You may have heard that dogs "lip lick" or "tongue flick" when they are stressed. A recent study by Albuquerque et al. (2018) used lip licking in dogs to assess their ability to respond to emotional cues in humans and dogs. Previous … [Read more...]
Journey of Finn – Are You a Puppy or a Piranha?
This week, Finn found his teeth. That means we've been doing some work on settle and impulse control. I am also continuing to work on socialization, loose leash walking and handling. In my posts I focus on the training we are doing … [Read more...]
The Evolution of Darwin
(I am taking a break this month from talking about getting a new dog. Instead, I’m going to use this time to talk about my personal journey with my dog, Darwin, in the hopes that it will be beneficial to others as well.) I’ve been … [Read more...]
Starting off on the Right Paw – Part 2: Choosing a good breeder
Last month, I talked about choosing the right breed in part 1 of my series on “Starting off on the Right Paw”. This month I will talk about finding a good breeder. If you choose to get a purebred puppy, finding a responsible and … [Read more...]
Reading Your Dog – Episode 2
It's been awhile since I posted Episode 1 in this series. I thought this time I'd focus on interactions between dogs and kids. Test Yourself Rate the scenarios below as red light (need to intervene right away), yellow light (might be … [Read more...]
How to Manage Your Dog’s Indoor Energy Level
One of the most common complaints I get from clients is that their dog is constantly pestering them for attention. Picture the scene - you come home from a long day of work and sit down on the couch to relax. Except that you can't relax … [Read more...]
Do e-collars speed learning in dogs?
Have you ever considered using an electronic collar (aka e-collar or shock collar) to train your dog? Perhaps you advocate against their use or feel they can be helpful in certain situations. The use of e-collars (one form of positive … [Read more...]
A Brief Primer on Punishment and Reinforcement
Would you like to improve your understanding of your dogs' behavior? What about the behavior of your family, friends and co-workers? If you really want to understand behavior (and training) then it is absolutely critical that you … [Read more...]
Review: Dogs: Their Secret Lives (TV series)
If you’re like me, you drink up as much quality programming on dog behavior as you can find. I recently learned of a new show in the UK called “Dogs: Their Secret Lives”. The show is hosted by Mark Evans who used to be the chief … [Read more...]
How do we make our dogs happy?
What does it take to make your dog happy? For one thing, lots of free treats, right? Maybe not. A recent study by Swedish researchers looked at how dogs react to getting “free”, unpredictable rewards versus working to earn predictable … [Read more...]