#dog courses

[lindacasedogs]

Research Webinars On-Demand

NEW at The Science Dog Courses! On-demand webinars that address timely and important topics in canine nutrition, health, behavior/cognition, welfare and morePresented by the scientists who study dogs and who are sharing their latest findingsDesigned to provide dog professionals and owners with evidence-based information that can improve our relationships with dogs and help dogs to live healthier…

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Awwww yessss

gimme those social play as therapy confidence building in scared dog game building blogs~

Sample lecture under the cut of “Look and Dismiss”

Look and Dismiss (or why we don't teach dogs to look at things!)

It can be difficult to know what your dog is really feeling. We only have behavior to look at, and it isn't always clear to us, especially in dogs that have had a lot of experience in training. Sometimes dogs are obvious in their signals, but just as often this isn't the case, and we have to look for more subtle signs that confirm for us whether our dogs are concerned or really feeling ok about what's going on around them. One thing we use in this class is the quality of their play. The other thing we use is how much looking away from you they are doing.

The extent to which your dog has to look at things is a direct way to measure how they're feeling about those things. Looking at something you're concerned with is a natural behavior; indeed it's quite difficult to teach someone *not* to look at something they're concerned about!

So this natural signal is one we can use! Your dog will just do it because she has to, and you can use how much she has to as a gauge for how she's feeling, and you can use how much her need to look is reducing as a gauge for how she's changing her feelings.

When your dog no longer looks at his trigger any more than a very occasional glance, we can say that theyre "dismissing" it. It's not a big feature in their mind any longer, and they are concentrating on their time with you.  Over time, this process will happen more quickly, and they will be able to "look and dismiss" with just a glance or two, or one longer look, and just be done with it! This is your ultimate goal. Imagine your dog just looking at a stranger, another dog, or a new object and then being done with it entirely, preferring to move onto the fun things you're offering!

There are two things you can do to muddy this signal, though:

Don't be so amazingly awesome that it's too hard to look away from you! As you play, you want to make sure that you're not so magnetizing that looking away from you is difficult ("OMG SHE HAS HOTDOGS, MY FAVORITE!!!").  If you do that as a habit, you might correspondingly pick a trigger strength that is too high (because your dog isn't looking away, after all) and then you have a big problem.  If you're easy enough to look away from, you'll keep your natural signal intact, and then when that signal tells you (by its absence) that there's no lingering concerns, you can bring in the more exciting play, now confident that you're not obliterating that signal.

Don't teach your dog TO look at something, on purpose.  When you do that, you have interfered with it being a natural signal, and will have some difficulty knowing whether your dog is looking because he needs to, or is looking because he's been taught to and wants the reward that it connected to him performing that behavior.  You may not get that reduction you're looking for, and it will be more difficult for you to know if things are improving.

If you've already taught this, you can unteach it, but it'll just take some time.  You'll want to reward them for checking back with you, but then reward for continued looking at you to counteract the back and forth they may be offering. You'll want to do this only in absence of a stress trigger though, so just use regular distractions for this work.

Lastly, you don't want to interrupt them if they do look away by calling their name or saying "uh-uh" or touching them or anything else that communicates that they should turn to you instead.  Let that be their choice, and their natural signal to you. The more you teach them to do it on purpose, or the more you interrupt them displaying that signal, the less useful it will be to you.

And, as always, if you're concerned that your dog looking at something will upset him, you're too close, or the trigger is too intense in some other way.  Back up, make it easier, and let them look!

[lindacasedogs]

The Science of Canine Nutrition

Courses, Webinars, & Quizzes with The Science Dog Courses Revised for 2024 – Basics of Canine Nutrition. Updated video lectures, readings, and inclusive webinars! Our Most Popular Multiple Course Program Let’s Not Forget Our Other Best Friend – A Certificate Nutrition Course about Cats Tell Us What You Know About Nutrition! (Take a Look at Our Free Quizzes and Webinars) Yes, please send me…

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[lindacasedogs]

What Do You Know......

About Canine Communication Signals? Do Dogs Enjoy Hugs? The question of whether or not dogs enjoy being hugged by humans tends to spark a great deal of discussion and controversy. While there are some who state that dogs do not naturally enjoy the intense physical closeness of a hug (and may even perceive hugs as threatening), there are others who insist that hugging dogs is not only…

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What Do You Know about Canine Nutrition?

What Do You Know about Canine Nutrition?

TAKE THE QUIZ! Nutrition Courses and Webinars for Dog People Basics of Canine Nutrition Puppies to Seniors Dog Food Smarts Master’s Class Certificate Program Other Popular Courses and Webinars: Nutrition Controversies in the Dog World Feeding Puppies for Health and Longevity Dogs are Carnivores, Right? Understanding Canine Body Signals Human Grade: Meaningful Distinction or Marketing…

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[lindacasedogs]

Fussy Cat

New Science Dog Course – Coming Soon! Nutrition Courses and Webinars for Dog People Basics of Canine Nutrition Puppies to Seniors Dog Food Smarts Master’s Class Certificate Program Other Popular Courses and Webinars: Nutrition Controversies in the Dog World Feeding Puppies for Health and Longevity Dogs are Carnivores, Right? Understanding Canine Body Signals Human Grade: Meaningful…

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[lindacasedogs]

Evidence-Based Nutrition with The Science Dog Courses

Evidence-Based Nutrition with The Science Dog Courses

Nutrition Courses and Webinars for Dog Folks (and their Dogs) Basics of Canine Nutrition Puppies to Senior Dog Food Smarts Master’s Class Certificate Program Other Popular Courses and Webinars: Nutrition Controversies in the Dog World Feeding Puppies for Health and Longevity Dogs are Carnivores, Right? Understanding Canine Body Signals Human Grade: Meaningful Distinction or Marketing…

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[lindacasedogs]

Nutrition with The Science Dog Courses

Nutrition with The Science Dog Courses

Basics of Canine Nutrition Puppies to Seniors Dog Food Smarts Master’s Class Certificate Program Other Popular Courses and Webinars: Nutrition Controversies in the Dog World Feeding Puppies for Health and Longevity Dogs are Carnivores, Right? Understanding Canine Body Signals Human Grade: Meaningful Distinction or Marketing Gimmick? (This one is FREE!) Yes, please send me information…

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