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The sound of Zero Tolerance

Karen Wild  |  Wed, 01/06/2010 - 09:32

Does zero tolerance have to be as hardline as it comes across? The very name sounds off-putting.

 

I’d like to share with you my positive experience of zero tolerance!

I was just musing on a comment made to me today about flyball potentially creating incessant barking in some dogs.

 

If you have ever watched this incredible, fast but simple to learn dog sport, you will know what I mean. At Crufts each year the noise can be deafening as dogs become utterly absorbed in this leaping, catching, retrieving relay race of a game. Excitement is infectious, so before long you have a whole arena of it – a wall of sound.

It then occurred to me that our flyball team never had this problem! Years ago I ran a dog display team and we taught tricks and fun and games, of which flyball competition was one. None of our dogs barked, even though they adored flyball practice.

Why was this?

 
Nicole S. Silvers

Patterns

Nicole S. Silvers  |  Tue, 01/05/2010 - 16:02

The essence of learning, whether you are dog or human or goldfish, is the ability to identify a pattern.  When I lower my rump to the group, my crate door opens.  When I produce a treat, my dog "listens".  Like Rachel Ray says, Easy peasy!!

For owners, pattern identification behavior can fall into one of two extremes.  Typically, these extremes arise from a lack of understanding, a lack of ability to identify relevant, effective predictors of behavior.

One such extreme is the owner who is genuinely surprised EVERY time the 5-year-old dog jumps up to greet humans (or some other "undesirable" behavior).  This owner is, well, almost a cliche.   

 

National Train Your Dog Month

Dr. Ian Dunbar  |  Tue, 01/05/2010 - 08:19

Thanks to the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, January is National Train Your Dog Month .  

We have special days and weeks and months to draw attention to a particular cause that is in dire need for attention. Of course, obviously, Train Your Dog Month should be every month of the year but what puzzles me, is: Why on earth do we feel that we have to draw attention to something as enjoyable and captivating as dog training? Isn’t that like promoting chocolate? Why does dog training need promoting?

 
Tags:  dog training dunbar

In Memoriam To Chester, And Other Things

Valerie Pollard  |  Mon, 01/04/2010 - 15:07

I always wondered how and why I might stop training dogs.  Working as a trainer is something I've always loved to do and no matter how I envisioned it, I couldn't think of any reason I would stop unless perhaps just getting too old and decrepit might put an end to it!  Now I know that sometimes Life has a trick or two hidden up its sleeve that you wouldn't have expected, and that those hands you are dealt, though they might look really good on the flop, sometimes end up surprising you before the hand is over.

 

Why does breed specific legislation always miss the point?

Eric Goebelbecker  |  Sun, 01/03/2010 - 07:50

Are some breeds of dog more aggressive than the other? Many people seem to think so. Laws placing restrictions on, or completely banning, some breeds (Breed Specific Legislation - BSL) exist not just in the in the U.S, but around the world. These laws don't seem to be going away either — it seems that not a week goes by where I don't see a story about BSL being considered in a new community.

But the thing is, even if you think that restricting or banning breeds because of aggression is effective (and I don't) these laws almost always target the wrong breeds.

In 2008, Applied Animal Behavior Science published research that examined the relationship between dog breeds and aggression. The results were, in my opinion, entirely unsurprising unless you happen to be a politician or rely on TV news for your understanding of dogs. (Is that redundant?)

 

Updates and plans for the future

Marie Finnegan  |  Sat, 01/02/2010 - 16:19

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year and Happy Holiday season. I always like looking forward to the new year while saying goodbye to the old. This year is no different. To update the readers that have followed my blog posts here, I am happy to share that my sister did find a wonderful bulldog breeder and added Minos to her family. He is a very funny boy and loves the snow. My akita Jack and he love to roughhouse together and he is also infatuated with our pug Jenny. It is never boring when he is around for sure.

 

Introducing...Sierra Wilde!

Nicole Wilde  |  Fri, 01/01/2010 - 12:18

      Is Sierra Wilde:

           1. the name of an explorer’s club
           2. the name of an adult film star
           3. Nicole Wilde's new dog

If you guessed c, you’re right! (Well, b might be right too, I couldn’t say for sure.)

 

Reading Dog. Reflecting. Relaxing.

Dr. Ian Dunbar  |  Mon, 12/28/2009 - 09:31

Since I have fallen hopelessly behind in my blogging quota, our esteemed editor has asked me to blog-post my last update on my Facebook profile, which turned out to be more of a three-installment blog than a status. Brevity is not my strong suit, that’s why I don’t Tweet!

Here it is...

 

The Gift of Dog

Kelly Gorman Dunbar  |  Wed, 12/23/2009 - 11:56

I get a little nostalgic at this time of year, thinking of the people and 4-legged critters I’ve been fortunate to share my life with thus far. Luckily, Karen Wild and Intellidogs provided me with the perfect outlet to reflect and share some of my best canine memories and lessons learned through my dogs.

 

The Life of the Party: holiday entertaining success for dog owners

Casey Lomonaco ...  |  Sat, 12/19/2009 - 19:48

The holidays are here and many of us are expecting to welcome company into our homes to celebrate the season.

While the holidays are a wonderful time, they can also be stressful for dogs and their people.  When we entertain, we hope to enjoy a nice, relaxing time and provide our guests with the same enjoyable experience.  A significant contributing factor to the likelihood of accomplishing this goal is the behavior of the family dog.  At our holiday parties, our dogs can be a significant source of pride if they are well-behaved, or can turn the fun quickly into a nightmare if they are behaving at their worst.

 

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