Stress resilience is the ability to effectively respond to stress. In humans, higher levels of stress resilience are associated with decreased susceptibility to mental health disorders. Poor stress resilience is associated with mental and … [Read more...]
The Development of Fear
This month we're going to take a look at fear learning. Fear and anxiety underly many of the behavior issues in dogs. Understanding the subtleties of how fear works can help us prevent and address it more effectively. First, it's … [Read more...]
Making the most of counter conditioning
Currently, the primary way of addressing fear in dogs is through the use of desensitization and counter conditioning. For this month's blog post, I am going to spend some time digging into the details of what counter conditioning is, how it … [Read more...]
Ethology in Training and Behavior – Why Does it Matter?
Trainers are well-versed in learning theory. This is for good reason because a strong foundation in instrumental conditioning is essential for being able to effectively change behavior in dogs. However, it's not the only thing that matters. … [Read more...]
Why advanced instrumental learning?
Most experienced trainers are fairly well-versed in the basic principles of instrumental learning. Primarily, that means the antecedent-behavior-consequence sequence and the four types of instrumental learning: positive reinforcement, … [Read more...]
Highly sensitive personality and behavior problems in dogs
The Question I recently came across a paper (Bräm Dubé et al. 2020) that looked at a characteristic called 'sensory processing sensitivity' or, more informally, 'high sensitivity'. The authors define “high sensitivity” as a personality … [Read more...]
Assessing affiliation between dogs
Group cohesion, affiliation, and being in sync This month I'll be focusing on social relationships between dogs, both in this blog post and in the Research Bites webinar. Dogs are social animals. They live in groups - either with other … [Read more...]
Celebrating animal behavior
The world seems like a very stressful and serious place right now. This month, I wanted to do something a little different and share with you some research that just brings me joy and reminds me why I love animals so much and why I am an … [Read more...]
Embracing the Unknown
Today, I return to my series on quotes that have inspired me. The first in this series was way back in January of this year when I wrote about the danger of assumptions. This month, I'd like to talk about the value of admitting that we … [Read more...]
How do we make our dogs happy?
This week is crazy with coming back after a week of vacation (staycation), having Research Bites on Tuesday and our big Power of Choice seminar next weekend! That means that I am pulling a previous blog post out of the archives and … [Read more...]
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