dog training | Your Canine Resource

“ALL SHE WANTS IS THE TREAT” – addressing complexities of training with food

By Patti Howard, BS CCS | May 8, 2018

Training dogs with treats is good for a while

Someone out there has put a spell on us. It was, no doubt, the many years of using more traditional style training where the use of food may have been considered ‘bribery’. When I began training in the late ’80’s, I would not have considered it, though there was a man on the horizon, Dr.…

LEASH-WALKING: WHO’S WALKING WHOM?

By Patti Howard, BS CCS | August 1, 2017

Watch your dog's signals to learn how he feels

Let’s bring leash walking into the conversation! 98% of my clients either: Have a request to change leash-walking habits that are occurring with their dogs; They have accepted the fate that walking with their dog on leash is a punishing event that they simply must endure; OR They cease walking altogether. Which one are you? You…

Your Dog Can’t Do Anything Wrong

By Patti Howard, BS CCS | February 20, 2017

Leash training, like any other kind of dog training, benefits both you and your dog

Your Dog Can’t Do Anything Wrong – just consider it a training opportunity What kind of feelings come up when you hear that your dog cannot do anything wrong? Does your primate kick in and defend its position in your relationship? If our dogs aren’t listening it must be because THEY are wrong! Right? From…

A Healthy Canine Thanksgiving Feast

By Patti Howard, BS CCS | November 24, 2015

A healthy, balanced diet, even on holidays, is best for your dog

A Healthy Canine Thanksgiving Feast is No Feast at All Stop Begging Behavior Before It Starts Before we launch into holiday foods for our furries, a behavioral reminder: It takes a long time to reorient begging behavior if you feed from the table on this or any other day. Begging behavior results from reinforcement. In short, dogs…

Treat, Don’t Trick, Your Dog this Halloween

By Patti Howard, BS CCS | October 17, 2015

Avoid costumes unless your dog openly enjoys dressing up

Will You Trick or Treat Your Dog this Halloween? Halloween from a Dog’s Perspective Here are eight ideas to help understand Halloween from your dog’s perspective: Firstly, it matters less that your dog is well socialized to kids on Halloween than whether they are socialized to costumes. For those dog parents who say, “My dog…

Heavy Petting

By Patti Howard, BS CCS | October 15, 2015

Non-stop Loving on Your Dog Could Be Causing Stress When I have a meeting with clients on what motivates their dog’s behavior, heavy petting the dog in the family is fairly consistent. The time I spend with an initial consultation is in observation of body language, is in identifying anxiety- producing situations where communication with…