In many ways behavioral training is all about mindfulness. Let me share with you five similarities between behavioral training and a mindfulness meditation practice. 1. A Relaxing Start It is important to start training off in a low stress, low distraction environment in the same way that meditation is generally practiced in a quiet room …
Food Shapes Behavior The acquisition of food shapes behavior. Birds, foxes, ants, and bears – all animals – learn and practice behaviors that result in the acquisition of viable food. Their ability to forage, track, chase and hunt are all behaviors that are fine tuned on a daily basis. Regulating Emotional Responses Not only does …
Crates can be useful for travel, for dogs that need crate rest for medical reasons, or to keep dogs safe and out of trouble for short periods during the day. Some dogs can be comfortable in a crate overnight as they sleep but they should not be used for more than 2-3 hours during the …
How to Crate Train an Older Dog in 7 Simple Steps Read More »
Dog Profile Specs Beatrix a 12 pound terrier mix. Initial training began at 11 months of age. History Beatrix was rescued from the city shelter at 8 months of age, she was picked up as a stray. Behavioral Concern People entering the house. Beatrix exhibited fearful behavior, like running away when she saw people on …
Does your dog become nervous or hyperactive with guests? Does your dog bark or lunge when they see a dog on leash? If so, Calm Connections and Reactive Dog classes will show you how to practice exercises that will allow you to connect and offer guidance to your dog in challenging situations. How does it …
Best Online Dog Training Classes for Anxious and Reactive Dogs Read More »
I’ve always loved studying learning behavior and motivation. I started off working in human mental health, and then I transitioned into dog training. One of the things that really appealed to me about it is that there are a lot of parallels between the psychological principles that you’re applying in both areas and I really …
Let’s talk about feeding schedules and why this is such an important foundation for your dog’s overall wellbeing. If you are in the habit of cycling through new types of dog foods or adding tasty tid bits to your dog’s bowl to get your dog to eat – this video is for you. The novelty …
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Setting Expectations In this blog, I am going to lay out 5 things that you can do stop your puppy from biting. First, it’s important to understand why puppies bite. It is a normal and natural behavior. Puppies bite when they are tired, excited, nervous or frustrated. Many puppies become frustrated and bite when someone …
1. Listen, Watch, Learn Building a relationship built on trust, respect and communication can only begin once you consciously begin to learn about your puppy’s unique personality. Spend time observing her body language and facial expressions. See how she responds to various people, sounds, objects, activities. What does she love? What does she hate? What …
Setting Expectations Potty training can be a frustrating process, but there are a few hard and fast rules that can accelerate the process: Have the right tools. Create a potty schedule. Keep a potty training log. Learn how to use food reinforcement effectively. Be patient. Expect that your puppy will need constant reminders to go …
So, what does it mean to be proactive in dog training and why is it better than waiting until an issue occurs to search for a “fix”? The difference between a trainer and the average pet owner is that the trainer is proactive, and the average pet owner is reactive. A reactive response is usually …
Make sure that you are setting your dog up for success in their new home by following these Ten Training Tips. Too many dogs are relinquished to the shelter each year for problem behaviors that could have been prevented, here’s how to get your dog off on the right track: Tip #1: Confinement Area. A …
Bringing home a new baby can be stressful for the family, but can also be confusing for your dog. Let me share with you some tips that can help with this transitional time and allow your dog make sense of whats going. These tips will help ensure that your dog will share in the happiness …
Barrier aggression is the number one reason dogs are euthanized in shelters each year. Barriers, such as; fences, gates, windows, screen doors, balconies have the potential to generate high levels of frustration and stress, resulting in incessant barking, or worse, aggression. Barriers “train” dogs to become hyper-territorial because it has a built in reinforcement mechanism: …
Tip #1: Potty Training Potty training requires careful management and frequent supervised trips outside. There, you are able to immediately reinforce your puppy for peeing or pooing in a desired area. Click here to see article about house training. Tip #2: Separation Training Teach the puppy to feel comfortable spending time in a crate or behind a baby gate. When done …
The Rubik’s cube can be used as a model for a dog’s behavioral wellness. People can spin their wheels in behavioral training when they try to work through concerning behavior related to fear, anxiety or aggression as though it is a one dimensional problem. People struggle with the Rubik’s cube for the same reason. Every time …
Dog Anxiety Treatment Plan, the Rubik’s Cube Metaphor Read More »
How Does it Start? Most bad habits start off seemingly benign. Your dog whimpers and you ask him if he wants to go for a walk. Your dog barks and you ask him “what’s wrong?” Your dog lifts his paw on you to ask for a pet … so you pet him. Some people even …
Demanding Attention: You Got Yourself a Bad Habit Read More »
Successful training requires three critical elements. If you are struggling to train your dog, reassess your training plan and ask which of these three elements is lacking. 1. Motivation Motivate your dog to WANT to learn. Choose your reinforcement, wisely. Top trainers pull out all the stops. They are likely to use tennis balls or …
