In the contest of who dislikes the thought of putting a muzzle on my dog, I'd come in a close second to the dog who has to wear it. That is unless I think about the alternatives to not wearing one. A muzzle is not an excuse to put a dog into situations in which they're inclined to bite a person or another dog, but ...
Play or a contest of dominance? The last few weeks have left millions of dogs feeling the way I'd feel with my parents at a dinner party where other parents were talking about their kids getting ready to attend medical or law school, after they finish competing in the Olympics or return from the junior astronaut program at Cape Canaveral. The social media ...
By the looks of Sunny’s half-hearted feints at whatever was in the leaf litter that had caught his attention, I was guessing snake, or toad. I am a fan of amphibians and have no grudges with reptiles so hurried over to be sure Sunny didn’t do any damage. What I found dragging itself through the leaves surprised me. I was sure it was some kind ...
When I was a young child and our family visited a body of water to swim in my parents instituted the the belly button rule. The older, more proficient swimmers could swim out to rafts in the middle of the lake or play in the waves, but the little kids could go no deeper than their belly buttons. If we lost our footing ...
I realize it's a simplistic way of looking at a brain's reward system, and that's because of my limitations, not yours dear readers. But if we can sneak our way into our dog's brain's reward system we can grab a hold as tenacious as any baseball fan's in the stands who manages to snatch a foul ball. It's glaringly obvious that brains have people and ...
People often think of a dog’s behavior in much the same way as they think about a sandwich. It’s usually the meat in the middle that they are most concerned with. But behavior, like a sandwich has more going on than just the filling. What’s around the filling can matter a lot. Imagine going into a deli and ordering ham & cheese on rye and ...
Dogs trainers are veterans when it comes to hearing- "I tried that, it didn't work." This is often spoken by a client or potential client who after finally contacting a rewards based trainer explains why they don't use food rewards. Their immediate assumption is that because they handed a few treats to their dog, and didn't see an immediate change in the dog's behavior, using ...
Understanding the physiological effects of fear on a dog's autonomic nervous system (ANS) is not just a bunch of big words tossed out to make me feel smart. Truth be told, it's sentences like that that make me grateful for spell check. Fear can cause a dog to become more or LESS aggressive. When frightened, some animals will experience an increase in heart ...
Professional dog trainers often seem like a touchy bunch. There's little we don't have an opinion on, and a strong one at that. When someone seeks advice on the best way to market themselves as a 'dog trainer' boasting of little experience other than growing up with a dog or training their own family pets, it might be best to either step away or put ...
People like rituals. We have holiday rituals and religious rituals, seasonal rituals and daily hygiene rituals (hopefully). If my dogs are representative of the species in general, I'd say dogs like rituals too. Some rituals make our lives richer and easier, others can get us into trouble. That after dinner cigarette ritual can make quitting tough. I have created a number of rituals that I ...
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