Dogs, horses, and rats. Birds, goldfish, cats. Dolphins, raccoons, and elephants. What animals can’t we train? In this section you’ll find lots of great training stories and tips. You will also get to meet many of the wonderful animals that I get to train. I hope that you’ll enjoy reading about my adventures (and misadventures) and that these articles and tales can provide you with insight that will help you with your own animals.
I had some extra time to do some dog training with Ginger, my parent’s Brittany, when I was at their house for several days over the Thanksgiving holiday. One behavior that we have been working on perfecting is Ginger’s “Leave It” cue. The value of a great “Leave it” cue Leave it is such a […]
I recently finished reading Dr. John W. Pilley’s new book, Chaser: Unlocking the genius of the dog who knows a thousand words (view on Amazon). You might have heard of Chaser; over the past couple of years she has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s World News, and PBS’s Nova ScienceNow, as well as in […]
Positive reinforcement trainers usually rely on several different methods to train new behaviors. This includes (but is not limited to) shaping, capturing, and luring. Capturing is often described as waiting for the behavior to happen, then rewarding it when it does. The idea is to teach the animal that the behavior “pays off.” Once the […]
We had some pretty nice weather recently, so my mom and I went for lunch one day to a local café that has outdoor seating. And, we took Ginger dog with us! Ginger had a grand time and hopes that we will do this again soon. (Being in Texas, we have more “nice weather” days […]
I’ve been doing lots of reading lately! I’ll be sharing several book reviews on my blog over the next month. One book that I’ve had the chance to read recently is Susannah Charleson’s new book, The Possibility Dogs (Amazon link). If you’re looking for an interesting dog book to curl up with on a cold […]
I have a new job! I’ve been waiting to announce it on my blog, as I’ve been extremely busy getting settled into the new job and learning the ropes. I’m working full time as a dog trainer and behaviorist for Pappy’s Pet Lodge, a Dallas-based company that provides dog boarding, daycare, grooming, training, and in-home […]
