I see it all the time — kids and enthusiastic adults running up, in an erratic and surprising manner, extending their hands right into a dog’s face and hovering there, squealing something about how much they love dogs. What can pet parents do in that instant, crucial moment to avoid disaster? Jump in and shove treats into your dog’s face and tell her how … Read More
“Colleen Paige, animal welfare advocate and pet and family lifestyle expert, founded National Pet Day in 2006 to celebrate the joy pets can bring to us,” states the website, nationaltoday.com. That means that us pet lovers can mark our calendars for April 11, 2021 and start thinking about how we can honor the furry friends who bring so much affection to our lives. Here, … Read More
Dogs are always learning. They’re paying attention to their surroundings, trying to figure out how to get more of what they want or less of what they don’t want. So that means many times, even when you aren’t actively engaged in training classes or exercises, you’re passively training your dog. As an outside observer, being both a dog mom and a trainer, I will … Read More
Training your dog can be a simple process. In my years of experience as a certified professional dog trainer, and of observing inquisitive canines and working with their parents, I’d venture to bet that more often than not, in general, dogs enjoy “going to school” and participating in their lessons. Fun and games like tug, fetch, and other forms of enjoyable attention from humans, … Read More
In our recent post on Creating a Successful Pawliday Season, we explored some of the hidden dangers for pets around the holidays – and how to avoid them. However, there is one hidden danger that requires its very own post: getting a pet as a gift for someone. The biggest risk of giving an animal as a present is that the person might not … Read More
Next up in the series, Homeschooling Your Dog: Inquisitive Canine Edition, is teaching the cue “Go to Your Place.” This is referred to as a targeting exercise, where dogs learn to “target” (place) a body part -or even their whole bodies- on an object. Since dogs can learn to offer this behavior in a variety of places and/or situations, it’s ideal for any time you’d … Read More
The Inquisitive Canine and TransPaw Gear are proudly participating in Project Trade, an advocacy program that promotes the use of force-free pet equipment. Recently, Inquisitive Canine founder Joan Hunter Mayer and fellow Pet Professional Guild member Pam Shultz chatted about this partnership and what it means for dogs and the people who love them. PS: Project Trade is the Pet Professional Guild’s international advocacy … Read More
In the first part of this series, The Importance of Teaching Dogs to be Independent – Part One, we discussed broad concepts about teaching puppies and dogs skills that build confidence and promote independence. (In a nutshell, force-free training, enrichment, giving choices, and encouraging dogs to be dogs are key elements.) However, even with the basic groundwork in place, there are situations that can … Read More
Guest Post Emily Conklin – Gladwire How You Can Find the Right Dog Walker If you’re like thousands of other puppy parents, you’re finding it difficult to fit regular walks into your busy schedule. You don’t have to feel guilty about short changing your pooch when there’s probably a dog walker right in your neighborhood who can take up the slack. While getting the … Read More
Why Society Should Value Canine Education Education is important — so much so that it’s written into our law… for humans. In the United States, there are compulsory education laws, which mandate that children attend school (public, private or home) by a certain age, and state they are not allowed to drop out (should they decide to) until a specific age. These laws were … Read More