Finding the right dog for you doesn’t necessarily mean getting a puppy. Other than the puppy I had as a child, all of my dogs have been adults and they’ve been wonderful! I was able to skip the housebreaking/chewing stages and the bonds were just as strong as if I’d raised them from puppyhood. The …
I could never work here!
When you say to an animal shelter or humane society employee “I could never do your job, it would break my heart, I love animals too much” or words to that effect, it sounds like you are saying: 1. That we don’t also love the animals, even though we’ve taken minimum wage (or no wage) …
Food Guarding
Before beginning any kind of behavior modification program take your dog to a veterinarian for a complete physical examination. To treat any kind of behavior problem without first ruling out a physical cause is grossly unfair to the dog. Take a printed copy of this page with you and get your vet’s opinion on whether …
Pack drive
The kind of grooming that will most increase pack drive is grooming every day. This gets your hands all over the dog, the dog working cooperatively with you to turn this way and that so you cover all the hair. Comb the hair completely through with a top-quality comb if it’s long, give the dog …
Nothing in life is free
Undesirable behavior can be caused by many things, including undetected illness. No behavior modification should begin without first taking your dog to a veterinarian for a complete physical examination. The NILIF technique is not intended to be a substitute for an in-person, professional evaluation of your dog’s behavior. Update: I use the word “pack” a …
Social isolation: A technique for treating dominance confusion in dogs
First things first If your dog’s aggression toward you is a new behavior it is mandatory that you have him examined by a veterinarian before beginning this treatment. Everything from thyroid dysfunction to low brain levels of seratonin to an abscessed tooth can cause aggressive behavior. Even if the dog isn’t displaying new behavior if …
Social isolation: A technique for treating dominance confusion in dogsRead More
Canine handling in a clinical setting
As of a few years ago, graduates of veterinary schools and veterinary technician schools often told me that they were taught that you have to “show the dog who’s boss” by applying fear-based techniques when confronted with an uncooperative pet. This is based on a presumption that all dogs should display a submissive posture to all humans. Growls, …
Positive, Negative, Inert
There’s a lot of talk these days about training styles and methods. I suppose there has always been talk about such stuff among dog people. I don’t subscribe to any particular method or style, but I do have something to say about such stuff. Oh, you knew that. 🙂 I believe that whatever methods you …
Kitchen training
I know what it’s like to try to cook, or eat a meal, when you own a perpetually starving dog. My Labradorus goofus, Pierce, acts as if he hasn’t eaten in weeks when there is activity in the kitchen or dining room. He takes every opportunity to search the kitchen floor for molecules of anything …
To breed or not to breed
The dog overpopulation problem in this country is staggering. Millions of young, healthy dogs are euthanized each year because thousands of people are breeding dogs indiscriminately. There are simply not enough homes for these surplus puppies. If you are going breed your dog, you need to have only one real reason for doing so: because …
