Pet Supplies and Product Reviews

Should we teach our dogs YES and NO or should we study their language? When I encountered the idea of choice in dog training  for the first time, I was fascinated. I still am, but there is much more to it than meets the eye. And while it does sound great, limiting choice is an important tool in positive reinforcement training. By managing the environment and therefore limiting choices we set our dogs up for success. Positive reinforcement training has become the choice of a lot of qualified and accredited dog trainers and the laws of learning still apply but we have started questioning if the dog really has to do as told, always ... WHY SHOULD WE BOTHER WITH CHOICES? A fundamental condition for wellbeing is the control the outcome of our actions. Choice is empowering ! There is not much research for dogs but it makes sense to assume that it is similar for them as it is for us. Anecdotal evidence suggests that dogs prefer having choices ... One reason why I am interested in this top...

Barking is a common, frustrating problem for many dog owners. It can cause anything from mild annoyance to neighbourly disputes to formal disciplinary council action. In addition to being hugely stressful to owners, nuisance barking is potentially very dangerous for the dog. Barking can sadly lead to harsh unnecessary punishment, erosion of the human-animal bond and a higher risk of surrender and premature euthanasia. In some extreme cases, barking can lead to dogs being maliciously poisoned.  For all these reasons, barking is an issue warranting solid understanding and appropriate intervention. Barking has previously received little exploration among the scientific community, despite being one of the most conspicuous features of dog behaviour. WHAT DOES BARKING MEAN? Barking is a vocal form of communication, used for both dog-to-dog and dog-to-people communication. However barking comes in many forms, has more nuances and carries far more information than we think.  Emerging...

Separation Anxiety is alarmingly, a fairly common disease among our companion dogs.  It is devastating and debilitating to the lives of these suffering animals and their human family members. Separation anxiety is also a huge contributing factor to the surrender and relinquishment of dogs in our society. Separation anxiety is more aptly termed “separation distress” or “separation panic”.  WHAT IS SEPARATION ANXIETY EXACTLY? It is diagnosed when there are consistent signs of distress (physical, physiological, behavioural) exhibited by the animal in the absence of and/or lack of access to social company ie. either when they are alone or when they cannot get to their companion. Importantly, Separation Anxiety (SA) is not normal. It is a disease . It is normal for dogs to enjoy our company and social interaction, and to want to be with us but it is not normal for them to experience anxiety and panic when left alone.With this in mind however, I will qualify by saying that over the ...