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Latest Training Articles
Tracking Equines
By Vicki Conroy
A while ago I hosted a tracking workshop for dogs at my hobby farm in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, hosted by Margaret Keast of Jigsaw Dog Training and Behaviour Consultancy, who is based in Newcastle, NSW. I had a blast! The dogs seemed to pick it up ...
Switched Off?…Time to Switch Back In
How often do you feel you really connect with your dog? I mean really? Do you feel that you understand how she feels? Do you recognize that things have changed? For example, maybe healthwise your dog is not quite as fit as she used to be and doesn’t want to walk as far. Maybe she is ...
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Treats that Beat Squirrels!
By Yvette Van Veen
Treats that Beat Squirrels!
What if I told you that tiny little treats could beat a high level distraction like a squirrel? It doesn’t seem to make sense. The distraction is clearly more desirable than a paltry pea ...
Dispelling the Myths: Tuggy, Retrieve and Safe Play
By Sue McCabe
I still regularly hear from clients that they have been told they shouldn’t play tug with their dog. It causes aggression; it creates a hard mouthed dog who will damage game (if you’re into that sort of thing); you’ll ...
Portland Blog Competition: The Journey of a Crossover Trainer
By Nichola Marshall
This is going to sound like an Oscar acceptance speech and it kind of is because I feel like I have won something very special – a change of perspective. So before I start crying I want to say, “thank you” to all of you ...
Things I Wish I Had Known Before I Started Training Dogs – Gus, the Dominance Myth, An Alpha Roll, and a Damaged Relationship
By Don Hanson
In a recent interview, I was asked a series of questions about how to choose a dog trainer. One of the questions was “What would you like to have known when you started training dogs?”
In the spring of 1991, I had a new ...
The ‘Quick Fix’ – Not So Quick After All
In today's society, it seems everything has to happen 'now.' Results are expected instantaneously and I think, sadly, this notion has to a certain extent worked it's way into how we think, feel, and live our lives with our dogs too. Time is ...
Teach Your Dog to Cooperate with Grooming and Vet Visits
By Debbie Bauer
Brushing, combing, cutting toenails, being held for vet examinations and treatment - these things are a part of life for our dogs. These aren't events that will happen once and never again. Instead, these are lifelong ...
The Last Trip To the Vet: What If Your Pet’s Last Breath Is on the Operating Table?
Alex in the foreground, with Rusty and Andrew behind him—photo from 1993. Yes, they are in a bathtub.
Many years ago I lost Alexander, my dear, dear cat to stomach cancer. This was before veterinary medicine had the technology that’s ...
Skipping Reinforcements? Rethink That
By Yvette Van Veen
We’ve all heard it. “When do the rewards stop?”
The knee jerk reaction by many, especially on social media is to cave, to placate, to give the client at least some of what.
” Variable reinforcement, skip rewards. It will ...