Search Results: The Other End of the Leash

Recently I had a discussion with good friends and colleagues about how to handle difficult cases in which two dogs have engaged in extremely serious fights in the home. We found ourselves sorting through what factors need to be considered if re-homing is on the table. This is a common problem brought to behaviorists; I…

This week, it’s all about the farm: (Next week I’ll write a full report of the talks at the Animal Behavior Society 2013 Meeting in Boulder. It was great, lots to tell you about!) [I should mention here that I just changed that last sentence on 8-8, after a call from Jim who noticed I…

We all know the signs of imminent danger between two dogs right? Immobile stiff bodies, direct eye contact, round eyes. Except when dogs are playing and then the exact same postures and expressions are nothing but pauses between frolics. That is a perfect example of what’s called meta-communication, or communication about communication. Here’s a video…

We’re happy to introduce Karen London, Ph.D. as a guest blogger for The Other End of the Leash this week!  Enjoy! If people go running by your home accompanied by their cats, geckos, ferrets, parrots, or rats, then you live in a very different neighborhood, perhaps even a different world, than I do. It’s just…

When I was doing my PhD research in the 1980’s I wanted to see how a dog’s brain responded to different types of sounds before and after training. This was in the 1980’s, and the only method available for animals was to do Evoked Potential tests, in which simple, tiny electrical sensors were glued to…

It makes me so happy to say that Tootsie is doing great. Right now she’s sleeping in her crate beside my desk. The door is open, but she loves it there. The only places she likes as well are 1) being in bed with me, 2) being on the couch or 3) being by herself…

During the seminar I did a few weeks ago in Denver we did a case study with a Corgi named Tucker. Tucker had gotten along well with the dogs of the household until a new female came in and they began to fight. Then he had an aversive encounter with another dog at day care…

The seminar in Arroyo Grande was great fun; the hosts at Gentle Touch Pet Training could not have been kinder, more supportive or better organized. The afternoon half day session on Play was a joy–and all that work creating a new seminar felt well worth it by the end of the day. During the Play…

Karen London and I are revising Feisty Fido: Help for the Leash Aggressive Dog, and I find myself fascinated by how perspectives and techniques change over time. We’re not changing the essence of the booklet, far from it, but there are a few things that are being modified because of our experiences and gains in…

As many of you know, Karen London and I are writing a booklet for people who have adopted an adolescent or adult dog. We’re hoping it will be useful not just for individuals, but also for shelters and rescue groups, and ultimately for the dogs themselves. Right now our first draft is out to readers,…

I would be excited about lessons tomorrow with the GOAT sheepdog trainer/handler  Scott Glen, but the fact is it’s so hot and humid I know that Skip will only be able to work for very short periods of time. Like just a few minutes. I also just a pulled him from a new trial I…

I may, (paws crossed), have a happy story to tell you about a “need-to-be-rescued dog,” but I’ll wait on that until I have more to report. (Please cross your paws; and no, we won’t be the ones taking it!) Meanwhile, I’m thinking a lot the last few days about house training a dog who has…

VIDEOS ABOUT HOW DOGS USE SCENT TO COMMUNICATE Willie Finds His Toy Are you looking for a game to tire your dog out? Teach him to use his nose to “find it!”   Sydney Goes Snowshoeing Why do YOU think Sydney is obsessed with sniffing holes in the snow?   RELATED BLOGS FROM “THE OTHER…

An Eye on Guide Dogs – What They Want Us To Know  August 2024 VIDEOS ABOUT ANIMAL ASSISTED THERAPY Tootsie Greeting a Patient Watch how Trisha’s Tootsie wants nothing more than to be in someone’s lap. A good sign in a potential Animal Assisted Therapy or Animal Assisted Activities dog!   AAA-AAT Excitability Test One…

VIDEOS ON MANAGING MULTIPLE DOGS Examples of “Wait” with Multiple Dogs Want to learn how you can calm the chaos? Check out Feeling Outnumbered? in the Related Books & DVDs section below for a great training quide to working with multiple dogs.   Teaching “Enough” If you’ve got multiple dogs competing for attention, this is…

RELATED BLOGS FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” Love Has No Age Limit–And nor do the stories of our first days with them! January 2020 Free to a Good Home (Booklets, Not Dogs!) September 2016 Toot Toot Tootsie, Hello!  November 2011 Expectations: Adults vs. Puppies  April 2011 Who Do You See When You Look…

VIDEOS ON BEGINNING PUPPY TRAINING Teaching a Beginning “Heel” Watch and listen as Trisha works with a young Border Collie on her “heeling.” Trisha uses a “marker word” to mark the exact behavior she is looking for, then follows with a treat.   Teaching a Beginning “Stay” Watch this video and learn to teach your…

RELATED BLOGS FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” Using Positives to Decrease Negatives  July 2012 Simply Wrong  July 2012 Positives of Negatives & Negatives of Positives  February 2011 Are You “All Positive?”  February 2011   ARTICLES ABOUT PUNISHMENT IN DOG TRAINING Training Daze: Even a bad example can have a good influence Words at…

