The Compassionate Dog Trainer
Empathy is one of the most important skills we possess as humans. The ability to understand and relate to another person’s feelings from their point of view rather than our own. This provides healthy relationships in both our personal and professional lives. Empathy allows us to show compassion. Compassion is necessary when training dogs. Each […]
Why does my dog follow me around from the moment I walk in the door from work?
Why does my dog follow me around from the moment I walk in the door from work? We recently had this question to us. We like to invite our ISCDT students to reflect on the question before reading our response. Find out if your answer matches ours. Here is our response to this dog owner: There […]
Can Poor Dog Training Be Corrected?
Can Poor Dog Training Be Corrected? Yes! But it is not a fast fix. It will take work and time. The dog believes the behavior is appropriate because the human reinforces this behavior with their response, or lack thereof. Of course, this isn’t anything dog trainers don’t already know. Often, the most difficult part of […]
Puppy Temperament Testing
Photo-by-Ezequiel-Garrido-on-Unsplash When we walk into a store, kennel or rescue looking for a dog, we allow our hearts to steer us in making a decision. While all puppies have adorable, sweet faces, their personalities are as individual as human personalities and temperaments. What if you could determine which puppy is best suited for your family? […]
How Anthropomorphism Can Hurt Dog Training Efforts
What is anthropomorphism? Anthropomorphism is assigning human characteristics to an object or animal. Anthropomorphism is a human trait – a pattern of behavior that was introduced to us at an early age. Think back to your childhood. Our families humanized dolls, stuffed animals, even rocks. Cartoon animals were dressed in clothing and given a voice. […]
Why Does My Dog Lick and Hump Me?
In this blog we will answer a question from one of our podcast followers. He wanted to know: Why does my dog lick and hump me? I am going to begin with the humping issue and then follow with the licking issue. Why do dogs hump? Humping can be sexual in nature, especially for young, […]
Why Do Puppies Bark At Their Reflection?
What do puppies see when they look in the mirror? Most will see a playmate, while some others view the reflection as a canine intruder. One thing dogs will never understand is that they are looking at THEIR OWN reflection. Their brains are not wired the same way human brains are, meaning unlike us, dogs […]
Tips To Desensitize Your Dog to Face Masks
If the summer months don’t provide enough fearful triggers for our dogs– we’re talking fireworks and thunderstorms — this year we can add face masks to the list of possible reactivity issues. Throughout most of the United States, people are asked (or mandated) to wear facial masks while in public to prevent the spread of […]
Know A Dog Who Fears Family Members? 10 Helpful Ideas
One of the most upsetting situations for a family with a newly adopted dog is learning that the dog fears one or more family members. Very often this fear is not realized until after the dog is in the home for a week or two. By that time the rest of the family has formed […]
Get Your Dog to Follow Commands Around Distractions
Your dogs refuse to follow commands that they know. What causes them to ignore you? Dominance? Stubborn behavior? Lack or respect? Human error? Well, my friend you likely failed to generalize the dog’s behavior. What does generalizing mean? Ability to complete a task in every situation and environment. Once humans learn a behavior, we maintain […]