The library at St. George’s Junior School in Vancouver, British Columbia adopted three rats earlier this fall. The students have had lots of fun so far interacting with the rats. For example, a fourth grade class was reading a book where rats didn’t have that great of a reputation. So, they got to meet the […]
Recently I posted on my blog about protected contact. During protected contact training, the trainer and animal are separated by some sort of physical barrier. Protected contact can be a very helpful tool in certain training situations. I encourage you to read my recent post Why train with protected contact, for more information about when […]
Recently, Talent Hounds featured their 5 top blogs about dog training. And, they included StaleCheerios in their top 5 list! You can check out the whole list here, it looks like there are some other great blogs that are also on the list. Talent Hounds is a one-hour documentary that explores the history of the […]
My friend Aimee, who blogs over at mymegaedog, does herding training with her German shepherd dog Shelby. She trains all her dogs using positive reinforcement. Unfortunately, most herding trainers still use pretty aversive training methods, including lots of punishment and other tactics designed to scare, force, and intimidate the dogs. Even more unfortunate, as Aimee […]
My four pet rats, Georgie, Amy, Izzy, and Chloe, make sure that things are always pretty interesting around here! My rats have an insatiable need to explore, so they are always getting into something. They keep me quite entertained with their acrobatics and antics. Amy especially is my little rat adventurer and she makes sure […]
Many horse clicker trainers advise using protected contact when teaching a new horse about clicker training or in situations that could be unsafe for the trainer. I’ve also met some horse clicker trainers who never use protected contact. They feel that they know their horses and they know how to keep themselves safe. However, I […]
