New Content

The Art of Teamwork

By Gail Radtke In a previous article I wrote about how my dog, Lanie, became a St. John Ambulance (SJA) therapy dog in British Columbia, Canada (see The Miracle Mutt, BARKS from the Guild, October 2014, pp. 36-39). Lanie was a year old at the time and had a beautiful, friendly temperament. ...

BARKS Podcast with Veronica Sanchez of Cooperative Paws Service Dog Education: January 9, 2021

By BARKS from the Guild

Join Niki Tudge as she chats with Veronica Sanchez of Cooperative Paws Service Dog Education about service dog certification. Listen to Podcast here on a choice of platforms. Or simply click ...

Eat, PURR, Love

By BARKS from the Guild

By Andrea Carne Read the next sentence very carefully (and with a large pinch of salt): Feeding your cat one meal a day might be best. I can almost hear the gasps from cat guardians across ...

Reality Check for Carers/Owners of Dogs with ‘Issues’

LOSING HEART Why do so many clients with fearful or reactive dogs, who often have started off so well, lose heart? The reason is because they just don’t fully accept the time and work that changing fear-based or guarding behaviors in particular can take. Teaching people is the easy bit. A ...

How Did The Aversive Get There? A Call for Honesty

I am mystified by one particular argument of those who use protocols for fearful or reactive dogs other than desensitization/counterconditioning (DS/CC). These other protocols often use negative reinforcement; if not that, then sometimes desensitization without counterconditioning; sometimes ...

Understanding Canine Body Language Essential to Preventing Dog Bites

The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) is promoting education and a better understanding of canine body language as paramount in reducing the number of dog bites this National Dog Bite Prevention Week, taking place 18 – 24 May, 2014. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association ...

A Dirty Big Secret – Get With The Program

A basic strategic marketing plan is paramount as a small business owner, no matter how good you are at what you do, says Niki Tudge First published in "Barks From The Guild" (Spring 2014), the official publication of The Pet Professional Guild. For many small business owners, taking the ...

If They Could March

re blogged from Your Pit Bull and You If They Could March by Jean Donaldson If dogs could march on Washington, what would they march about? Adequate food, shelter, veterinary care? Big ticket stuff, but I doubt it. When people march, it’s never for something everybody already agrees on ...

Got Voice? Can Sing! The PPG Force-Free Boogie

Get into the force-free boogie. Sing along to the upbeat, toe- tapping, music about force-free training and PPG. On a serious note PPG is looking for some vocal talent to record this song for us. Contact Niki Tudge by email if you are interested Lyrics by Melissa Hagood Music and Recording by ...

Why Would We Want to Be Pack Leaders?

By Niki Tudge There are so many inaccurate facts that need to be dispelled about dogs and the dog training industry. The use of dominance theory and the necessity to be a pack leader using this dominance theory is one of the more concerning inaccurate facts that as professionals we have an ...

Choke, prong and shock collars can irreversibly damage your dog.

by Dr. Peter Dobias, DVM Read the full blog here Why can collars cause hypothyroidism and other health problems Learn about better alternatives. Before you start reading the following lines, I invite you to do a little test. Open your hands with your thumbs touching each other. Place the ...

The PPG Ethics Review Process

The Ethics Committee The ethics committee at The Pet Professional Guild consists of a committee Chair and three other PPG members. The key role of the Ethics Committee is to investigate all reported ethics violations. Your Pet Professional Guild Ethics Committee are: Chair - Catherine ...