New Content
What Do Dogs, Cats, Cars and Chairs Have in Common?
The Need for a New Legal Definition of Living Property
by Niki J. Tudge
Are Pets Family?
According to The Harris Poll (2015), “nearly all pet owners (95%) … consider their pets to be members of the family.” Yet, legally, pets are still considered property or chattel. ...
Pets, Emotions and Anthropomorphism
by Don Hanson
Emotions are complicated and messy. So much so that as a youngster watching Star Trek in the 1960s, I was attracted to the Vulcan ethos of suppressing all emotion and replacing it ...
Advocating Together—The Mission, Vision and Values of the Pet Professional Guild
by Niki Tudge
Each of us wants to bring about change in our industry. We yearn for a day when pain and fear are no longer used in the training and care of pets. We have a mammoth job ahead of ...
Latest Articles
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. ...
Animals: The Greatest Teachers of All
BARKS features Anna Francesca Bradley of Perfect Pawz Training and Behaviour Practice in Hexham, UK
Knowledge for Life
Don Hanson reviews Puppy Socialization: What It Is and How to Do It by Marge Rogers and Eileen Anderson
Reinforcing Foraging
Sheila S. Blanchette sets out the steps she used to train Cricket, the lone quail, to step on the scale for weighing, and how she later applied the same protocol for training chickens and roosters
A Stronger Partnership
To celebrate the recent launch of PPG’s Horses with Voices initiative, Kathie Gregory discusses how we can give our horses a voice, as well as build confidence and resilience, through motivation
Cat Sitter or Cattery?
Andrea Carne highlights ways feline behavior professionals can help cat owners decide on the best pet care option when they’re away from home
Ask the Experts: A Little Bit of Magic
Veronica Boutelle of PPG corporate partner dogbiz talks cancellation policies and how to make them stick
The Cornerstones of PPG: Engaging, Educating, and Empowering
Carolyn Menteith speaks to PPG founder and president Niki Tudge about why she started a member organization for force-free training pet professionals, what members and pet owners can expect from PPG, and what sets PPG apart
The Right Choice
Anna Bradley discusses learning environments for puppies, explaining why classes may not be the best option for all puppies and why one-to-one training can be far more beneficial – depending on the dog