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

When I created the Treat & Train® (originally called MannersMinder), in 2004, it was marketed as a product to train dogs to lie down calmly when visitors come to the door.  However, my intention was that trainers would help owners use it for all kinds of situations where they could reward dogs for good behavior while the owners were away from them.  Luckily both trainers and owners are catching on and using it for issues ranging from separation anxiety, agility, impulse control issues, and more. In this blog, one dog owner, Juanita Boutwell from Napa, California, recounts her success in using the Treat

   Pooch Treat House: For those of you who want something economical and unique, this $5.00 toy is perfect. Just watch me demonstrate.     jonesydec15 8053       First you take a ball, and hmmm….     jonesydec15 8054     Drop it in the hole.     jonesydec15 8055    And then….. Ooh. Here it comes.    jonesydec15 8056      Hey. Jackpot. A treat falls out!     jonesydec15 8057      All gone! I guess I should drop the ball in the hole again!      This toy has suction cups on the bottom so it sticks to the floor. It’s also

At first we gave the insulin but then Mochi started hiding from us. We didn’t want to make her hate us, so we discountinued the treatment even though we knew that without she wouldn’t live long. How many times have you heard something like this where a client fails to carry through with treatment because the treatment ruins her bond with her pet? If the treatment is an injection of some sort, this type of situation should not happen because it’s easy to train cats to love getting injections and this comfort with injections can be taught in just a

It’s one thing to show class participants how to perform certain exercises and to have them practice in class but providing an opportunity to practice them in the context closer to real life using games and prizes turns a regular class into a spectacular event! We did just this in our first ever Learn to Earn Scavenger Hunt at my house last week, which was week five of a six-week beginning dog training class. The class was comprised of first-time dog owners, experienced dog owners, as well as humans who foster dogs for shelters and rescue groups. What the Learn

One of the most important aspects of any profession is to continue practicing your skills and to continue working on a variety of techniques. As a result, once or twice a week, the staff along with volunteers gets together for either a presentation or hands-on training.