Dogs smell things in vibrant detail compared with humans. Humans can smell dinner cooking but dogs can tell exactly what all the ingredients are. What about other dog senses? How do dogs compare with humans? Dog Senses: Auditory and More Let’s start with hearing, and another way animals detect sounds. Read more…
Cassandra Seale consulted me before writing this mic.com article about how your dog could be happier. I provided a few tips about how to set up a dog’s life to ensure he or she gets everything necessary for a happy life. Dogs need food, water, and shelter for survival, but Read more…
PLAN AHEAD Is your dog happy? Probably. But you can probably increase his satisfaction with his life. Dogs respond well to being able to predict what’s going to happen next. This starts with you doing things the same way every time. If your dog has a history of trying to Read more…
Verbal cues have a different meaning to dogs than to humans. Humans tend to think dogs are actually understanding the language, but dogs are simply listening for an indication of what they can do to make things work, to get things they want. “When I see my human pick up Read more…
Thank goodness for Zoom! Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we entered a world of telecommunication previously familiar only to astronauts, researchers stationed in Antarctica, and characters in science fiction movies. How would we have functioned throughout the pandemic without it? Because of safety restrictions during the pandemic, dog trainers had Read more…
What is a “good dog”? People tend to categorize dogs as “good dogs” when they are confident, friendly, and relaxed. Working dogs and performance dogs need these qualities so fear and anxiety don’t distract them from their jobs. People tend to expect family pets to be safe and reliable around Read more…
Controlling resources can help you make household rules clear for your dogs. Control the resources and you don’t have to control the dog. The easiest way to start training is to provide things a dog wants to reinforce the choices he makes. Feeding your dog involves providing an important resource Read more…
This is a really long blog post! Here’s why. The article is not just some fun ideas about introducing dogs. It’s a full self-study lesson in how to do it. Introducing dogs is a big topic, with lots of opportunities to make mistakes that have great impact on dogs’ futures. Read more…
Playing with you, his owner, is different from any other activity your dog engages in. It’s not like playing with toys by himself or playing with other dogs. It’s not like doing training exercises with you, earning treats – those exercises are important, but different. It’s simple to play with Read more…
Your own basic training skills are the foundation of everything you want to train your dog to do. “Advanced training is simply the precise application of the fundamentals.” — Dr. Robert E. Bailey Really? That’s all there is to it? To highly skilled trainers, the statement above is a reminder Read more…