Teacher's Pet - Training Pets & Pet Obedience - Pets & Animals On Pet Life Radio (petliferadio.com)

Many of you are probably experiencing the problem of your puppy or pulling on leash. As with most behavior problems, this does not simply go away with age. In fact, the older and larger your puppy gets, the worse it can become. To allow your puppy or dog to pull actually tells your him that pulling is acceptable because the more you reward a behavior, even ones you do not like, the stronger the behavior becomes. Many owners inadvertently teach their dogs the fine art of mushing by yanking and pulling them back while continuing to walk. Instead of teaching them not to pull, you teach them to pull harder. When a dog pulls forward and you pull back and continue to walk, the dog’s reaction is to pull forward again, only harder. He is being inadvertently rewarded since the walk continues; he gets to sniff and his obedient owner (you) follows behind him. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - TRAINING SESSION #10 -- "Teaching Good Leash Manners" -- Walk With Me -- I am Not a Sled! - with Pia Silvani on Pet

There are many contributing factors that cause behavioral problems in pets. Some of these factors include poor training techniques, lack of understanding on how pets communicate, environmental factors, and medical issues. In addition an animal’s genetic predisposition and underlying neurochemistry are also factors that can lead to behavioral problems such as aggression, anxiety, panic, house-soiling, feather picking etc…..If the behavioral problems stems in part or solely due to underlying neurophysiological reasons, medication may be a necessary and valuable part of an overall treatment program. The assessment of whether the behavior problem is based in underlying physiology should be seen by a qualified individual such as a veterinary behaviorist (www.dacvb.org) or a veterinarian with a special interest in behavior (www.avsab.org). The medications that can be used in pets with behavior problems are similar to medications used in people with various behavioral issues. The medications are similar as the

A very common behavior problem that people deal with is jumping up on people to greet. Most puppies and dogs jump on people out of excitement, friendliness, and as a means to seek attention. Inadvertently, people pay attention to a jumping puppy by pushing her off, by making eye contact, and/or by petting her. Most of your houseguests are being polite by telling you they do not mind, when, in fact, they really do. You must teach your dog that jumping is not a way to greet humans or get attention. This is important regardless of the size of your dog -- 4 muddy paws are still 4 muddy paws! More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - TRAINING SESSION#9 -- "GET OFF ME!" -- Teaching Your Dog to Properly Greet People Without Jumping Up - with Pia Silvani on PetLifeRadio.com

Throughout the past several thousand years, we have tried to understand and organize personality types using the stars, skull shapes, tea leaves, and the human mind. Finally, there is a more reliable - if often higher-shedding - system for understanding yourself and the other two-legged creatures around you: dogology. Yes dogs. Dogs can talk. Vicki Croke and Sarah Wilson, the world's first practicing dogologists, have been jotting it all down, forming this fool-proof personality-analyzing system. Sarah will talk to us about what they have found out and how it can help with your relationship with your dog. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - Dogology! What Your Relationship with Your Dog Reveals About You! - with Pia Silvani on PetLifeRadio.com

Two weeks ago, we started to establish a good foundation for getting our dogs to come to us by finding our feet and sitting until released. This week, you will expand upon that by breaking the "recall chain" down into three different links. Think of a recall as a chain of behaviors, consisting of three links. If one link is broken, your dog will not come to you. You will work on the three links separately, and eventually you will put them all together. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - TRAINING SESSION #7 - "HERE"- Getting a Really Reliable Recall! - Part 2 - with Pia Silvani on PetLifeRadio.com

Too much emphasis has been placed on comparing the similarities of domestic dogs and wolves and not enough on recognizing the significant differences between these 2 species. This unilateral and misguided focus has perpetuated myths about dominance and the "need" for owners to be "alpha", which has had a significant negative impact on dog training and handling philosophies. The result has been a communication breakdown between owners and their dogs resulting in conflict for both parties. We will discuss behavioral, lifestyle and genetic differences between domestic dogs and wolves and how this impacts dog-owner interactions. We will consider challenges in working with owner-directed aggression, behavior modification strategies that work, those that don’t work, and management options. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - Much Ado About Dominance Part 2 - with Pia Silvani on PetLifeRadio.com

