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Don’t Use Shock Collars For Sound Phobias

By |2022-01-17T22:35:26-05:00March 1st, 2019|Categories: Aversive Training, Behavior Modification, Dog training|Tags: , , , , , |

Years ago, before the rise in podcasts I was asked to be part of a radio show featuring 3 dogs trainers. The show was being recorded for broadcasting at a later date. As soon as it was over I told the host I did not want to be part of the program. Luckily for me (and potential listeners) there were problems with the recording and ...

Behavioral Medications To Help Fearful Dogs

By |2022-01-18T21:51:57-05:00January 31st, 2019|Categories: Medications|Tags: , , , , , |

There are behavioral medications that can help dogs struggling with fear and anxiety. We would not deprive a dog of available treatment for pain or infection. We should consider the suffering a dog experiences due to chronic fear and anxiety as important to treat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD9RbpXJu8s

The 3 Steps To Helping Fearful Dogs

By |2018-05-15T13:10:06-04:00May 15th, 2018|Categories: Dog training, Fostering Dogs, Helping fearful dogs, Medications for fearful dogs|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

It has been over a decade since my fearful dog Sunny came to live with us from a rescue camp set up to help care for the animals impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. I met him at Camp Katrina where I went to volunteer several weeks after the hurricanes hit. As much as I thought I knew about dogs and dog behavior, training and ...

Between A Rock & A Hard Place

By |2018-05-04T07:50:35-04:00May 4th, 2018|Categories: Dog training, Fostering Dogs, Helping fearful dogs|Tags: , , , , , , |

Sometimes we have to do something because it needs to be done. If we grab someone about to fall off a cliff we can worry about having to apologize later for having touched them without their permission. But we need to be careful not to use the excuse that needing to get something done absolves us from understanding what it is we are doing. If ever ...

Clean-up On Aisle Dog

By |2018-01-30T08:57:28-05:00January 30th, 2018|Categories: Alternative treatments for fearful dogs, Dog training, Fostering Dogs, Helping fearful dogs|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Photo courtesy of Olathe Animal Hospital If you happen to be privy to the chatter that goes on between dog trainers, what I am going to say will not be new to you. Daily, dog trainers are contacted to help an owner with a dog, a normal, healthy, fully functioning dog, whose behavior has become untenable or even dangerous. Sometimes we're contacted within ...

The Bad News About Fearful Dogs

By |2017-03-11T11:23:48-05:00March 11th, 2017|Categories: Fostering Dogs, Helping fearful dogs|Tags: , , , , , , , |

I am contacted regularly by people who have found themselves living with a fearful dog and looking for help. They are to a person, kind, compassionate, caring folks looking for answers. And I have them. But I routinely have to tell people things they do not want to hear. When I mention that veterinarians and vet behaviorists can prescribe medications to help dogs who are ...

High Risk Activities

By |2019-02-20T11:09:31-05:00March 2nd, 2017|Categories: Dog training, Fostering Dogs, Helping fearful dogs|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

"I'd rather not." "So?" One of the primary goals I have for this blog, the seminars and webinars, and consults I do for folks living or working with fearful dogs is to help them understand how to think about fear based behaviors. When I am contracted to help someone train their dog I can directly and specifically tell them what to do. But that's just ...

The Real Reason You Should Never Hit Your Dog

By |2016-10-17T17:10:17-04:00October 17th, 2016|Categories: Dog training, Fostering Dogs, Helping fearful dogs|Tags: , , , , , , |

What is that hand going to do to me? Hitting a dog is a bad idea. Even one of those "Oh it didn't hurt them," swats is a bad idea. And here's why. Dogs notice what things predict. If a hand has ever predicted getting grabbed, scruffed, swatted or worse, the dog learns that sometimes hands do unpleasant things to them. Puppies will ...

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