Importance Of Crate Training A Puppy

the importance of crate training a puppy

The importance of crate training puppies comes up a lot with clients as it relates to house training, teething and setting the puppy up for success. It just happened again the other day. When out of his crate, the adorable little fur ball has a lot of freedom to run through the house – scampering […]

Reinforced Behaviors Continue

I thought I would share some of a conversation with a client from the other day as it may be helpful to you. It is a reminder to focus on building value for the behaviors you WANT to see.

Using Primary and Secondary Reinforcers In Training

What are primary and secondary reinforcers in dog training?

When it comes to training dogs and other animals, I like to use markers like a click or a word like YES! immediately after a behavior and before I present something my student values like food, a toy, a scratch on the head, or the opportunity to go outside. From an Applied Behavior Analysis perspective, […]

Love Means Using Positive Reinforcement

love means using positive reinforcement

Valentine’s Day is approaching…the holiday of love. The trainer in me loves this quote by B.F. Skinner. Absolutely, love is the use of positive reinforcement and vice versa. In other words, love is about giving those in your life feedback that you like what they are doing by your doing something back that they value.

Add Snuffling To Your Dog’s Enrichment

Feeding your dog with a snuffle mat is a great enrichment activity. With creativity, you can make your own snuffle mat.

How do you feed your dog? There are SO many ways you can make food time, enrichment time. Training is one way. Food dispensing toys are another way. Snuffle mats are yet another option.

Lessons Learned From Chicken Camp

dog training lessons learned from chicken camp

To practice and strengthen my mechanical skills as a trainer, last week…I trained chickens! That’s right. I flew to North Carolina to attend a three-day chicken camp at TeamWorks Dog Training. There, my students were Ellen – a white leghorn, and Jane – a Rhode Island red. I was tasked with teaching them using clicker […]

Tips For Helping Your Dog Feel Safe

If you have a fearful dog, dog training tips to help it feel safe.

The other day I had an appointment for a dog that would react by trying to escape and hide, having an elevated heart rate, stiffened muscles, lowered tail, inability to take food. As soon as I walked in the door, he bolted from one place to another before running into his crate at the far […]

Managing Your Dog’s Arousal Around Kids

dog bite prevention tip - teach your child that wild and crazy play should happen away from your dog.

Parents, just a reminder, we know that many little kids like to run around, jump and yell. However, puppies (and a lot of dogs too) get amped up too just by being around that kind of activity. That can lead to your dog running, jumping, pouncing, nipping or biting, grabbing clothes or grabbing anything.  It […]