A different kind of sensibility
When I am out walking my dogs I try very hard to act like a “normal” dog owner and not a trainer. But tonight I experienced something that was deeply…
teaching vs punishing
Puppies: Behavior vs “Obedience”
So, here you are and you have a growing, teething puppy and you are confronted with a mountain of natural but undesirable behaviors. From jumping up and nipping and shredding…
The problem with the word “positive”
Whatever “well behaved” means to you, your dog will learn which behaviors are acceptable and which are not. After all, as much as we love them, as close as they…
I will be at Petropolis on Saturday November 3
Exact details will be announced in the next couple of days. In the meantime: Get your questions ready! http://www.petropolisnyc.com/ Capture the Event
Dogs: Attention and Approval is the key to their evolutionary success as a species
I spend a tremendous amount of time thinking about how to make people truly understand why teaching dogs to behave according to our expectations cannot be achieved by coercion…
Don’t hesitate to be protective of your puppy
I like Brenda Aloff a lot. http://brendaaloff.com/ I particularly like that she implements a lot of impulse control exercises in her early puppy training. It is an aspect that is…
A really good article about possible side effects of punishment
http://lifeasahuman.com/2010/pets/selling-snake-oil-stopping-behavior-doesnt-make-a-good-dog/
Why punishment is not just cruel, it is inefficient.
I feel the need to write a few words about punishment because the tradition seems so hard to kill. Punishment is the lazy man’s way of “teaching” and it…
A “cue” has a beginning and an end
When you would like a dog to “do” something you provide them with a “cue” such as “sit” or “come” or “down”. “Cues” are sometimes referred to as “commands” or…