Come On, Let's Train

08/13/2024

Edited to add additional information as requested!

Maximize your ability to help animals by understanding the science behind behavior. If you'd like to learn more about the research behind behavior change, please join my mailing list:
http://eepurl.com/hY-7hr or listen to my podcast: https://researchbites.buzzsprout.com

My Science of Fear course covers the limitations of counter-conditioning in more detail: https://sciencemattersllc.com/science-of-fear

And for more information on stress and resilience, check out my Unlocking Resilience course: https://sciencemattersllc.com/unlocking-resilience

Here are some citations for the research:
Keller, N. E., Hennings, A. C., & Dunsmoor, J. E. (2020). Behavioral and neural processes in counterconditioning: Past and future directions. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 125, 103532. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0005796719302189

Bouton, M. E. (1988). Context and ambiguity in the extinction of emotional learning: Implications for exposure therapy. Behaviour research and therapy, 26(2), 137-149. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0005796788901131

Thomas, B. L., Cutler, M., & Novak, C. (2012). A modified counterconditioning procedure prevents the renewal of conditioned fear in rats. Learning and Motivation, 43(1-2), 24-34. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0023969012000021

08/13/2024

THIS! ALL! DAY! LONG!

Edited to add additional information as requested!

Maximize your ability to help animals by understanding the science behind behavior. If you'd like to learn more about the research behind behavior change, please join my mailing list:
http://eepurl.com/hY-7hr or listen to my podcast: https://researchbites.buzzsprout.com

My Science of Fear course covers the limitations of counter-conditioning in more detail: https://sciencemattersllc.com/science-of-fear

And for more information on stress and resilience, check out my Unlocking Resilience course: https://sciencemattersllc.com/unlocking-resilience

Here are some citations for the research:
Keller, N. E., Hennings, A. C., & Dunsmoor, J. E. (2020). Behavioral and neural processes in counterconditioning: Past and future directions. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 125, 103532. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0005796719302189

Bouton, M. E. (1988). Context and ambiguity in the extinction of emotional learning: Implications for exposure therapy. Behaviour research and therapy, 26(2), 137-149. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0005796788901131

Thomas, B. L., Cutler, M., & Novak, C. (2012). A modified counterconditioning procedure prevents the renewal of conditioned fear in rats. Learning and Motivation, 43(1-2), 24-34. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0023969012000021

06/15/2024

Great advice! Teach your kids how to respect their pets!!

Let's talk about this photo. It's cute, except it's not. I see a dog who cannot get up without telling the child to get off. How do you think a dog is going to do that?

The 7 Golden Toddler Dog Rules:
#1: If a dog walks away from you, you DO NOT FOLLOW.
#2: Always leave room for the dog to walk away from you.
---that right there is 90+% of dog bites eliminated---
#3: We do not climb on the dog.
#4: We do not grab or pull on the dog.
#5: We do not hit or throw anything at the dog.
#6: We do not touch the dog's food.
#7: We do not go into the dog's kennel.

I promise these are not overly difficult concepts for littles, nor will they rob a kid of their bond with the family dog. It will deepen that bond, while keeping everyone safe.

"Oh, it looks like Moose is walking away from you. She is saying she wants a break. Let's play with this instead!"

"It's Moose's dinner time! Let's give her space to enjoy her yummies."

"That is Moose's room(kennel) and only she is allowed to go in there."

"If Moose wanted a break, could she walk away from you right now? No she really couldn't. Let's move away from the play house. You can keep playing but now she can leave when she wants a break."

In conclusion, ***parent your child or your dog will do it for you, and you will not like how they do it.***

03/12/2024

Hey All - our next class for Reactive Dogs is OPEN for registration! Get signed up!
PLEASE PASS ALONG to your friends that might benefit from this class!
See you soon!

REGISTER HERE Work with your dog to gain confidence in social interactions Adults* Join us for this opportunity to work with others who also own reactive dogs, to gain confidence, […]

02/29/2024

Some great thoughts on bringing that “new” dog home… especially when s/he is no longer a puppy…. Give them TIME!

The most important thing to remember when bringing home a shelter or a rescue dog is that they need time to adjust to new surroundings.

02/22/2024

Training Challenge!

