Get Your Leash On

Morning play at the beach.

Even celebrities need trainers! Informative article. (This is not an endorsement of board and train programs or Purina.)

The major difference between rats and people is that rats learn from experience - B.F. Skinner Arguably the most influential psychologist of all time, Skin...ner spoke frequently about creating the correct conditions for learning as the primary responsibility of the teacher. This simple fact is often overlooked in dog training as we attempt to explain behaviors we dislike by blaming the dog for behaving badly or lacking training. An important shift in attitude is needed if you wish to influence your dog’s behavior and it begins by accepting that your dog is always behaving exactly as he should be given his history of learning and reinforcement. You are always training your dog despite your intentions. #dogtraining #positivereinforcement #learning #clickertraining #forcefree #labrador #labradorretriever #labsofinstagram #youtube #trainingpositive #dogsofinstagram #dogstagram #obedience #psychology

If you asked me to name the single most important thing you can do for your dog, it would be this. Keep your dog feeling safe. This is not to be confused with y...our dog being safe, or whether or not you think your dog is safe. This is about keeping your dog *feeling* safe. Which means identifying what your dog finds stressful or scary by learning how to observe and read their body language to recognize when, where, and under what circumstances they feel uncomfortable, and doing whatever you can to avoid those situations. This can mean that your dog never visits another dog park. This can mean that even though it’s a beautiful Sunday and you’d love to have brunch on a patio of your favorite restaurant with your dog, your dog stays home. This can mean that you politely (or not) decline requests to pet your dog. This can mean that when children come over your house, your dog is in another room with a yummy Kong. This can mean that you walk your dog during quiet times of the day. This can mean that you drive your dog to walk them in a different area. Whatever it means for you and your dog, keep your dog feeling safe. You are your dog’s best and only advocate. You are what stands between them and the rest of the world, a world where dogs are set up to fail every day with often heartbreaking consequences. This doesn’t mean that we don’t also actively and *humanely* work to help our dogs feel more comfortable and confident in this world, but it does mean that until they do, WE HAVE TO KEEP THEM FEELING SAFE. Our dogs are relying on us, it’s our job to have their backs.