Most people I talk with would like a dog who gets along well with other dogs and people; a dog who can pass by novel stimuli such as bikes and skateboards with little or no reaction; a dog who can participate in family outings with enthusiasm and confidence. The key to such favorable behavior is …
Some families spend months doing research and preparing for that special moment when a dog comes into their home. Those families are most likely to be both mentally and emotionally prepared to raise a dog. Many other families will make the decision to bring a dog home on a whim, with little preparation or forethought. …
Guidelines for Successfully Integrating a Puppy or Dog Into Your Home Read More »
Sometimes the “fix” for our dogs behavior can be something so simple we don’t even think about it. That’s where the magic of management comes in. All dogs come into this world exhibiting natural behaviors that require some degree of modification if they are going to live in harmony with their human pack. Some of …
Calming signals-the dog dance of peace and harmony Developed to keep peace and harmony within the pack, calming signals may very well make up the largest part of a dogs communication system. These signals are used in most dog/dog interactions to avoid or cut-off conflict. They are often used with people too. When two dogs …
The Difference Between Lures, Rewards & Bribes Using Food as a Lure – The food lure is presented before a desired behavior to help guide the dog into positions like Sit or Down by having him follow the visible food lure in your hand with his nose. (At this point the dog smells and follows the …
Structure and Stability Dogs thrive when there is clear structure and boundaries. Your dog will feel most relaxed and secure when he understands what his boundaries are and that you have things under control. If you haven’t developed any household rules for your dog – do so.  Make sure everyone in your home understands and …
What is it and Why it MUST BE taken into account for Training Success How often have you found yourself saying something like “I know my dog understands what ‘sit’ means so why won’t he sit half the time I ask? He must be stubborn or defiant…â€. While it can be very easy to believe …
There are lots of reasons why our dogs might be slow to respond to Obedience Commands or seemingly refuse to obey them all together. By incorporating the Earn and Learn Program into your daily interactions with your dog you can address several of these, including but not limited to: Practice – our dogs may need more …
Generally speaking – all animals repeat behaviors that are rewarding while behaviors that are not rewarded tend to fade and extinguish; therefore controlling consequences is the key to controlling behavior. All this really means is: If you want to see a behavior more often – reward it. If you want a behavior to stop – find …
Using Time-Outs to Stop Unwanted Behavior in Dogs Read More »
We would all like our dogs to obey our cues regardless of the environment and distractions present. In fact, it seems like the times we most need our dogs to obey us is when distractions are present i.e., when you have a house full of guests or you’re out in public with your dog. There …
