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Defusing Dominance

Gillian Ridgeway  |  Thu, 10/09/2008 - 16:14

Give them a chance, and most dogs will seize the day.  They love a great opportunity.  In fact, dogs will spend a great deal of their time waiting for the perfect opportunity.  By now you may be wondering what opportunities could dogs possibly be waiting for, and my reply will be…for any and all of them that provide something they want.  

If they see a treat fall to the ground, they will pick it up.  If they have the opportunity to solicit you to play, they will take it.  If they see that growling at dogs while out on a walk tends to make them stay away, they may choose to use that tactic.  They most likely see it as a favorable occasion for them to take advantage of the moment.

 
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Why Dog Agility Is Similar To Playing Music

Lisa Spector  |  Tue, 10/07/2008 - 01:07

It wasn’t long after I started agility training that I became aware of the similarities between giving a music performance and running an agility course. Since I’ve been playing the piano for nearly 40 years and performing most of those years, I fortunately already learned how to handle stage nerves. So was I ever surprised that the night before my first agility trial, I was so nervous that I only slept 3 hours. With a two and a half hour drive ahead of me in the wee hours of the morning, the short amount of sleep didn’t help my anxiety. But, it luckily didn’t affect our performance, as we managed to take two first places and qualify on 3 out of 4 runs that weekend in my first novice AKC agility trial.

 

Walking in Balance with TTouch

Jennifer Merritt  |  Mon, 10/06/2008 - 11:24

Pulling on leash is one of the most common issues I see both from the dog and their person. One of the many ways that I try to approach the problem and inspire people to change it from physical aspects. Dogs that pull not only affect their own bodies over time, sometimes creating neck and spinal issues from years of constant tension, they can also create physical issues with their handler. Our bodies feel the pressure from up to three times the dog's body weight when they pull putting tension on our hands wrists, arms and shoulders. The dog and the handler are often completely out of balance, definitely not working together.

 

Dog Training Is An Art, But Guitars Don’t Bite

Drayton Michaels  |  Mon, 10/06/2008 - 08:33

As an artist first and a dog trainer second, I surely get why dog training is an art. My area of artistic talent and experience is in music. I am trained and have sought the tutelage of musical mentors along the way. I have also followed this course of education as it relates to my dog training profession.

 

Teaching Dogs to Pull on Leash

Cindy Bruckart  |  Sat, 10/04/2008 - 19:58

Trainers tell me that there is a high percentage of dog owners who will never accomplish the task of teaching their dogs to walk nicely on leash. Although the protocol is incredibly simple, the time and patience required is more than the average dog owner is willing to commit...or so I'm told.

I find this fascinating since so many dog owners are so successful at teaching dogs to pull on leash in the first place. The training of either behavior is just as simple.

Think you didn't teach your dog to pull you like a sled in the Iditarod? I would beg to differ, but let's explore.

 
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Mining Dog Star Daily's Resources — Fear

Kelly Gorman Dunbar  |  Fri, 10/03/2008 - 14:02

Here at Dog Star Daily we are fortunate to have the contributions of many great minds. So I decided to take advantage of it on behalf of our readers. You may have noticed a lot of talk about fearfulness in our blogs recently. That is because this week I asked our resident bloggers for their insights and opinions on the topic of fearfulness in dogs. Some of them answered in blogs of their own, as in these pieces by Nicole Wilde, Gillian Ridgeway, and Drayton Michaels.

Others responded to me directly and here are the questions I posed:

Reinforcing Fear?
Is it wrong to offer a food reward or to pet to a dog that is displaying fear?
Is this just reassuring the dog or reinforcing the unwanted behavior?

 

The Heros of Project POOCH

Cindy Bruckart  |  Thu, 10/02/2008 - 18:19

I've shared before my wonderful experiences at Project POOCH, a program that pairs incarcerated youth with homeless dogs at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility here in Oregon. I was ecstatic to see the program, and its founder Joan Dalton, featured on our local morning show AM Northwest.

I hope that you'll all take a moment to watch the broadcast and get to know this amazing program on a personal level. After watching the video, visit the Project POOCH website for information on getting a program like this started in your area.

 

Dangerous Doggy Fairy Tales

Cindy Bruckart  |  Thu, 10/02/2008 - 17:50

Trainers often spend a lot of time "discussing" various methods and techniques when it comes to working with dogs and their owners. Sometimes these discussions get heated, and sometimes they bring new understanding.

While these discussions are fine among trainers, a huge concern for many professionals is how half-truths, misinformation and down right myths leak into the general public and become accepted as fact. Even more annoying is when so-called professionals repeat this information as fact.

 

Parenting Skills for Dog and Child

Jennifer Merritt  |  Thu, 10/02/2008 - 11:18

As my husband and I both approach the age of 40, we find ourselves in an interesting, and in our social circle dwindling, demographic of child-free couples. Most of our friends have joined the ranks of working couples juggling both kids and pets. We are often in awe of them as they multi-task the care, feeding, education, health, and happiness of canine, felines, along with their two-legged kids.

The relationship between parenting children and dogs seems, in some respects, quite similar. I find it fascinating that most of my clients and friends that had well behaved dogs coincidentally also have well behaved kids. Quite often, I can predict how my sessions will go with a client when I meet their children.

 

Positive vs. Punitive Training Techniques: What each achieves and what we can learn about ourselves from the discussion.

Dr. Nicholas H....  |  Wed, 10/01/2008 - 08:46

I once had the honor of meeting the British ex-Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, at a university event.  I was described by the president of the university as an animal behaviorist to which Prime Minister Thatcher replied, “Ah yes, behavior!  That’s what it’s all about really.”  And she was right on the mark, her wit sharpened by years of debate on the floor of the House of Commons. Her business was dealing with the behavior and misbehavior of people in her own country and abroad.  


My business is dealing with the behavior and misbehavior of other animal species, in particular, dogs, cats, and horses, and there are many parallels to be drawn.


One of the current controversies is to whether the punitive methods of dog training, popularized by William Koehler in the 1960s and a sea of dog trainers who have since adopted his methods, offer any advantages over more benign training and, indeed, whether they are even humane.  

 

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