Added Brainpower!
Quite a 'buzzword' bandied around at the moment is 'enrichment', so here I'm going to take a look at what it actually means and involves.
Enrichment?
So lets start right there - what is enrichment? Put simply, enrichment is an all encompassing term referring to the addition of something ...
Does a Deaf (and Blind) Dog Need a Hearing Dog Buddy?
By Debbie Bauer
Many people think that a deaf (or blind/deaf) dog needs to have a hearing dog to follow around. This is usually not necessary. Although, if you do have a hearing dog, your deaf dog will watch him closely for cues to things that are important to him – mealtimes, going for a ...
Animal Abuse Harms People Too
If you are reading this blog then I may safely assume you are an animal lover, but sometimes love is not enough. Sometimes advocacy through direction action is required.
I post this as an urgent call to action to help pass animal abuse legislation which Humane Society of the United States ...
Higher-Order Conditioning: Did it Happen To My Dog?
The other day I was sitting in my bedroom with Clara and Zani and the doorbell rang. And there was dead silence. This pierced my heart. If you follow the blog, you know that I lost my dear dog Summer suddenly in August. She was wonderful beyond compare. She also barked reactively at ...
Thunderphobia in Dogs
Thunderphobia is the fear of thunderstorms and it can be severe enough to make a dog’s life miserable. It may be more common than you know.
At least 20% of dogs suffer noise phobias including thunderphobia, according to ethologist Dr. Karolina Westlund, Ph.D. There are about 80,000,000 dogs ...
The Science of Force-Free Learning: How Our Pets Learn!
Introduction
Here at the Pet Professional Guild (PPG), we like to focus on building relationships with our pets by using positive reinforcement to train new skills, and to build new behaviors as replacements for problematic ones. Because the emotional brain inhibits the rational brain (and ...
Clicker Training for Cats (4/6)
By Paula Garber and Francine Miller
Clicker Training for Behavioral Problems:
Clawing Furniture/Destructive Furniture Scratching
Destructive furniture scratching is a commonly reported problem in cats, and one of the many unwanted behaviors that clicker training can help. Without going ...
A Change in Routine Can Be a Shock to the System for Dogs too
By Julie Naismith
Dogs and novelty don’t always mix. Although many dogs breeze through change, anxious dogs can be thrown by it. If it could talk, the stressed dog would probably say: “Ok, I was feeling good about everything, but I worry when I don’t know what’s round the ...