02/07/2024

Low distraction, Slow introduction... You Can Do It!

Teaching your dog to listen when distracted starts in a distraction free environment, then slowly adding in distractions for them to ignore.

02/05/2024

Good article on "thinking" toys for your dog(s)... and ideas for how to introduce them!

The best dog puzzle toys combine a treat your dog wants and a challenge they have the temperament and wits to create engaging playtimes.

01/27/2024

Friday funny

01/26/2024

01/18/2024

Think about it… do you LISTEN to your little dog? Do you listen as closely as you would if he were 100 lbs?!

Wee man/little man syndrome, also referred to as small dog syndrome.

Firstly, it's not a syndrome, it's not a fault in the dog, the dog is responding to the environment they live in.

We often use this term when referencing the behaviour of short men in relation to the world. Those men who are angry, aggressive, have a chip on their shoulder. I know plenty of men who are not tall who don't show these behaviours, so it's clearly something else.

There are a number of factors which contribute to us describing small dogs showing angry behaviours.

1. Everything is bigger than them. Relative size is important. A westie is around half as small as a small labrador in weight. Westies are small but can be 4 times the size of the smallest yorkies or chihuahuas. That same labrador is 8 times bigger than the little dog. These little dogs may never, or rarely, interact with a dog smaller than them. Learning how to navigate the world where almost everything is bigger and stronger than you must be really difficult.

2. Because of their small size, they are easy to move around. Next time you are out at the park, watch people with small dogs on lead. Watch how some of them are yanked and pulled around. You don't need to be strong to push and pull around a small dog. They get picked up without asking, moved on etc and unless we actively and consciously think about what we are doing with them, this is their life. And it's b*llsh*t and unfair. Most people don't have the strength to do that as soon as the dog weighs more than 20 kilos (44lbs) or so.

3. They don't get listened to. As in point 2, we physically move them without consent, considerably more than big dogs. A Rottweiler doesn't want to move off the couch, good luck trying to physically move him, so we have to find other ways. A big dog growls, more people will listen. More dogs will listen to, because the threat and potential for damage is greater. If you've been around dogs a while, have you ever heard a small dog being laughed at for growling? Growling is communication, we need to listen regardless of the size. Biting causes less damage than in bigger dogs so its brushed off.

We forced these dogs to escalate because we don't listen to them because we don't need to. These issues occur in bigger dogs but we generally listen to them more because the risk of damage is higher.

Due to these points and others, we label these dogs. They don't have small dog/wee man syndrome. They are not "yappy" or "ankle biters."

They are equal in their dogness to any other dog and deserve to be treated with as much respect and dignity as all other dogs. They are real dogs, no less than any big dog.

Let's start treating them that way.

01/06/2024

Dogs or horses…..
A lot of truth in all of it!

Things your riding instructor wants you to know:
1. This sport is hard. You don't get to bypass the hard…..every good rider has gone through it. You make progress, then you don't, and then you make progress again. Your riding instructor can coach you through it, but they cannot make it easy.
2. You're going to ride horses you don't want to ride. If you're teachable, you will learn from every horse you ride. Each horse in the barn can teach you if you let them. IF YOU LET THEM. Which leads me to…
3. You MUST be teachable to succeed in this sport. You must be teachable to succeed at anything, but that is another conversation. Being teachable often means going back to basics time and time and time again. If you find basics boring, then your not looking at them as an opportunity to learn. Which brings me to…..
4. This sport is a COMMITMENT. Read that, then read it again. Every sport is a commitment, but in this sport your teammate weighs 1200 lbs and speaks a different language. Good riders don't get good by riding every once in awhile….they improve because they make riding a priority and give themselves opportunity to practice.
5. EVERY RIDE IS AN OPPORTUNITY. Even the walk ones. Even the hard ones. Every. Single. Ride. Remember when you just wished someone would lead you around on a horse? Find the happiness in just being able to RIDE. If you make every ride about what your AREN'T doing, you take the fun out of the experience for yourself, your horse, and your instructor. Just enjoy the process. Which brings me to...
6. Riding should be fun. It is work. and work isn't always fun.....but if you (or your rider) are consistently choosing other activities or find yourself not looking forward to lessons, it's time to take a break. The horses already know you don't want to be here, and you set yourself up for failure if you are already dreading the lesson before you get here.
7. You'll learn more about horses from the ground than you ever will while riding. That's why ground lessons are important, too. If you're skipping ground lessons (or the part of your lesson that takes place on the ground), you're missing out on the most important parts of the lesson. You spend far more time on the ground d with horses than you do in the saddle.
9. Ask questions and communicate. If you're wondering why your coach is having you ride a particular horse or do an exercise, ask them. Then listen to their answer and refer to #3 above.
8. We are human beings. We make decisions (some of them life and death ones) every day. We balance learning for students with workloads for horses and carry the bulk of this business on our shoulders. A little courtesy goes a long way.
Of all the sports your child will try through their school years, riding is one of 3 that they may continue regularly as adults (golf and skiing are the others). People who coach riding spend the better part of their free time and much of their disposable income trying to improve their own riding and caring for the horses who help teach your child. They love this sport and teaching others…..but they all have their limits. Not all good riders are good coaches, but all good coaches will tell you that the process to get good is not an easy one.

