It’s In The Details: Lumping
Once you get used to the clicker, you are most likely going to fall in love and use it to teach your dog many different tasks. Currently, I’m trying to find out if it’s possible to teach my Corgi a tucked sit. A tucked sit is when the back end is brought up under the…
Why Do Dogs Bark?
I often hear the question, “how do I get him to stop barking?” But the first step to solving this issue is to figure out why the dog is barking. Dogs bark for many different reasons so it’s hardly a simple answer. Before we can go over the solution, I usually ask the following questions:…
Get Those Pockets Dirty and Ditch the Pouch!
Positive reinforcement based training relies heavily on using treats during training. Technically, if you use a pouch you should always have it on you so that your dogs just sees it as a part of you. This prevents the dog from working just for the treats and helps avoid bribery. However, I am very guilty…
Review of Research Article on Dog Training Methods
This study surveyed a variety of dog walkers in a couple different areas and asked them questions about their dog’s obedience levels. Here is the research article for you to look over if you are interested: http://www.azs.no/artikler/art_training_methods.pdf Here is their conclusion based on their research of the methods dog owners used to train their dogs: “We…
Medical Problems Behind Unusual Aggression
I was reading the Association of Pet Dog Trainer’s magazine when I came across a case study of aggression by Michael Shikashio, CDBC. Long story short, this Great Dane/Lab mix bit two people pretty severely and was reactive on leash. The dog wore a prong collar while out on walks, but the dog had also…
Are You Truly a Clicker Trainer or Just Training With a Clicker?
“Clicker training is an animal training method based on behavioral psychology that relies on marking desirable behavior and rewarding it.” – Karen Pryor Clicker Training Karen Pryor began using a training method called “clicker training” when she was working with Dolphins. It helped her communicate precisely what behaviors she was looking for. Soon she applied…
Car Phobia in Dogs
I recently got a question from a reader about her dog and his car phobia. She said that he trembles the whole time and she feels absolutely terrible when they have to go places with him. This is a pretty common scenario, unfortunately. Car phobia can arise from a lack of socialization to the car…
MY Graduation!
After a long 4 years, I am really proud to announce that I’ve just graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Biology. It’s been a lot of work and many days of studying instead of playing with my dogs or going out with friends, but I know it’s all been worth it! Here’s a list…