My Creative K9, LLC

My Creative K9, LLC Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from My Creative K9, LLC, Pet service, Riderwood Lutherville Drive, Lutherville Timonium, Lutherville, MD.

01/04/2024

Public Safety Notice -
Dog walkers - please put your phone away - especially when walking multiple dogs. It won’t be long before insurance companies figure out that they can track when/if a person was on the phone during an incident and can (dare I say should) deny claims submitted for these incidents. Not to mention it’s the right thing to do for everyone’s safety.

http://www.clickertraining.com/new-puppy
01/03/2024

http://www.clickertraining.com/new-puppy

You and your little four-legged bundle of joy arrive home. 24 hours later you begin to question your sanity, wondering what has happened to the furry little angel you fell in love with the day before. The honeymoon is over before it began!

Love this…📸 Look at this post on Facebook https://www.today.com/video/see-inside-the-school-where-kids-and-puppies-share...
12/28/2023

Love this…

📸 Look at this post on Facebook https://www.today.com/video/see-inside-the-school-where-kids-and-puppies-share-a-classroom-195874373957?fbclid=IwAR3_QpgNwpFWJZ_VFe3g8g8Je3tYvxICiG2IHYzMgcPxSEKkug8h13vW1zs_aem_AWBQIWzQ43o19WSFERPlb6zA8caYtddXyLyJYCY2RzbbUCql6Xmtf7n-2HaL37c8WRs

At Hanby Elementary School in Wilmington, Delaware, young students and puppies are sharing a classroom to teach valuable lessons in productivity and mental health. NBC’s Peter Alexander reports for TODAY.

12/21/2023

Are you like I was? Wanting to have a career in companion animal behavior but not sure where to look?

Here’s a fantastic opportunity at Virginia Tech:
Dr. Lisa Gunter is looking for a grad student or post-doc for August 2024 to study companion animal behavior and training. (Be still my heart!). If you or a friend is interested, contact Lisa at [email protected] before applying, and include a CV. Application deadline is January 15! Here's the application link: http://applyto.graduateschool.vt.edu/apply/

12/21/2023

CUT THE LABELS, WILL YA?

We've come a long way since first considering the "unlabel me" concept and developing a new habit of describing observable behavior and conditions unambiguously. When the description of a "stubborn" parrot was revised to "remains on perch when I offer my hand" and an aggressive dog was further described as "growls when I reach for the food bowl" our ability to solve behavior problem situations really soared. Cheers to a new year of great work ahead and a new "unlabel me" meme. Download this and all BW art for free here: https://www.behaviorworks.org/htm/downloads_art.html
Happy holidays!

COME AND LEARN ABOUT LIFE!The Least Inhibitive, Functionally Effective (LIFE) Model: A New Framework for Ethical Animal ...
12/13/2023

COME AND LEARN ABOUT LIFE!
The Least Inhibitive, Functionally Effective (LIFE) Model: A New Framework for Ethical Animal Training Practices

presented by Fernandez, Eduardo J. PhD

CEUs Pending

The ethics of animal training procedures have seen dramatic changes in the last few decades, with a movement toward reward-based training methods. These reward-based training practices have also been directly impacted by the behavioral and animal welfare sciences, including their research outputs. In the last couple of decades, the Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive (LIMA) model of animal training has been used to describe reward-based animal training methods. However, a number of problems were built into the creation of LIMA and continue to exist today, including (a) a lack of clarity in its terminology, (b) ambiguity in desired training approaches, and (c) a history of aversive training methods justification. An alternative approach is therefore proposed, and one that specifies (1) increasing choices by inhibiting less, (2) the importance of function, and (3) defining success as more than simply being effective. The result is the Least Inhibitive, Functionally Effective (LIFE) approach to ethical animal training methods. LIFE is discussed in terms of its connection to established terminology, behavioral principles, and training practices, as well as its ability to promote optimal welfare for the animals under our care and in our lives.


About Your Presenter

Eduardo J. Fernandez is a Senior Lecturer of Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare in the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at the University of Adelaide (Australia). He received his Ph.D. in Psychology (minors in Neuroscience and Animal Behavior) from Indiana University, where he worked with the Indianapolis and Cincinnati Zoo. He received his M.S. in Behavior Analysis from the University of North Texas, where he founded the Organization for Reinforcement Contingencies with Animals (ORCA). Most of his past and current work involves behavioral research applied to the welfare and training of zoo, aquarium, and companion animals. His past positions include a Visiting Professorship at Seattle Pacific University, a Visiting Professorship in the School of Behavior Analysis at the Florida Institute of Technology, an Affiliate Assistant Professorship in the Psychology Department at the University of Washington, a Research Fellowship with Woodland Park Zoo, and a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship. While working with UW and the Woodland Park Zoo, he started the Behavioral Enrichment Animal Research (BEAR) group, which conducted welfare research with many of the species and exhibits located throughout the zoo. He currently runs the Operant Welfare Lab (OWL), which is dedicated to the use of learning principles to improve the lives of animals across many settings, including exotic animals in zoos and companion animals in homes and shelters. OWL is also part of the broader Animal Behaviour, Welfare, and Anthrozoology Lab (ABWAL; abwal.com). Many of Eduardo’s past publications, research projects, and presentations can be found on his ResearchGate profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Eduardo_Fernandez18

I received my Ph.D. in Psychology (minors in Neuroscience and Animal Behavior) from Indiana University and my M.S. in Behavior Analysis from the University of North Texas. Much of my past and current research involves the behavioral training and welfare of zoo, aquarium, and companion animals. I am....