11/16/2023

I think this can be applied to ALL of the animals in our lives! I know it’s true in my life!

Horses need horsemen. It's that simple. I get asked the same questions over and over again and nobody gets it. What level rider is this horse suitable for? I'll tell you, the best one she can get, the best horseman that's willing to buy her. The horse will only ever be as good as the rider. It doesn't matter if it's trained to jump hoops of fire, you're gonna bring it down to your level in no time. Your kid doesn't need a $15,000 horse if they haven't already had $15,000 worth of lessons. You can't buy a violin that will gift you the skill of playing. It's the same for horses. There is no magic horse, only a love for the animal, and a commitment to learning.

Most of you are so unfair and demanding of the horse you miss the forest for the trees. "I want a horse that rides out alone!!" well guess what, you better be ready to spend a year developing that relationship, that bond, that trust, she's not a bike, you can't buy trust.

"I want a horse that can sit and be the same after time off" well friend, this is a commitment to a relationship, not a classic car you take out of the garage twice a year. You can't buy what your looking for.

"I want a horse my kids can ride" you better be ready to teach your kids how to be horseman, because if the horse has to do it, you'll likely see the inside of an ambulance, or a morgue.

You can't buy trust, you cannot buy what comes with building a relationship with an animal over years of dedication.

Brittnee Woodward-Whitehead wrote this

10/05/2023

This is sooo true… love it!
And remember - the more closely you watch them, the better the communication will become!

Yup!

09/22/2023

How’s your energy!?

We balance the horse's natural negativity, their survival instinct, by being optimistic. Affirmative training for both horses and humans.

09/16/2023

Amazing!

08/31/2023

Is it good or bad to have your dog sleep in your bed with you? Dog owners have different opinion on this issue. Some think it's unhygienic, while others think it's good for both them and their dog. But now research shows that there are actually many advantages to letting your dog curl up in bed with...

08/27/2023

REBOOT! Shortly after cancelling due to low enrollment, I was contacted by some others that wanted in, last minute!

WE HAVE RESCHEDULED - MOVING OUT A WEEK, SO STARTING THIS COMING SUNDAY, THE 17TH...

GET ONLINE AND REGISTER - BEFORE FRIDAY AT NOON!

Hey C**T fans - We've got our Spring Session of the Reactive Dog Clinic on the SCHEDULE!
Sundays, starting September 17th, and running 6 weeks through October 22ND!
Log in and sign up!
Happy to be getting up and running again!
Click on the link below, or drop by the Parks & Rec office and sign up!

08/25/2023

All of the training that I do is Positive Reinforcement. It applies to dogs, cats, chickens, equines… everyone!
This article about an aging donkey hits especially close for me, as I have 5 donkeys right now… and at least one is “getting up there.”
I think you’ll find that it applies to your own family members as well. Deep breaths.

Edgar Rice B***o runs with a gang of misanthropes. A goat whose broken leg healed stiff, so he has an even wonkier gait than most goats. A mini horse that doesn’t like people, so he’s been hiding behind Edgar for a decade. He practically raised a quirky mare until she was mature enough to get .....

08/23/2023

Anna writes great stuff about equines... Love this one!

Re-learning is always a slower process. For us as well as the horse.