Acclimating Dogs to Face Masks

In the past few months, our lives have changed dramatically. Many of us have had the opportunity to spend a great deal of time at home with our furry family, which has been a luxury. There is a real concern for many of those pets that as we begin to go back to work, our…

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Preventing Separation Anxiety as We Return to Work

For many of our dogs, the past few months have been a blessing. They’ve had their people home all day. Every day. It is their dream come true. A dog’s heaven. And now we’re beginning to head back to work. A lot of dogs will feel this shift very strongly. After months of total togetherness,…

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Canine Enrichment during the COVID-19 Pandemic

As communities begin taking direct action regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, people will be stuck at home for 2-4 weeks (or longer). Some areas have already begun this self-isolation while others are just gearing up. Working from home might keep you busy, but what about our furry family members? They may be used to going to…

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Invisible Fences: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Dog in front yard behind an invisible fence

Many homeowners rely on underground, or invisible fences to contain their furry family on their property. Sometimes this choice is made because the property is quite large, and a physical fence would be cost prohibitive. Other times, it’s the community rules that prohibit physical fencing for aesthetic reasons.   The Good The only “good” part…

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Sequential Overload in Pets

Sequential Overload in Pets Infographic

Stress isn’t all bad.  Stress is needed to avoid potential dangers; it’s part of animals’ natural responses to threats: if they don’t respond to threats in nature, they don’t survive!   Some level of good stress (eustress) is even needed for learning. Learn more in this blog on The Canine Learning Stress-O-Meter.   Certainly, too…

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How Much Stress Is Too Much Stress?

The Canine Learning Stress-O-Meter Infographic

In the force free training world (aka positive reinforcement), we try to minimize the amount of stress our pets experience during training. But in order to answer how much stress is too much stress, we must first understand a little bit more about “stress.”   Types of Stress There are two types of stress an…

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Halloween Can Be Scary For Dogs

Halloween Can Be Scary For Dogs Image, The Academy of Pet Careers

Some dogs are comfortable with all sorts of people and are not put out by people in weird getups or strange makeup. But those dogs are the exception. Most dogs, even very people-sociable dogs, can become worried about seeing people in costumes. From strange makeup to full-face masks, and costumes that change our shape from…

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R+ Training: Using Positive Reinforcement

Girl Rewards Husky with Treat Using R+ Training Image, The Academy of Pet Careers

“All of those positive reinforcement (R+) trainers always use food for training.”…“The dogs won’t work unless they see you have treats.”…“My dog isn’t that food motivated, so R+ training clearly won’t work for us….”   Have you heard these comments?…Have you made these comments?   Let’s take a step back and address these common misunderstandings…

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When Your Dog Growls …

Dog Growls to Communicate Image, The Academy of Pet Careers

A stranger approaches your dog, and your dog growls. Your dog is dozing on the couch, and you sit down next to him, startling him awake, and he growls. Perhaps your dog is chewing on a favorite toy or eating his food and a child reaches for the toy or the bowl, and your dog…

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