The Premack Principle is one that all dog trainers are generally familiar with, and that some very savvy dog owner’s also know. So, what is it and how can it help you? The Premack Principle was discussed in a study by David Premack who discussed the principle in a paper of a study on CebusContinue reading “What is the Premack Principle and how can it help me?”
Author Archives: Stoked Dogs
Five common training mistakes that might make you think positive reinforcement doesn’t work for your dog
I’ve recently had many conversations on social media with dog guardians who believe that positive reinforcement doesn’t work for their dog. This made me realize that there are many common training mistakes that can lead to people thinking exactly that. To be clear, positive reinforcement works, otherwise it’s not positive reinforcement. I don’t want toContinue reading “Five common training mistakes that might make you think positive reinforcement doesn’t work for your dog”
Puppies and recall
I’ve been thinking about recall a lot. This may be due to the fact that I’m working on a recall focused class. Either way, this is one of the top skills that clients ask me for advice on. Recall is a potentially life saving skill. Having a reliable (or bomber as I like to callContinue reading “Puppies and recall”
So you want an adventure dog: Part 3
We’ve been discussing adventure dogs and how they don’t just magically form out of thin air. We have to build their recalls until they are absolutely bomber, and we have to put in time to build value in engaging with us when we’re outdoors. But what else do we need to consider if we wantContinue reading “So you want an adventure dog: Part 3”
So you want an adventure dog: Part 2
A lot of us are outdoor adventurers and we want our dogs to join us in that endeavour. It’s normal, our dogs typically love the outdoors like us and so we want to bring them along. But adventure dogs don’t just happen, adventure dogs are created through a strong relationships and lots of work onContinue reading “So you want an adventure dog: Part 2”
So you want an adventure dog: Part 1
I live in Revelstoke, British Columbia. This is one of the top towns for outdoor adventure. In the winter it’s a ski/snowboard/sledding mecca, in the summer it’s a mountain biking/climbing/hiking/trail running paradise. People here get out and they play hard in the mountains. So it’s not unexpected that when they get a new dog, theyContinue reading “So you want an adventure dog: Part 1”
How to Socialize Pandemic Puppies
On Tuesday December 15th, 2020 I hosted and presented a webinar called Pandemic Puppies (you can watch the webinar here). The purpose of this webinar was to provide some information for prospective and new puppy owners, on how they could raise a happy, confident and well socialized puppy during a pandemic. In order to registerContinue reading “How to Socialize Pandemic Puppies”
Does your dog ignore you?
A common complaint I hear from clients is: My dog just ignores me. I ask him to come, or tell him to stay, and he totally ignores me! Do you also get frustrated with your dog not listening to you? If so, the good news is that your dog is not purposely ignoring you. Instead,Continue reading “Does your dog ignore you?”
To sniff or not to sniff
To sniff or not to sniff, that is the question. In fact, dog trainers often get asked this question by clients. Is it bad to let their dogs sniff on walks so much instead of keeping them in a tight heel or perfect loose leash walk. Some dog trainers who come from a control basedContinue reading “To sniff or not to sniff”
The importance of clarity in methods and tools
I thought long and hard about what I wanted to post as the first blog post of my new training company’s website. I thought about posting something related to the common issues dog owners struggle with. Something about loose leash walking, teaching a solid ‘leave it’ cue, and the all important recall. But then IContinue reading “The importance of clarity in methods and tools”
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