How to train dogs struggling with fear-based behavior challenges.
Shaping behavior in people Getting owners, handlers or caregivers of dogs and other animals, to use food without reserve or guilt, is one of the skills trainers need to master. It is not unusual for an owner to want to show me how they can get the animal to do something, without using food. I’ve had them take lead lines or leashes out of my ...
I should start by saying that my parents were kind people. They modeled being helpful and supportive of people who might struggle in the world because they were different from the other people in their family or community. They gave me a puppy for my birthday when I was 16, which makes them just about the best of anyone on the planet. But even with ...
Thank you Dr. Skinner It's common to find in the animal training industry people who either are unaware of the work that has been done in the field of behavior and learning, or who choose not to recognize it. The approach I take to the training and rehabilitation of dogs and other animals is not my special brand of whispering. I have not reinvented any ...
Punishing Mistakes Isn't Fair Why wouldn't animal do what they needed to do, to get what they wanted? One reason is they don't know what to do. Or can't do it. If we see that an animal wants something, but our attempts to get them to do what we want aren't working, we need to do something different. Recognizing that the environment controls behavior is ...
Learn with us at Lemon's Hope Sanctuary Working with problem behaviors requires more than simply following a protocol. You need to be able to wrap your head around a number of concepts, some that might seem in opposition to each other. The idea that using positive reinforcement to train is a good thing. It has permeated the training field, and the pet dog owner community ...
Find the joy and delight for fearful, shy, aggressive or reactive dogs I have specialized in the training of dogs with extreme problem behavior for over 15 years. The biggest challenge with these animals is not simply the problem behavior, but finding stuff they love to do, eat, chew, chase (or even roll in if it wasn't so often horrifically stinky). It's not just about ...
Working with fear, aggression or reactivity To train a fearful or aggressive animal the first thing you need to know is how to make them feel happy, and safe. It’s often obvious what they want, they want you to leave them alone, let go of them, stop touching them. In any training we are going to ask the animal to do something, or allow us ...
In May in Vermont I am presenting two seminars. Understanding fear-based behavior in dogs, is one I am most often invited to present at different venues. It hasn't changed much over the years and that should be attributed to the fact that nothing new about behavior, since I first created the presentation, has changed. The new information we have about brains and neuroscience does not ...
When a professional athlete is about to perform a challenging move, an ice skater preparing for a triple jump, a tennis player about to return a volley, a swimmer turning off the wall, a race car driver taking a curve at high speed, each move has been rehearsed and practiced over and over again. Extra effort that doesn't improve speed or accuracy has been pared ...
There is a backlash among some in the dog training community to what is commonly called obedience training. There's a good reason for the backlash. Obedience training in many minds brings up images of dogs being physically manipulated, verbal corrections & leash pops abound. There is a do it or else mentality to the process. On the flip side there are trainers who after discovering ...
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