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Dunbar Academy Gets a Make-Over

James Lu Dunbar  |  Thu, 06/14/2018 - 12:29

Dunbar Academy is our online dog training and behavior school and presents a more structured and curated learning experience than Dog Star Daily can provide.

But it wasn't always that way. When we started Dunbar Academy a couple of years ago, it primarily consisted of video recording of Ian's many dog behavior seminar and workshops. 

But in the past few months we've totally revamped the website to make it into a very streamlined set of courses that are each tailored to one of several important groups of doggy people: regular pet dog owners, dog trainers and other doggy professionals

 
Dunbar Academy is now on YouTube

Announcing the Dunbar Academy YouTube channel

James Lu Dunbar  |  Wed, 06/13/2018 - 12:05

We're excited to announce that we've launched a new YouTube Channel!

It's going to feature videos of all three of the Dunbars dispensing top-notch dog training informaiton and entertainment! Our goal is to add at least one new video each week and so we've been doing A LOT of filming lately.

We'll feature some of the videos here, on Dog Star Daily as well, but certainly not all of them, so if you don't want to miss any, you should definitely subscribe to the channel on YouTube.

At the moment, we've got three "series" going:

First, there's Mail Bag with Ian, where he answers questions from our...

 
BamBam waits patiently in his crate away from the search area in Nose Work class

Why there is No Nose-to-Nose in Nose Work

Genie Tuttle CP...  |  Thu, 02/01/2018 - 13:24

Group dog training classes are always fun and entertaining in addition to being useful on several different levels. Watching other dog/owner teams work out some of the same issues you are facing is both comforting and educational.

 

For new nose work students one of the first eye-opening things about an official K9 Nose Work ® class (if taught by an instructor certified by the National Association of Canine Scent Work) is that all dogs must be crated or safely secured away from the scent field when it is not their turn to work. The dog that is working, does so with just his owner and the

 
Tags:  nose work crate enrichment Dog Genie

What To Do About Canine Flu: Canine Influenza Type A H3N2 & H3N8

Dr. Ian Dunbar  |  Wed, 01/31/2018 - 13:30

As you probably know, there is currently an outbreak of Dog Flu in the South Bay and more recently, a number of cases have cropped up in other areas around the Bay. All dog owners, including myself, are understandably concerned about what they can do to reduce the likelihood that their dogs will be infected. However, there is no need to panic. Although Canine Influenza, or dog flu, is extremely infectious, it usually causes only mild symptoms for a few days to a couple of weeks and the dogs normally make a full recovery despite treatment. Yes, complications from the flu can occasionally be...

 
Tags:  canine flu dr. ian dunbar vet advice
Dogs having fun doing nose work

Playing with Nose Work

Genie Tuttle CP...  |  Wed, 12/27/2017 - 16:28

We all know that dogs have a superior sense of smell and that smell is arguably one of their strongest senses. Dogs love to read the world using their nose, that’s just how they roll. The activity/sport of nose work isn’t “work” at all for dogs, it’s the love of their life! As a fellow dog-lover you know as well as I do that dogs just want to have fun, so getting to play with their sense of smell is a win/win!

 

If you haven’t heard much about nose work, I encourage you to research it and find a class near you. In brief, dogs learn to reconnect with their natural hunting instinct and find

 
Tags:  #dogs #dogtraining #nosework #doggenie
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Make Muzzle Wearing Fun!

Kelly Gorman Dunbar  |  Mon, 12/18/2017 - 15:05

Muzzles are useful tools in dog training and husbandry. Some people think they look scary and make a dog look mean. Many dogs don't enjoy wearing a muzzle because the only time they've ever had to wear one was when they're feeling stressed out, such as a the vet when injured or some other kind of emergeny or unpleasant situation. Teach your dog to enjoy wearing a muzzle, just in case, before you ever need one. Laz loves his muzzle because it means we are going to either train for his favorite sport, or play ball! 

 
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When Can I Stop Rewarding My Dog?

Kelly Gorman Dunbar  |  Thu, 12/14/2017 - 13:51

“When I can I stop rewarding my dog for doing the correct behavior?” 

This is one of the top three questions I get from my students. Really, what these people are asking is either, “When can I stop training my dog?” or, “When can I start punishing my dog?” 

For some reason, people take offense when they think their dog is doing the “right” thing for a tangible reward, such as a paycheck, rather than for the intrinsic reward of obeying the master! 

It’s frustrating to me that people think of dogs in either a perpetually childish or subservient light, rather than as independent,...

 

Is Your Aggressive Dog Dangerous? Dr. Dunbar Says, Probably Not

James Lu Dunbar  |  Thu, 11/16/2017 - 16:06

This video clip was taken from the new online seminar by Dr. Ian Dunbar: Dog-Dog Reactivity, only available on the Dunbar Academy. Try your first month for just $1. 

Do you have an aggressive dog that barks, lunges, snaps, growls, or bites? If so, the next question to ask yourself is:

"Is my dog dangerous?"

Because the answer to this question determines how you should proceed. If your dog is dangerous, you should proceed with caution. We recommend you find professional help from a qualified trainer.

The good news is, most dogs are not dangerous. For the 90+% of dogs who display aggressive...

 
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Flirt Pole Fun!

Kelly Gorman Dunbar  |  Tue, 02/21/2017 - 17:04

One of my top tips for students to improve their dog’s training performance is to play interactive games. Play will enhance your relationship with your dog and the stronger your relationship, the better your training will go. 

 

By interactive games, I mean games that include you, not other dogs. Fetch is a fun game that can reinforce your pup’s desire to return to you, which can help you with your recall. Chase games are great, if exhausting, but only work to your advantage if you are the one chasing your dog, never the other way around. Tug is an awesome way to both build...

 

How to Use Food Intelligently in Lure-Reward Dog Training

James Lu Dunbar  |  Fri, 12/16/2016 - 12:06

Based on Dr. Ian Dunbar’s lecture (of the same title). Only available on Dunbar Academy. Try your first month for just $1.

Food is extremely useful when training a dog …

Food is simply unmatched for classical conditioning and is incredibly useful as both lures and rewards when teaching basic manners. 

… Unless it becomes a bribe

If you're not careful, however, food can become a bribe and the food's ability to influence your dog's behavior for the better will gradually deteriorate as your dog progressively ignores you and your food lures more and more. Resorting to smellier, tastier

 
Tags:  food reward lure behavior reinforcement

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