The Academy Blog
The Ethics of Aversives Use
The Ethics of Aversives UseAcademy director Jean Donaldson and staffer Kristi Benson unpack the argument that all training is "science-based" in this thoughtful conversation. Kristi:Science has given us, as dog trainers (heck, as humans) such an incredible bounty of...
Our Heroes
Our HeroesAcademy director Jean Donaldson and staffer Kristi Benson in conversation about their heroes: those people who have opened their eyes with the most glorious of epiphanies and motivated them to be better dog trainers and teachers.Kristi:I’m curious about your...
Everything Important About Dog Training I Learned From Learning Music
Everything Important About Dog Training I Learned From Learning MusicAcademy director Jean Donaldson and staffer Kristi Benson in conversation about the interesting overlaps between learning music and learning to train dogs.Jean:In my mind, two of mankind’s greatest...
The Magic of Management in Dog Training
You’ll get a new perspective on using management to help dogs (and their guardians) with these inspiring posts from the Academy’s March is Management Month.
Conversations About Management
Conversations about Management in Dog TrainingWhy it's useful and when it isn't enoughThe Academy’s director Jean Donaldson speaks with staffer Kristi Benson about management in pet dog training and why standard operating procedures are often more...
Can Dogs Really Play Pretend with Life-sized Dolls?
It’s been asserted that using a realistic stuffed dog (a “fugazi”) provides developmental benefits to young puppies as well as social and mental benefits to adult dogs, thanks to dogs’ presumed ability to pretend these toys are real. I worry these unsubstantiated claims might do more harm than good.