Category Archives: Toys and Play

Just a Trick?

Posted on May 3, 2014 by eileenanddogs

“Crossing over” is a phrase dog trainers use to refer to the act of giving up training that uses aversives and changing over to training that uses principally positive reinforcement: becoming a Humane Hierarchy trainer, a force-free trainer, or a … Continue reading →

Posted in Dog training hints, Fun, Handling and Husbandry, Toys and Play, Training philosophy, Tricks | Tagged , , , , , | 32 Comments

“Respect” Is SO Last Year

Posted on April 13, 2014 by eileenanddogs

Shhh, don’t tell anyone!! I don’t know for sure, but I kind of think my dogs don’t “respect” me. But that’s OK.  Dogs probably don’t do “respect” anyway. It’s a human concept, and it depends on human cognition and social mores. When … Continue reading →

Posted in Dog training hints, Human and dog misunderstandings, Multiple dogs, Positive Reinforcement, Toys and Play, Treats | Tagged , , | 47 Comments

Who Was Resource Guarding? And Why We Need to Take it Seriously

Posted on March 2, 2014 by eileenanddogs

What is it with me and contests/quizzes, anyway? The Curse of Knowledge got me again! Because of the way I made a guessing game out of two pictures of my dogs,  I may have led people to believe that resource … Continue reading →

Posted in Dog body language, Resource guarding, Toys and Play | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Which Dog is Resource Guarding?

Posted on February 28, 2014 by eileenanddogs

Here’s a little body language fun: Who is seriously resource guarding? And what is the other dog doing? I showed these pictures to two of my skilled observer friends to compare, and they came up with some great observations. Much … Continue reading →

Posted in Dog body language, Resource guarding, Toys and Play | Tagged , | 25 Comments

I’m So Glad I Had the Camera!

Posted on February 3, 2014 by eileenanddogs

Something pleasant for a Monday morning: Eileenanddogs Funniest Home Videos! Here are three incredible and adorable moments that I am very grateful to have on film. Zani Uses a Tool I literally grabbed the camera and turned it on to … Continue reading →

Posted in Fun, Humor, Play, Toys and Play, Tricks | Tagged , | 14 Comments

What You Reinforce is What You Get

Posted on August 5, 2013 by eileenanddogs

Bob Bailey said, “What you click is what you get.” There is a lot of wisdom in this simple remark. Among other things, it emphasizes to me that we don’t always realize exactly what we are marking and reinforcing, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Behavior analysis, Dog training hints, Fun, Reinforcement, Toys and Play | Tagged , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

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

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

7 Great Benefits of Flirt Pole Play for You and Your Dog

Posted on April 24, 2013 by eileenanddogs

Clara’s and Zani’s Experiences If you have been following the blog, you may have seen that Clara is an absolute maniac for the flirt pole. It is right up there with playing ball in her list of favorite things. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Enrichment, Fun, Play, Reinforcement, Toys and Play | Tagged , , , , , | 19 Comments

Wordless Wednesday: Clara got Mail!

Posted on March 20, 2013 by eileenanddogs

Watch as Clara deftly opens her package from GoughNuts. We are not affiliated with the company and were not asked to feature their products. We’re just very happy customers: Clara because she loves the balls, and myself because they are … Continue reading →

Posted in Dogs' sense of smell, Fun, Play, Toys and Play | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments