Reactive Dogs: Resources for More Information

There are some wonderful resources available for owners of reactive dogs who want to learn more about helping their canine companions. Many of these books have training plans that can be used to rehabilitate reactive dogs. However, I strongly urge you to seek professional help from a trainer or behaviorist who uses only humane, pain-free methods of training. Any graduate of Karen Pryor Academy will meet that criteria.

Books

Scaredy Dog! Understanding and Rehabilitating Your Reactive Dog by Ali Brown. I feel this is the most user-friendly of the three books […]

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2015-11-09T00:55:06-05:00November 9, 2015|Reactive Dogs|1 Comment

Calming Signals in Dogs: What are They?

Lip-licking is one of the most common calming signals. (Photo Credit: Dave Lindblom)

What is a calming signal?

Calming signals are behaviors that dogs naturally exhibit when they are feeling stressed and are trying to diffuse a situation. Norwegian dog trainer and author Turid Rugaas coined the phrase “calming signals” and she has identified approximately thirty behaviors as such. These behaviors include: licking the lips, showing the whites of the eye, sniffing the ground, turning away (either just the head, or the entire body), lifting a front paw, yawning, full-body shaking (as if […]

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2015-10-30T14:12:27-04:00October 30, 2015|Reactive Dogs|Comments Off

What is a Reactive Dog?

One common cause for reactivity is fear. By putting on a fearsome display, the dog effectively scares his trigger away. The increased distance makes the dog feel more comfortable, and is therefore reinforcing. (Photo Credit: Leon G. – Flickr)

(This post is the first in a mini-series I will be writing about canine reactivity. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any future posts!)

What is a “reactive dog?”

Simply put, “reactive dog” is shorthand for a dog who over-reacts to particular things in the environment. Most of the […]

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2016-12-19T23:44:35-05:00October 26, 2015|Reactive Dogs|Comments Off

Training How-To: Hand Targeting

What is hand targeting? It’s simple! The dog learns to touch his nose to a human’s hand. That’s it!

Why does my dog need to know it? Hand targeting is one of the most versatile behaviors you can teach your dog! It gives boisterous youngsters and shy, wary dogs something appropriate to do when presented with an outstretched hand. Instead of mouthing the hand or backing away, the dogs know to nose-poke it instead. It can also be used to teach dogs to walk on a loose leash, and to move dogs from one place to another, such as from the couch to […]

By Katherine Ostiguy, KPA CTP CPDT-KA|2015-10-21T16:21:53-04:00October 21, 2015|Training, Tutorials and How-To Guides|1 Comment