Learning is Not Breed Specific (Its Not Even Species Specific)
I can teach a cat the same way I’d teach a dog or a horse or a mouse or… You get the picture. It all boils down to motivation. Motivation is the factor that gets an animal to take action. It can be a positive motivator or a negative motivator, either way it gets an…
Must Love People
I got into dog training in order to help dogs stay in their homes. Dog behavior has always fascinated me and I love teaching them new skills. However, when I leave the home of a client, I find myself thinking about how thrilled I am that the people caught on and had the “light bulb…
The Principle of Availability
I recently came across another blog that talked about the “Principle of Availability”. Unfortunately, I forgot to bookmark that blog and I can’t remember which blog it was from. I loved the idea, so I have to talk about it. Please feel free to share if you find out where it came from! The “Principle…
The Evolution of My Polite Leash Walking Technique
It’s been a long journey, but I’ve finally discovered a technique that works (nearly) 100% of the time. I want to share the experience of discovering a technique that I use as a “go-to” with all my dog training students. It starts with how I trained polite leash walking before I crossed over. Using Corrections…
Luring vs Mark Reward Training
Bev Maahs KPACTP I have links provided below on articles written on the points I am bringing up. Luring to get behavior is to show food, (here is a cookie, come, get food) or do this and you will get the food Luring is good way to get a behavior, if not an established behavior,…
Different Dog Training Techniques for Different Needs
In dog training there is always tension when trainers discuss whether they prefer to shape a certain behavior or lure it. Clicker training is a technique where we use a noise maker, the clicker, to mark/identify the exact behavior that the dog is getting the reward for. You can watch my favorite intro to clicker…
A Critique of Dog Training Techniques
There’s more than one way to skin a cat, or train a dog for that matter. What makes some dog training techniques better than others? Why do trainers with the same philosophy train dogs using different techniques? Trainers who believe in force-free training can have different approaches to teaching the same skill to a dog.…
Analyzing the Dog Whisperer’s Techniques Through the Eyes of Science-Based Theories
I want to start out by saying that I used to be one of Cesar Millan’s, the Dog Whisperer, biggest fans. I even went to his seminar and met him in person in 2006. His methods worked for me until I adopted my dog, Loker. Loker put me on the path to seeking new knowledge…