By Lisa Desatnik, CPDT-KA, FFCP, FDM, CPBC Going to, staying and relaxing on a ‘place’ are valuable behaviors to invest time into teaching your dog. This lesson was one of my early ones I taught my own dog, Dawson, when he was a puppy. I have taught many more dogs and puppies since then. What... Continue Reading →
By Lisa Desatnik, CPDT-KA, FFCP, FDM, CPBC Greeting visitors. Attaching a leash. What do all these events have in common? For one, they all are valuable activities for your dog. For two, they can cause you a lot of frustration. Let’s reframe your seeing those activities as the enemy because the opportunity to do all... Continue Reading →
By Lisa Desatnik, CPDT-KA, FFCP, FDM, CPBC It is a common question of new puppy guardians, “When is the best time to begin training my new puppy?” My answer is always, “the day you bring your puppy home.” I am not talking about training your puppy to sit, lay down, stay or walk on a... Continue Reading →
By Lisa Desatnik, CPDT-KA, FFCP, FDM, CPBC What do these situations have in common? A dog begins running in circles, barking, and jumping when his leash is taken out. A dog begins pacing, nudging you and barking when you walk toward your kitchen at 5:00 p.m.. Both circumstances demonstrate contextual cues at work. These are... Continue Reading →
By Lisa Desatnik, CPDT-KA, FFCP, FDM, CPBC As I was driving the other day, I saw a man walking a very large dog, paying more attention to his cell phone than he was the surroundings. He also happened to be attached to his dog by a retractable leash. I’ve got to say, it made me... Continue Reading →
By Lisa Desatnik, CPDT-KA, FFCP, FDM, CPBC When you share your home and your life with a dog, there are so many activities you enjoy together – going for walks is among them. It can be frustrating as the leash handler when your dog decides to plant his feet (or rear end) down and refuses... Continue Reading →
By Lisa Desatnik, CPDT-KA, FFCP, FDM, CPBC “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” ~ Albert Einstein I love this quote. In its great simplicity, it speaks volumes for both effective teaching and learning. This, from a world famous, brilliant physicist known for his general theory of relativity and recognized with... Continue Reading →
By Lisa Desatnik, CPDT-KA, FFCP, FDM, CPBC Think about what it looks like when you want your pet to do something. How many times do you repeat the behavior cue? How do you let your dog know he just did what you want? Do you ask over and over? Do you have a dialogue when... Continue Reading →
By Lisa Desatnik, CPDT-KA, FFCP, FDM, CPBC If you are a parent, you more than likely already know this. Parenting can be even more challenging when your family includes a baby, infant or kids and a dog. Even if human kids are not part of the mix, raising a puppy can have its frustrations, absolutely!... Continue Reading →
By Lisa Desatnik, CPDT-KA, FFCP, FDM, CPBC- Pet Behavior Columnist Associative learning. What is it and how can understanding it help you to have a “better behaved” pet? All of us, including our pets, are constantly learning from our experience how we should or would feel, think or behave in certain situations. Associative learning simplified... Continue Reading →
