Behavior Problems

I came across an article from the UK. The title of the article is: “St. Albans dog owner’s warning over “barbaric” electric collar training.” You can look it up if you’d like. Anyway, in the article a local dog trainer came across a women with a basset puppy that was using a shock collar. The women with the collar was repeatedly applying corrections to the basset from the collar. The trainer said that she took the handheld device away from the women and threw it in the river. The story then goes on about how electronic collars are the same… Read the rest

Here is a question that I got the other day: Eric, “Would you mind doing a blog about how to stop your dog from going into the garbage? My miniature schnauzer just got over a severe pancreatic attack and I caught her yesterday with a chicken bone from the trash. HELP!” Annette P. This is a great question because it cuts right to the bone. Basically she is saying: “I need to know how to stop this behavior or my dog could die.” Luckily, she asked me because I won’t sugarcoat the answer. I’ll give her the right answer without… Read the rest

There is a condition in dogs I am seeing more and more of. This condition is serious and the more I see it the more I feel I should write about it but I know it will be taken the wrong way. Mostly because it flies in the face of most of the conventional wisdom you’ll read, watch or hear about dog training. But as the Rollo May said: “The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice, it’s conformity.” You see, the condition I see in dogs today is what I call….. …..Bratty Dog Syndrome. These are dogs… Read the rest

I’m sitting here this morning wanting to crawl back into bed for a few more zzzz’s. But I have a busy day in front of me after an extremely busy weekend. I’ve been on the run since Friday afternoon. Saturday we had a float in the town parade followed by some friends and family over for a clamboil (not a clambake, clamboils are a popular dish here in Southeastern MA.) Sunday was another party and now back to work till about 7:00PM tonight. I share this with you because I know many of you are busy and can’t find the… Read the rest

Are you familiar with the name Washington Irving? You probably don’t recognize his name but you know stories that he is famous for. Irving is the author of “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” What you don’t know about him is that he probably fooled you like millions of others. In 1828 he wrote a best selling book about Christopher Columbus. The most popular chapter in the book described a thrilling confrontation in which Columbus had to convince a bunch of disbelieving Spanish intellectuals who argued that the world was flat. Here’s what really happened. Columbus did… Read the rest

QUESTION: How does your dog learn? ANSWER: Two ways. Your dog learns through Association. Consequence. Let’s say you open the refrigerator door. Your dog comes over and you give him a slice of cheese. You repeat this process a few times and your dog will associate the sound of the fridge door opening with the cheese and he will come running. Learning through association – also know as… classical conditioning. Next you open the fridge door and your dog comes running over. Instead of simply handing your dog the cheese you say, “sit.” Your dog sits and you hand the… Read the rest