Puppy Training: Are You Asking Too Much, Too Soon?
Conventional advice given will say: don’t reinforce the dog’s behavior when he is “misbehaving”. This may apply to certain situations, for example: don’t pat your dog while he is clawing…
Dog Training Tips
When it Comes to Dog Training, Size Should Not Matter
Featured above: One of my small breed clients Pepin, practicing polite manners She is a good girl…but she freaks out when I move the laundry cart and we can’t really…
Dog Training: Understanding Reinforcement
My dog is stubborn! He doesn’t listen! Wait….really? Maybe the “stubborn” behavior is the result of your own behavior. Maybe you have inadvertently sent out messages that reinforce the dog…
When It Comes To Puppy Training, Timing Is Important
A few days ago as I was walking Zeldi (who is always ready to play with pretty much any dog) when we ran into a woman with her puppy. The…
The Benefits of Positive Reinforcement
Imagine how you would feel if all you were told was: “This is wrong! Try again!” If you do not give any additional information what are the chances of the…
The Ping Pong of Asking for New Behaviors
When teaching a new skill, we usually teach it through successive approximations. It’s like going from a rough sketch to a detailed painting. I have talked previously about comparing behaviors…
How To Teach Your Dog To Greet Humans
Jumping and barking are both highly self-reinforcing behaviors. In plain English that means that the activity is something a dog really enjoys, it feels good and hence the dog will…
Dog Training Tips: Timing Your Rewards and the Pitfalls of Bribing
In my mind, the definition of a reward would be a pleasant consequence for a behavior that one would like to teach or reinforce. Ok, so rewarded behaviors increase in…
Changing Your Frame of Mind When Training Your Puppy
In your mind you paint a picture of your dog’s desired behaviors. The things you’d like to do with your dog, the way your dog is going to interact with…
Rethinking Reward Based Training
When I walk around the city I see all these dogs trained with different approaches. Putting aside the sad fact that there are way too many pinch collars and choke…