I’ve raved to friends about this before, but now it’s earned a spot on the blog. And no, I’m not getting any kickback from this! I’ve had Big Shrimpy dog beds for a long time, nearly two decades, and I’ve been consistently impressed with their durability. There are four Big… Continue reading
Do dogs and other animals have imagination? While scientists now agree that animals are conscious (duh!) and many or most agree they are sentient, it’s harder to say how much creative and meta-thinking animals might do. We can listen to a human child tell us a silly story he’s invented, but the… Continue reading
What does a professional trainer buy for a new puppy? I already have a full complement of Kong toys and other standards, but you can always use a few new items. And sometimes there’s a special gap that needs to be filled — like during travel. (By the way, I’m… Continue reading
So Penny, née Mindy, is a pet dog now. Aside from the obvious things like no longer accompanying us into restaurants, church, grocery stores, etc., her life has changed in other subtle ways. Like, I can feed her what I want now, instead of sticking to a national brand available at… Continue reading
Many clicker trainers are familiar with what is almost universally known by the ridiculously simple name of The Training Game. It’s a shaping game played among humans, and most often a learner is sent from the room while the group determines a (physically and socially safe) behavior to shape, and… Continue reading
Spring came very late to Indiana this year, and I got complacent. With a lot fewer spring storms, I didn’t prep for tornados like I should have. So when the warning sirens went off a few minutes ago and I saw that a tornado had been sighted, I was unprepared.… Continue reading
What a week! Mindy and I traveled to Clicker Expo in Norfolk, Virginia, and because I didn’t want to fly her, we drove. It wasn’t a bad drive, about 12 hours, and I broke it up into two days with a bit of hiking each way. “Not a Real Service… Continue reading
A California puppy haiku: Snow is weird and cold. OMG! You can eat it! Ow-wow-wow brain freeze. Due to a lucky “break” in our cold snap, Mindy experienced only a 70-degree drop in temperature when we arrived home late Monday night. I took her out to urinate on the new… Continue reading
I experienced a little reminder today of why we try to practice “clean” training – clicking without extraneous movements, words or signals that distract the dog or telegraph that a treat is coming. It’s important that the clicker be the most salient signal that reinforcement is on its way; otherwise,… Continue reading
People attending a community event did not sign up to help your rehabilitate a troubled dog; they came to enjoy a social outing. Putting a stressed dog in their midst does not help the dog nor enhance their enjoyment. Continue reading