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Sympathy vs Empathy in Dog Rehabilitation
People often suggest you can reinforce a dogs anxious behaviour by showing sympathy, but is that true? And if you aren’t being sympathetic, does that mean you don’t care? There is a big difference between sympathy and empathy when it…
Setting yourself up for success in dog rehabilitation
Successful dog rehabilitation requires lots of practise. If you wait for opportunities to find you, you might not get enough repetitions to be of any value. Here’s why…
The Empty Bowl!
I’m well used to hearing stories about harsh training techniques, but this totally broke me. There’s just something about food and feeding that really gets me. It’s never ok to purposefully deny your dog food as part of a “training”…
Do dogs feel guilty?
Many people tell me that their dogs feel guilty about stuff. Maybe they’ve come home to find something has been chewed or broken, or perhaps a little “gift” has been accidentally deposited in the hall! But, can you really trust…
The dogs advocate
Whether you call yourself pack leader, caregiver, dog mum/dad, or owner, today dogs need us to advocate for them more than ever before.
Food guarding in dogs
Food guarding in dogs is a big problem. At best you’ll be on alert much of the time, and at worst it can be dangerous to you, and your dog. But where does it come from, and how can you…
Why you shouldn’t use punishment as a dog training tool
I thought long and hard before writing this blog because I don’t want to be misunderstood. So before I start I want to make it very clear, I do not support the use of punishment as a dog training tool.…
Using Predictors to Reduce your Dogs Anxiety
Dogs are very good at noticing behaviour sequences. Once they spot one, all the steps in that sequence will become predictors of the trigger. If you can figure out the sequence, or create your own, you can often use these…
Is there such a thing as a dominant dog?
The short answer is yes, there are dominant dog, but also no! Yes, because the word dominant actually refers to a role within a relationship. But, no, because I suspect the reason for asking is because the word dominant has…
Why Dogs Guard
There are lots of reason why dogs guard, but they all boil down to the fact that the dog believes something they value highly is at risk of being taken away from them. Whether it’s their favourite person, their security,…
Great Dog Training Locations in Dundee
There are loads of great dog training locations in Dundee to train and socialise your dog. Here are some of my favourites. But where do you like to go? Tell me in the comments…
Reward Prediction Error in Dogs
Last week I told you how dogs learn new behaviours, but that’s not the end of the story. This week we’ll find out about reward prediction errors in dogs and how dogs can quickly unlearn those new tricks and behaviours!