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Study in Leash Reactivity – Video 1 Brandi

Drayton Michaels  |  Wed, 11/16/2011 - 06:41

Here is the link to the video for this blog http://youtu.be/a4kHsaUSylQ

Many dogs suffer from leash reactivity. Just many have various reasons for their reactive behavior. Additionally many dogs are a mix of fearful and frustrated and or have never been counter conditioned.

Due to their history reacting on leash and perhaps some type of sloppy application of compulsion "training" and or food rewards the humans have failed, and the reactivity has been the only real reinforcement for the dog’s feelings about stimulus in the environment.

This is the first video of many to start addressing leash reactivity. By understanding what it is we are looking for as training criteria we can have a better idea of what to train and when. 

Brandi has made great progress since this filming in July 2011. We have 4 more to edit and plan on filming a recent update.

 
Blowing out the birthday candle

How to Throw a Dog Birthday Party

Rachel Friedman  |  Sun, 11/13/2011 - 19:32

Take a beautiful fall day, 7 social dogs, more than twice that in people, a birthday cake for dogs (thank you Gary!), a birthday cake for their peeps, stir in the magic of the mix, and an ample supply of poop pick up bags and voila, the perfect recipe to honor the birthday girl.

Checklist


 

Happy Birthday, Bubbles!

Rachel Friedman  |  Thu, 11/10/2011 - 09:50

Developing her feathering tresses, bulking up and settling in with the greatest of ease, Bubbles turns 1. It was great to celebrate (albeit a day early) with her and her family on the shores of Lake Erie.

To see the video: BUBBLES ON LAKE ERIE PRACTICING RECALL

 
English Bulldog puppy.

Ten Important Skills To Teach Your Puppy

Roger Abrantes  |  Wed, 11/09/2011 - 06:39

"The First Ten Skills You Should Teach Your Puppy" are my chosen ten skills. I believe most will agree with my choice, but if you don't, you're off course entitled to add, subtract and modify as you seem fit. In any case, I hope this will help you in your work as a puppy owner instructor or a puppy owner.

 

The First Ten Skills You Should Teach Your Puppy

There are many skills that your puppy must learn in order to enjoy a good doggy life in our human world. It is your responsibility to teach your puppy these skills. Opinions may differ as to what are the most fundamental skills to teach your puppy. In my opinion, you should focus on the ten skills I describe here so that both you and your puppy enjoy being together and can safely begin to discover the world.

 
Gang of 4 On the Rise

Indian Summer Bliss with Dogs – Practicing Increased Confidence in Handling

Rachel Friedman  |  Fri, 11/04/2011 - 23:50

Living with a service dog isn't always about work. But living in harmony and meeting a service dog's needs to keep her in good physical and emotional health for her success on the job needs to include recreation. In other words, sometimes you just gotta play. But successful play requires work! In all the public access outings I have gone on since placing Bubbles with Sam and his family -- to an indoor pool, a medical doctor visit followed by a friend's backyard to play with his dogs, a young girl's birthday party as a special guest, a mall DURING Halloween celebrations and group classes -- this week the outing was a wholly fun one.

 
Sam and Bubbles at the Mall

Halloween at The Mall: A New Sam and Bubbles Adventure

Rachel Friedman  |  Sun, 10/30/2011 - 20:13

The plan was simple. To have a family friendly public access outing at a mall. "Let's make it low key," I think. "Give Sam and Bubbles and the adults a chance to practice in a not t00 overwhelming environment but one that will allow for various stimuli." So, a rendezvous was planned at Beachwood Place Mall. Little did I realize until we arrived that a special Halloween Event was happening. Hundreds, nay it seemed, thousands of children and hundreds of adults were swarming the mall, stopping at various stores for free candy and shopping excursions. Despite or perhaps because of the added stimuli, both Sam and Bubbles did a fantastic job despite the distractions. Sam was drawn to the escalators and lollipops, Bubbles to dropped goodies and the adorable doberman pup we encountered at the Moochie & Co.

 
Neveah Angel Bryant

Lessons to Learn from Tragedy

Michelle Douglas  |  Tue, 10/25/2011 - 11:44

Lessons to Learn from Tragedy

On Friday, September 30, 2011, my home-town of West Haven CT experienced a horrible tragedy. Erica Hobdy was babysitting her 20-month old niece Neveah Angel Bryant. "I gave her lunch, gave her a bath, I layed with her when she fell asleep," said Hobdy. "When I went to get my son something from the store I told him just to listen for her because the only thing I was worried about was her waking up and seeing no one upstairs with her and start crying.” While she was out, her three pit bulls mauled her niece to death.

Story: http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/new_haven_cty/no-arrests-made-after-toddle-mauled

 

Surviving the Shelter...as a Human

Cindy Bruckart  |  Mon, 10/24/2011 - 20:08

 

Pictured:  IRIS - Available for adoption at Multnomah County Animal Shelter

ADOPTED!!

 

 

I've been working full time at the shelter for six months now.  In my years as a dog trainer I really thought that I was completely in touch with the shelter world.  I've fostered dogs.  I've helped to re-home client dogs.  I've re-homed a couple of my own dogs.  I've always understood that the puppies in my classes might not live with their current families forever and it was my job to do everything I could to ensure that they would.  I counseled many a client who was ready to make that trip to the county shelter.  And of course I had lots of connections with colleagues working in a shelter or rescue who were constantly sending me info about homeless pets.

 

Har-Vest Review

Rachel Friedman  |  Fri, 10/21/2011 - 14:54

Five years ago when I first began tracking sales of Har-Vest, I bought a map of the U.S., glued it onto styrofoam and bought some colored push pins. Every time I made a sale, I selected the pin color to match the color of Har-Vest sold and started keeping track. Not sure if it was marketing savvy or just a way for a visual sort like myself to have an effective way to measure that I was not operating in a vacuum. And it looked cool as the pins added up. Unfortunately, as the map, especially in the coastal states, started generating thicker patches of push pins, the styrofoam wasn't thick enough. Pins would sometimes randomly pop out and I'd have no idea where to re-tack them. So bye fun map, hello boring spreadsheets! But now as 2011 starts to wind down, each of the 50 states would be represented as well as other countries for Har-Vest purchases. But it took a midwesterner to produce a video review!

 

Spooky......

Sue McCabe  |  Fri, 10/21/2011 - 09:04

People, who know me, may have thought I’d lost my mind this week. I usually keep to myself on dog walks. I enjoy the tranquility with my own dogs to play & train, since I spend so much work time with other people & their dogs. This week I was seen to approach strangers, chat to the lollypop ladies, mount an empty bus & dance up and down the aisle several times & stand rattling a plastic sign in the wind for no apparent reason. We approached & chatted to other willing dog walkers, stood by two surfing dudes while they stretched & prepared their boards.  I even discussed pneumatic drills with some hard hat clad work men. The final act leading to the questioning of my sanity was my appearance in the kitchen wearing a witch’s hat, a black wig, a scary mask & brandishing a broomstick.

 

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