House-Training Dogs Who are Visiting Your Home

My inquisitive canine Poncho the dog was working overtime yesterday (while hubby and I were stuck in traffic) to help our friend Karen Lee Stevens of All For Animals. She had written to us about providing a few dog training tips she could use while taking care of a foster dog Tinker during the holidays. Poncho did an excellent job of providing dog training tips on his Poncho's Prose blog, including making sure she was creating pleasant associations...

APDT Announces January 2010 as Official Dog Training Month!

The Association of Professional Dog Trainers has recently announced that January is "National train your dog month!" Perfect timing! What better way to begin the new year? This is one new years resolution that should be at the top of your list. For those adopting a new puppy or adult dog you might want to sign up for a dog training class or even private dog training sessions. For those seasoned dog guardians wanting to do something different with...

Help During the Grieving Process With the Loss of a Beloved Pet

My friend Colleen Mihelich is an animal lover and pet loss expert who founded Peternity - a company dedicated to helping others celebrate the life and love of their furry friends. She also has the wonderful and informative Peternity blog, where she offers heartfelt stories, along with enlightening guidance on how to cope when you do lose a beloved pet. I know I dread the day, but I am comforted knowing she will be there for me if and when that day...

Animal Rescue Groups Great Options for Gifts and Recognition

Whether it be a holiday celebration that unites the entire planet, or one in which we celebrate an individual person gifts are something we think about year long. What's another option for giving when you've run out of ideas, or you just want to do something different? How about donating to a special non-profit group? For my complimentary webinars I ask attendees if they want to give back in some way that a donation to one of the above charities,or...

This Dog Trainer Can Trust Her Own Dog, and the Dog Training

We had a little incident at our home this evening. Yep, I admit, this dog trainer isn't perfect and neither are the rest of the humans in the household. However, Poncho, my inquisitive canine and trusty dog behavior advice column sidekick seemed to be spot on tonight, (although I admit my fast twitch muscle fibers were working well). What was the issue? We had a cookie malfunction: my darling husband was carrying a cookie and half of it fell out...

The Use of Physical Punishment in Dog Training: The Dark Half

Had a call from a wonderful dog guardian today looking for a dog training class here in Ventura that not only uses "positive reinforcement" but that avoids the use of items such as prong collars and choke chains. Whoo boy did she come to the right place!!! I was happy that this certified professional dog trainer could offer her just what she wanted! I felt like contradicting Mick and telling this person "You CAN always get what you want!" We had...

Dangerous Outcome Could Come to Tomato Loving Labrador

My trusty sidekick Poncho and I received a dog behavior question for Dear Inquisitive Canine column about a fun-loving lab mix that enjoys eating all of the homegrown tomatoes in his yard. The dog guardian who wrote in was a little annoyed with this hunting activity, I believe more so because she didn't have any to eat herself! Hmm, that would be annoying - especially when you're craving fresh tomatoes for your evening meal, and there aren't any...

Getting All Choked Up Over the Use of Coercion in Dog Training

Maybe it's the latest applied behavior analysis class I've just taken, maybe it's the decongestant and antihistamine stupor I'm in, but it occurred to me, just now, that maybe I need to try a new approach when speaking to those who still prefer to use choke, prong and Citronella collars to train their dogs. Being of the positive reinforcement, humane, least intrusive approach to training dogs type of dog trainer, this means when I hear or see people...

Are Dog Breed Biases Really History Repeating Itself?

As a society, isn't it time people use their critical thinking skills and take the time to get educated? The dog picture is of a Pit Bull Terrier - before all of the body altering. Remember: nature, nurture, and above all, a product of our environment. Violence begets violence! Banning breeds isn't going to make people smarter - just more fearful....

Are We Breeding Shelter Dogs?

I've been up in Oakland at the APDT annual conference for the past few days. Yesterdays Fear and Anxiety in Dogs symposium had some good information, but one topic I'm quite passionate about is the issues with dogs ending up in shelters. Whose fault is it? In my professional certified dog trainer opinion, it's certainly not the dogs. I don't believe it's anyones intention for dogs to end up in shelters, even breeders. Just like when parents have...

Holiday Gift Boutique a Benefiting Ventura Humane Society Sunday November 15th

The Inquisitive Canine is happy to report that we will be hosting our second annual Holiday Gift Boutique benefiting our local Ventura County Humane Society. It was such a success last year, we've decided to have it again!A few details of the event:Date: Sunday, November 15, 2009Time: 1:00 - 4:00 PMPlace: The Inquisitive Canine Training Studio 2159 Palma Drive, Suite D, Ventura CA 93003Each vendor will be donating a percentage of their sales to the...