Too much emphasis has been placed on comparing the similarities of domestic dogs and wolves and not enough on recognizing the significant differences between these 2 species. This unilateral and misguided focus has perpetuated myths about dominance and the "need" for owners to be "alpha", which has had a significant negative impact on dog training and handling philosophies. The result has been a communication breakdown between owners and their dogs resulting in conflict for both parties. We will discuss behavioral, lifestyle and genetic differences between domestic dogs and wolves and how this impacts dog-owner interactions. We will consider challenges in working with owner-directed aggression, behavior modification strategies that work, those that don’t work, and management options. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - Much Ado About Dominance - with Pia Silvani on PetLifeRadio.com

I like to use the word ‘HERE’ as my emergency recall word as opposed to the word ‘COME.’ Most people use the word ‘come’ in everyday life and tend to overuse it. For example, we might say ‘come on’ to our dogs when we want them to move along with us. Some say ‘come on, you know this’ when they are becoming frustrated with the dog. Others may have used the word ‘come’ to mean move to me but the dog only has a 50/50 success rate. If you want a really reliable recall, you need to ensure that the dog moves to you 100% of the time. You are conditioning a behavior. If you are sloppy, the dog will be sloppy. In Part 1, we will start off with the basics of getting that really reliable recall. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - TRAINING SESSION #7 -- "HERE" - Getting a Really Reliable Recall! -- Part 1 - with Pia Silvani on PetLifeRadio.com

One of the most common complaints that dog owners have is that their dogs cause problems when they are left alone. They bark, destroy things, house soil or escape from the property and cause headaches for the owners and their neighbors. These problems can be caused by a variety of different causes, from boredom to separation anxiety. The causes are often very different from what owners think they are, because they are NOT due to spite, revenge or just "acting out." In addition, Many dogs are labeled as having "separation anxiety" when in fact they do not. Discover how to tell what’s motivating your dog’s home alone problems, and what actions you can take to solve them. Even if your dog doesn’t have any home alone "issues", you’ll find out ways to enrich his home alone time so he can be happier by himself. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - Helping Fido Be Happy Home Alone - with Pia Silvani on PetLifeRadio.com

Now that your dog is becoming proficient at waiting for permission to go through doorways by making eye contact, it is time for you to add distance between the two of you as well as distractions. If you have not taught your dog to "Wait", please refer back to Training Session #5 for the teaching steps. In this session, we will work on getting your dog to look away from distractions that he might want to run to and look for permission before he moves forward. It is nice to have a polite dog that waits at the backdoor but will he wait if there are animals running around? More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - TRAINING SESSION #6 -- Stay -- "Wait!" -Adding Distractions - with Pia Silvani on PetLifeRadio.com

There is a type of dog called a bully. They consist of several breeds having a predisposition to be bullies (Pitbulls, Bull Terriers, Boxers), but the behaviors are not confined to one type of dog. They require "different" raising skills than many other dogs, including more work on impulse control and on appropriate body language. Having owned many different breeds, as well as a bully breed, Trish will give us some insight into what we need to do if we own a "bully" breed. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - Bullies? -- The Bully Breeds - with Pia Silvani on PetLifeRadio.com

It is extremely important to teach your dog to "WAIT" - both for your convenience and for his safety. "WAIT" puts your dog on hold - it tells him to proceed no further. Whereas your release words grant permission to do something, "WAIT" denies permission. The most important use of "WAIT" is at doors - the doors of your home or other buildings and the doors of cars. When you use your release word ("OK!") and open a door, the dog is permitted to go through. When you say "WAIT," he is not permitted to go through. In order for your dog to be released, he must make eye contact with you. When your dog makes eye contact with you, he is asking for permission. If you are consistent, your dog will always look to you for permission before he heads out the door. Teaching "WAIT" makes going in and out of doors convenient and safe. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - TRAINING SESSION #5 - Wait! Stop Moving Forward! - with Pia Silvani on PetLifeRadio.com

What’s the same, and what’s different? Recent advances in biology have underscored how much of our emotional lives are shared by our four-legged best friends, although it’s also important to be aware of the differences. However, we all experience emotions, but don’t always understand them. What are emotions? Do people and dogs share facial expressions when communicating their emotions and if so, how? Fear, anger, happiness, love, grief, jealousy and sympathy are all human emotions. Do dogs have these as well? We’ll talk about how an understanding of emotions in people and dogs can enrich the lives of both of you. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - Emotions In You and Your Dog - with Pia Silvani on PetLifeRadio.com

