Bluff City Paws

11/02/2024

Interesting webinar and it’s affordable!!

Does this sound familiar?

1. Cue the dog —
2. No response, dog stares at you blankly as if this is a new word in their vocabulary
3. Show the cookie (or other reward), and
4. Voila! Memory instantly restored and the dog responds correctly.

So what’s happening here? Is the dog playing you or trying to get away with something? Is this a ploy that will lead to world domination by your dog?

None of the above. This is simply the dog telling you what they understand about how you use rewards, and pointing out (with a wagging tail) where your reward based training may have hit the most common stumbling block in the training world.

Pro-trainer secret: A few simple changes can make your rewards more rewarding for your dog, and this webinar will help you find them.

The webinar will cover:

* What is a reward? Your dog’s mileage may vary!
* Intrinsic vs extrinsic rewards
* Creating the right pay-scale based on the dog, the task and the situation
* Putting dopamine to work for your dog – is a treat in the bush worth 2 in your hand?
* Mark and bridge – rewards here, there and everywhere

Join Suzanne for this fun webinar which provides practical information on using rewards effectively, with simple solutions to the oh-so-common “Show me the cookies!” challenge.

Register here: https://relationshipcenteredtraining.thinkific.com/courses/super-charge-your-rewards

This webinar will be recorded and you will have access to the recording for a year.

10/30/2024

Dogs with Big Feelings

With our next online conference being about Dogs With Big Feelings, we decided to put together this FREE resource full of training tips, reflections, and videos for all you dog parents out there!

Get the E-Book: https://tinyurl.com/49fx3ye4

And if you're navigating big feelings with your dog, be sure to check out the line up for the November 9th Dogs With Big Feelings 2.0 One Day Online Conference: https://tinyurl.com/bdfx7htx

10/30/2024

Introductions between cats and dogs

10/29/2024

Let your dog choose to wear a costume or not.

10/25/2024

Often mistaken they want a belly rub, your dog may be asking for space when they roll over.

Does he really want a belly rub or is he asking for space? Learn more in this post: https://rescuedbytraining.com/2024/10/21/appeasement-behaviors/

10/21/2024

Thank you Pine!
Like fine dance partners!

I have said for many years that my goal is not to get dogs to do things for me, it's to get them to do things WITH me.

Shifting our mindset that training our dog is about controlling them, and their behavior, to viewing training as a journey of cooperation changes everything. It shapes how we approach our dog's learning. It helps us view their behavior through a lens of kindness, curiosity and wonder. If we stop telling ourselves the goal is to control the dog, we open the door to explore how a cooperative relationship can be built, can lead to trust, understanding and good, responsive skills.

10/21/2024

Dogs bark for different reasons and each reason has its own distinct bark. May be a fearful bark, a demand bark, alert bark, or a playful bark. Can you recognize your dogs different barks? How many are there?
https://www.facebook.com/share/9qDMvKeQXfjA55vT/?mibextid=WC7FNe

❤️...!

10/18/2024

Try this!

Which Works Better for Dogs? This winter, my training partner Amanda and I decided to teach our dogs “toy identification”. We lead a small weekly training class at my training center an…

10/17/2024

♥️ Kikopup ♥️

This streamed video will be available to view immediately under the ‘Video on Demand’ tab on this website after purchase (even if your purchase still says processing). This product is not a physical DVD.

10/13/2024

10/10/2024

Perfect analogy!
Say no to prong and shock collars!

10/04/2024

Especially classical conditioning

Obviously, there's a lot more to resolving dog behavior problems than what we can fit onto a single sheet of paper, but this illustrated flow chart provides a great overview of the concepts you'll need to resolve almost any dog behavior problem.

And if you do have a dog behavior problem and you're looking for help, we want to help you and we want to help you for FREE:

https://dunbar.info/oct2024TDA

For the next few days you can join the Top Dog Academy with a 1-month free trial and you'll get instant access to all of our online courses and training resources PLUS we will provide you with a personalized training plan to ensure that you have the guidance you need to achieve your goals and resolve any behavior problem you are struggling with.

This is an amazing, limited-time opportunity to improve your communication and relationship with your dog and enhance your quality of life together, using simple, thoroughly tested training techniques that are easy to use and thoroughly enjoyable.

As you can see from the flow chart, we have four basic concepts that you'll use.

1. Don't Feed Your Dog From a Regular Food Bowl. If you want to modify your dog's behavior or temperament, there's a very good chance you can use your dog's food to accelerate the training process. You don't have to use all your food in training, but for the food you aren't using in active training, you're much better off feeding from hollow chew toys, snuffle mats or puzzle feeders, all of which will stimulate your dog's brain, give them an enjoyable activity to pass the time, and preserve the value of your dog's food. This is particularly true if your dog has any sort of fear or anxiety-based problem, because food, and lots of it, can be really useful for rehabilitating these problems. Speaking of which...

2. Classical Conditioning. If your dog has a problem that is caused by fear or anxiety (including a lot of reactivity and aggression), then you need to train your dog to FEEL more comfortable, confident, and relaxed in specific situations. Expose your dog to the scary stimulus at a low level that isn't overwhelming, and when you do, give your dog things that they love, like praise, food, play, and good vibes! Put on a big smile and do a happy dance and your dog will start to associate all this good stuff with the stimulus they used to be scared of. Repeat x100! Pretty soon, they'll be looking forward to the used-to-be-scary stimulus appearing, because they know what comes with it.

