There is so much that's exciting about bringing home a new dog. For me, the best part is anticipating the new bond and complex relationship that will form between the new dog and the rest of the family. However, for some families, this … [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...]
To Breed or Not to Breed?
I started my professional dog career as a shelter volunteer, then as a shelter staff member. For many years, my mantra has always been to rescue dogs. All of the dogs I’ve had as an adult have been rescued from one source or another as … [Read more...]
A family day trip to Lake Champlain
One of the things I love about living where we do is that there are so many interesting places to visit within a few hours’ drive. Back in early August, we decided to make a day trip to Burlington, VT via a ferry ride across Lake … [Read more...]
A Changed Dog: Musings on the importance of enrichment in dogs
My dog, Darwin, is one of the most laid back dogs I’ve ever known. With the exception of tracking (he is mostly beagle), he doesn’t generally get excited about anything. That includes food, toys and people or other dogs. He appears to … [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...]