Stories from Clicker Training
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Let Me Entertain You! Successful Holiday Parties for Pet Owners
Clicker Training &bull Dec 1, 2011
I love the movie A Christmas Story. My favorite characters are, of course, the Bumpus Hounds. The Hounds are a ragtag group of bloodhounds that break into the neighbor's home with one mission on their collective mind: stealing and consuming the holiday turkey. Pet owners laugh at the Bumpus Hounds because we can relate-poorly behaved dogs can put a damper on holiday fun very quickly. Would you like to welcome friends and family to celebrate the holidays, but worry that your dog will jump all over your guests' party clothes with muddy, snowy, salty paws? The night before your big… Full Story »
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How to Use Play as a Reward
Clicker Training &bull Dec 1, 2011
Not everyone wants to spend life storing food in pockets. Have you ever found a pocket full of food after it has gone through the laundry? Instead of being a slave to food treats in my pocket, I introduce my dogs to "real-life rewards." Occasionally, play takes the place of food as payment for a job well done. My dogs find the opportunity to chase a ball, to chase me, or to have me chase them even more fun-and unexpected-than food. Dogs, like humans, play long after they have "grown up." I think that's one of the many reasons we… Full Story »
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Holiday Hide and Seek with Your Dog!
Clicker Training &bull Dec 1, 2011
Hunting for clothespins is a task that is easy to teach, and gives your dog the opportunity to solve a problem and complete a significant job. The best part is what you can accomplish with this practical behavior. With just a little extra training, you can teach your dog to find your car keys or any other item you might lose within a defined search area. To start, choose a really boring room in your house, one without any distractions. Turn off the TV or radio, and pick up items on the floor such as shoes, clothing, magazines, or children's… Full Story »
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Keeping Your Dog Happy at Thanksgiving
Clicker Training &bull Nov 23, 2011
With the hustle and bustle that comes with holidays, it's easy to forget that all of the excitement can be stressful for our pets. Dogs jumping and begging at the Thanksgiving table can be stressful for us and for our… Full Story »
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Get a Jump on the Holidays + $4.99 Flat Rate Shipping
Clicker Training &bull Nov 2, 2011
With the holidays around the corner and celebrations upon us, we have great ideas to inspire your preparations for the season. Is a well-trained dog on your holiday wish-list? In this monthas feature article, Laura VanArendonk Baugh demonstrates How to Develop a Training Plan. Joan Orr explains how to teach your dog to resist holiday temptations in this monthas Clicker Classic Teaching Off with Positive… Full Story »
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Topics:
- Program
- registered
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How to Develop a Training Plan
Clicker Training &bull Nov 1, 2011
Editor's note: Be sure to view each section of Laura's accompanying video as you read through her article. Her training with Shakespeare demonstrates clearly the value of a good training plan, and how the development of a good training plan is a back-and-forth process. Opportunities come by many routes. Recently, I received a phone call from an organization preparing a group of dogs to help teach earthquake safety to schoolchildren. Just as dogs can demonstrate the stop, drop, and roll of fire safety, these dogs would be trained to demonstrate how to drop to the ground, crawl beneath sturdy furniture,… Full Story »
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Therapy Dogs Serve Children with Autism
Clicker Training &bull Nov 1, 2011
Editor's note: Poodle-loving school psychologist, dog training coach, and Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner Patricia Stokely writes movingly about the impressive accomplishments of many autistic schoolchildren in partnership with her therapy poodles. She padded into the room and sat by the old man's bed. He was very frail and could no longer raise his head or move. His skin was thin and transparent. Seated facing the man, Katie looked back over her shoulder at me for approval. I nodded. Then I watched in wonder as she carefully placed her front paws on the side of the bed and slowly,… Full Story »
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Teaching "Off" with Positive Reinforcement
Clicker Training &bull Nov 1, 2011
Self control is one of the most critical skills a dog needs to learn, and it is a skill that is required multiple times a day. Dogs are expected to refrain from picking up something forbidden when it appears within reach. Some examples that come to mind include: dropped medication, chicken bones, the hamster, dead birds, Granny's hearing aid, Susie's favorite stuffed toy, the last remaining baby soother... Many people train "off" as a command with its associated threat: "Leave it or else." The trouble is, once the dog has swallowed the light bulb (I am not making this up),… Full Story »
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Topics:
- scratching
- commands
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Boo! How to Keep Your Pet Safe this Halloween
Clicker Training &bull Oct 27, 2011
No tricks, no treats: That bowlful of candy is for trick-or-treaters, not for Scruffy and Fluffy. Chocolate in all forms can be very dangerous for dogs and cats, and tin foil and cellophane candy wrappers can be hazardous if swallowed.… Full Story »
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5 Tips for Training Your Dog to Come When Called at the Dog Park
Clicker Training &bull Oct 20, 2011
Teaching your dog to come when you call not only helps to remove your dog from a potentially dangerous situation, it may save a life. In her CD-ROM presentation What is My Dog Saying at the Dog Park, Carol Byrnes… Full Story »
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Topics:
- play
