Animal Behavior
Free Pet Handling and Safety Education for Rescue Workers and Volunteers
ST LOUIS, MO – October 24, 2019 – Current news in the St. Louis area is shining a light on the harsh truths about working in the pet rescue field. Pet rescues and volunteers are challenged with providing quality care to pets without the resources and training to do it safely and humanely. It is…
Read MoreHalloween Can Be Scary For Dogs
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…
Read MoreWhen Your Dog Growls …
So Your Dog Growls…To Punish or Not to Punish? 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…
Read MorePlaying Tug of War: Good Exercise, Great Bond-Building
There is a school of thought that suggests we shouldn’t play Tug of War with our pups because it can create aggression. That same school of thought will say that if you do play Tug, make sure you always win so that the dog knows you’re the boss. I could not disagree with that…
Read MoreThe Power of Happy Visits
Is your dog afraid to go to the vet’s office or grooming salon? Do they resist going through the door? Does she pant, pace or drool? Does she suddenly start shedding while waiting in the lobby? You and your dog are not alone. And when one dog is fearful, they exude stress hormones which every…
Read MoreThe Myth of Reinforcing Fear
The Myth of Reinforcing Fear There is a school of thought in the training world that says you shouldn’t comfort or give treats to a frightened dog because you are reinforcing fear. For example, if your dog is frightened while getting groomed, you should not stroke them or distract them with treats because this could…
Read MoreNoise Phobia in Dogs
How to Help Your Dog’s Fear of Loud Noises Is your dog afraid of loud noises? Does she pant, pace, drool, shake, try to hide or try to escape whenever the thunder booms or the pops and bangs from fireworks happen? Noise phobia in dogs is a serious problem in some households. My dog used…
Read MoreActive Disengagement
We’re Not Just Ignoring “Bad” Behavior, We’re Using Active Disengagement There are two main philosophies when it comes to dog training. One (often considered ‘old school’) is compulsion training. This is a style of training that uses tools such as choke chains, prong collars, or electronic training collars to correct the dog whenever they do…
Read MoreDog Training Vs. Behavior Modification
Are we not just rewarding the bad behavior? When we think about using treats to train dogs, we usually associate it with rewarding desired behaviors. And this makes sense. We ask the dog to Sit and he does, and we give a treat. We ask the dog to Stay and he does, and we give…
Read MoreMuzzle Training in 8 Simple Steps
Teaching a dog to love their muzzle is pretty easy. Just follow the steps to learn muzzle training. 1. Show the muzzle to the dog in one hand and offer tasty treats with your other hand. Once the dog has had a couple treats, hide the muzzle behind your back. Pause for 8-10 seconds and…
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