Author Mom with Dogs

Nuf said. : )

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Over the years, many people have asked for help on how to pick the perfect dog. I’m always happy to assist when I can. I usually start by asking: How many dogs old are you?
Huh? you say.  Are you asking me how old in dog years I am?
No, it’s not a sneaky way to calculate [...]

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In my earlier post on Operant Conditioning: Part 1, I explained how it can be used with great success at motivating 2-leggeds and 4-leggeds. I shared the example of how, at Cait’s suggestion, I used +R (Positive Reinforcement) along with -P (Negative Punishment) to help motivate her to change an undesired behavior (chewing with mouth [...]

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When I was young, I was quite shy and never liked drawing attention to myself.  One of the ways this manifested was that I spoke very softly.  My wonderful father was bothered by this trait and took it upon himself to remedy the situation.  Anytime I spoke, he’d interrupt and insist that I speak more [...]

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Maybe you’ve seen this ditty passed around in an email:
Ten Rules for Being Human
1.   You will receive a body.
2.   You will be presented with lessons.
3.   There are no mistakes, only lessons.
4.   Lessons are repeated until learned.
5.   Learning does not end.
6.   “There” is no better than “Here.”
7.   Others are only mirrors [...]

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Having lived with and loved a rescue dog who came to me with aggression problems, and having been around the block with various training philosophies to find one that worked,  I’m happy to see that progress is being made in the understanding of what actually helps and what hurts.  While I know there are many [...]

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Hey guys, want to make your smart dog famous?  I’m writing a book that will include stories about how dogs demonstrate their intelligence. I’d like to include a story about your Doggy Einstein if you’ve got a good one.
If you think for a moment, I’ll bet you can recall several stories.
To help jog your [...]

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Nutmeg saved her old dog, Ezra’s life today. From all the way across the front yard and down across the street!
Ezra, Nutmeg’s beloved 12 year old boxer, got out the front door and wandered across the street, before Nutmeg had a chance to realize. With four kids and a busy house, it happens. But [...]

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Every encounter we have with our dogs is a training session– whether we know it or not.
So I start training consciously right from the very first day I get my puppy home. This keeps me focused on my behavior and interactions with my puppy, as well as hers with me. Doing so makes it less [...]

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It’s been a loooooong time coming. Three years, to be exact.

Graidy loves to run — lives to run. And, for years, was happy doing laps around our fenced three acres. But, recently, he’s been interested in expanding his horizons, and has acquired a new favorite running buddy — Andrew. (I’m too slow for him. But [...]

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There is a trainer who shall remain nameless who believes in controlling a dog by what she calls the “Down Restraint Technique.” Translation: Alpha rolling a dog and keeping it pinned to the ground with an elbow in the dog’s throat, leaning on it’s side and having several people hold down the feet spread [...]

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If you’re sick of hearing ccchhhhhtttttt, you’ll be happy to know that Dogwise is offering this DVD by Ian Dunbar and Jean Donaldson. If you haven’t seen it, it’s well worth viewing.
Here’s the blurb and link from Dogwise:
Many trainers today find themselves facing questions and comments from clients like “Why don’t you do [...]

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To continue on the Bus Stop theme, I thought I’d share how I got my dogs to stop barking like maniacs every time the bus rounded the corner. But first a little background on how I came upon the solution:
I have a friend who I aspire to be when I grow up. She is a [...]

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There are lots of trainers out there. Some certified, some not. Some positive, some traditional. Some good, and some bad. So how do you go about finding a good one that meshes with your values on dog rearing and training protocols?
If you’ve been a regular reader of this blog, you know that I favor relationship-based [...]

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At dinner, Kiera lies by my chair while we eat. She likes to monitor my eating, as she knows she gets my leftovers when I’m done. If I take too long, she starts “talking” to tell me to hurry up.
Andrew finally gets annoyed and wants me to discipline her to get her to stop being [...]

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