We train dogs one human at a time using positive research-based methods.

An Ounce of Prevention…

18/04/03 at 9.40am   /   by Beth Friedman   /   0 Comment

An Ounce of Prevention…

It is very rare that an unwanted behavior will develop overnight. With the exception of some medical issues being a cause of behavior, most unwanted behaviors develop over time, sometimes slowly. What happens too often is that the hints of an unwanted behavior start to manifest but the pet parent figures, “it’s not that bad, I can deal with it.” Unfortunately, many of these behaviors do not stay the way they are. Often they get worse. Sometimes, much worse. That is when we get called in to help. However, by then the behaviors are typically severe and well practiced. This means it will take longer and be more challenging to change, requiring more time and more effort. Furthermore, what could have been corrected in a single session or perhaps just a few sessions at first, now will require many in-depth, focused sessions to turn around. This can be somewhat expensive and emotionally exhausting. While most problems are not the fault of the pet parents, it can feel that way. We have support groups just for people dealing with “special needs” pets as this can be taxing on the humans.

…is truly worth a pound of cure

One way to prevent all of this is to reach out for help at the first signs of a problem and get our professional help early. We would much rather help you prevent a behavior from becoming severe than to see you go through the difficulty of dealing with a canine companion that is experiencing severe discomfort, fear, or anxiety. Just as in medicine, detecting and addressing a medical issue early greatly improves the prognosis and likelihood of a cure. Detecting and correcting a behavioral issue early, greatly improves the outcomes. Your canine companion will thank you for it with everlasting love.

An ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure.

“He only listens if I have a treat.”

16/02/05 at 11.42am   /   by Beth Friedman   /   0 Comment

WORDS OF WOOFDOM – “He only listens if I have a treat.”

“My dog only listens to me when he knows I have a treat.” We hear this from clients often.  So what is a pet parent to do? The answer is simple, when teaching your canine a new behavior, it is helpful to reinforce (treat) continuously. That is treat every time your canine does the behavior you are teaching as a reward for doing what you asked. However, once your canine companion knows the behavior and responds quickly and consistently, then it is time to reinforce with food intermittently or only some of the time. Start by only reinforcing every other time, then every fourth, then every tenth, and so on. Think about gambling. Those who gamble are only being reinforced intermittently and they still want to play! You want your canine companion to do what you ask because each time has the potential of offering a jackpot reward. The times when there is no treat reward just strengthens the response when there is a treat reward. Even though the treats only come every so often, we recommend you always praise your canine companion and reward with love and affection. That is a jackpot for the both of you, every time. 

will_work_for_food

Got a treat for me?

Beth & Wayne

www.CanineCompanionConsulting.com

970.556.8726

For more tips on how to teach old and young dogs new tricks, please see the links below to visit us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

https://www.facebook.com/CanineCompanionConsulting 

https://twitter.com/CanineConsult

Finish With a Win!

15/05/19 at 3.07pm   /   by Beth Friedman   /   0 Comment

Words of Woofdom – Finish With a Win!!!

When training our canine companions it is important to remember to always finish training with a win. If your training is just starting or has plateaued, it can sometimes be frustrating if you do not get the result you expected. If that training is proving too difficult at that moment, don’t just stop. Go back to an earlier, easier step, preferably a foundation step of what you may be training and ensure success. Always finish on a positive note so your canine companion stays engaged and encouraged by his or her efforts. It is great for you too, to end with a success, no matter how small, rather than a failure. Training should be fun and rewarding for everyone involved.

win

Why Do Dogs Growl?

15/04/13 at 7.21pm   /   by Beth Friedman   /   0 Comment

Words of Woofdom- Why do canines growl?

Growling is a means of communication to other canines as well as humans.  Many dogs growl while playing and in other, non-aggressive contexts. However, canines will often growl when they are uncomfortable or frightened. This is essentially saying, “I am uncomfortable or frightened, get away from me!” As a human, we often do not want our dog to growl and sometimes punish this behavior. If we inhibit their means of communication, we may then not know when they are uncomfortable. This could result in their skipping the growl and going right to being aggressive, even biting. Rather than removing the growling, remove what is making your dog growl. Perhaps then you can find a way to make that thing/person less intimidating so you canine companion will no longer be afraid of it. 

Grrrrrrrrr

Take the Emotion out of Training

14/05/15 at 10.00pm   /   by Beth Friedman   /   0 Comment

Words of Woofdom

My Sammy is now an adolescent and has started to follow his nose and as a result, he pulls on leash. My sweet boy has an unbelievable drive to chase things including leaves, rabbits, prairie dogs, and the infamous squirrels that love to tease him from the trees in the backyard. He gets so caught up in chasing, that he would probably run off a cliff trying to catch something. Needless to say, I am working with him.  In working with him, I realized that, at times, I was losing my patience with him and not responding to him in a way that would help him understand what I was trying to teach him. As a result, my actions were hindering his learning of new behaviors. When I approach his training with focus and the intention of training and without emotional response, we accomplish great things. When I would feel his pulling has “ruined my walk,” my frustration impacted my ability to effectively teach him. The lesson here is take the emotion out of the training so you can teach your canine companion in an effective manner!

Is My Canine Insane or am I?

14/05/15 at 9.59pm   /   by Beth Friedman   /   0 Comment

Words of Woofdom

It has been said, “The definition of insanity is trying the same thing, over and over again, expecting different results.” If that is the case, then many of us are insane when it comes to working with our dogs. How many times have you yelled “Come!” to get your dog in the house only to have him continue to run around in the yard or park? How often has your dog barked at someone at the door only to ignore your requests to have her stop? The trouble is not that your dog is being spiteful, an attribute proven that dogs do not emulate, but that they just may not understand what you want. You need to change tactics and target the specific behaviors you want to cease or increase. This can be done using very positive methods, such as reinforcing the behaviors you want and ignoring (if you can) the behaviors you do not. We need to make sure your canine understands what you are asking. Otherwise, you just might become “insane”.

Canine Companion Consulting, where we train dogs one human at a time! 

For more tips on how to teach old and young dogs new tricks, please see the links below to visit us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

https://www.facebook.com/CanineCompanionConsulting 

https://twitter.com/CanineConsult

https://www.caninecompanionconsulting.com

The Holidays are coming

14/05/15 at 9.56pm   /   by Beth Friedman   /   0 Comment

Are you having guests over for the holidays? This can be a stressful time for some canines as they are not used to having many people coming and going in and out of their home, causing them to be excitable. Exercising your canine prior to having your guests arrive may help with some of that excess energy. When they arrive, ask your guests to ignore your canine(s) when they come in the door until the canines settle down. Let your canines approach your guests if they want to be petted.  Do not let your guests or children approach your dogs unless they are very social. Some canines don’t care to be touched by strangers any more than some humans do! Would you want someone you just met patting you on the head and giving you a big hug? One option for some canines would be to give them a stuffed frozen Kong in their kennel. This will keep them calm and quiet for twenty minutes, at least.

We at Canine Companion Consulting wish you and your Canine Companions a safe and happy holidays!

Get your friends and family the gift of a well behaved and understood Canine! Canine Companion Consulting has Gift Certificates available.

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