It’s the New Year and no doubt many have vowed to exercise and get into shape.  But when you wake up in the morning do you look at your dog and feel guilty that you’re working out instead of playing with him? Well, here’s a short and easy indoor workout routine that includes treats and training for your dog and exercise for you. It’s a set of short warm-up, balance and conditioning exercise that you can do up to 7 days a week either as a way to ease into the day or as a prelude to a more rigorous

What do you do when you have a patient like this and you’ve just put her into her cage or run? Now it’s time to remove her leash. Do you carefully reach towards the neck to loosen the slip lead and hope that you don’t get snapped at or bitten? Or do you leave the leash on and hope it loosens on its own before it gets caught on something and possibly tightens? The solution is to make your own easy-to-loosen slip lead by tying a string to the ring that determines the size of the noose. When you pull

Everyone who is serious about understanding animals and modifying behavior knows the research of B.F. Skinner well. But only a few have met him personally. In her new book The Science of Consequences: How They Affect Genes, Change the Brain, and Impact Our World, author Dr. Susan Schneider reveals some of the lessons she learned during her 15 year friendship with the Father of Operant Conditioning. She shares some of her stories in an interview with me. Question: How did you get to know B.F. Skinner? Answer: I wrote Fred after reading some of his work for a high school psychology

Animal trainers, teachers, pet owners, and parents who are new to science-based teaching often ask if there is proof that positive reinforcement works better than aversives as if the research doesn’t exist. Hundreds of studies have been performed that have revealed many adverse effects of punishment. And in The Science of Consequences: How They Affect Genes, Change the Brain, and Impact Our World, author Dr. Susan Schneider, a behavior analyist, reveals the research that shows the effectiveness of positive consequences. She shares some of the findings in this recent interview. Question: In your book, The Science of Consequences: How They Affect Genes, Change

Have you ever wondered why your dog, cat, bird, or 3 year old child are so adept at whining, screeching or complaining until you finally give in? Or why you always fall into that cycle of resisting at first but later bend to their wishes? Now, biopsychologist and behavior analyst, Dr. Susan Schneider, has written a fascinating book titled, “The Science of Consequences: How They Affect Genes, Change the Brain, and Impact Our World,” that reveals it all. Schneider’s area of study focuses on nature-nurture relations, mathematical modeling of behavior, and the principles of learning from consequences, which, along with

Question: I have had my new puppy for a couple of days now, and I have had her at my side nearly all the time, whether tethered directly to me or to a piece of furniture near me, so I can keep an eye on her as Dr. Yin suggested in Perfect Puppy in 7 Days. However, this seems to have resulted in my puppy becoming EXTREMELY attached to me, because we are always together. Unless she takes a nap and I put her in her crate, or it’s nighttime and she is in the crate, we’re not separated at all.