Monthly Archives: June 2013

We Don’t Need to Stop Discussing “The Quadrants”

Posted on June 27, 2013 by eileenanddogs

Every so often, in the midst of a discussion about operant learning,  someone will write, The quadrants* don’t matter. Talking about the quadrants just confuses people and makes them pay more attention to theory than what is going on in … Continue reading →

Posted in Dog body language, Dog training hints, Negative Reinforcement, Operant conditioning, Stress Signals | Tagged , , , | 20 Comments

But We Don’t Give Our Kids a Cookie Every Time they Tie Their Shoes!

Posted on June 20, 2013 by eileenanddogs

Here’s another remark often addressed to reinforcement based trainers, sometimes in a mocking tone, sometimes seriously: But we don’t give our kids a cookie every time they tie their shoes or pay them a nickel every time they say thank … Continue reading →

Posted in Operant conditioning, Punishment, Reinforcement, Training philosophy | Tagged , , | 84 Comments

Crossing Over

Posted on June 18, 2013 by eileenanddogs

I am a crossover trainer, and we tend to like to tell our stories. “Crossing over,” and “crossover trainer” refer to a trainer who switched from punishment based, or mixed training that included aversives, to training that is centered around … Continue reading →

Posted in Punishment, Punishment culture, Reinforcement, Training philosophy | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

The Ex-Pen Garden

Posted on June 14, 2013 by eileenanddogs

How about something light and pleasant to get ready for the weekend! One of my life goals has always been to have a big vegetable garden. And when I got my own place I did it. These are low res … Continue reading →

Posted in Fun, Humor | Tagged , , , , , | 19 Comments

But It’s Unhealthy to Protect Your Dog from All Stress!

Posted on June 10, 2013 by eileenanddogs

“But it’s unhealthy to protect your dog from everything! If you do that, it’s just like overprotecting your child. They won’t be able to cope with the real world!” This is another one of the criticisms one often reads about … Continue reading →

Posted in Dog body language, Dog training hints, Negative Reinforcement, Punishment, Stress Signals, Training philosophy | Tagged , | 13 Comments

Rudelführer – Packleader

Posted on June 7, 2013 by eileenanddogs

Note to English speaking readers: I have two articles on the topic of “pack leader.” One was published in this blog: Pack Leader. The other one is a freestanding article that is a bit longer and has some references. It … Continue reading →

Posted in Hundeverhalten, Rudeltheorie | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Introduction to the Exercise Ball

Posted on June 5, 2013 by eileenanddogs

I bought an exercise ball, a FitPAWS peanut, from CleanRun a couple of years ago. It’s a device to help dogs develop core strength and balance. After seeing some YouTube videos and even a professional DVD that showed dogs and … Continue reading →

Posted in Dog training hints, Enrichment, Positive Reinforcement, Toys and Play, Training philosophy | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

She’s Gone

Posted on June 2, 2013 by eileenanddogs

Head’s up: frank talk of euthanasia and some raw language. Cricket died on May 31 and I am not OK with that. Elizabeth Kubler Ross’ stages of grief are: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. I guess “nauseated, furious rejection” … Continue reading →

Posted in Old dogs, Tribute | Tagged , , , , | 96 Comments