Training

I love the Whole Dog Journal and have implemented many of your positive dog training techniques and suggestions with our dog, Izzy. I hope that you may be able to further help us with her issue. Izzy is a wonderful 31/2-year-old Australian Shepherd/Border Collie-mix. She’s super smart and well-trained, with lots of energy and a constant need for learning and exercise. In the last couple years, however, her canine aggression has gotten to be a problem (I’m guessing it’s a protective instinct). She barks (like a yell) and confronts people in a number of situations.

Coming when called – a “recall” as it’s often known in dog-training circles – is arguably the most important behavior you can teach your...

dog owners are taught to recognize behavioral signs of impending aggression

Clearly, one of the best ways to help your dog have a better quality of life is to reduce the amount of stress she...

Switching to positive training? At first, it might be frustrating for you – and your dog. The benefits, however, will last a lifetime. In positive training, the goal is to help the dog do the right thing and then reward him for it, rather than punishing him for doing the wrong thing. If he makes a mistake, the behavior is ignored, or excused with an “Oops, try again!” to encourage the dog to do something else.

I’ve long been a proponent of the appropriate, judicious use of tethers for dog training and management. This doesn’t mean tying up your dog...

We listed a variety of applications at the beginning of this article. Here’s a little more detail on each one: Polite greetings: Visitors coming? No...

Last week a trainer friend stopped by to visit with her three dogs: Star, Kaiya, and Lhotse. As we were chatting, Laura confessed to me that she thought she'd ruined Star's "fetch" with the clicker. "She had a great retrieve," Laura said, "until I started clicking her for it. Now she just drops it as soon as I click. I stopped working on it because I knew I was messing it up." I chuckled to myself. I knew this would be a fun - and easy - training fix.

In 1975, horse trainer Linda Tellington-Jones studied the Feldenkrais Method with its founder, Moishe Feldenkrais. In this form of bodywork for people, gentle and...

I use treats when I train. So do my clients. Now that positive reinforcement training has a 25-year-plus track record in the dog world (supported...

Dogs are a predatory species. While cats think of themselves as predators, dogs often think of cats as prey. Still, many canines and felines live together in happy harmony. If yours don’t, here are some things to do when Fido chases Felix. Separate dog and cat when you’re not there to supervise. You need to protect your cat from injury or possible death, and you want to prevent your dog from practicing the unwanted chasing behavior. Depending on the intensity of the chasing behavior, you may want your cat behind a solid door when you’re away to ensure protection, or baby gates may be enough to give kitty safe zones to use as she chooses. When you are there to supervise, you still need to manage your dog so he doesn’t get reinforced for chasing the cat. Having something run away when you chase it is highly reinforcing to a dog with strong predatory behaviors.

it doesn't require the dog to figure out for herself what exactly it is that you want.üThis dog is learning to flick a light switch. At first