We had recently moved into our new house, taking with us one young retriever and two cats, Chloe and Mia. It was a quiet neighborhood, with little access to native wildlife, except for a booming field mouse population. We decided that the cats could stay outside during the day, so long as they came in at night. We couldn't decide on a suitable location for a cat door, and, truth be told, we had more pressing things to spend the money on.
Skills for Every Day
A Holiday Gift: Teach Your Cat to Come When Called—Without Saying a Word
By Aidan Bindoff on 12/01/2012Erasing Fear: A Lesson (or Two) on Cues and Shaping
By Clint Matthews on 11/01/2012A note from Karen Pryor:
ALS (All Life Stages) Training: A Well-Behaved Companion for a Lifetime
By Casey Lomonaco on 10/01/2012One of the most encouraging trends in the dog-owning community is the increase in attendance at puppy classes. More and more vets are aware of the considerable benefits of well-run puppy classes taught by qualified professional instructors in a safe, sanitary, and controlled environment. Puppy class is frequently, and correctly, touted as a "behavioral vaccine," a proactive way to prevent behavior problems in adult dogs.
How to Teach Give: A Winning Recipe
By Leah Roberts on 08/01/2012By the time most dogs get to my classes, their owners have already taught them that when they get hold of something special, it's going to be taken away. Most of the time, the owners get upset, yell, and force the object out of their mouths. So, when dogs find that deliciously smelly dead squirrel in the yard, they are more likely to hide the squirrel under the couch than allow their owners to catch them with it.
Podcast: Aggressive Dogs: Nature or Nurture?
By Aidan Bindoff on 07/01/2012In this month's podcast, Aidan Bindoff discusses dogs' aggressive behavior. Aidan asks, "Are aggressive dogs born aggressive, or is the aggression a result of the dog's upbringing and training?" Listen to the podcast (available at the bottom of the page) to learn more about aggression as an operant behavior, and how to deal with the issue in training. Read the original article here.
