‘Its just behavior’ she says! Working with dogs for many years, I’ve experienced allot of behavior that I could have taken personally. From humping, lunging, nipping and outright jaws clamping on my arm to ignoring me completely. Through all of it, I’ve never taken offense to these behaviors because dog behavior is neutral to me; its just behavior. My responsibility lies in how … Read More
Moving through the grief
Still moving through the grief of letting Sadie Mae go. 6 weeks since I’ve become dogLESS. Taking 1 day at a time as I’ve done with the passing of all my dogs. However, the most notable difference this time: no other dog to distract me. No excited greetings when I come through the door. No whining, shoe carrying, wiggly butt to … Read More
Puppy Nipping: Normal & Not Personal Pt.2
In my last post, I talked about how to get proactive to help yourself and your puppy get through the nipping stage that ALL puppies go through. This stage in a pups life is a very short one but getting through it can tax even the most patient person so setting yourself up for success just makes sense and involves … Read More
Puppy Nipping: Normal & Not Personal Pt. 1
Something you need to know before you get a puppy: They Bite! They can bite hard. It can hurt. It can look like aggressive behavior (its not). It can be very frustrating if your not prepared and ready for it. Whether you call it nipping or biting, the fact is that all puppies do it. Some nip harder than others but … Read More
Brain Games
My favorite exercise for dogs is engaging them mentally. In addition to exercise and spending some time together outside, the ‘find it’ game engages Sadie Mae in a deeper way on our walks. I use a treat or ball or a stick as the object(s) to search and find. I also use brain stimulating games in the house. These are … Read More
My feature in Kelowna’s IN FOCUS
I was featured in the Kelowna on line magazine “In Focus” January 2, 2014. Click on our photo to find out more about me, Catherine Adams.
Premack Principle: Give the dog what he wants in order to get what you want!
The Premack Principle Definition: more probable behaviors will reinforce less probable behaviors I love the Premack Principle. I’ve really taken to applying it to Sadie Mae’s training and teaching my clients to use it in their own dog’s training regime. It might be a little hard to understand at first but when you see it in action, its easy … Read More
‘Go Sniff!” Say Whaaat?
If there is one thing I’ve learned working with dogs its that physical exercise is not the complete answer to giving our dogs a ‘work out’. They also need a mental work out. Dogs need to use their brains more often than we give them opportunity to. Unfortunately, its often not considered as important as physical exercise. There is no Sudoku for … Read More
My reactive dog; My Teacher.
Before Sadie Mae, I had never been a guardian to a reactive dog. It was a world completely unknown to me. Before 2004, I didn’t have a clue what was going on with a dog that barked and acted aggressively at the end of the leash. My advice was to U turn or walk on the other side of … Read More
Understanding the Reactive Dog Class
On a few occasions when I’ve mentioned that Reactive Dog Class is NOT about socializing, I get a blank stare. The next question is: How do we ‘fix’ the reaction problem if we don’t socialize? That’s a fair question. At first it make sense that we should be getting the dog out there and expose them to what scares them and expect … Read More