Even though few of us are fluent in the many dog languages, most of us can tell the difference between a friendly dog and an unfriendly one. The … Continued
Conditioning is one of those terms people understand generally, but not specifically. I hear it used incorrectly by ‘dog trainers’ when they can’t explain a behaviour, much less change that behaviour. Here is a clinical definition of conditioning: In the … Continued
Using ‘Dominance’ To Explain Dog Behavior Is Old Hat A new study shows how the behaviour of dogs has been misunderstood for generations: in fact using misplaced ideas about dog behaviour and training is likely to cause rather than cure … Continued
Whether you are training a dog to sit, or working with a serious behavioural issue like aggression, there is one key ingredient that is necessary for success: Deference. What is Deference Deference is simply defined as the dog understanding that … Continued
The biggest challenge in behavior work is determining why therapies work for some people and not for others. I have thought about this over the years and has worked diligently on giving better service to the clients, communicating effectively and … Continued
Dog kills newborn in Alberta community, that was the headline I was reading while I drank my coffee. As a father of 3 my reaction was sadness, as a dog behaviourist my reaction was frustration. As I read the scant … Continued
What is aggression? Aggression occurs in dogs for a number of reasons which we will discuss in this article. It varies generally from dog to dog, but occurs most frequently in socially mature and intact male dogs, (Reisner, 1997). It … Continued
Summary Over recent years there has been an increasing interest in the application of what we know about wolf behaviour to our understanding of the behaviour of our domestic dogs. While this may have helped to increase our appreciation of … Continued