To truly understand dogs and how to train them, it is important to think outside the Skinner Box. Of course, a clear understanding and proper applications of Learning Theory is fundamental to sound dog training. However, psychology is NOT the only scientific field that applies to dog training. Far from it. Continue reading
This Friday, 20 October 2017, Dr. K will discuss science-based dog training approaches. Being a science-based approach is a claim of many dog training philosophies. However, exactly which science ? Is the training approach based solely on psychology and learning behavior? What about biology? What about physics? Continue reading
Do you believe life with dogs is limiting or liberating? Does your dog give you more freedom to do what you want to do? Or, does your dog get in the way of your freedom? Granted, if you are a big world traveler and away from home for long periods of time, a dog may not fit your lifestyle. Other than being a world traveler, does your dog limit your freedom or liberate you to be more confident to achieve your goals, no matter how simple or complex? Continue reading
Not certain what that means? If your dog pulls, lunges, barks and/or snarls at dogs or people while on leash, your dog is leash reactive. This is one of the most common complaints about dog companions, and potentially one of the most dangerous. Leash reactivity is becoming a serious problem because someone typically gets hurt. And these are not isolated incidences, but repeated problems. Often times, each incident involves multiple people and/or dogs in one fell swoop. Reported human and dog injuries include sprained, torn and broken arms, legs, wrists, ankles, fingers, tendons, ligaments along with the all too frequent and yet completely avoidable dog bites.
We are on INSTAGRAM. If you use Instagram, please follow us @TrainingLuckyDogs. Along with posting cute pictures and videos of dogs, we are creating a video training series called “Dog Training In A Nutshell“.
At this time, the maximum video length allowed on Instagram is 1-minute. There isn’t a whole lot one can do in 1 minute…..or is there? Our Dog Training in a Nutshell series provides quality dog training content in 1-minute episodes. We just got started this week. Below is the first two videos of the series. Continue reading
If you have human children, you probably have heard of Positive Discipline. If you have doggy fur-babies, you most likely have heard of Positive Training. While the Human’s Perspective advocates positive training methods, the Dog’s Perspective advocates and applies positive discipline to dog training. The obvious question is – are these training approaches the same or different? Although the names, positive discipline and positive training, are very similar and based on the same learning theory with the ultimate goal of training dogs, their approaches to training and success rates are quite different. Continue reading
When you search for information on how to train your dog, do you consistently find references to B.F. Skinner and the learning theory he proposed known as operant conditioning? Understanding operant conditioning and properly applying the concepts to dog training can be a daunting task, but is necessary for achieving success in dog training. This is where our new book series, The Dog’s Perspective: How to Train a Dog by Thinking Like a Dog, will be very handy. Not only is operant conditioning fully explained and applied to dog training in Volume 1: Philosophy Primer, but it also explores how operant conditioning from the Human’s Perspective, does not coincide with the dog’s point of view (The Dog’s Perspective). These differences in approaches is explained in how to “Think Outside the Skinner Box”. Continue reading
Do you have a dog who needs training? Have you searched the internet for help, but ended up more confused than when you first started? Not surprising! There is so much information – good and bad – out there pertaining to how to train a dog and it is very difficult to figure out which way to turn. Well, we are here to help you better understand this problem and address your training needs.
In the next few weeks, the first volume of our dog training series – The Dog’s Perspective: How to Train a Dog by Thinking Like a Dog will be available. Volume 1 is the Philosophy Primer. We are so excited to share this information with you so that you can better understand how to train your dog. Dog training can be complex and confusing, but it doesn’t have to be. Actually, it shouldn’t be confusing at all, if you truly understand dogs. We sifted through the multitude of dog training information available on Continue reading
Humans have associated with wild canids for at least 30,000. The fossil record confirms human (Homo sapiens) developed relationships with canines as far back as the times of the Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis). From these early wild canids evolved the domestic dog. Humans and their dog companions have been together for the last 15,000 years or so, which is a very long time for BFFs. Dogs and humans are two different mammalian species that have developed a highly beneficial, co-evolutionary relationship. No other interspecific relationship, between two species, is as complex and mutually beneficial as the dog-human companionship. The success of our canine companions’ relationship is their ability to communicate and cooperate with humans, a separate species. However, how this communication occurs between humans and dogs is debatable. Continue reading
Many of us love touching, petting and cuddling our puppy dogs. However, is the feeling mutual? Do our dogs really like all this fuss from humans? More importantly, should dogs like all the touchy-feely attention from not only their own human, but complete strangers? To know if dogs like petting, you can consider your scruffy little pups currently by your side. On a larger scale, think about all the dogs, wild & wonderful, you have had the pleasure of knowing throughout your lifetime. Finally, on the grandest of all scales, evolutionary time scale, contemplate all the domestic dogs that have ever existed over the last 40,000 years. Did domestic dogs always like petting? And….why should we care? The more we think from the dog’s perspective, the better we will be able to communicate with our dogs, and the sooner our dogs will become the best dog in our world. Continue reading