Muzzle Training
Canine muzzle training games to play with your dog.
The Neurological Benefits of Counter Conditioning Leash Reactive Dogs
by Drayton Michaels Counterconditioning and desensitizing dogs when on leash also has neurological benefits © Can Stock Photo/Amaviael Creating new and better associations for dogs on leash when exposed to fearful/stressful stimuli is crucial, as it is better for all involved for the dog to be less stressed and less fearful. The goal is potentially a positive association is created, or at least [...]
Talking to Dogs
by Pam Hogle Photo by Deni Elliott A newly published study finds that dogs pay attention to both the way we talk to them and to what we say. Alex Benjamin and Katie Slocombe’s ‘Who’s a good boy?!’ Dogs prefer naturalistic dog‑directed speech looked at what they term “dog-directed speech,” or DDS, which is similar in tone and affect to baby talk. Their canine test subjects were all adult [...]
Thunderphobia in Dogs
by Daniel Antolec Thunderphobia is the fear of thunderstorms and it can be severe enough to make a dog’s life miserable. It may be more common than you know. At least 20% of dogs suffer noise phobias including thunderphobia, according to ethologist Dr. Karolina Westlund, Ph.D. There are about 80,000,000 dogs in the United States and if 20% suffer thunderphobia the scale of the problem is [...]
Quality of Life for Blind/Deaf Dogs
By Debbie Bauer I receive a lot of great ideas for new blog posts – Thank you so much for those. I’m always looking for ideas to write about that will be useful to each of you as readers. One idea that truly intrigued me was to discuss what quality of life a blind and deaf dog can have. I think it caught my interest [...]
The Opposite of Force
by Eileen Anderson I think I’ve figured something out. I continue to see the concept of choice bandied about the positive reinforcement-based training world. It can be a code word for a setup that includes negative reinforcement. “I’m going to do something physically unfamiliar or unpleasant to you and you have the choice of staying here and getting a piece of food or leaving and being [...]
Teaching Deaf (and Blind) Dogs to Use Their Mouths Gently
By Debbie Bauer A common complaint among those who live with deaf (and blind/deaf) dogs is that they use their mouths roughly. This is very common throughout puppyhood and adolescence, but if dogs are not taught to use their mouths gently, this problem can extend into adulthood. Deaf dogs sometimes get a bad rap for being more aggressive than other dogs. But this is a [...]
How to Teach Your Deaf (and Blind) Dog to Wake Up Gently
Here is a wonderful blog by PPG member Debbie Bauer on how to teach a blind or deaf dog to wake up gently. There is a myth that deaf dogs can be “dangerous” because they will bite when they are startled or woken up. Could this ever happen? Yes, it could. But it could also happen with a dog that can hear just fine. [...]
Dogs Are Better Partners to Humans Than to Other Dogs
Here is another interesting blog by Pam Hogel. Pam thank you for writing such excellent blogs. Dogs are better partners to humans than to other dogs. Photo by Tara Schatz The New York times recently published an article describing a study that compared dogs’ and wolves’ ability to perform cooperative tasks. The article, and the short accompanying video, are somewhat disdainful in their assessment [...]
With Her Tail between Her Legs
by Eileen Anderson Most of us know that a dog’s tail can be a fairly good indicator of mood. We can observe whether the tail carriage is low, medium, or high and whether it is loose or stiff. Whether and in what manner it is wagging. We can often draw some pretty good conclusions from those observations, keeping breed in mind. A dog wagging her [...]
A Milestone for Clara: Socialization Work Pays Off
Eileen Anderson does it again, another interesting post, this time on Clara's recent socialization successes. Clara keeps racking up the successes. I don’t mean awards, ribbons, or titles. I mean socialization successes, which are far more meaningful to her. These successes mean that her world gets bigger. A couple of months ago I posted a short brag about her progress at the vet’s office. [...]
Reel It In – Why I Don’t Like Retractable Leashes
Here is an interesting Blog by WholeDog Journal on retractable leashes. Click here to read.
