It sure is hard to believe that March is almost here. Time does fly when we are having fun!
Speaking of time, spring is surprisingly right around the corner. Hard to believe, but best to be proactive when it comes to preparing us and our pups for adding adventures back outside.
Puppy or Dog on Crate Rest?
Snow and ice are treacherous enough for people to navigate. Goodness knows we do our best to prevent our family dog from also taking a horrible spill.
Here is a fantastic five-minute video from trainer, Donna Hill. She outlines a wonderfully helpful tutorial of fun activities for dogs that are on crate rest:
Crate Rest Activities for Dogs after Back, Hip, Leg Injuries
Spring into Action
We sure start to feel cooped up from limited activities outside our home due to weather limitations. Imagine how our dogs feel! For some, this spring season will be a first for their new puppy or adopted dog. What to expect? Regression. In their behaviors as well as ours as it relates to loose leash walking. It can be challenging to compete with countless new odors from the thawing ground and the addition of young wildlife. Over the years, our Rhodesian ridgebacks welcome the spring season with so much joy. “The squirrels, birds, bunnies, and delicious smells are back! Glorious!”
But here’s the good news: Splitting our criteria, focusing on small successive approximations, patience, and having fun when out-and-about with our pups equals an easy transition to enjoyable walks outdoors. Take time to smell the roses.
Trainer, Kiki Yablon, offers some easy tips from her latest blog:
Attention is Job One or How to Split a Sit
Open Up and Say …“Ahh!”
Nothing can complement an engaging walk like our dogs wanting to carry a prized new stick or branch. But what would happen if they unfortunately experienced debris lodged in their mouth? Could you safely assess their mouth?
Trainer, Lisa Mullinax, put together a creative video that shows the many benefits of targeting:
Clicker Training for Tooth Exam
IAABC Position Statement on LIMA
The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants supports a Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive (LIMA) approach to behavior modification and training.
Read more about this important position statement:
IAABC Position Statement about LIMA
Ready … Set … for Groomer & Vet!
January celebrated “National Train Your Dog Month!”
As your AVSAB training contributor, I am delighted to share our recent live studio appearance that highlights quick tips to help make veterinary and grooming visits less stressful. There is no doubt that the two pups that joined us, Luna and Pumpkin, stole the show!
Continuing Education Information
Additional resources will be added in each subsequent newsletter. Here are a few upcoming events to mark on your calendars.
Training Conferences and Seminars
2015
1) ClickerExpo
• March 20-22 (Dearborn, Michigan)
• http://clickertraining.com/clickerexpo
2) ORCA (The Organization for Reinforcement Contingencies with Animals)
• March 14 (University of North Texas)
• http://orgs.unt.edu/orca/conference
3) IAABC (International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants)
• Feline Behavior Conference
o April 11-12 (Atlanta, Georgia)
• Animal Behavior Conference
o April 18-19 (Chicago, Illinois)
•http://iaabc.org
4) Living and Learning with Animals for Professionals with Dr. Susan Friedman
• September – October (8 week online course)
• http://behaviorworks.org/index.html
5) APDT (Association of Professional Dog Trainers)
• October 14-17 (Dallas, Texas)
• https://apdt.com/conference/future
Happy Training!
Laura
Laura Monaco Torelli
