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.

Question: My husband and I have a 10-week old yellow lab named Avery.  We brought her home 3 weeks ago, at the age of 7 weeks, and have been using the methods we learned from your book, Perfect Puppy in 7 Days, to teach her to say please and to sit for everything. It is going well, and Avery is becoming a good puppy…not perfect!  She likes to bite us A LOT. We try to give her something else and reward her for not biting, or for stopping, but she still likes to do it!  That will just take time, I

“We were on a cruise in Juneau when we got the report,” says the client sitting across from me. “The surgeon had to open his intestines in three places and they found part of a sock and a shoe. Three feet of the intestines was severely swollen and the intestines were close to busting open.” Dan explained that the surgery had gone well but this time Barnaby was septic, meaning that his illness had caused bacteria to spill into the blood causing a system-wide infection. “We immediately flew home to see him. He was emaciated and his prognosis was bad.