No results found.
Latest Training Articles
Maintaining a Rewarding Relationship with Your Dog
By Tiff Shao
*This post is a selected entry from the Pet Professional Guild Writers’ Competition for Geek Week 2020 *
The aquamarine waters looked extra enticing as we approached the river crossing. It was a hot August day and the previous section of the trail offered no shade. My dog ...
My Service Dog Changed My Life – And I Didn’t Even Want Her
By Aida Garcia
*This post is a selected entry from the Pet Professional Guild Writers’ Competition for Geek Week 2020 *
I am a disabled combat veteran. At one time, I lived and breathed the Marine Corps. From the day I stepped foot on the yellow footprints, I had no doubt this was what I ...
More Articles
Cognitive Dog Training
I first started teaching about what I called cognitive dog training several years ago. I didn't invent it; I simply named what a lot of positive, forward-thinking dog trainers were already ...
The Problem with Punishment
Fortunately today, thanks to force free advocating organizations like Pet Professional Guild, there is much more awareness of the detrimental effects of punishment. Sadly though, in some quarters it still prevails and is even advocated by ...
Change Is Difficult – We Are Humans After All
As trainers we sometimes talk about owner compliance, or maybe more accurately - in some cases at least - the apparent lack of it. Part of our job as dog trainers is to find ways to motivate our clients to make changes to the lives of their ...
Local Enhancement and Socially Facilitated Behaviors in Dogs
This post started out as one thing and transformed into another as I went along, as many of mine do. I have been familiar for a while with the term local enhancement for a type of social learning in dogs. I had some videos that I felt were good ...
Putting More Tools in the Tool Kit
Recently I worked with an adolescent dog that I trained as a puppy. Like many adolescents he suddenly forgot several of his training skills and got stuck offering two behaviors in specific circumstances.
When greeting people he climbed upon ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...