WHAT HAPPENS AT THE DOG PARK…

WHAT HAPPENS AT THE DOG PARK…

Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Dog parks attended by well informed, responsible dog owners can certainly be a fun place for all. The reality is that not all dogs enjoy the dog park. Many dogs, once they have reached social maturity lose interest in interacting with...
Mat Training

Mat Training

Wouldn’t you just love to have a dog that settled on a mat, no matter where that mat was? Teaching the settle on the mat is wonderful for all dogs, particularly the excited, anxious, nervous and energetic ones. Imagine enjoying a lovely tête-à-tête with your loved one...
A dog’s state of mind

A dog’s state of mind

Dogs are constantly forming emotional associations that inform their decisions. Is it safe, unsafe, dangerous, good, bad or neutral ?  This associative learning is also called classical conditioning or Pavlovian conditioning, named after Ivan Pavlov, the Russian...

Board & Train

If you google “Board & Train”, you’ll find everything from compelling reasons why it’s a brilliant idea to strong deterrents aimed at showing why it’s a waste of your hard earned money. When you are dealing with challenging...
TRAUMA & PTSD

TRAUMA & PTSD

I’m sorting through binders and binders of notes taken at various conferences I attended in the last decade. Some of the information is now dated and some is still quite relevant. I stumble upon notes taken during a talk by Dr. Patricia McConnell. Her topic was...