broc A reader who uses Gentle Leader head collars regularly in training recently asked me about the use of the head collar. States the reader, “I have gotten myself totally confused and need help sorting it out. What category of operant conditioning does the head collar use fall under? Negative punishment? Positive reinforcement? Negative Reinforcement? Positive punishment?” You might think that being able to correctly determine the category of operant conditioning is just a scientific exercise; however, it’s much more than that. For instance, say you read an ad for a product that says it uses negative reinforcement to stop

Dogs come in to the veterinary hospital and to our various handling labs wearing a variety of collars and harnesses.  While all of these collars and harnesses are sold online or in stores, some are not necessarily healthy or safe for all dogs. In this article, I provide a summary of the pros and cons of some of the various collars and harnesses for dogs. Rolled or flat collars Martingales Choke chains Pinch collars Front-attaching harnesses: Easy Walk Harness, Walk-in-Sync Harness, Freedom Harness. Head halters: Gentle Leader, Snootloop     Flat and Rolled Collars Flat Collar Flat collars provide an easy

In the last blog, I presented an overview and the reasons behind my version of the Learn to Earn Program. In this blog I will cover the basic steps. #1 First Teach Your Dog to Automatically Say Please By Sitting for Treats (Read Perfect Puppy in 7 Days, section 5.2 and watch Say Please By Sitting). Just hold a treat when you have a hungry dog (on leash) and quietly wait for her to sit. Once she sits, immediately give her a treat (kibble or treats) followed by a few more sequentially for remaining seated. Then take a few steps backwards, far

Humans can develop the needed communication skills while training dogs to have self-control and emotional control in one fun, reward-based program called the Learn to Earn Program. In this program, humans gain leadership by controlling all the resources that motivate the pet and requiring the pet willingly work for these items instead of getting them for free. The focus is on using all valued resources to reward desirable behaviors while simultaneously removing the rewards for undesirable behavior.

All of these posters and more can be found for free download in the Resources section. Some posters are available for purchase in the Low Stress Handing® store. 4-in-1 Poster The 4 most popular posters are all in one great poster. Perfect for clinics, waiting rooms, and boarding facilities. Body Language of Feline Anxiety Poster The first step to keeping animals calm is understanding their way of communicating with us, humans. The Body Language of Feline Anxiety poster covers the most important cues to cat behavior. Body Language of Fear in Dogs Poster Every year over 4.5 million people are

You’ve all heard the saying, “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day, Teach a man to fish and feed him for a liftetime.” This saying holds true for training animals and understanding pets. Instead of just memorizing techniques, people have shown it’s essential to understand learning principles which you can apply to many situations. That way you can come up with solutions to situations that are new to you and your dog and can also better determine which techniques may be more appropriate. One new puppy owner, a reader of the Art and Science of Animal Behavior