Monthly Archives: July 2013

Dog Faming Lives!

Posted on July 29, 2013 by eileenanddogs

Remember Dog Faming? It’s a response to the trend of “dog shaming,” where people post photos showing dogs doing “naughty” things. These always highlight lack of training rather than anything intrinsically wrong with the dogs, and often show dogs that … Continue reading →

Posted in Dog training hints, Humor, Multiple dogs, Toys and Play, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

Force-Free Training and the Continuum Fallacy: Defining Ourselves

Posted on July 24, 2013 by eileenanddogs

Although this post is about discussions and accusations about humane training, it doesn’t provide fodder for pithy sound bites or snappy answers. The whole point of it is why it can be difficult to explain succinctly our position as science-based, … Continue reading →

Posted in Examples for Teachers, Punishment culture, Shock Collars, Terminology, Training philosophy | Tagged , , | 30 Comments

Finding the Right Dog Trainer – Harder Than You Think

Posted on July 22, 2013 by eileenanddogs

Originally posted on pawsforpraise:
Here’s some advice from Jean Donaldson on how to choose a dog trainer.  After her suggestions, I’m going to take the liberty of telling you how I would want her questions to be answered if I…

Posted in Training philosophy | Tagged , | 1 Comment

eileenanddogs’ First Birthday!

Posted on July 21, 2013 by eileenanddogs

Wow. One year ago today, on July 21, 2012, I published the Welcome post to this blog, the supporting “about” pages (linked at the top), and the Blooper movie. And thus my life changed. Common tips about starting a blog usually … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog Highlights, Milestone, Retrospective | Tagged , , | 48 Comments

The Look of Fear

Posted on July 17, 2013 by eileenanddogs

What happened to little Zani while I was at work one day? Summer was in the crate. Cricket was in the other room. But something had gotten Zani very very worried, and she took a long time to recover. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Dog body language, Fear, Multiple dogs, Stress Signals | Tagged , , , , , , | 26 Comments

When Management Succeeds

Posted on July 15, 2013 by eileenanddogs

“Management fails.” Have you heard this saying? Did you understand completely what the person meant? I’m going to explain it in some detail for those who aren’t familiar with the terminology or concept, then tell my own management story. Management … Continue reading →

Posted in Dog training hints, Generalization, Multiple dogs | Tagged , , , , | 21 Comments

But “Purely Positive” is a LIE!

Posted on July 8, 2013 by eileenanddogs

This remark has been hurled at me. How about you? I certainly don’t call myself “purely positive” or particularly like the term. But here it comes at me, predictable as clockwork, anyway. The reason this keeps happening is in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Operant conditioning, Punishment, Punishment culture, Reinforcement, Training philosophy | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments

Yes, You May Comfort Your Dog!

Posted on July 2, 2013 by eileenanddogs

Just a quick reminder for the upcoming fourth of July holiday in the U.S. with the attendant loud booming noises. Behaviors can be reinforced. Emotions can’t. Fear is an emotion. If you comfort your fearful dog, it doesn’t somehow “reinforce” … Continue reading →

Posted in Fear, Stress Signals | Tagged , | 28 Comments

Level 1 Breakfast

Posted on July 1, 2013 by eileenanddogs

Those who have read for a while know that I use Sue Ailsby’s Training Levels to structure my training. For you new folks: go check them out! They are a great resource if you are training your dog on your … Continue reading →

Posted in Cues, Dog training hints, Generalization, Treats, Zen/Leave it | Tagged , , , , , | 22 Comments