New Content
One for the Birds
Aviaries not only provide mental stimulation but are an ideal opportunity to train birds while surrounded by distractions.
BARKS Podcast with Dr. Lisa Radosta of Florida Veterinary Behavior Service
Join Niki Tudge and PPG Canine Committee Chair Judy Luther to Chat & Chuckle with Lisa Radosta DVM DACVB.
Dr. Radosta is the owner of Florida Veterinary Behavior Service, a specialty ...
BARKS Podcast with the PPG Advocacy Panel: Discussion #12 – Animal Emotions and Their Importance in Understanding Behavior
Animal Emotions and Their Importance in Understanding Behavior
Join the Pet Professional Guild (PPG) Advocacy Panel for a discussion on Animal Emotions and Their Importance in ...
Latest Articles
Target Practice
By Lara Joseph
Training animals to target makes husbandry a lot less stressful and much safer. It is also a useful tool to have at your disposal in an emergency situation. But first, let’s define some of the terms:
Targeting is getting an animal (or human) to touch a predetermined body ...
Surviving the Storm
By Gail Radtke
Looking back to March-April time, it seems like the entire dog training business as we know it pretty much crashed overnight. As COVID-19 started to take hold, decisions had to be made fast – especially for those of us who run a business at a physical location that is under ...
Everything Was Fine Until…
By Suzanne Clothier
Does this sound familiar? "Everything was fine until... [fill in months, age, event]." It’s a statement that is common, and sometimes accepted without much thought. For example, a client might tell us that their puppy was a saint until he turned 7 months old. Or that ...
Is My Dog in Pain?
By Robyn Lowe
Every single dog is unique and every arthritis story is different. Some dogs are stoic and will hide symptoms and others will show very early on that they are in pain. We know that dogs all experience pain differently, X-rays may look horrendous on one dog but clinically they ...
Muzzles Schmuzzles…Not “Just Another Piece of Kit!”
Saying the word “muzzle,” suggesting the use of and/or using one, or seeing a dog wearing one can have negative connotations for some. But why? Perhaps because we have become used to seeing guard dogs or so-called aggressive dogs wearing them. They are used by the military, armed forces and ...
Quick Cat Behavior Tip: Petting-Induced Aggression
By the Pet Professional Guild Cat Committee
Petting-induced aggression is a commonly reported feline behavior issue whereby adoring owners often find themselves at a loss to understand why their beloved kitty is so accepting of their affection one moment, only to go completely on the ...
BARKS Podcast with Dr. Karolina Westlund of Illis Animal Behavior Consulting: June 12, 2020
Every Friday, PPG President Niki Tudge hosts a Facebook Live session for PPG members in the PPG Member group. In the Friday June 12, 2020 session, we talked punishment with Dr. Karolina Westlund of Illis Animal Behavior Consulting, as well as the ethics construct as a side model to science, ...
Reinforce the Behavior You Prefer
Last night I was relaxing on the screened porch with my Labradors, Buddha and Gandhi. The porch faces the backyard and leads to a deck. It is a comfortable and quiet spot where we spend a lot of time and enjoy watching the wildlife. Living in the countryside means the variety of wildlife ...
It’s a Dog’s Life
By Cecelia Sumner
Not surprisingly, I love living with dogs. I embrace their essential dogginess. Barking, jumping, digging, hunting, these are all normal canine behaviors. I recognize I need to provide an outlet for these behaviors to keep my dogs happy and stress-free.
Many pet owners ...