If Your Dog is Afraid, Avoid These Two Mistakes Click here for Original Post By Zazie Todd, PhD When working with fearful dogs, an effective and commonly-used technique is desensitization and counter-conditioning. It’s a very powerful technique, but there are some technical aspects that you need to get right in...
Scaredy Dogs and Strangers – Part 1 By Dr. Jen Summerfield Click for original post Today, I want to talk about dogs who are afraid of visitors. This is one of the more common behavior issues that I’m called to help out with – but fortunately, it’s also a...
Positive Reinforcement is More Effective at Training Dogs than an Electronic Collar, Study Shows By Zazie Todd, PhD Link to original post We’ve known for a while that training dogs with aversive methods, including electronic collars, has risks for animal welfare. Positive reinforcement training is effective and does not have those risks. New research...
Sudden change in your dog’s behavior? He could be in pain. Click Here for Original Post In our practice, we are regularly presented with dogs whose behaviors appear to have changed abruptly. Often once we take a deep dive into their histories we uncover signs that the behavior problem...
Survey Shows Which Treatments Are Effective for Fireworks Fears in Dogs Click Here for Original Post By Zazie Todd, PhD Many dogs are afraid of the bangs and whistles from fireworks, up to half according to one study. A new, large survey by Dr. Stefanie Riemer (University of Bern) shows that treatments...
WHY “SIT” HAPPENS: CUES VS. CONSEQUENCES Click Here for Original Post By Dr. Jen Summerfield Today’s topic is one that you might not have ever given much thought to, but it has more impact on your training than you might think! What makes behavior happen? Or to put it...
Advances in animal behavior has helped veterinarians provide less stressful care to many patients, both large and small. The ability to correctly read the body language of stress before it reaches aggression, and then respond to this by changing the exam room, treatment and hospitalization areas has helped keep...
Dog Training Methods Affect Attachment to the Owner Originally posted on Companion Animal Psychology Dogs trained with aversive methods are less likely to show a ‘secure base’ effect, study shows. Image Credit: Well Pet Coach When people use aversive methods to train dogs, it is associated with risks to the...
From “Stop it!” to “Good Pup!” – Problem Solving With Alternative Behaviors By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM Hey there, gang. Today, it’s time for another installment of “problem solving at Dr. Jen’s house.” (For another example of this, see my previous post about my dog Clint, and his habit of launching himself...
Drop It! by Megan Maxwell, Ph.D., CAAB One wonderful option for owners interested in playing with their dog is tug-of-war, but tug toys (e.g., ropes or stuffed toys) have a bad reputation because some owners have heard that tugging with their dog will make their dog aggressive. This is...
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