Helpful Pointers for Training Your Dog
From the Mail Bag: Renee asks: I have a mini Aussie a little over a year old. I’ve been thinking of getting another dog as a companion for her. I am home most of the time, so I have time for two. I play with Sierra a few times a day throwing Frisbee, etc. but she still badgers me to play at times when I’m busy. I thought having another dog may be good for her. My sister visits every … Read More
One of my blog buds has asked about Separation Anxiety, so I thought I’d share some info on what has helped two of my dogs who had Separation Anxiety.
First, let me state, I am neither a professional trainer, behaviorist, nor vet. Anything shared here should be run by your own team of professionals. It’s also just plain helpful to include their support and knowledge in your program.
Depending on the severity of the Separation Anxiety (SA), there are several … Read More
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 training. And you also know that I don’t think very much of Cesar Millan’s, or Jon Katz’s approaches to training. Just stating my … Read More
I’ve received several requests asking that I share how I introduced Finnegan, our Maine Coon cat to Kiera and Graidy, our two dogs at the time (Wink came after Finn).
First, a little background. When Kiera was a puppy, we had a cat with whom she got along just fine. And Graidy had been tested on cats by his rescue group. So I knew that both dogs, even with high prey drives, stood a good chance of eventually being fine … Read More
Crufts is the largest dog show in the world. It’s held in March every year. And while it has all the usual judging of Best of Breed, etc., I love watching the agility and freestyle parts of the program. Talk about a working and playing partnership with your dog…!
Here are this year’s winners, Richard and Pogo, of the HTM (heelwork to music) Freestyle.
And Mary Ray is one of my favorite performers. Simply amazing.
… Read More
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 open) to a desired behavior (chewing with mouth closed). You can read about how we did that here.
In this post, I’d like to … Read More
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 loudly.
Interestingly, this constant reminder to speak up did not have the effect of making me speak louder. Instead, I’d step closer to be heard … Read More
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 of you.
8.What you make of your life is up to you.
9. All the answers lie inside of you.
10. You … Read More
