, Smart Animal
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog training, Educational, Positive Animal Training, Resource
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…
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: Animal training, baby, Behavior, dog and baby, dogs, Jennifer Cattet, reward based training, Smart Animal
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog training, Educational, Positive Animal Training, Resource
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog training, Educational, Positive Animal Training, Resource
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: Animal training, clicker training, Dog, dogs, Jennifer Cattet, prison dog training, reward based training
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog training, Educational, Positive Animal Training, Resource, science
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog training, Educational, Positive Animal Training, Resource, science
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: Animal training, Behavior, clicker training, Dog, dogs, high value treat, Jennifer Cattet, reward based training
Posted in Dog training, Educational, Fun, Misc, News, Positive Animal Training
Posted in Dog training, Educational, Fun, Misc, News, Positive Animal Training
The importance of preparing animals for the vet
Until recently, it was believed that animals didn’t feel pain or that they felt it differently than we do. In the past decade, research has shown that this simply isn’t true. Our pets definitely feel pain! We have stress when…