Not All Domestic Dogs Enjoy Being Bathing Beauties

Throughout the summer, and even heading into our warm-weathered Fall, Poncho and I have received a few questions through our Dear Inquisitive Canine dog behavior advice column from dog guardians regarding their dogs "freaking out" when it came to swimming pools. The dogs either didn't want to go anywhere near it, or would bark and patrol the area when...

Using the Term Aggression to Label Domestic Dogs is Just Name Calling!

I hear the phrase "my dog is aggressive" or "my dog is being dominant" all too often. Before jumping to conclusions and "diagnosing" the dog, it's my job, as a certified professional dog trainer, to sift through the subjectiveness and labels that go along with what the human is trying to describe. I want to know what the dog is actually doing, not what he or she might be thinking. I know there are folks out there claiming to be pet psychics - well,...

Dog Training Tips For Prevention and Training of "Aggression"

All too often I hear "my dog is aggressive". Although this is a subjective term, I do take this matter of dog aggression seriously. As a professional certified dog trainer I feel it's important to not only be able to train and educate the dog and the family, like the students who attend my Ventura dog training classes, but to help prevent such situations from occurring in the first place. Just like we have preventative medicine for humans, we need...

Savvy Dog Owners Make Dog Training Class Rewarding

I LOVE my "job"! Being a certified professional dog trainer has so many rewarding elements. I get to:Work with dogsWork with dog guardiansHelp the human-canine relationship through better bonding.Help problems be resolved through fun and rewarding techniques. I really appreciate people taking the time to be inquisitive. Just last night at my Canine...

Training Your Dog Using the KISS Principle

I often say to my dog training class students and private dog training clients there is more than one way to train a dog. It's nice to have choices. As a certified professional dog trainer, and one whose techniques are rooted in the science camp of animal training, I say "keep it simple!" Why make things harder on yourself? You'll just end up making it harder for your dog too. Einstein said: "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex...It...

Interactive Dog Training Game That’s Fun and Rewarding for Both Owner and Dog - A Pawsitive Solution for Dog Training!

I'm off to a trade show in Las Vegas today, but I first had to share my latest press release. I've been blogging about my new interactive dog training game and how it's great for dogs of all ages and skill levels - not to mention it's fun for both you and your dogSo please check out my our new press release and feel free to pass it along to anyone...

Walking Your Dog on Leash Doesn't Have to Be a Huge Production

"My dog pulls like a maniac when I walk him on leash!" "My dog barks at everything when we're out walking." "My dog wants to pull me down the street whenever she sees something run by - even a leaf!" These comments are just a few examples of what I hear every day from various dog owners. Whether it be attendee's in my dog training classes, my private...

Shaping Your Dogs Behavior: Stop, Look, Listen, and Maybe Change Your Own Behavior First

When it comes to getting our dogs to change their behavior, sometimes it's best to change our own behavior first. As a certified professional dog trainer, and loving dog mom to Poncho the dog, one element of communication that I've learned is more important than many others is the art of listening. And with our pet dogs, listening also means observing since body language is a dogs first language. One of our latest Dear Inquisitive Canine advice...

Controversy in Management Route For Dog Aggression

The July 24th 2009 L.A. Times story about a dog named Cotton whose guardian treated his aggression situation with a medical procedure called "Canine Disarming" (filing down of teeth to help prevent bite damage). She had initially tried some behavior modification, even went to the self-proclaimed Dog Whisperer. But it was the dental procedure that stirred up a lot of controversy, at least according to Craig Nakano, the journalist whose follow-up article...

Making Dog Walking Outings More Fun For Your Dog & You

As Poncho and I were on our evening stroll today here in Ventura, we played our "let's say hi to our neighbor dogs as we walk by" game, which made it a lot more fun - for the both of us! Every time we walked by a house where the dogs started barking, I'd say *Hi!*, mention their names (there's Mookie, Zorro, Nick, Guinness and Waylon, red house dog,...

Violence Begets Violence in Pet Dogs Too - Yippee For Dog Behavior Studies!

"Do unto others" I say - especially when it comes to teaching my dog training classes and private dog training clients. The last thing I would ever want when learning a knew skill or being taught how to "behave" is to be yelled at or smacked! So why is this acceptable with our pets? In the dog training classes and other dog training services I offer, it's not! That's one reason people come to me in the first place.It seems that there are some provocative...

Out of the Box Dog Training Game: All About Skill Level

The following is a most excellent question from one of my wonderful inquisitive canine students - thought I'd share it with everyone, just in case you have the same question.Hi Joan - I have a question regarding your new Out of the Box Dog Training Game. When practicing with my dogs Ady & Ashley, I'll want to take them from beginner to intermediate (and eventually to advanced) for certain behaviors, BUT I can't remember what differentiated one...