What is Fear? Let’s start off with the formal definition: Fear (noun) – “an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.” What does this mean for our dogs? The important part of this definition is the word “belief”. That means that fear can be real…
Learning is not Linear. Every individual learns and changes differently. This applies to our dogs as well.. We think changing behavior should be a straightforward progression with constant, albeit gradual improvement. This is almost never the case, especially with our dogs. This is never more true than when you are working with fear….
When we use the term “thresholds” in relation to our dogs there are many different concepts we could be discussing. We may be talking about sitting and waiting at a doorway. We may be talking about entering a new location or environment. We may be talking about the level of stimulus that causes your dog…
What is Socialization? Let’s start off with the formal definition: Socialization (noun) the activity of mixing socially with others. “socialization with students has helped her communication skills” the process of learning to behave in a way that is acceptable to society. “preschool starts the process of socialization” What does this mean for our dogs? When…
