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Why Do Deaf Dogs Bark?
By Morag Heirs
Barking is a form of communication for all dogs so it is important that we spend some time thinking about why our dogs might be barking. Are they anxious, over-excited, upset, fearful, thrilled, frustrated? Something else?
Avoid concentrating on stopping the ...
Building a Feline Behavior Volunteer Program…from Scratch
By Melissa Taylor and Alese Zeman
There’s no way we at Friends For Life Animal Shelter can handle all of Houston, Texas’s feline behavior needs, but sometimes it seems like there’s no ...
BARKS Podcast with the PPG Advocacy Panel: Discussion #2 – How to Reach and Work with Your Local Veterinarians
How to Reach and Work with Your Local Veterinarians
Join the Pet Professional Guild (PPG) Advocacy Panel for a discussion on How to Reach and Work with Your Local Veterinarians. Pet guardians ...
Latest Articles
Service Dog Teams and Continuing Education
A few weeks ago, I was part of an amazing experience — the first-ever continuing education weekend seminar for guide dog teams that included trainers and puppy raisers, as well as 80 teams. The weekend was organized by the Guiding Eyes for the Blind graduate council. Actually, it was two ...
Dog Park Etiquette
If I had $1 for every time an owner told me how irate they were about something that had happened in the park when they were walking their dog - well, you know the rest! So what are the unspoken rules about how us dog owners should conduct ourselves, what's expected of us, what's frowned ...
What Is the Purpose of a Real Dog?
Labeling normal dog behaviors like barking, digging, jumping up, chasing, growling and others as problems is something my colleagues and I have started seeing more often in our classes and consultations. However, typical puppy behaviors can include mouthing, housesoiling, not wanting to be ...
Leave It: Not Just for Dead Men Anymore
The other day I was pondering the trend of talking about teaching “self-control” and “impulse control” in our dogs. I got to thinking about “leave it,” both the term and the behavior. I realized a couple things. First, the term “leave it” doesn’t pass the dead-man test. (I’ll get to that ...
Choke Collar Pathology
Recently I persuaded a local pet supply store owner to sell me all his choke collars (at cost) and refrain from restocking them, in return for recommendations for safe body harnesses such as Perfect Fit and Balance. He was persuaded by data I presented to him about the pathology of choke ...
A Change of Lifestyle
By Marilyn Krieger
According to a study by the Humane Society of the United States, based on data collected from 600 veterinarians, two out of three veterinarians recommend keeping cats indoors, citing vehicles and transmittable diseases as the two greatest potential dangers (HSUS ...
News Release: Pet Professional Guild debuts event app for 2017 Orlando summit
App will provide convention attendees with an easily accessible and up-to-date interactive experience
Tampa, FL - May 31, 2017 – The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) is debuting a free downloadable mobile app at its third annual educational summit, taking place in Orlando, Florida from November ...
Do Dogs Use Tools?
More than fifty years ago, Jane Goodall made a discovery that shook some scientists — particularly those that had long lists of all the things that made humans unique and superior to nonhumans. She saw Chimpanzees using tools.
Since then, other researchers have found other nonhumans using ...
Food – Just Cupboard Love?
The Power of Motivation
As a behaviour consultant meeting with clients who are seeking to alter their dog's behaviour, I am always asking owners to think about their dog's motivation - what is it for that individual dog that will assist in initiating positive change and creating a more ...