3. Crate Training. If your dog is getting into trouble when you're not around, your training options are limited. There's a lot you can do to teach and reinforce good habits when you are present and supervising your dog, but you also have to prevent your dog from getting into trouble when you do have to leave them alone, especially if it's the sort of trouble that is going to be self-reinforcing. Teaching your dog to LOVE settling down in their crate makes this easy. You can leave your dog in their crate with a food-filled chew toy so they have something to do, and if you tire them out before hand with some training or play, they'll probably be ready to settle down for a nap. The first step is teaching your dog to LOVE going inside their crate and settling down there and in order to do this, you'll need to be present at first, but once you've achieved this goal it makes managing your dog and keeping them safe much easier. Teaching your dog to LOVE settling down in their crate also makes it easy to resolve Separation Anxiety.

4. Lure Reward Training. Teach your dog to perform useful behaviors on cue, reliably and promptly, in any situation, without the need for lures or special equipment. Teach your dog to understand verbal instructions so you can tell your dog what you want them to do. Motivate your dog so they WANT to listen to you and do what you ask, by rewarding your dog with a variety of truly meaningful rewards (not just food!), and provide the rewards in a manner that is interesting and exciting. Test your dog's comprehension so you have a realistic understanding of what your dog is actually capable of, and in what situations, and so you can measure their progress as you continue to train. Practice in progressively more challenging scenarios until your dog listens to you even when they are off-leash, at a distance, chasing a squirrel or playing with other dogs. Yes, this takes time and lots of practice, but when you make it fun, and you make it into a game, it becomes one of the most enjoyable and rewarding ;-) parts of living with a dog.

Wow, did you really read all this? If so, tell me something about your dog in the comments, what do they do that you like? Or that you dislike? At any rate, you deserve a cookie!

And if you have a dog behavior problem and you'd like help, join the Top Dog Academy today. In one month, using our methods, you can resolve this problem, or your money back.

https://dunbar.info/oct2024TDA

Oh, and if you want to download a PDF version of this flow chart, or read more, you can do so here: https://dunbar.info/problemflowchart

10/02/2024

Management is needed for our fearful 4 legged friends

If you have a fearful or reactive dog, you need to get good at management. Here’s how it helps.

10/02/2024

Congratulations! The Puppy Primer!

A must read for new puppy owners. You’ll read and reread for a very long time!

If you’re the owner of a new puppy or a dog owner looking to adjust misbehavior, the best dog training books can help you get the best possible results.

09/27/2024

We’re at the end of the week but that’s alright because we promote dogs that are deaf every day!

09/25/2024

This will be an informative and interesting webinar.

One of the most important things we can do for fearful dogs is help them feel safe. On October 9, I'm presenting a webinar for the Pet Professional Guild about how to help fearful dogs feel safe. We’ll look at the prevalence of fears in dogs, the kinds of fears that are most common, and some of the specific steps that can be taken to protect fearful dogs. We’ll also talk about how to evaluate and prioritize the changes that will be most important in an individual case. CEUs available. Register here: https://www.petprofessionalguild.com/webinars-events/webinars/how-to-help-fearful-dogs-feel-safe-with-dr-zazie-todd/

09/25/2024

Always pay attention!

DISTRACTED DOG WALKERS

The distracted dog walker is commonly seen chatting on their cell phone, wearing headphones or socializing with other people while oblivious to what their dog is doing, how their dog is feeling or what is going on in the environment.

This may not sound like a problem to some, but it is something that many people have a problem with, even more so if you have a reactive dog.

I compare walking a dog to driving a car. It’s not so much about our driving skills, but having to constantly be aware of the driving skills of others – trying to predict what they will do, which rules of the road they will ignore and how distracted they are. This is especially true in the country I live in, where driving can be a stressful experience.

I understand that we often need to multi task – there simply doesn’t seem to be enough time in our day to accomplish everything we need to, but walking our dogs should not be one of these times.

Some people might say – “but my dog is really friendly, well socialized, gets on well with everyone, is well trained, knows this environment well etc. and I hear that.

But another dog might not be – maybe they need space, are reactive, are not sociable, are recovering from an illness, might be terrified of another dog racing straight towards them chasing a ball thrown from a ball launcher etc.

If distracted dog walkers have no regard for other dogs or other people, they should at least have regard for their own dogs. Walking your dog should be a time of bonding, of relationship, of seeing the environment through the eyes of your dog, of reinforcing and teaching wanted behaviours, of keeping them safe and protected from the unknown.

Our dogs need us to be focused, to pay attention, to be aware and attentive.

Our dogs depend on us to advocate for them.

09/23/2024

A citizen science project is turning canines into crop protectors, and challenging what researchers know about dogs’ powerful noses.

09/23/2024

For my fellow dog geeks! Really loving this!
For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with the extension of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings: they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth.
~Patricia B. McConnell Ph.D.
Photo of Ember Spotters Dove

09/21/2024

Giving a cat meds is not easy. This demonstration is smart and fear free.

Medication time does not need to be a stressful experience for you or for your cat. Cats can learn to take medication without deceit or coercion!• If your ca...