Veterinarians, technicians and other dog enthusiasts often ask me about the most efficient way to learn about animal training or to become a trainer. Currently, my best recommendation is the Karen Pryor Academy and others agree. Just ask veterinary technician Debbie Martin, a KPA graduate and co-author of Puppy Start Right: Foundation Training for the Companion Dog. Martin was no beginner when she took the KPA trainer course in 2008. She had been teaching puppy socialization classes in the veterinary hospital where she was employed starting in 1997 and, for three years, she had been the animal behavior technician for Veterinary Behavior Consultations,

When people hear about the Treat&Train®, they frequently ask similar questions. How can the Treat&Train help me train my dog to be calm? Why would I want to use a machine to deliver treats instead of giving them myself by hand? Can I use the device if I have multiple dogs in the house? Here’s one set of pet parents to a spunky Pembroke Welsh Corgi who learned the answer to all three of these questions when they tried the Treat&Train® with their high energy pup. “We have a high-energy dog who had trouble calming down, states owner Jennifer Lundmark.

What would you do if a top-notch electronics gadget company called you up and asked you to help them develop a second rate dog product? If you are like me, you’d tell them their idea wasn’t that great and then pitch some ideas for cool dog products that you’d want to use yourself. That’s what I did in 2003 when the Sharper Image contacted me for assistance. To my surprise they gave a thumbs up. A year later, after two research experiments testing the product and training program out, the Treat&Train® Dog Training System was launched. If you got one

Whether your cat’s as shy in public as a student with stage fright, or enjoys being the center of attention, chances are still good that a trip to the veterinary hospital has him retreating into his shell. According to the Bayer veterinary care usage study funded by Bayer HealthCare LLC, Animal Health Division, fear and stress prompt 39% of owners to take their cats to the vet hospital only in cases of emergencies, and 37.6% of owners feel stressed just thinking about going to the vet. This fear of veterinary visits can be prevented early on by proactively providing kittens with many

Angry Dog Question: My dog loves to jump on people and dogs who pass by. He’s friendly, but often dogs and people aren’t appreciative. Once he even tripped a jogger. He’s ok if we can get 10 feet away but sometimes we can’t get far away. What should we do? Answer: If you already know the patterns for keeping your dog focused on you and can perform these in the presence of distractions relatively close by, you’re 80% there. Here are examples of how you can apply these exercises to situations where you see a human or dog approaching on

Question: My dog knows how to walk on leash but when he sees a cat that he wants to chase or a dog he doesn’t like, he goes bonkers, lunging and barking, and I can barely control him. I try to use treats to get his attention but it doesn’t work. Is there anything else I should do? Answer: You might think the answer is that if you try treats and they don’t work you should move to a method that’s more severe, such as yanking with a choke chain or pinch collar or something so aversive that it makes