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Bumping The Threshold pt.2
In the first Bumping the Threshold post I talked about cued behaviors--Look at that, look at me, and touch/hand target. Keeping a dog "operant" or able to think in a stressful situation is important and these type of cued behaviors keep a dog thinking and working. ...
read moreTaking a quick break
It's the week before my students graduate so it was a busy day at class and I'm struggling to concentrate and get my post written in a cohesive manner... So please accept this silly video as a substitute. It is more fun pond footage along with the multi-toy game I...
read moreDo the threshold bump!
There is a distance for a reactive dog where they can see another dog and not go into total meltdown mode--this may be 15ft or this may be 150ft. They may stare or focus on the other dog but they don't respond with a reaction as an immediate response. This is the...
read moreConditioned Emotional Response
So, here's the deal, I'd love to be able to feature specific stories and give examples of how I would approach a specific situation (based on the details made available). I'd like to post the information of the specific situation and respond to how I would approach...
read moreRethinking Reactivity
Last week's poll yielded some not so surprising results. There were (last I checked) a few more votes for reactivity than It's Yer Choice which works out since I can't find my video camera to get footage for an IYC video. I will probably end up writing a bit about...
read moreKeep it cool
Like I mentioned yesterday, it is crazy hot and humid right now in my area. Yesterday was 96°F with a heat index of 107°F (so what it feels like outside) and today looks to be about the same. At the time of writing this (which I admit is after midnight), it is still...
read moreBelated Birthday Bash
Well, yesterday was my birthday and the tradition over the last few years has been to spend the day with the dogs doing something adventurous before celebrating in the evening. I had planned on today's blog being about our birthday excursion but... mother nature...
read moreBuilding Behaviors By Making Rules
Although I might have specific training sessions when working on a new behavior or refining one when a fast rate of reinforcement is important, I often don't actually have training sessions. I have built a variety of behaviors by just setting rules and changing those...
read moreLife Lessons
There are a few things I think of as foundational experiences for dogs. These are things that I feel all dogs (pets) should absolutely have an understanding of and have positive experiences with. I think ALL dogs (who are family pets) should be exposed to being put...
read moreAmazing weekend!
I'm writing this post while sitting on a semi-uncomfortable bed in a hotel room nearly 400 miles from my home. It's my birthday this week and as my present to myself I took a mini-vacation to Central New York to visit with friends and go lure coursing. To say the...
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