The purpose of adding distractions when you say "Stay" is to teach your dog that it is worth responding to your cues, despite the fact that the environment around your dog might be more interesting. Your dog should obey you anywhere, anytime, and under any circumstance. This is called reliability. You want to be able to rely on your dog to obey, no matter what. To get a high level of reliability, you must practice with your dog in new and different environments where distractions occur naturally. Pia will help you learn to get your dog to be reliable when told to Stay, regardless of what is going on around your dog as well as beginning to add distance between the two of you. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - Training Session #4 - Stay - Adding Distractions and Distance - with Pia Silvani on PetLifeRadio.com

Do dogs grieve the loss of a canine companion? Many owners wonder what the signs of grief in dogs are, and what they can do to help their beloved friend during difficult times. We will review the signs of grieving and what can be mistaken as grieving may have another cause. A list of things to do and not to do will also be discussed. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - Is My Dog Grieving? - with Pia Silvani on PetLifeRadio.com

It’s important that you effectively communicate what you want from your dog. Remember, dogs do not understand English. They do not understand when you talk to them in sentences, paragraphs, or lectures. They are not born knowing what sit, down, stay or come mean. Dogs can learn quite a large vocabulary of words and short phrases. However, for each word or phrase you want him to respond to, you must carefully teach him what it means by communicating with him in a way he will understand. We communicate with dogs by a process of demonstration and reward. We help the dog learn what our English word means by helping him carry out the action as we say the word. As soon as he does it, we reinforce him for cooperating. Today’s lesson will focus on teaching your dog to hold a reliable Stay. Pia will work with you and your dog on the first steps of getting a reliable Sit and Down Stay. Teaching your dog to exhibit self-control will make your life much easier, especially when you have company over or are out and abo

Our interview will focus on adopting a dog from a shelter or rescue organization. I will be detailing specifically what behaviors to look for when meeting a dog or puppy, as well as what adopters can expect from the shelter system. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - Selecting the Right Dog from a Shelter - with Pia Silvani on PetLifeRadio.com

To teach anything, you must first have your dog’s eye contact and attention. Everything you will do with your dog builds on this exercise. This is your foundation for getting reliable behaviors. When you say your dog’s name, your dog should look into your eyes. He should not continue doing what he was doing nor should you have to repeat his name over and over. You should get a good solid look into your eyes, not a glance, not a look at your treat pouch, your hand or elsewhere. Pia will go over techniques to get your dog to “want” to look at you, even when you don’t ask. What happens when you take the leash off your dog? Does he run away? How insulting! Pia will teach you an exercise that will help keep your dog near you and wait for permission to leave your side, regardless of whether the leash is on or off. Putting the leash back on a loose dog should not be a punisher for the dog. You will practice this exercise as Pia talks you through each step. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - TRAINING

Summer can be a difficult time for noise phobic dogs as fireworks and thunderstorms occur throughout the summer. In severe cases, a dog’s fearful reactions can literally be life threatening as some dogs will engage in extreme measures attempting to get away from what to them are terrifying sounds. We’ll discuss the challenges in working with noise phobias, what’s helpful and what’s not, myths about "rewarding fear", management options, and why winter is the best time to work with these problems. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - Summer Noise Phobias - with Pia Silvani on PetLifeRadio.com

Training should be fun for both you and your dog. Positive reinforcement training to shape your dog's behavior encourages upbeat, enthusiastic responses and ensures that your dog will enjoy learning. First of all, we will talk about rewards. Getting the right reward will motivate your dog to perform that behavior again in hopes of getting another reward. You will find your dog’s motivational triggers, learn how to rate your rewards and when and how to use them. Now you need a signal to tell your dog what he just did was right. Learn about marker words and how to use them correctly. Teaching "take it" and "give" are critical in developing a respectful relationship with your dog. Dogs that will not willingly give up objects when asked can end up sick, require surgery or bite. The best way to teach this is by playing Tug! Once your dog learns the rules and plays fairly and politely, this will probably end up on the top of your list to use as a reward. Pia will carefully go over the rules to ef