… But He’s a Working Dog…
When the lady called me she explained the situation: the dog actually belonged to her son but as he was away at university 3, 4 or even 5 days a week, she looked after the dog during the week. He was 9 months old and needed a "bit of training". (I quake at these words!) He wasn't a "bad" dog ...
Meet Your Cat Where He Is
By Beth Adelman, MS
“The problem many people have with their pets is simply that it’s not the pet they want,” said the veterinary behaviorist at a lecture I was attending. And an explosion of insight went off in my head. Sometimes, accurately naming a problem really does help you understand ...
Battling the Stereotype
This article was first published in BARKS from the Guild, April 2014, pages 37-39
Jambo the Staffie has won countless awards and accolades, yet is officially classified as a potentially dangerous dog. Louise Stapleton-Frappell explains why Breed Specific Legislation completely misses the ...
What Most People Don’t Know About Dogs
It's easy to forget that most people don't know things that we might consider obvious about dogs.
A friend was recently chatting with an experienced service dog trainer. The trainer, who will remain anonymous to reduce the potential humiliation, commented that “dogs don’t generalize.” This ...
Beware of the Behavior Chain
Isn’t it frustrating, we try to train our dog to not jump up but it gets worse? It is the ‘behavior chain syndrome’.
We train behavior chains all the time, sometimes on purpose and sometimes by mistake. Behaviour chains can be great and useful or useless, ineffective or even ...
An Open Letter from the Pet Professional Guild Addressing Pet Behavior and Training Industry Responses to the Use of Remote Electric Shock Delivered to Dogs via the Garmin Delta Smart™ Dog Training System
PPG calls on pet industry professionals to take a stand on the use and application of shock in animal training, to work together to educate pet owners in humane, scientifically sound training methods, and to take shock off the table once and for all
The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) is ...
Introducing a Puppy or Adult Dog to a Crate
If trained properly, dogs do not see crates as ‘cages’, more as their bed, a safe place where they can go for some peace and quiet.
Crate training is useful to owners as it prevents chewing, discourages toileting (most dogs will not soil their bed) and is a useful way to transport dogs during ...
Reflections of a Force-Free Trainer
As I enter my second year of Pet Professional Guild (PPG) membership and the 10-year anniversary of retirement from my first career (and subsequent launching of my second career) I feel it is time to reflect on where I was before and after PPG.
Each of us follow our own path and yet we have ...