Pet Positive Blogcast

As a certified separation anxiety trainer, the way I help dogs feel better about their people leaving is by very gently, over time – and based on the individual dog’s behavior and body language – help them feel safe about being alone at all and then helping them feel better about the things that predict that (now safe) alone time. I use extremely careful systematic desensitization to the entire picture of humans leaving a dog alone which includes things like keys, locking the door, putting on shoes, and the actual duration of the alone time.

In this episode, I explain operant and classical conditioning and how to ethically help dogs with big feelings improve not only their behavior - but their feelings about triggers. There are compassionate and ethical ways to change big behaviors. This explanation may also help you know which "training" advice to follow, and which to skip.

Some dogs are extremely sensitive and need a little extra care with their paws and nails. I talk through what scratchboards are and how to teach your dog to use them for both front and back nails!

Dogs who are home alone sometimes destroy things. For example, pet parents may return home to find a ripped-up couch, a destroyed remote, the window sill chewed, or curtains ripped off the windows. This episode explores some common misconceptions behind this behavior, and how they relate to possible separation anxiety.

I explain how and why to practice these four training games to help your dog control their automatic impulses. Look away leave it, It's Your Choice with Slow Cookies, Playful Premack Get Drop and Wait, and The Bucket Game.