Training and Behavior

The Fourth of July is a time of celebration, with fireworks lighting up our skies. While we humans may find these dazzling displays thrilling, the loud noises and bright lights can be extremely stressful for our furry friends. Dogs, in particular, can become anxious, fearful, and even panic-stricken during fireworks. To ensure your canine companion's safety and well-being, it's crucial to take proactive measures to keep them calm and secure during this festive holiday. Read on for tips and strategies to help your dog cope with fireworks.

Prepare a Safe Haven: Create a quiet and comfortable space in your home where your dog can retreat during the fireworks. This area should be familiar to them and away from windows, as the noise and flashing lights can trigger anxiety. Set up their bed, favorite toys, and ensure there is access to fresh water. Consider playing soft music or white noise to…

The holidays are just around the corner, and one of the questions we’re asked most frequently this time of year is how to prevent dogs from “getting into trouble” amidst the food, friends, and festivities. It can take months to train the skills your dog would need to remain on its best behavior around delicious snacks and distracting people. With temptations of food, and bothering or begging guests to get some, and all of the new people coming and going, there are so many things dogs would need to learn in order to be wonderful hosts for our friends and families. Instead of offering last-minute training tips that we wouldn’t have time to properly reinforce, today let’s discuss how you can make a plan to help your dog be successful this holiday season.

When we talk about helping a dog be successful, we mean we’re going to make it easy…

Digging is a natural, instinctual behavior for dogs. Depending on the breed of dog, the desire to dig might even be a part of their breeding and hardwired into their instincts. The act of digging can be a source of joy and enrichment for dogs, but a yard filled with holes is likely a going to cause headaches for owners. Digging is not an inappropriate behavior, but the spots that your dog is indulging in its habits might not be appropriate for you. If you have a digging problem on your hands, here are some tips to channel the behavior into something more appropriate.

Step 1: Break the Habit

Is your dog digging in all the wrong places? If so, prevent his access. Your dog won’t learn new ways while he has free access to his old digs—digging is just too much fun! Prevention is better still, and easier. If…

As we discussed in our Introduction to Cooperative Care, this training concept involves training your dog not to just tolerate handling, grooming, and other husbandry procedures, but to empower them to be an active and willing participant in these experiences.

The concept of cooperative care has become commonplace in large animal practices such as zoos and rescue facilities where an uncooperative large animal could be potentially dangerous. By training these animals to “opt-in” to care procedures, they can be safely treated without the need for physical or chemical restraint.

The same concept applies to our pets. If we train them to become willing participants in their care, and empower them to “say no” when needed, we can help them become an active part of their care and reduce the need for force in husbandry procedures.

Foundation Behaviors for Cooperative Care

One of the foundations of Cooperative Care is teaching a…