New Content
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 us, and it most certainly is not a sprint but a marathon.
It is possible to hold professional ...
The Harness Is Coming – Run for the Hills!
I often wonder why some of us expect our dogs to miraculously accept collars, harnesses, leashes, and the like. After all, dogs are not born with these alien contraptions attached ...
Pet Professional Guild Launches New Divisional Member Meetups
Free Bimonthly Events Provide Members a Forum for Mentoring, Education and Support
INVERNESS, Fla. – Aug. 19, 2022 – The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) has launched free bimonthly divisional ...
Latest Articles
Four on the Floor
By Donna Savoie
Who doesn’t LOVE a puppy? And it is wonderful when puppies LOVE their owners’ guests. But it is also important to start teaching puppies not to jump up on guests sooner rather than later.
Guests inevitably say “I don’t mind” whilst petting an exuberant jumping puppy but ...
Overcoming Fear of Vet Visits
By Susan Nilson and Angelica Steinker
Based in Adelaide, Australia, Petra Edwards is currently working on her Ph.D, which focuses primarily on how dogs experience visits to the veterinary clinic while also looking at possible strategies that could be implemented to reduce or prevent ...
Lockdown Learning from Home
By Animal Courses Direct, a PPG corporate partner
Short CPD Courses for Dog Lovers brought to you by Animal Courses Direct
We know that things may be uncertain with a second lockdown, so now is more important than ever to keep our minds busy and make the most of the time at home. Whilst it ...
Waving Loudly
By Morag Heirs
The automatic check-in is one of the most valuable skills to teach your deaf dog. There are a couple of different options, but the principle is to instill a strong habit of visually checking in with the handler at frequent intervals. The dog does not have to actually come ...
The Fearful Rescue Dog Who Changed My Life
By Gloria Schmidt
*This post is the Pet Professional Guild runner up entry in our Geek Week 2020 Writers’ Competition*
Back in 2011, I had accepted a job at St. Jude Children’s Research hospital that required moving to a new state, 13 hours away from home, to a place where I initially knew ...
Rethinking Dominance in Horses
By Dorothy Heffernan
In 21st century horse keeping, we require a range of behaviors from our horses. Some of these involve the horse staying near us and not leaving, such as grooming, tacking up, leading, waiting to have a head collar, halter or bridle put on, not moving away when we climb ...
Good Kharma: Lessons from a Retired Greyhound
By Devene Godau
*This post is the Pet Professional Guild winning entry in our Geek Week 2020 Writers’ Competition*
I thought I knew everything there was to know about dogs. As a child I read everything I could and in my teens I spent my spare time working in a boarding kennel.
All I ...
BARKS Podcast with Denise O’Moore of INTO Dogs: October 22, 2020
Niki Tudge, PPG president, and Denise O'Moore, chair of INTO Dogs, talk all things Geek Week!
INTODogs is one of the co-hosting organizations for Geek Week, an international virtual educational event for pet training and behavior professionals, taking place on November 11-15, 2020.
See Geek ...
How to Choose a Harness for Your Dog
By Joan Hunter Mayer of PPG corporate partner Transpaw Gear®
Dog harnesses are a commonly chosen item, but the amount of dog gear for sale can make a pet parent’s head spin! Why choose harnesses over collars for attaching the leash on walks and adventures? And how do you choose the right ...