The Academy Blog
Online training is good for science-based, humane training
With the rise in COVID-19 numbers, more and more training is moving online. I personally do outdoor training using social distancing and masks, but as the winter months approach and the possibility of another lockdown looms, I am moving more consultations online too....
Strut your Stuff: How to Walk your Puppy
By Vanessa Charbonneau, RVT, KPA-CTP, CTC It’s not uncommon for pet parents to think of leash walks as the go-to for physical exercise. You get a puppy, you walk him, right? It’s a no brainer. While I am in no way discrediting the value of a leash walk, because gosh,...
Naughtiness in Dogs: Why They Do It & Why We Love It
Why does my dog… [insert naughty behavior here]? Trainers get asked this question all the time. I sometimes ruminate on this question, mostly as an indulgence. At the end of the day, why dogs do certain things is at best a guess. As trainers, we typically track their...
Nature Wins: Competence and Complexity in Behavior Modification
It’s time to stop blaming competent practitioners. Natural Remedy The other day, I read about a woman using bloodroot salve to try to heal suspected cancer on her nose. Her face sloughed off. Bloodroot, a plant native to North America, is touted for its medicinal...
Dog Pros and Dog Cons: Competence, Celebrity, and the Value of Kindness
Dogs. They’re magic, aren’t they? They’re magic to us two-legged beasts, at least. They’re sisters and brothers to the big bad wolf, but they’re content to sleep snuggled up on the couch with us as we watch a movie. They’re sleek and fast, or tiny and endearing, or...
Dig In: Summer Reading for Dog Lovers
We love books. And we love dogs. This summer has been...well, if not the summer of our discontent, certainly arduous and fraught. But being at home this much has given some of us the time and space to crack open a book, sit back in the patio chair and read,...