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Articles posted by Marilia Domingos (Page 2)
Dogs and babies aren’t incompatible. On the contrary, when a child has the opportunity to grow next to a doggy friend, the benefits are immense. Living with a pet can help children develop their nurturing skills, responsibility, empathy and communication skills; they can also learn how to be empathetic and kind. Some studies have shown that dogs can help kids develop their self-esteem, create and maintain healthier social relationships and also exercise more regularly (which decreases the incidence of obesity and weight problems). They can also contribute to a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, things may not go as smooth as desired once the baby arrives. This is why you should invest on preparing your dog to accept the presence of the baby. Here are a few tips on how to do it: Go to the internet and search for baby sounds. There are plenty of videos with babies...
Continue reading » PlanningNo Comment So your alarm clock wakes you up at six a.m. You decide to open your eyes and the first thing you see is your dog, staring at you while waving his tail with excitement. He’s waiting for you and you know he won’t wait much longer; you better take him out… You put on your robe and shoes, grab his leash and walk towards the front door. When you open the door, your heart misses a beat: it’s dark and freezing cold, the wind is so strong your and it’s raining in a way that would make Noah cry in despair. Well, a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do… Okay, After all, your dog needs to pee! Okay, this may be a little over the top but I’m sure you get my point. For most people, walking the dog may feel like this! It can be seen as...
Continue reading » Behavior, TrainingNo Comment A marker is a tool that allows us to tell the dog exactly what behavior is being positively reinforced and it allows us to do so in a clear, objective and simple way. In other words, a marker turns out to be a tool that facilitates communication between the owner/trainer and the dog. When we correctly use a marker to train our dogs, we speed up the whole process by making it faster and more efficient; it also prevents the dog from developing frustration during the training session for not to being able to understand what we want from him and what behaviors are being reinforced. How do we use a marker, then? 1st Rule – We should mark the behavior at the exact moment it occurs. That is, if we want to teach a “Sit”, we should mark the exact moment the dog’s hind legs touch the ground; if...
Continue reading » TrainingNo Comment When I first started to get interested in dog training and dog behavior, I had no idea where I should look for information. Unfortunately, the internet is filled with people willing to give you advice on every sort of problem or topic relating to dogs. Their intentions are the best but sometimes they can do more harm than good. When it comes to dog training, the internet is flooded with myths and outdated information. TV shows shouldn’t be considered as a reliable source of information, as well. One of the most famous and well-known TV shows on dog training is actually promoting the use of dangerous, outdated and counterproductive methods, whilst misinforming people. So if we want to know more about this topic, what kind of sources should we rely on? Books – Books can be a rich and extremely useful source of information. If you choose the right authors,...
Continue reading » TrainingNo Comment Imagine this scenario: a first time dog owner is about to buy all the things his new puppy will need. He gets a doggy bed, a leash and a collar, some toys, a bag of dog food, a water bowl and… a food bowl. This is the very first mistake people do. We don’t need food bowls and we certainly shouldn’t be using them. If your dog is eating from one of these horrible objects, throw it away! Confused? Let me explain. The dog’s ancestor spent most of his day scavenging and searching for food. When we look at animals in their natural habitat, we see that food-related activities tend to occupy a considerable amount of their time. When it comes to dogs, they’re not so different. According to some studies, when given the opportunity, most dogs will choose to work for their food instead of getting it all for...
Continue reading » Dog Products, Dog Toys, Food/TreatsNo Comment Sometimes we think they do. Humans have been sharing their lives with dogs for approximately fifteen thousand years, according to some studies. Since we’re different species, we behave, communicate and see the world in a lot of different ways. Humans communicate essentially through speech, although non-verbal communication skills (such as knowing how to interpret body language and facial expressions) can also play a vital role in our lives. Dogs, however, focus their communicative signals on body postures. They can also communicate through sounds and scents, although these can be harder for us to correctly interpret and understand. However, the majority of dog owners can tell the difference between the various types of sounds their dog produces; they can also link a particular meaning to each one of those sounds: the high-pitched barking means Uncle John has arrived from work, whilst the repetitive whining means he’s hungry. Dogs can also howl...
Continue reading » BehaviorNo Comment Dog behavior modification can be a relatively complex subject. Unfortunately, many dog training shows make it look easy and simple; the majority of them are based on outdated and counterproductive methods that are responsible for the suppression of the dog’s communicative signals and may also severely damage his welfare and mental health. Real behavior modification should only be done by trained professionals who understand and know exactly what they are doing. It can be done using techniques such as systematic desensitization, counterconditioning, LAT, BAT and others. These techniques are based on the use of positive reinforcement, which means they respect the dog’s well-being. In systematic desensitization, we expose the dog to the stimulus that scares him in a gradual and controlled way; the purpose of this technique is to decrease the intensity of the dog’s response. For example, if the dog is afraid of hair dryers, we’ll start by showing...
Continue reading » Behavior, TrainingNo Comment 
