New puppy owner’s may be unaware of the importance of Puppy Socialization Class. Puppies have a “Critical Period” in which they should be exposed to a variety of environments, noises, smells, strangers and, of course, friendly dogs. Without this process the puppy will grow up to be limited to where he can go and who
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While working with a private client and her pup this week, she repeated herself many times by saying, “she is so smart”, “I had no idea my dog was so smart!” The funny thing is, I hear this from many clients when teaching their dog a new behavior. When pet owners learn to teach their
Positively Rewarding Read More »
I recently attended a Behavior Clinic where we taught our dogs new behaviors using a technique called shaping which is where we rewarded our dogs for making the slightest attempt at the behavior we wanted. What I LOVED about this training seminar was that everyone was happy, smiling and really positive as they changed their
Many dogs are afraid of other dogs, men, strangers, children, loud trucks, bikes, scooters, skate boards, odd scents, noises, and many more stimuli. I have spent the last 10 years helping my own dogs and many others live happier, less stressful lives. The first thing you need to realize is that you are not alone!
When a dog is repeatedly frightened by the same stimuli, and is not ever given a chance to think and feel differently about this stimuli, you will likely see the same reaction long term to this stimuli whenever it presents itself. Systematic Desensitization and Counter Conditioning is the process of learning to think and feel
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I try not to sound like a broken record, but I do continually hit home the fact that the environment is training your dog. Specifically, the environment is shaping your dogs behavior in small successes each day, each minute. Why is this important? If your puppy barks frequently to get your older dog to interact
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Simply wanting your dog to respond differently to sights and sounds is not enough. In the last Blog, I talked about having a plan, going slow and being in a good emotional place yourself. Please keep in mind, when your dog becomes afraid or anxious his emotional state is responding to one or more triggers
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When changing your dogs behavior or habits it is best to go slow and keep it simple. Changing habits takes time and while the process may seem overwhelming at times, remember small successes are a big deal! Steps to changing your dogs behavior: 1. Make a plan, put it in writing, including specific detailed goals
Canine aggression will always be an interesting topic discussed among dog lovers. We know conflicts are normal and it is our job as humans to teach young children how to cope or resolve conflicts with other children and adults. We humans are taught to resolve conflict by using our words at a young age, often
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Control Unleashed Class was designed by Leslie McDevitt as a way of helping her own dog cope with the intense distractions at agility events. Not an easy task for a dog who was worried about strange dogs near and also afraid of noises. The concept of CU is to create a focused and more confident
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