VIDEO ON OPERANT AND CLASSICAL CONDITIONING IN DOG TRAINING Counter Conditioning for Reactivity Watch how counter conditioning can be used to help with Sydney’s reactivity toward an approaching person.   RELATED BLOGS FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” Setting Dogs Up to Win March 2019 Family Dog Training Classes-What’s in Your Curriculum? September 2017 Luring, Prompting…

RELATED BLOGS FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” Luring, Prompting and (or) Free Shaping February 2016 Lure & Clicker Training to Teach Sit: Advantages & Disadvantages  May 2012 Is Silence Golden?  February 2012 Are Clicks Better Markers than Words?  July 2010 Markers and Secondary Reinforcers  July 2010 Reaching the Animal Mind  February 2009  …

VIDEOS OF POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT IN DOG TRAINING Using Play to Train Your Dog   Examples of “Watch” with Willie   Teaching a Dog to “Stay” with Body Blocks & Positive Reinforcement   RELATED BLOGS FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” March 11, 2024 March 2024 Punishing Yourself with Positive Reinforcement April 2023 Chirag Patel…

RELATED BLOGS FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” Rub a Dub Dub, Willie’s in the Tub. January 2018   RELATED DOG TRAINING BOOKS

VIDEO ON TEACHING YOUR DOG WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH Teaching “Enough” Sometimes enough is enough. We love our dogs, but aren’t always in the mood to give them the attention they want. Here’s a great way to teach your dog to leave you (or visitors!) alone on cue. For more information on this technique, see…

RELATED BLOG FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” Five Reasons That Dogs Become Holiday Grinches December 2021 Crates and Dogs  September 2008   RELATED DOG TRAINING BOOKS    

VIDEOS ON TEACHING A DOG TO WAIT Examples of “Wait” with Multiple Dogs Having two or more dogs can get complicated when it’s time to go outside, get our of the car, or feed meals. Watch this clip from the Feeling Outnumbered DVD for tips on teaching dogs to wait.   RELATED BLOG FROM “THE OTHER…

RELATED BLOG FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” March 11, 2024 March 2024 Family Dog Training Classes-What’s in Your Curriculum? September 2017 Gotta Love that Recall!  October 2013 What’s In It for Me?  July 2010   ARTICLES ABOUT TRAINING A DOG TO COME WHEN CALLED Caution. Your dog is watching. Tale of Two Species – Bridging…

VIDEOS ON TEACHING A DOG TO STAY Teaching a Beginning “Stay” Watch this video and learn to teach your puppy how to stay!   Teaching a Dog to “Stay” with Body Blocks & Positive Reinforcement   RELATED BLOGS FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” “Train Your Dog Month” at the Farm January 2022 Teaching…

RELATED BLOGS FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” Teaching the “Emergency Stop” (or “Flying Lie Down”) March 2021 Family Dog Training Classes-What’s in Your Curriculum? September 2017 Lure & Clicker Training to Teach Sit: Advantages & Disadvantages  May 2012 Explaining “Step by Step” Training, Step by Step  March 2010   RELATED DOG TRAINING BOOKS     

RELATED BLOGS FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” “Intelligent Disobedience” – Thank Heavens for It  August 2024 Less is More (When It Comes to Training) November 2016 Pets and Holiday Visitors  Decemeber 2009 Behavior Modification vs. Management  July 2009   ARTICLES ABOUT MANAGING DOG BEHAVIOR Peace, Patience & Pack Politics. Forget “Alpha”–the rules of…

VIDEOS ON DOG TRICK AND GAMES WITH YOUR DOG Willie’s Favorite Trick! Here’s a video of Willie’s favorite trick. Want to teach your dog tricks? How-to’s for this one and more are included in the Play Together, Stay Together book below.   Willie Finds His Toy Are you looking for a game to tire your…

VIDEO ON USING TREATS TO TRAIN A DOG Teaching a Beginning “Stay” When is the best time to treat your dog when teaching her to stay? Timing is essential for teaching an effective stay. Watch this video and take notice of when Trisha treats Nasta.   RELATED BLOG FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH”…

VIDEOS ON TRAINING YOUR DOG WITH PLAY Using Play to Train Willie Who says training can’t include fun and games?   Example of “Watch” with Willie Willie loves a good game of tug as positive reinforcement for checking in with Trisha.   RELATED BLOG FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” Chirag Patel and the…

Voted “Best Soft-Cover Guide of 2011” by the Dog Writer’s Association of America, Love Has No Age Limit tells you everything you need to know about welcoming an adolescent or adult dog into your family. We all know that older dogs present their own special joys and challenges; let this easy- to-read book turn your…

RELATED BLOGS FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” Book Review: Let Dogs Be Dogs. September 2017 Who is Going to Win? – Video Analysis  August 2013 Confrontational Techniques Elicit Aggression  May 2013 Mounting By Any Other Name  March 2013 “Dominance” Mythologies  August 2010 Leadership  April 2010 Dog Training and the “D” Word  April 2010…

RELATED BLOGS FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” The Best Gifts in Life are Free December 2021 Fido Phone Home? November 2021 Safe and Ecologically Friendly Dog Toys January 2020 Let The Fetch Games Begin. Or Not? February 2018 Ouch: The Danger of Sticks as Dog Toys September 2014 Something to Chew On May 2013 Toy Story with a…

