Empowered Animals Behavior and Training, LLC

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Empowered Animals Behavior and Training, LLC

Empowered Animals Behavior and Training provides behavior consultation for people and their pets. We

12/14/2025

Working on finding that perfect gift for Tula…what are your buns getting for Christmas?

12/13/2025

We got that right, right?

12/09/2025

Shaping is the process of teaching in small steps. Free-shaping takes things a step further and utilizes very little to no prompting from the trainer. Free-shaping can take a bit longer to teach a behavior, but the animal gains valuable experience in learning to problem solve, think critically, and learn to communicate with you! The trainer gains valuable experience on reading their animal, learning how to teach efficiently and effectively, and how important timing is!!

Winnie has been attempting to join her humans for dinner, so we are teaching her to stay on a "place" at dinner time. Step one is teaching her that going on the place is the behavior we want! We started with clicking for any interaction with the "place" (the black square). Gradually, we "selected" for behaviors that were closer and closer to the end goal-laying on the mat!

In this video, you can REALLY see Winnie's wheels turning! She knows that the game has SOMETHING to do with the mat, and she is trying to figure out exactly what! Watch her put the pieces together!!

Interested in learning more about training that really engages your dog's brain? Reach out to us to learn more about how we can use shaping to help you achieve your behavior goals!

11/30/2025

Even scattering your pet's pellets on the ground can be enriching! Engaging their senses of smell and touch can more closely replicate natural foraging behavior than eating out of a bowl.

We hope you've enjoyed this year!! Hopefully, you were able to get some gift ideas for your pet for the holidays!

11/27/2025

Happy Thanksgiving everybun! We hope you all have a fabulous day with your loved ones-human and non-human!

11/25/2025

Happy ! If you've been following our story all month, you've gotten lots of great enrichment ideas for your pet throughout !

Enrichment can be the single biggest quality of life enhancer for your small pet. If you are interested in learning more about ready-made or DIY ideas for enriching your small pet, whether a bunny, guinea pig, chinchilla, gerbil, hamster, rat, or mouse, our Enrichment Catalog is got it all in one place for you!!

Click the link below to download your FREE copy of our catalog!! (Small Animal Resources is our archived page with lots of small behavior tips and tricks!!)

https://empoweredanimalsbehaviorandtraining.com/resources/

11/23/2025

Looking for a practical idea? It doesn’t get much more practical than the good old paper bag.

My recommendation is to use orchard grass hay to fill your bag, as it doesn’t have stems so is less likely to poke your pet in the eye as they burrow through!!

11/16/2025

Here's a classic for : the treat ball! They come in every sort of shape and size-perfect for dogs, cats, bunnies, pigs, guinea pigs, horses, ANYTHING!

The treat ball became hugely popular in zoos as a way to offer the animals a more challenging way to gather their food. This is a mandrill I used to take care of, who has since passed on. Nestor was the OLDEST male mandrill on record, and here he was, nearly 34 years old, engaging with a feeder ball I had put together for him.

Nestor had food scattered all over the ground, but he preferred to engage with this ball. As you can see, he is looking for something very specific to roll on out of there!

Even with mobility challenges (plenty of arththritis in his elderly state), he enjoyed engaging with enrichment rather than taking the "easy way" to get his food. Caring for this legend was a privilege, and I was so surprised that he enjoyed the ball so much!

If you haven't tried a treat ball with your pet, what are you waiting for? It's the perfect bowl replacement!!

11/15/2025

Snuffle mats come in so many cute shapes, and we've seen so many. However, it seems like they often come in just one size: Too small!

These paper s**g rugs are PERFECT snuffle mats that are nice and big for larger pets, like Hank and bigger dogs, who often can get little use out of your typical snuffle mat.

I love these for all pets, including bunnies! A larger foraging area = more foraging time!

11/13/2025

Happy ! We wanted to bring you a special for this special day.

Kindness is not always a word that has been associated with animal training. More and more, force-free and fear-free techniques are replacing outdated methods that rely on force, intimidation, fear, and pain. Unfortunately, though, those methods are still out there. Sometimes, dogs are left with severe psychological scars from their experiences. Sometimes, though, they surprise us with their toughness.

Chloe here may not look tough, but she has suffered a lot at the hands of her previous trainers. Her family sent her to a board and train program. Chloe's mom went to visit her. The staff said it "wasn't a good time." Chloe's mom insisted. Chloe was in a kennel, covered in her own f***s. When mom brought her home, her beautiful mane had been hacked with scissors and she had a soft tissue injury to her neck from a "training" collar.

Chloe's next trainer didn't neglect her or leave her with physical scars, but mom described her as a "zombie" when the trainer showed off their work, which was accomplished with an electronic collar. Anytime mom put the collar back on, she said Chloe would return to a "zombified" state.

I'm grateful to that Chloe's mom contacted me, after she was referred by a veterinary behaviorist. Chloe is SO SMART, and picks up concepts incredibly quick.

On , please know that while kindness is the best policy when it comes to training, it is not the only one that people use. Not all unkind methods result in the level of suffering Chloe endured, but that doesn't mean they are harmless. Arguably, Chloe is one of the "better off" clients I've seen when it comes to having a history of being trained with unkind methods. Some dogs really can endure it without showing the very obvious signs of shutting down, cowering, vocalizing, or fighting back. Sometimes, they just grin and bear it, like Chloe did.

But they never have to do that when they train with us!

11/11/2025

Happy ! Today’s tip goes hand in hand with our . Dog parents: if you have not ditched the bowl yet, now is the time!

Dogs have GREAT noses, and we often assume that they know how to use them. Not without practice, they don’t!

Vision is our primary sense as humans, but ever heard the expression “to the untrained eye?” Those of us who do regular puzzles, word searches, or are birdwatchers have practiced using our eyes to see things that most people don’t notice. What’s the difference? Practice!!

80% of your dog’s brain is dedicated to sensing and processing smells. Having them practice using their nose to find each piece of kibble (or any type of treat!) in the grass is a great way to give them daily exercise.

One thing you’ll notice is that your dog will be quite tired during this endeavor, despite the fact that they aren’t doing hardcore exercise. Using their nose is BIG BRAIN work for a dog.

This is a great (and easy!) way to provide enrichment and exercise for your dog that meets their needs!

11/09/2025

Happy ! Continuing on our theme with a fun way to feed your bunny or guinea pig their greens!!

Address

Tampa, FL
33601–33626, 33629–33631, 33633–33635, 33637, 33646, 33647, 33650, 33655,

Website

http://empoweredanimalsbehaviorandtraining.com/

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