Joan the Dog Coach

February 5, 2010

An Ideal Solution to Animal Overpopulation: Human Accountability

Did you all hear that horrible noise yesterday? It was an intense banging sound mixed with a side-order of grumbling and a dash of whining. This intense display of human communication was coming out of my certified professional dog…

February 2, 2010

Bringing Dance Class Tips to Dog Training

Believe it or not I love to dance. You’d think as a certified professional dog trainer I’d be into Canine Freestyle – Trust me, if there were local classes I’d take them. Spending time dancing with my trusty sidekick…

January 27, 2010

Bicycles, Skateboards and Scooters Make for Adventurous Options When Exercising Your Dog

I was recently sent information from Mark Schuette and his company Dog Powered Scooter telling me about his inventions that enable dog guardians to exercise their dog, while at the same time the humans get some exercise, and everyone…

December 5, 2009

Help during the grieving process with the loss of a beloved pet

My friend Colleen Mihelich is an animal lover and pet loss expert who founded Peternity – a company dedicated to helping others celebrate the life and love of their furry friends. She also has the wonderful and informative Peternity…

December 1, 2009

Animal Rescue Groups Great Options for Gifts and Recognition

Whether it be a holiday celebration that unites the entire planet, or one in which we celebrate an individual person gifts are something we think about year long. What’s another option for giving when you’ve run out of ideas,…

November 23, 2009

This Dog Trainer Can Trust Her Own Dog, and the Dog Training

We had a little incident at our home this evening. Yep, I admit, this dog trainer isn’t perfect and neither are the rest of the humans in the household. However, Poncho, my inquisitive canine and trusty dog behavior advice…

November 10, 2009

The Use of Physical Punishment in Dog Training: The Dark Half of Operant Conditioning

Had a call from a wonderful dog guardian today looking for a dog training class here in Ventura that not only uses “positive reinforcement” but that avoids the use of items such as prong collars and choke chains. Whoo…

November 4, 2009

Dangerous Outcome Could Come to Tomato Loving Labrador

My trusty sidekick Poncho and I received a dog behavior question for Dear Inquisitive Canine column about a fun-loving lab mix that enjoys eating all of the homegrown tomatoes in his yard. The dog guardian who wrote in was…

October 30, 2009

Getting All Choked Up Over the Use of Coercion in Dog Training

Maybe it’s the latest applied behavior analysis class I’ve just taken, maybe it’s the decongestant and antihistamine stupor I’m in, but it occurred to me, just now, that maybe I need to try a new approach when speaking to…

October 24, 2009

Are Dog Breed Biases Really History Repeating Itself?

As a society, isn’t it time people use their critical thinking skills and take the time to get educated? The dog picture is of a Pit Bull Terrier – before all of the body altering. Remember: nature, nurture, and…

Author: Joan Hunter Mayer