VIDEOS OF PLAY BETWEEN PEOPLE AND DOGS Using Play to Train Willie Who says training can’t include fun and games?   Example of “Watch” with Willie Willie loves a good game of tug as positive reinforcement for checking in with Trisha.   RELATED BLOGS FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” Can Dogs Get the…

VIDEOS OF DOG PLAY Leo Initiating Play with Herk How does your dog initiate play with others? Click here to read more about play initiation in dogs.   Willie Plays with Lily Different dogs have different play styles. Read more about this video and how Lily and Willie communicate in their own ways here.  …

RELATED BLOGS FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” Do Other Animals Keep Pets?  August 2012 Cotton Top Tamarins – The World’s Cutest Monkey  January 2012 In the Kingdom of Gorillas  August 2010 The Brain That Changes Itself  March 2010 Nim Chimpsky  March 2009   RELATED DOG TRAINING BOOKS & DVD            

RELATED BLOGS FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” Birds of New Zealand  December 2010 Animal Intelligence and “Thinking” in Animals  December 2008 Alex and Me, Animal Communication  November 2008   ARTICLE ABOUT BIRDS Walking the Talk: What do dogs understand and how do they understand it?         

RELATED BLOGS FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” Dogs and Cats, Oh My. October 2022 Purr: What Does It Take to Make Your Cat Happy? September 2022 Requiem to Rehoming June 2022 Dogs, Cats and Music. Ready to be Surprised? December 2021 Cats, Dogs and Thunder September 2020 It’s 10 PM, What are Your Dogs and…

RELATED BLOGS FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” The Coolness of Coyotes–and How To Keep It That Way June 2021 Trial of Tears: Wisconsin’s Dangerous Hunting Laws December 2017 A Wolf Called Romeo  July 2014 Carolina Dogs, “Ancient Dogs,” and Bathroom Behavior  September 2013 The Tragedy of Wolf Dogs  July 2013 Dogs & Wolves:…

VIDEO OF MAGGIE Willie & Maggie Play at Redstart Farm Here’s a video of one of the first times Willie and Maggie got to play together.   RELATED BLOG FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” Oh Maggie, My Maggie June 2022 When is it Acceptable to Break the Basic Rules of Dog Training? November…

VIDEOS OF THE SHEEP Luke Working an Ewe     RELATED BLOGS FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” Lambs, Lambs, Lambs  April 2013 Why I Farm  April 2012 Explodo Ewe Finally Delivers!  April 2011 Lambapalooza!  April 2010 Sheep Shearing  March 2010 Sheep Sex  November 2009 Rosebud’s New Lambs  April 2009 New Lambs  March 2009…

VIDEO OF WILLIE’S SHEEPHERDING Willie’s First Run at Cambridge 2014 To read about Willie’s run at Cambridge, click here.    Willie’s First Run at Cambridge 2014 Willlie’s Sheepdog Trial   RELATED BLOGS FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” Summer Fun, from Frogs to Sheepdogs  August 2014 Autonomy and Domestic Dogs  Part I, Part…

VIDEOS OF WILLIE’S EXERCISES Willie’s Physical Therapy – Underwater Treadmill Read more about Willie’s underwater adventures in this blog.   Willie’s Physical Therapy   Willie’s Shoulder Stretches   RELATED BLOGS FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” When is it Acceptable to Break the Basic Rules of Dog Training? November 2015 What I’m Thankful For,…

VIDEOS OF FUN AT REDSTART FARM Willie’s Favorite Trick! Here’s a video of Willie’s favorite trick. Want to teach your dog tricks? How-to’s for this one and more are included in the Play Together, Stay Together book.   Willie Finds His Toy Are you looking for a game to tire your dog out? Teach him…

RELATED BLOGS FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” The Comfort of Dogs November 2024 Love and Dogs and Dogs and Us November 2023 Could We Ever Read Dogs as Well as They Read Us? September 2022 How to Apologize to a Dog–Or Can We? July 2022 Dog Bite Prevention Week (Month? Year?) April 2022…

VIDEOS ABOUT GUILT IN DOGS You get home to find your dog has destroyed your favorite pair of shoes, or maybe she unstuffed a pillow, or got into the garbage. She may look guilty, but are you sure she’s actually feeling guilty?   RELATED BLOGS FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” Sorry to Say…

RELATED BLOGS FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” Fairness vs. Jealousy in Dogs  December 2008 Secondary Emotions in Animals  May 2009 What Emotions Do You Share with Your Dog? Part I, Results  December 2011   ARTICLES ABOUT EMOTIONS IN DOGS A Glass Half-full: All emotions may not be equal, but they are equally powerful…

RELATED BLOGS FROM “THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH” Dogs, Anger, and Anger About Saying That Dogs Can Get Angry. May 2021 Why Don’t Dogs Get Angry More Often April 2017 Can Dogs Get Angry?  November 2008 Isn’t It Great That Dogs Don’t Get Sarcasm  January 2010 Helping Owners with the Inevitable  January 2010 Anger…