Alex in the foreground, with Rusty and Andrew behind him—photo from 1993. Yes, they are in a bathtub. Many years ago I lost Alexander, my dear, dear cat to stomach cancer. This was before veterinary medicine had the technology that’s available today. It was also before I took as proactive an approach to my animals’ health and welfare needs as […]
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This winter has been very challenging, especially for those of us living in the northern half of the United States. Winter has behaved like a house guest who does not know when it is time to leave. As I type this and look outside I still see thick snow and packed ice, with temperatures about 30 degrees below average. It […]
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By Yvette Van Veen We’ve all heard it. “When do the rewards stop?” The knee jerk reaction by many, especially on social media is to cave, to placate, to give the client at least some of what. ” Variable reinforcement, skip rewards. It will actually make the behaviour stronger!” Not….so….fast. Skipping reinforcements (rewards) does make a behaviour more resistant to extinction. […]
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By Jennifer Smith of EasyPetFence.com, a PPG corporate partner Dog trainers, animal shelters and pet owners alike choose to fence-in yards for several reasons. For one, pet fencing allows dogs and cats to exercise; play; and socialize with other animals. Fencing is convenient for pet owners that may not have nearby dog parks to visit, or much time to take their […]
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By Kathleen Godfrey As a trainer, my goal is to help to help both dogs and their guardians have the best possible life together. New client Angie heard about me through a friend I’d helped the friend work with a rather “wild” foster dog (he was truly a good dog, he just had no idea what behavior was expected of […]
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An article from Australian Dog Lover on how to create a “sensory garden” for dogs was a nice escape from the cold of a Montana winter. It’s filled with great tips for creating mental stimulation for dogs that you can adapt to any space. The author describes watching how her dog used their outdoor space, and then designing around that […]
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Spring’s here (almost), the weather’s improving, the mud’s drying, the morning’s are getting lighter and the day’s longer and you just feel better. So why not use this time to think about how you and your dog work together? It’s a great time for positive change! NEW WALKS It’s so easy to get stuck in a rut, we all live […]
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By Marie Selarque At the time of writing, Bix was almost 8 months old and was staying with me for board and train. The focus of his training was jumping and biting, but the truth is, he taught me as much as I taught him. Silly me though, I did not initially get quite enough information about his undesirable behaviors […]
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When we bake cookies, some reinforcement is on a variable interval schedule. Have you heard trainers talking about the matching law? This post covers a bit of its history and the nuts and bolts of what it is about. I am providing this rather technical article because I want something to link to in some other written pieces about how the matching law […]
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Dog adoption is near and dear to my heart, and one which, hopefully, leads to a celebration that lasts for the life of the pet. The main concern I have heard people express is that adopting a dog is likely to result in dealing with “issues” such as fear, aggression or separation anxiety. I often hear the person express a desire […]
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