Puppies and Shelter Dogs: Two Sides of the Same Coin

I am a dog trainer and I lead a double life. Of sorts. Behaviorally speaking.

Resolving Dog-Dog Reactivity

FOR A LIMITED TIME Watch the all-new Dunbar Academy Dog-Do

New Free Course – Six Simple Steps to Solve Your Dog's Behavior Problems

We've just published a new FREE course on Dunbar Academy called Six Simple Steps to Solve Your Dog's Behavior Problems

Dominance and Dogs: Who is the Boss?

Dogs often act as connectors in society.

The 2 Most Common Mistakes Dog Owners Make (and How to Fix Them)

There are a couple of mistakes that dog owners frequently make which are simple to fix and have the potential to dramatically improve a dog's behavior.

All Puppies Deserve a FIRST Chance — an EDUCATION!

Owners and their new puppies are still getting the short end of the stick.
Ian Dunbar
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Puppies Doin' Time

Kelly Gorman Dunbar  |  Mon, 06/01/2009 - 10:52

Sometimes people just can’t see the forest for the trees, and when it comes to puppy raising this can be a grave mistake indeed. Yesterday on Twitter, WellBalancedPup brought a letter to my attention that appeared in the ChicoER. In the editorial letter the author is enraged because she feels taken advantage of by the local animal control because she has to pay a fee to impound her puppy for a ten-day bite quarantine.

I too, was enraged by the decision to quarantine a young pup for nipping, but for different reasons entirely. Sure quarantine costs and municipal fines are costly and damage the pocketbook, but money comes and goes, it’s material. The true cost of this situation is far greater than losing a few bucks and the damages are much more difficult to recover.

 
Embedded thumbnail for Week 1 Part 1 (SIRIUS SF Puppy 2)

Week 1 Part 1 (SIRIUS SF Puppy 2)

In week 1 we take a little time for all of the dogs to get comfortable and meet each other before we jump into some settling, position changes and stays.  We begin by assessing their obedience skills so we can see how much they improve throughout the course.

Download all of SIRIUS SF P2 Here

 
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Advocacy Overdrive – Numbers, Criteria, Intentions and Motivation

Drayton Michaels  |  Sun, 05/31/2009 - 13:13

This is the first part in a new series I’m calling Advocacy Overdrive. It will be a chronicle of happenings, events, and discussions surrounding The Pit Bull Hoax DVD and other subsequent media related advocacy projects. The purpose is to get more people involved, hence the word overdrive in the title. Past that it will be a way for people to better understand the subject matter at hand as well as who is behind the media.


What is the percentage of “pit bull” dogs?


The numbers that are associated with dog information is often times fuzzy. In some cases the math is fuzzy because the people involved are fudging numbers, sometimes it is because there is just no accurate way to arrive at a number so the results are distilled through research and let’s face it personal bias.

 
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Week 1 Part 2 (SIRIUS SF Puppy 2)

In the second half of week 1 we spend some time refreshing the pups on their off-leash heeling.  The owners practice luring and maintaining their pup’s attention while the pup’s practice walking attentively without jumping up or lagging.  We finish the class with a little “Off” practice.

Download all of SIRIUS SF P2 Here

 

2.07 - Separation Anxiety

Separation anxiety is a phrase that gets used a little too much in dog training. That’s not to say it doesn’t exist, but that some people are too eager to use it as a scapegoat and an excuse to put their dogs on drugs. Anxiety is a terrible thing for a dog, but it’s usually easy to fix with appropriate training. The Dunbars explain how to teach your dog to be comfortable spending time alone. Give your dog an acceptable activity to keep them busy while your gone. A few stuffed chewtoys will go a long way.

 
iWoofs Seas:  Season 2
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Ch Ch Ch Changes

Kelly Gorman Dunbar  |  Fri, 05/29/2009 - 09:20

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Or something like that. I’ve just spent two years keeping a close watch on Hugo-Louis to keep him on track with his potty training. Yes, you read right. He’s been good for a looooong time now, but I must say he was a tough nut to crack potty-wise.

He’s a Frenchie, and while I thought that wouldn’t matter (potty training is easy as pie after all and I am darn good at it, even tough cases) something made it difficult for him to learn to pee exclusively outside. Not one of my finer moments in training. The first year was rough and I stayed in my hyper-vigilant-pee-patrol role for way longer than I anticipated.

Well, Hugo turned two in April and I decided I could chill a bit now. He’s a big boy and gets the game. It’s exhausting to always be on alert. Sigh of relief.

 
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What’s the deal with food & bribes?

Drayton Michaels  |  Thu, 05/28/2009 - 15:27

Often when I am working with clients there are questions about food rewards. The main concern it seems is “Will I have to use treats forever? The second question is the often misunderstood notion that the food is a bribe. It can be, if used in the wrong order.


Let’s first get a few things established. 1 – Shifts in context create behavior changes and secondly consequence drives behavior. Dogs do not do things simply because they are filled with undying servitude; dogs do things because it pays off in some way.

 

Twitter - Woofs Too

Kelly Gorman Dunbar  |  Thu, 05/28/2009 - 15:23

Not only do we have an online archive for newsletters now, but we're on Twitter now too. 

 
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Week 2 Part 1 (SIRUS SF Puppy 2)

Teaching your dog to settle down is so important that we want to practice it a lot. When one of the puppies gets spooked by the cameraman we see how to deal with it before it becomes a problem.  Owners trade dogs to give them practice working with and being handled by strangers.

Download all of SIRIUS SF P2 Here

 
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Monthly Woof & Puppy Bite Archive Now Available!

Kelly Gorman Dunbar  |  Wed, 05/27/2009 - 12:29

I got over my fear of creating an archive! I'm not sure what my problem was, it was very easy and I've wanted to post our newsletters forever because I hate to see them go. There are so many gems in the Weekly Puppy Bite and Monthly Woof. Lots of cool links to cool people and products too.

 

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