Debbie Jacobs

Write a post, like a page, feed a dog

Here's an easy way that you can help shelter dogs. Pedigree has a campaign running from September 16-19, 2010 during which they will donate a bowl of dog food to a shelter for every person who '...

The thrill of the hunt

A commonly heard criticism of and concern about positive reinforcement dog training techniques is that a dog being trained in this way ends up only being willing to work for a reward. And while the failure of a trainer to...

Fearful dogs: What you don't do is as important as what you do

When handling a fearful or shy dog, the things you don't do are as important than what you do. Scared dogs are very sensitive to their surroundings. Until a dog has learned to ignore something, which can take...

The name game

Dog owners take it for granted that their pets know their names. One question we should ask is 'what does my dog's name mean to her?'. When we use our dog's name we may...

How'd you do that?

Here are three ways to teach your dog great tricks: 1. Capturing behaviors- Many of the tricks that our dogs can learn are behaviors which they already know how to do. Sitting, lying down, giving their paw, offering kisses are...

Right on target

Teaching a dog to touch something with a particular body part is called 'targeting'. Targeting can be used to teach a dog tricks, move to a specific location and interact with things they are wary of. Because targeting...

Size does matter

While many small dogs can hold their own with the big dogs, when it comes to being a dog, size does matter. Besides the reality of being easily stepped on and being mistaken for a bunny by over zealous larger...

That darn barn door

A common approach for attempting to change inappropriate behaviors in dogs is waiting until the dog has performed the bad behavior and punishing them for it. We are banking on the assumption that the dog will learn that the consequences...

More fun & games

As more working breeds have become household pets there seems to have been an increase in the popularity and variety of sports pet owners can get involved in with their dogs. Agility, a timed obstacle course for dogs, can be...

Feelings matter

It wasn't that long ago when people did not believe that dogs, and other animals, experienced emotions. Surprisingly there are people who still do not accept or understand that dogs experience a range of emotions. It's...

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