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Scent Success: Giving Scent Work a Second Chance
Congratulations to Shelley Doane! This post won runner up in the 2022 Canine Scent Writing Competition.
I started getting interested in canine scent work with my dogs a few years ago. It began with an introductory class taught by a fellow trainer. It was an interesting class with lots of ...
BARKS Podcast with the PPG Advocacy Panel: Discussion #6 – What Does Pet Industry Licensing Look Like?
What Does Pet Industry Licensing Look Like?
Join the Pet Professional Guild (PPG) Advocacy Panel for a discussion on What Does Pet Industry Licensing Look Like?
Pet guardians and pet ...
The Art, Science and Ethics of Using Decoy Dogs
By Yvette Van Veen
Learning to work with a reactive, anxious or fearful dog is a challenging process. Dog owners especially struggle. They must learn new skills and execute them correctly, ...
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Portland Blog Competition: Tips to Reduce Leash Reactivity
By Michelle Wieser
When a leashed dog barks, pulls or lunges at other dogs (or wildlife, skateboards, kids, bikers, etc.), it is known as leash reactivity. Dogs may feel trapped and restricted by the leash and, unfortunately, given that they can’t voluntarily remove themselves from the ...
BARKS Podcast with Dr. Jean Dodds, DVM: December 12, 2018.
Guest: Dr. Jean Dodds DVM, Founder of Hemopet
Topic: An article regarding vaccinations that was inaccurately attributed to Dr. Dodds and has been circulating. Dr. Dodds reviewed the article, rebuts statements and corrected the vaccination protocol.
Listen to the Recorded Podcast Here
Road Trip with Your Dog | Dog Travel Tips
Hitting the open road with a dog can be a great adventure. There are so many great dog-friendly destinations you can explore, but traveling with dogs can be a challenge if you aren't prepared. To get you and Fido ready for your next vacation with your dog, I have 5 of my best dog-friendly ...
Career Aptitude Testing … for Dogs
What if there were a test that could tell you whether a dog would make a good assistance dog or detection dog or search & rescue dog ... or whatever career you hoped the dog would choose?
Researchers Evan MacLean and Brian Hare are working on it. Their recently published study, "Enhanced ...
Dogs and ‘Digging In’
I work with many owners of rescue or re-homed dogs and one topic I've thought about many times, sometimes raised by owners themselves and possibly a little controversial, is do we sometimes give up on our dogs too easily? Of course, an important aspect of this is whether we have the ...
Portland Blog Competition: Canine Aggression – The Public Perception
By Hannah Blumenfeld
“Not a nice dog,” says the woman on the sidewalk. Lucy and I had just walked past her, and although I was shoving treats in Lucy's mouth, the woman locked eyes with my beautiful beast. This scares the bejeezus out of Lucy, so she barks. And, yes, sometimes lunges. I do ...
My Dog Is Afraid of the Clicker. What Should I Do?
I wrote this article especially for people who are either new to using a clicker or have not dealt extensively with a fearful dog.
If your dog is scared by the noise of the clicker, slow down. Switch to a verbal marker for now. Don’t immediately focus on trying to achieve softer clicks. ...
Managing Dog-Dog Greetings
Recently I attended a dog event and observed about 30 dogs and their handlers come and go in the course of three hours. Most of the dogs were taken to one another for greetings. Call it the curse of knowledge, but I see such interactions through the lens of human handling skills and canine ...
Choose Professional Development Conferences Wisely, or the Return on Your Investment May Disappoint You!
We all have limited time and resources so choosing which conference to attend each year is an important decision for all professionals. There are several things to consider when making your choice to ensure we make the most efficient and effective use of our precious time and resources. The ...