Quest Companion Dog Training

11/21/2023

Do you train through play with your dog? If you've worked with me, you might have been encouraged to practice skills or even teach them during play. This is why!⬇️⬇️⬇️

One of my very favorites: using Hide & Seek to strengthen "Stay" and "Come" behaviors. But there are lots of games we can use to teach and strengthen skills! So, get out there and play with your dog!

09/01/2023

September is National Service Dog Month! The best way to support service dogs and service dog handlers? Learn more about service dogs and the work they do!

07/04/2023

New blog post!

Have you every thought about how the words we use to describe another's actions impact how we then treat and think about them?

Words matter! Check out this month's blog for some thoughts on the language of needs and how it affects our relationships with our dogs.

https://questcompanions.com/the-language-of-needs/

07/01/2023

Oh hi there, friends! Fancy seeing you here!

After a lengthy break without new content, Quest Companion Dog Training is back!

Why so quiet for so long?

Because for the past 9 months, I’ve been extremely busy with a life-changing education course, plus working with wonderful new dogs and their families. And, I’m afraid to say, social media took the back burner. But as we move into an exciting second half of 2023, I’ll have some neat new info and offerings to share. So, keep your eyes out over the coming weeks for more announcements.

Oh, and give your dog a treat from me 😘

03/07/2023

There are many reasons to use rewards-based methods, but by far the most compelling reason for me is the mental health and welfare benefits it provides to our companions!

When dogs are trained with methods such as leash jerks, yelling, and shock collars, they have worse welfare than dogs trained solely with food rewards

01/18/2023

I've always felt particularly fortunate to be part of a larger, kind and caring community of force-free trainers here in New Mexico. Today, to respond to the recent story of terrible experiences of local families and their dogs during training, I had the chance to come together with just a few of them to share more about what to look for when searching for an ethical, humane modern dog trainer.

When you are looking for a trainer, it is critical to dig a little deeper, to look past what's shiny on social media feeds and beyond just the titles or other accolades trainers might earn with their own dogs. Why? Because those things are just the surface of a story. Because ethical modern trainers should do more: to educate themselves in the actual science of behavior change, to have third-party verification of their knowledge and skills (by getting certified through one or more certifying entities), to keep learning through continuing education requirements. You probably would be uncomfortable sending your child off to an under-educated, unlicensed educator. Why choose any differently for your dog?

And while it can be *really* hard for us pet guardians to know what to look for when looking for a pet professional, folks like our force-free training community here in New Mexico are ready and eager to help point you in the right direction!

Massive shout out to Pawsitive Training ABQ, Karma Canine Coaching, NMDOG, and all the other behind-the-scenes trainers who wanted to come together to get this message out!

11/16/2022

Have to share this nice article by one of my favorite puppy experts: Jane Lindquist of Puppy Culture!

She writes a lovely explanation of the “culture clash” that often happens between us and our dogs when it comes to walking behavior. While Jane is specifically talking about setting realistic expectations for young puppies, what she shares applies to the experience of our adult dogs, too: during a walk, our dogs’ goals are different from our own.

Give the article and look and tell me in the comments: how do you make sure that both you and your dogs needs are met while you walk together?

https://www.puppyculturestories.com/read/having-trouble-walking-your-puppy-try-less-skinner-and-more-darwin?fbclid=IwAR3JOVBHPumbv449fqL35-vWbIdJDhJSfDYHR99y3FzzItkWBWatIYTBcTY

Robin, most definitely not walking.

10/26/2022

Halloween can be a stressful holiday for our pups (and cats, too!). How can we make it a better, more peaceful experience for all? Have a plan!

The Family Dog have an excellent infographic laying out what your plan for your pup might look like, depending on your own plans and how comfortable your dog might be about visitors coming to the door.

So, what's your plan? What will you be doing for Halloween to make your dog's evening a good one? I'll actually be out at a training class myself that night, a win-win for both dogs and me!

When it comes to BUSY FAMILY LIFE with kids and a dog - a PLAN is your best friend!!
And HALLOWEEN is one of those days when you're really going to need one!

It's a SUPER WEIRD holiday for dogs, and can be *REALLY* tricky for them - here's how you can help make their night ALL TREAT and no trick.

Check out my guide and pick the PERFECT PLAN for your PUP! Your night will be so much more fun, when you know your fave fluffy friend is truly being cared for.
🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

10/25/2022

Today’s cool but sunny fall weather made the perfect setting for a training walk! And pup King agrees!

Thanks for the lovely morning, buddy!
🍁🍂🌞

King is one of my Day Training clients. This means I spend time training directly with him, then show his mom what he has learned so she can keep practicing and get the nice behaviors she hoping for. It’s one of my favorite ways to do training, as it speeds up and smooths out the learning process both for the pups and their people. If you’re interested in what types of Day Training packages are available, be sure to visit the website at QuestCompanions.com

09/17/2022

Fun things happening in this month's Quest Log, the QCDT monthly newsletter! Here's a pic of Vesper taste-testing a fun enrichment recipe including in the September issue!

