Crate Acclimation

Learning how to be comfortable in a crate can be useful in a variety of situations - boarding, traveling, etc..
But contrary to popular belief, dogs are not "den animals." Although some dogs learn to like a crate right away, others might need some acclimation.

Advanced Counter Conditioning and Desensitization

Well, it's not really advanced. But this video series just goes into more detail about the process - something to read if you have been trying desensitization and counter conditioning and it doesn't seem to be working - and you've ruled out medical issues of course

Gauze: A Handy Tool For Your Positive Training Tool Box

Ideal for sensitive dogs because it's lightweight.

When one dog gets upset about another dog's procedure

When you have to do something "scary" to one dog, does another dog get upset?

Classical Conditioning. Part III. Thresholds

In our last post on classical conditioning, I talked about desensitization and starting the process at a point where our dogs are not afraid.  Another term we use is "threshold". We want to start with our dogs below threshold and we want to stay below threshold during the entire process.

Classical Conditioning. Part II. Desensitization

In our first post on classical conditioning, we talked about associations and how we can change a dog's feelings about something they don't like. An example was giving a dog a treat every time the mail delivery person appears.

Screaming Kids and Other Noises. Part I - Management

Do outside sounds like screaming kids, motorcycles, and garbage trucks frighten your dog?  Of course we can work on helping our pets feel better about certain noises. But we have to start at a point where our dog isn't scared or reactive.  In order to do that, we need to find a way to make outside sounds less scary.