News for Dog Behavior

A Dog Trainer Confesses: I Rarely Walk My Dogs!

1 November, 2012

Thanks for another awesome article, Casey Lomonaco @ Rewarding Behaviors Dog Training

http://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/alternatives-to-walking-dogs-exercise-training

"Too often, dog owners are told that more exercise and more walks are the solution to many behavior problems including aggression, reactivity, and separation anxiety. While it is true that a lack of exercise can exacerbate these issues, it's rarely the cause or the cure -- although it is part of the treatment plan.

We should strive to integrate our dogs into our lives. Some of the best-behaved dogs I know never go on leash walks, but instead do virtually everything with their owners. They attend baseball games, go to the hardware store, sit outside a coffee shop, hang out at work, or camp or picnic as a family.   If your dog has behavior issues and cannot engage in these activities, find ones you can do together while you work on your foundation training skills and expand the world you share. Finding ways to make your exercise more engaging will make it less of a chore and more something you can look forward to as a way to unwind at the end of a long day."

Dominance – is it appropriate to explain social relationships between dogs and humans?

18 April, 2012

"It is for this reason that I find it inappropriate for dog owners, those running shelters and/or rescues to rely on methods using punishment in working with dogs who are reactive toward other dogs and/or humans. In addition, this applies to dogs who are fearful in specific situations and/or contexts where confidence building is more appropriate than punishment. In both situations, offensively and defensively reactive dogs are not signs of dominance but rather lack of confidence and trust. Animals lacking confidence are more likely to be reactive, animals who don’t trust owners are likely to be reactive and aggressive." - Joyce D. Kesling, CDBC

Dominance – is it appropriate to explain social relationships between dogs and humans?

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Why You Need A Trainer (Even If You Can't Afford One)

7 February, 2012

Here's a Top Ten list with lots of great information!

Exerpt: 

1. You need a trainer for her knowledge.
The fact of the matter is, if you knew how to handle your dog’s behavior problem, you would have already fixed it. You need someone who understands the complexity of behavior. A good professional will understand things like psychology, ethology, pharmacology, and epidemiology, and how that applies specifically to your dog.

Why You Need A Trainer (Even If You Can't Afford One)

How to Survive Puppy Teething and Nipping

15 July, 2011

For all my clients that have called about this lately ;)

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OCD Behaviors

14 July, 2011

A great description of OCD behavior from Canine Transformations Learning Center -

Obsessive compulsive behaviors can develop because the dog is bored, has too much energy to get rid of, OR they were reinforced for their obsessions by friends, family, or visitors. The OCD dog has learned to work around their owner (i.e., countercontrol) instead of work WITH the owner.

The behaviors are and can be intense attention seeking and often when going through extinction phase could get worse before getting better. Nonaversive training can go a long way in helping a dog's obsessive behaviors start to diminish.