eileenanddogs - Page 2 of 40 - What my dogs teach me

Listen Up: I’m Giving a Webinar on Sound Products for Dogs!

Posted on August 31, 2023January 26, 2024 by Eileen Anderson

The live webinar on October 14th, 2023 was recorded and is available for purchase as a video (with some additional references and written materials).

Purchase it directly from me
Purchase it from BehaviorVets (if you need CEUs)

A sable dog with a medium length coat looks at something in the distance. Her button ears are pricked forward.

Do “ultrasonic” squeaker toys really produce ultrasound?
Now that dogs and music studies have been going on for more than a decade, what do the review articles say?
Which is better for sound masking, a fan or brown noise, and why?
What kind of sound might harm your dog’s hearing?
Why does music for dogs often sound like “New Age” music?
Why are dog training whistles now also advertised as punishers?
What sounds may be innately aversive to dogs?

I’m going to be answering these questions and many more on October 14, 2023 at 11 AM Eastern time at my webinar, “Listen Up: An Evidence-Based Assessment of Sound Products for Dogs,” presented by Behavior Vets.

Overshadowing in Dog Training: Why You Need to Know About It

Posted on July 14, 2023February 16, 2024 by Eileen Anderson

A white dog with brown ears is sitting in front of a woman dressed in jeans and a blue tee shirt, whom we see from the waist down. Her hand is in her pocket and her dog is staring at the pocket with an eager look. — Why is Lewis staring at my pocket?

What Is Overshadowing?

The term overshadowing has a long-established meaning in classical conditioning. The following definition is a little technical, but I’ll explain in the rest of the piece.

Overshadowing occurs when two stimuli are classically conditioned at the same time. Often, the stimuli are of different sensory modalities. An example would be a visible light and an audible sound. When they are conditioned simultaneously, one stimulus may dominate and be more strongly conditioned than the other. It is one of the many things that can cause a classical conditioning protocol to fail or be weak.

When “Treat Training” Doesn’t Work: Operator Error

Posted on June 30, 2023March 31, 2024 by Eileen Anderson

Oval ceramic bowl in two colors of brown full of homemade baked chicken dog treats

I just read this article called “Why Treat Training Doesn’t Work.” What a clickable title. Way to go, author. Now let’s see what your qualifications and support for that claim are.

No qualifications listed. Not even a name.

No support for their claims except they took a class once.

6 Ways to Prepare for the Bangs and Booms Starting NOW

Posted on June 24, 2023September 26, 2023 by Eileen Anderson

Is your dog scared of fireworks? Don’t wait until the holiday hits. Even with just a couple days’ lead time, you can make a plan and take action now to help your dog be less afraid of the unpredictable scary sounds of fireworks, firecrackers, whistles, and even guns.

Get Ready

Here are some things you can do starting today or tomorrow.

If Your Dog Is Afraid of Fireworks, Contact Your Vet Now

Posted on June 14, 2023September 26, 2023 by Eileen Anderson

A small black and brown hound stands in a veterinary exam room with her head slightly cocked — **“What are we here for this time?”**

Every year I post an article that lists last-minute things you can do to help your dog who is afraid of fireworks. We are coming up on Independence Day and Canada Day, and that means bangs and booms. Over the years, I have tweaked my list. I’ll be updating and reposting it in a few days.

But here is an earlier reminder with the most important tip of all.

See your vet about medications (or speak to clinic staff by text or phone if that is an option).

How I Taught My Dog to Get Into a Swimming Pool

Posted on May 30, 2023September 26, 2023 by Eileen Anderson

A white hound dog with brown on his face and ears is standing, smiling next to a kids' above-ground swimming pool

I don’t do many reruns, but it seemed timely to update and republish this post from June 2022 about teaching Lewis to get into a swimming pool. I hope it gives some ideas to other people who might be acclimating their pups to a pool.

In a place with sweltering summers, a way to cool off an active dog like Lewis is a must! And it’s a bonus if he can have fun doing it. So I got a doggie swimming pool. They have improved a lot since I got one for Clara about 10 years ago. I got a moderately large one for Lewis, not thinking about the challenges that might present for him.

He was unwilling to jump into it at first, so I’m going to share the systematic way I introduced him to the pool.

Dogs Who Love Each Other (Or Don’t)

Posted on May 20, 2023September 26, 2023 by Eileen Anderson

Two dogs lying on a bed, a tan one with a black muzzle and a white one with a brown ear and ticking. Both dogs are asleep, and the white dog has his front leg draped over the other dog and his muzzle tucked into her chest.

Is this an “Awww!” photo or what? Answer: more like “what.”

First, it’s not a deceptive photo. It really happened; Lewis and Clara slept like this for at least ten minutes. So it’s not one of those “split second in time” photos that can be so misleading.

But the photo creates a false narrative in most of our minds because of how we interpret certain positions and behaviors.

Dog Food Toys, Rates of Reinforcement, and the Matching Law

Posted on March 28, 2023September 26, 2023 by Eileen Anderson

Three dog stuffable food toys: a blue Westpaw Toppl, a red Kong, and a Greenish-yellow Westpaw Tux

Can you tell which one of the food toys in the photo above likely offers the highest rate of reinforcement when full? Your dog knows!

Lewis taught me this lesson. He is happy to lick and munch on a Kong (center) stuffed with frozen food when there’s nothing else going on. But if he’s excited in the car, he will ignore a Kong full of the same food. It’s not high enough value in that situation, but the same food in a “Toppl” toy (left) is.

“The Negative Effects of Positive Reinforcement” by Michael Perone: Another Misrepresented Article

Posted on February 25, 2023September 26, 2023 by Eileen Anderson

Three orange and red bags of Cheetos snacks are standing up in a row

“The Negative Effects of Positive Reinforcement” by Dr. Michael Perone is a scholarly article some trainers like to use to muddy the waters about positive reinforcement training. They throw out Dr. Perone’s article title like a bogeyman and use it to defend aversive methods in dog training. That usually indicates they haven’t read it. It’s a thoughtful article and has some interesting things to consider, but it doesn’t say what they seem to think it does. Not even close.

Positive Punishment—With the Touch of a Cotton Ball

Posted on February 17, 2023May 19, 2023 by Eileen Anderson

a white ball of cotton on a black background

I accidentally punished my dog’s behavior with a wad of cotton.

Lewis and I are participating in Dr. Mindy Waite’s husbandry study on ear cleaning. The goal of the study is to be able to wipe the dog’s ear with some cleaning solution on a cotton ball while he happily cooperates.

The protocol starts with training a chin rest. We completed the steps for the chin rest in my lap on a little towel (see below), then I proceeded to the steps of lifting his ear, bringing my other hand close to his ear while it was lifted, moving a dry cotton ball toward his ear, then touching the cotton to the inside of the ear flap.