08/31/2023

PREDICTABLE PATTERNS AND WHY THEY MATTER
We can help our dogs cope in our world by providing predictable patterns that they can follow, even when the unpredictable happens.

This requires consistency and repetition, but dogs quickly learn what to do when that behaviour creates a predictable, rewarding result.

Predictability allows the brain to conserve energy which lowers anxiety and creates a sense of trust and security in knowing what to expect or what comes next.

Like other animals, people included, dogs are experts at looking for and finding patterns.

Being able to find a predictable pattern, not just in an environment but in the behaviour of others, helps to make sense of a situation, rather than feeling confused or anxious when no pattern can be found.

When we create predictable patterns, dogs begin to understand what happens and how they should respond when a specific situation occurs.

The situation becomes the cue for the behaviour rather than the cue itself. We often get caught up in using cues instead of just showing our dogs that this is what they should do in this situation.

Pattern games or training a behaviour by using patterns is a really effective tool to use with dogs that are reactive, anxious, fearful or lack confidence.

They’re simple and quick to teach and provide predictability when a situation may be unpredictable.

To find out more about Leslie McDevitt’s different pattern games from the Controlled Unleashed ™ program, have a look at Tanzi Leary’s (CDBC, CPDT-KA, PMCT1, SAPT, FFCP) website - https://www.dogcrazylady.com/post/pattern-games

06/24/2023

Your dog's behaviour isn't personal. Your dog isn't out to get you. There's no morality to behaviour - it's not good or bad, not right or wrong. It just simply is. And we can use it as communication and information to help us make appropriate decisions for our dog's training.

As much as dogs are "man's best friend", dogs are inherently opportunistic. They tend to do what works best for them, what makes them feel safe, and what gets them the fastest results without expending a lot of energy. Putting a label on their behaviour only serves to fracture the bond that we have with our amazing dogs. Instead, let's just take their behaviour at face value and use it to develop our skills to shape their behaviour moving forward.

05/26/2023

Why am I so against training collars? Let me tell you a story from today.

I’m walking one of my client dogs in their neighborhood. We come across two people and dogs from a nearby e-collar/prong collar K9 training center about a half block in front of us. One dog looked mostly relaxed. The other, a younger shepherd puppy no more than 5 months old, was terrified. How do I know this? I understand dog body language.

What were those body signals?

Tail tucked almost under its belly, ears pinned back very far and flat, lots of lip licking, stiff body overall, pulling away from handler, and eyes so big and wide I could see the fear half a block away. This puppy was terrified and was looking up at the handler constantly wondering if it was doing something right.

These trainers were ignoring this dog’s body language, chatting away like everything was fine, while using training techniques that function by instilling fear in the dog.

The trainers were instilling fear in a puppy!

I would put money that within a few years this dog develops intense reactivity and aggression stemming from fear. There may be fear from genetics, but using aversive collars as a form of training is a major cause of fear and aggression.

My other problem with this form of training is that the dog never gets reinforced when they do something right. The dog guesses and constantly gets punished. The fear of doing the wrong thing often causes dogs to be come afraid to act, forcing them into a state of learned helplessness.

Lastly, these trainers often have no education, professional training, or understanding of dog behavior or body language. They create dangerous dogs when they have no business training pet dogs.

So what can you learn from this story?

Please hire a certified trainer who utilizes positive reinforcement and force free training techniques! These “balanced trainers” use pain and fear, creating fearful and dangerous dogs that trainers like me end up having to try to rehabilitate, sometimes without success because the fear is so fiercely ingrained in the dog.

Please enjoy the photo of my puppy client who LOVES R+ training!

05/19/2023

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Good morning ☀️
05/18/2023

Good morning ☀️

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=261626713021572&id=100418592475719&mibextid=qC1gEa
05/15/2023

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=261626713021572&id=100418592475719&mibextid=qC1gEa

There are so many people in the world who misunderstand dogs and expect them to behave in certain ways and to tolerate things that really aren't fair, such as interacting with any person who wants to make a fuss of them. I can understand that - I'd love to be able to fuss every dog I see, but not every dog wants to say hi, and I respect their wishes and those of their guardian. It's so important for us to understand our dogs, to be aware of what is going on around them, and to speak up for them so they are not put into a situation they really don't want to be in.

05/11/2023

3 useful labels, 1 harmful label and 4 risks.

05/02/2023

Watching dogs play well together is one life’s greatest joys. One of my essential criteria when looking for a dog to replace Willie was whether he played well with Maggie. We tried two dogs out before we found Skip, neither of whom had any interest in playing with Maggie. Maggie ignored one, and h...

05/01/2023

Help celebrate National Kids and Pets Day with an eye toward humanely training your dog.

03/26/2023
03/08/2023

Why is it so important to socialize puppies properly? A look at some classic research on the sensitive period.

03/08/2023
05/18/2022

This article examines the scientific data on aversive dog training methods, and discusses: Potential fallout such as habituation, learned helplessness, pain sensitivity, physical damage, emotional damage, and contact force; The stance on punishment in dog training taken by numerous professional ...

04/20/2022

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Riderwood Lutherville Drive, Lutherville Timonium
Lutherville, MD
21093

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+14439098817

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