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What most trainers tend to call “obedience” training, I prefer to think of as cooperability instead. Cooperability is kind of a weird word, and one that I don’t really hear used in the context of dog and cat training,…

Dominance and submission, as it pertains to dog training, is a concept that dates back to the 40’s and seems to have really taken off in popular culture during the heyday of certain popular dog training shows on TV. …

What is Enrichment? The concept of enrichment first arose as a method to help make the lives of captive animals more like what they would normally experience in nature. So, for example, animals that would normally forage for their…

Play is an essential part of an animal’s learning process. By learning through play, young animals get a feel for their body and what they’re capable of. They also learn social skills through play—such as how to appropriately set…

Since the weather is warming up and more pets are spending extra time outside—and since I just recently found a lost dog roaming my neighborhood streets—I figured that it might be good to discuss what to do if you…

Training your dog is a must! Not only is it an important way to teach them about your expectations and boundaries so that they behave appropriately, but it’s also a great way to provide them with enjoyable stimulation and…

Luring is an essential technique when training dogs and cats. It’s deceptively simple and is exactly what it sounds like it would be, but getting good at it can really take your training up a notch! So luring a…

Cats can be picky about their bathroom options—and rightfully so! Unsatisfactory litter box conditions can lead to problematic behaviors; following these cat litter box basics when setting up your cats’ bathroom areas that can help you avoid litter box…

Summer can be a great time to get out and about with your beloved animals. However, it can also be a dangerous time for pets due to the extreme temperatures. Here are a few summer safety tips to help…

Remember when I mentioned researching the type of animal you want in the Pre-Adoption Considerations? Well, it’s so important that I’ll mention it here again—research the species or breed-specific needs of the animal you want! Alright, so let’s start…

First and foremost, do your research! Adopting an animal can be a big undertaking and a major commitment of resources. To effectively care for your potential new pet, you really must know what their needs are. But equally important…

There are many things that can lead to behavioral problems in cats—stress, anxiety, boredom, etc. But there are a few behavioral changes that may suggest that something is happening to your cat internally, and these should be taken very…

Alright, so our animal can do some certain behavior. Let’s say it’s “sit”, for simplicity’s sake. We can get our animal to sit on cue when we’re at home with them. But what comes after a solid, reliable “sit”?…

The road to recovery following an injury can sometimes be long and arduous, but canine massage and rehabilitation can really help to speed the process. Sometimes—especially when they’re in pain—an animal is not always cooperative to rehabilitation right away.…

The Humane Hierarchy was developed as a set of guideposts to help lead animal behavior professionals through a systematic approach when dealing with behavioral issues. As the name suggests, it lays out the options for training, starting with the…

Bringing anxious animals into your life can sometimes seem confusing and frustrating at first, but the payoff of sticking with them is oftentimes a lifetime worth of love and devotion. There are a few things to consider when you…

Graded errorless training is the general approach that I use for modifying behaviors. It can be used to reinforce desired behaviors, or gradually modify undesirable ones. The easiest way to explain it is probably just to break the term…

The term “positive reinforcement” gets tossed around a lot, but there seems to be some misunderstanding about what it actually means. Most people understand the reinforcement bit of it, but don’t quite seem to grasp exactly with “positive” means.…

When trying to figure out what’s causing a certain behavior and how we might go about modifying that behavior, we turn to the ABC’s of behavior modification to help guide us. By analyzing a specific group of variables surrounding…