The people that will have the easiest time raising a puppy, are those that have realistic expectations for what a puppy is capable of, and the amount of structure that is required in raising them. Here are the most common gaps between an owner’s expectation and the reality of welcoming a puppy into your home. …
A person with dominance issues in dog training is easily identified. It’s the type of person that believes that a dog needs to learn how to submit to the “pack leader.” They might refer to themselves as being “alpha,” or ask you obnoxious questions like, “who’s alpha in your house?” Here are some tips for …
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Many people experience the worry or frustration of behavioral issues that begin to spin out of control. They may have read articles or watched training videos, but nothing worked so they google local training and find a facility that accepts dogs with serious behavioral issues and guarantees results. They think: “A one month board and …
Keep it simple. English is a foreign language to your dog. Here are a five rules to help bridge the communication gap. Rule #1: Over Use of Verbal Cues We try to use verbal cues a lot when our dogs are in emotionally charged situations (like when they are barking, jumping). This is not effective …
Introducing dogs and cats can be a tricky process. The dog rushes to investigate the cat, the cat runs from the dog, the dog becomes even more excited by the chase. The solution is to teach both how to be calm in each other’s presence, by creating a controlled introduction. Let me tell you how to …
Life is easier when your dog knows and responds to a potty cue. It’s good for: House training Cold mornings Rainy days Road trips Two Reasons Why This is Can Be a Challenge to Train #1: The Distracted Dog Your dog is distracted by sensory information: sights, sounds and smells; and consequently forgets to go …
The idea that a dog has been “fully trained” always raises an eyebrow for me. Training (in my opinion) is more like having a healthy diet, or working out routinely. Saying your dog is “trained” is like throwing your sneakers in the trash bin and saying “I’m exercised.” There’s no definitive end to training, it is …
Behavioral Observations As Frodo was weaned off the medication, he started to exhibit some interesting behavioral changes. On medication, he didn’t exhibit any interest in playing with toys. He had little interest in food. If he reacted to a noise or to movement it was significantly less intense than it had been. I would argue …
About Medication I trained as much as possible, and used management strategies that I knew would help keep everyone’s stress levels down. If I wanted to train I had to take advantage of early mornings when my then 6 month old son was still sleeping. The holiday season was a turbulent time. I took a …
Travel Plans and Pet Sitting for an Anxious Dog Frodo was starting to make some progress with his foundations in behavior training when we were due to fly to Cleveland for a week to visit with my husband’s family. We use a company called Doggie Joggie for pet sitting, I’ve always been impressed with how …
Adopting Frodo My mom and I always had a special bond in our mutual love of living and caring for animals. Just like my mom and I had talked about years before, in the event of her passing, she requested that I take care of her animals. At the time of her death she had …
Transformational Journey to a Happier and Healthier Dog I use quotes around the word “untrainable” because I don’t believe that any dog is actually untrainable. There are many people that do think or wonder if that might be true of some dogs; usually older dogs, highly anxious dogs, or small dogs that are burdened by …
Impulsive Players Tell me if you’ve ever met a dog exhibits sudden and intense episodes of manic play where they jump and bite at your clothing or arms. It seems playful, but the dog is unable to pick up on cues from you that you’re not having a good time. When dogs exhibit one of …
First things first: if your dog has a pulse then your dog is indeed food motivated. A common thing I hear from people is that their dog isn’t that motivated towards food. Let me tell you about three possible reasons that your dog may no be excited about food. 1. Overfeeding The dehydrated food that …
1: Housetraining Beginning from the very FIRST SECOND that your dog enters your house, they are absorbing information like a sponge. If you’re smart – you’ll take advantage of this time and get your dog off on the right paw. Here’s how: When bringing a new dog into your home NEVER assume that house training …
This article is intended to help dogs that bark, growl, lunge, charge, snap or bite when interacting with people or dogs. Stress, generalized anxiety, chronic stress, frustration, pain or underlying medical conditions can all contribute to aggressive responses. Address any potential medical issues with your veterinarian and read through these tips before creating and implementing …
10 Things You Need to Know About Aggressive Behavior in Dogs Read More »
This article applies to initial dog-dog introductions, as well as, those dogs that need “relationship therapy” due to fighting or tension that arises in their day to day routine. Neutrality Minimize friction by being proactive. Put away the toys, keep bones in the cabinet, block access to socially significant “hot spots” where fights are most …
Do’s and Don’ts of Helping Dogs to Become Friends Read More »
Here are 10 things you need to know about implementing an effective behavior modification training plan for any dog that exhibits reactive fearful or aggressive behaviors. Rule #1: Track Progress in Months Dogs that are anxious, fearful, aggressive or hyper-active need to track progress in months – not days or weeks. Don’t get carried away …
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