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The Failing Industry of Dog Training: I'm Sorry Willie

By |2015-07-30T17:44:43-04:00July 30th, 2015|Categories: Dog training, Helping fearful dogs|Tags: , , , |

A friend recently shared an article with me in which this blog gets a mention. They say that any PR is good PR but all this article does is make me sad, and to be lumped in with other “quick fixes” for what is a tragic issue, makes me even sadder. The conclusion the author comes to that some dogs just can’t be helped is ...

Should This Dog Be Up For Adoption?

By |2014-11-23T09:57:15-05:00November 23rd, 2014|Categories: Dog training, Fostering Dogs, Helping fearful dogs|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

drawing by Leslie Swieck all copyrights apply The compassion that people show for dogs with fear-based behavior challenges is commendable. Rescue groups pull them from shelters by the thousands and well-intentioned people adopt them. Given the number of people joining online groups looking for support and advice about how to help these dogs the reality that it requires more than time and love should ...

Why Are Dog Trainers So Averse To Training?

By |2014-11-02T12:51:03-05:00November 2nd, 2014|Categories: Dog training, Fostering Dogs, Helping fearful dogs|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Building a relationship or a recall? We are living in a golden age of dog training. The industry has been infused with information from professionals in the field of applied behavior analysis and animal training in general. Mark and reward training (click/treat) and lure/reward are if not embraced, are at least not unknown to most dog trainers and pet owners. Bob Bailey was pulled out of ...

Grow Up

By |2014-07-17T17:36:54-04:00July 17th, 2014|Categories: Dog training, Fostering Dogs, Helping fearful dogs|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

At some point early in the life of a human we develop intellectually and emotionally enough to realize that it's not always just about us. Hopefully when this happens we've had plenty of time to learn to feel safe and loved. It's not an easy step to take, but a step that most of us not only take, but run with. We go on to become teachers, ...

Better Than Average

By |2014-07-02T09:36:18-04:00July 2nd, 2014|Categories: Dog training, Fostering Dogs, Helping fearful dogs, Medications for fearful dogs, Puppy mills|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

In my world the reality is that those of us living with a dog with fear-based behavior challenges must be better than average pet owners. I say this meaning no offense to average pet owners. Anyone who chooses to live with an animal is ahead of the curve in my book. Most however do not add a dog to their lives in order to have ...

Time To Raise The Bar

By |2014-03-21T09:15:10-04:00March 21st, 2014|Categories: Dog training, Fostering Dogs, Helping fearful dogs|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

There are few fields in which having grown up either performing a task or with the student, is enough to qualify one as a professional and justifies charging for one's services. Unless of course we are talking about dog trainers. I grew up reading and might be able to teach plenty of kids to read but if your kid has dyslexia it would be wiser ...

Suffering the Consequences

By |2013-12-16T09:46:33-05:00December 16th, 2013|Categories: Dog training, Fostering Dogs, Helping fearful dogs|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

I heard an interesting piece on NPR's This American Life radio show. The topic was institutionalized, racial segregation in housing in America. During the 1960's when people protested, often violently, against this practice a comment made by then President Nixon went something like this, if the demands were met (end policies that perpetuated segregation in housing) the protesters would be rewarded for protesting or rioting, ...

Trust Counts

By |2013-12-10T08:52:51-05:00December 10th, 2013|Categories: Dog training, Fostering Dogs, Helping fearful dogs|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Trust is a central theme of soap operas, TV dramas and political relationships. It's lauded as being the keystone of good marriages and partnerships. Teenagers are reminded that they will not be allowed to stay home on their own, or out late, or have the keys to the car until they can be trusted. For many people the realization that trust has been "broken" can lead ...

An Offer They Can’t Refuse

By |2013-10-25T09:19:47-04:00October 25th, 2013|Categories: Dog training, Fostering Dogs, Helping fearful dogs|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

When we meet a dog, especially a dog in a shelter or in the rehoming process somewhere, the first piece of information we need to give them is why they should engage with us. Most of us, dog lovers that we are, would never say to the dog, "Because I said so!" when it came to the reason they should pay attention to us. But ...

Good Enough?

By |2013-06-05T21:47:30-04:00June 5th, 2013|Categories: Dog training, Helping fearful dogs|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Childhood milestones in my life could be measured by learning how to swim. There are grainy, black and white home movies showing me leaping up, wiping the hair out of my eyes after demonstrating the newly gained skill of putting my face in the water at our lakeside cottage. I remember learning the "deadman's float" and pretending to swim in the shallow water, my hands ...

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