New Content

Dog Speak: The Language of Barking

At a recent public event I attended, the question asked most by companion dog owners was, "How do I get my dog to stop barking?" As professionals, of course, the first thing we want to do is ask more questions. "When does the dog bark?", "What time of day?", "What are they ...

A Stronger Partnership

By Kathie Gregory

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?

By Andrea Carne

Andrea Carne highlights ways feline behavior professionals can help cat owners decide on the best pet care option when they’re away from home

Managing Expectations

A wonderful Australian study published July 6 looks at the expectations of potential dog adopters and considers them in light of the potential adopters' previous dog ownership experience (or lack thereof). It's a nice look at what people are thinking as they contemplate adopting a dog and ...

BARKS Podcast “Let’s Opinionate” with Veronica Boutelle & Gina Phairas – July 19, 2018

Guests: Veronica Boutelle & Gina Phairas of PPG Corporate Partner dogbiz. Topics: Would you like some tips on how to successfully grow your business? Get some tips from the experts at dogbiz! Listen here. Subscribe to BARKS Podcasts on YouTube and Vimeo.

Multinational Canine Behaviour Modification

Over the last two years or so, my behaviour practice has welcomed more and more dogs from overseas. Sometimes these are canines with profound behavioural difficulties. I have always assisted several imported dogs per year but there seems to have been an explosion of dogs from a variety of ...

Does Ignoring an Unwanted Behavior Really Work?

By Debbie Bauer I often hear the advice given to ignore the behavior we don't like and it will go away. But is this really true? In my experience, and in the experience of many others, ignoring a behavior does not cause it to go away. In many instances, ignoring can even cause the ...

Pet Guardians Need Help Finding Professionals

As a professional dog trainer taking behavioral cases I see how confusing it can be for pet owners to know what sort of help they need and where to find it. Lack of regulation and transparency in the industry can lead pet guardians into pitfalls. This happened to a client whose dog was ...

BARKS Podcast with Dr. Lynn Bahr – July 10, 2018

Guest: PPG Cat Committee, PPG Summit presenter, and founder of Dezi & Roo, Dr. Lynn Bahr. Topics: Dr. Bahr's recent PPG blog post, Why Every Cat Needs a Place to Hide and her article in BARKS, Pain Underlying, in which she discusses the issue of pain, how well cats can hide it, and the ...

Pet Professional Guild to hold inaugural Australia summit in Sydney – Two weeks to go and 15 spots left!

Convention guarantees three full days of high-level education and networking opportunities for pet training and behavior professionals. The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) will hold its inaugural Australia summit on July 26 – 29, 2018 at the Bankstown Sports Club in Bankstown, NSW. PPG ...

Fear Free™ Vet Visits: A Feline Behavior and Training Specialist’s Journey

By Victoria Blais Desperately visiting a veterinarian I had never seen before, I had a sick feeling in my stomach when I was encouraged to put on protective leather gloves to hold my highly anxious cat, Haddie. My normally sweet, affectionate girl, flattened her ears, pupils dilated, as ...

Busy Toys Gone Bad

By Yvette Van Veen Toys...are neither good nor bad. Rather it's how they are used. They can strengthen behaviour you like. If you're not careful, they will strengthen behaviour you dislike. There are more toys out there than you can shake a stick at. You could say that busy toys are the ...