This usually comes up in the winter when it’s too cold to go outside. But what if it’s pouring rain, or you get home from work and it’s dark, or you’re too tired . . . I’m not a fan of dogs playing mindless fetch. It’s not natural. It ...
Puppies and Poop I’ve heard it said that women always forget the pain of childbirth — otherwise no one would ever have more than one baby! I think the same might be true of raising a puppy. You forget what a pain in the behind it is. I ...
First Things I’m Teaching My Puppy Sit? Down? Stay? Heel? Nope. Her name (of course). “Get your TOY” (If you don’t want a puppy biting your hands, toes, clothes, furniture, other dogs, everything in reach . . . what do you want ...
“NO!”: It’s Not Dog Training People ask me all the time: “Do positive reinforcement trainers ever say “No”? I used to tell people not to say “no” to their dogs. But I quit saying that because I know not a single ...
Many positive reinforcement trainers (which I do identify as) tell people to “ignore bad behavior”. As with much advice, depending on context, that can be a mistake. Or at least it isn’t the whole story. And a huge problem is ...
LIFE SKILLS FOR DOGS Obedience training teaches your dog specific skills and to respond to specific cues from you. This is important, but your dog should also have general life skills that will help him get along well in human society. ...
First, make good choices • Kittens and puppies usually meet and adjust to other species more easily than adult cats and dogs. Animals socialized to other species when they are young are much more likely to be friendly to them as ...
There are two main ways to train dogs: either with aversives (usually called punishment) or with rewards (positive reinforcement). Either way can work. Why should you choose positive reinforcement? The key to training dogs is to know ...