If you'd like to connect more with Quest, read helpful and interesting short articles, and get a heads up on new services and specials, sign up for the Quest Log newsletter at:

https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/kqZYjmH

09/02/2022

Hooray for September!

New month means a new blog post!

Building off last month's topic, this time I dig into how our human experience of using punishment can make it hard to walk away from.

Understanding more about how our own brains are working can make it easier to be more compassionate to our dogs AND ourselves. So check it out!

In-home private training in Albuquerque, the east mountain area (Cedar Crest, Tijeras, Edgewood & Moriarty) and Santa Fe. I also work with service dog teams from around Northern New Mexico.

08/19/2022

It’s time for and this time we’re considering another canine sense: vision!

Do dogs only see in black and white? You may have heard this gem before, but although it’s an old belief there’s nothing backing it up.

Your dog actually can see colors. But what they see, and what their eyes are best adapted to seeing, is different from us.

Dogs have fewer types of color-perceiving cones in their eyes: two (yellow & blue) compared to our three (red, green & blue). This means their eyes do not distinguish reds and greens from other colors in the same way. Instead, reds and greens take on a similar hue to yellow, purples are the same hue as blues, and some other colors are perceived as grays.

Since dogs DO perceive blues and yellows, those colors stand out. This is one reason why agility equipment is often blue and yellow: it makes the equipment “pop” on the grass of a field. It also helps explain why the simple yellow tennis ball is still the favorite of so many dogs: it’s easy to see!

There are other ways your dog’s vision is different than yours:

👀 Your dog has much better vision in low-light than you do.
👀 They are good at picking out even very small movement from the environment.
👀 They have wider peripheral vision, seeing out to around 250 degrees compared to our 180.
👀 BUT, they see with far less visual acuity than we do. Dogs are comparatively near-sighted, seeing with less sharpness over distance than humans.

Keep all this is mind the next time you are strolling down a pet store aisle of bright red dog toys. If our dogs don't see that color like we do, why use it for so many of the products made for them? The answer: like some many other things in the world of dogs, its done for the sake of the humans, and not for the dogs themselves.

If your curious to learn more about how your dog sees the world, check out the neat Image Processing Tool at
https://dog-vision.andraspeter.com/ .

Alt text: a terrier wearing a pair of human glasses looks at the camera against a grey background.

08/17/2022

One of my favorite parts of my job is helping owners understand their dogs more and see them for the unique partners they are.

Thank you, Michelle, for inviting me to be a part of you and Griffin’s wonderful journey!

08/08/2022

Too good not to share!

The wonderful Chirag Patel is one of my favorite trainers to watch and learn from, not least because of his amazing techniques for teaching Cooperative Care!

08/04/2022

Let’s talk enrichment!

Ever heard someone say they do something for their dog “for enrichment”? Or heard a trainer recommend adding more enrichment to your dog's day through toys or games?

This word gets used a lot more now in both dog training and guardian circles. This is great! Our companion dogs thrive when we provide more enriching experiences.

But what does it actually mean? Here’s a very quick introduction to what enrichment is and why our dogs need it.

08/01/2022

Happy August!

Celebrating this first of the new month with a new blog post!

In this very first full-length post (and first in a 3 part series exploring the culture of punishment in dog training), I'm digging into some basic explanations about what "positive reinforcement" training is, why some trainers try hard to use only it, and why so many other trainers swear it doesn't work.

Curious? Click on the link to read the full post:

In-home private training in Albuquerque, the east mountain area (Cedar Crest, Tijeras, Edgewood & Moriarty) and Santa Fe. I also work with service dog teams from around Northern New Mexico.

06/30/2022

If you’ve ever struggled to:

😭 Brush out your dog’s coat
😭 Give your dog a bath without it becoming a water fight
😭 Clip or grind your dog’s nails, or even inspect their paws for goat-heads or cactus spines

Then I’ve got a great opportunity coming up for you next month!

Join me for the very first virtual Happy Handling class!

Over the course of this class, we’ll work to reduce the stress both your dog and you feel during routine body handling and grooming by:

🐾 Training an easy-to-build handling routine you can use for lots of different needs
🐾 Introducing you to useful tools that make grooming and handling easier on you and your dog
🐾 Give you positive experiences working together cooperatively to set the stage for future success!

This is a 6-week virtual class meeting Tuesday nights at 6:00 pm MST. Join from anywhere in the country, from the comfort of your own home! You just need access to reliable internet, we**am and microphone.

Course will include live class sessions where we introduce new topics and practice together with direct coaching from me, plus informational videos and articles on special topics.

And since this is the very first time I am offering this course, registrations will be available for a special introductory price (see link for details).

This class is limited in space, and registrations will be confirmed on a first-come, first-served basis.

To apply, submit your interest form here: https://form.jotform.com/221795474607162

Registrations will be confirmed via email.

06/18/2022

If you've worked with me, you've heard me talk about cues (not commands) and manners (not obedience).

And you've also *definitely* heard me talk about management.

I love the wonderful Zazie Todd's pondering whether the very word "management" puts some of us off wanting to do it.

What do you think? How come "management" seems so hard (even when it's usually the easiest way to change a behavior)?

The language we use to describe dog training is changing to reflect our changing relationship with dogs.