Be A Teacher Not A Punisher
This is just a simple reminder that our pets were not born knowing what our expectations are of them. If you have not given them good, acceptable choices for using their minds and bodies, they will come up with their own choices, which you may or may not like. Remember, that behavior which gets the animal […]
Understanding Motivation
Motivation. According to the dictionary, it is the state or condition of having a strong reason to act or accomplish something. Think about that for a minute and how that has impacted your ability to learn and achieve goals. Let’s try something. Write down an accomplishment of which you are proud. Then write down the […]
Thoughts On Taming Pet Birds
I have seen and heard so many explanations for ‘taming’ a bird, many involving training a pet bird with some kind of force or punishment. Even before I met my first teacher in behavior, Dr. Susan Friedman the compassionate side of me always had a difficult time understanding those perspectives on animal care.
Happy National Pet Day!
On National Puppy Day, celebrating the sweet faces I have gotten to know through my training. These are a few of them.
Supervising Kids With Dogs Is Not Enough
There is so much written out there about the benefits to kids of having a dog. And, for the majority of families who are reading this, you know this first hand. I know I do. Growing up, I had a very special relationship with our poodle. As a trainer, however, I also now see situations […]
Lessons In Teaching Self Control
This past weekend I attended a fun, two-day workshop on teaching self control by Swedish dog trainer (and border collie breeder) Fanny Gott at PosiDog in Columbus. She and her husband have a training school focusing on clicker training for dog sports.
What To Feed A Pet Bird
When we bring companion psittacine birds into our homes, they are reliant on us to provide them with an environment in which they can thrive. Nutrition is a very important piece of that when it comes to their physical and behavioral health.
Tip For Solving Dog And Puppy Behavior Problems
I was standing and talking with a new client the other day as her puppy was at her feet. The deeper into our conversation we got, the more her puppy began moving around. A few minutes later, he jumped on her leg, grabbed her sweater, and then when she removed it from his mouth, he […]
How To Train A Stubborn Dog
Have you ever wanted to train your pet to be REALLY stubborn, meaning he will NOT do a behavior you ask him to do unless you show him the money or force him to do it? I have seen many people who are actually very good at teaching this brilliance in their pet without realizing […]
Training A Vizsla Puppy
The other day one of my puppy training clients wanted to take pictures of me with her Vizsla puppy, Rosie. When she sent me the photos, she also included this recommendation. I was so flattered. Below is what she sent and also a brief video of me using clicker training to teach her puppy down, stay […]