dog training

Life on the Farm 5

 in Animal Training / dog trainer / Dog training classes / Life on the Farm  tagged dog / dog trainer / Dog Trainer Academy / dog training / Dog training classes / Level 1 Training Academy / Pat Miller / Peaceable Paws / Tug by

I know I’ve about done the Maggie story to death, but I need to add that Westie Rescue did come and pick her up Saturday, and they report she’s doing well in her new foster home. They agree that her teeth are very sharp, and promise to let me know when she’s placed in her forever home. Here are some last-minute photos of her playing tug and hanging out while we waited for Rescue to arrive:       Other than that… IT’S HOT OUT! – in the upper 90’s the last several days – 98 here yesterday, and predicted […]

Maggie Faith Follow-Up 9

 in Animal Shelters / Animal Training / Dog Behavior Modification / dog trainer / Gold Paw / Uncategorized  tagged Behavior Assessment / bite inhibition / dog / dog trainer / dog training / Humane Society of Washington County / Pat Miller / Peaceable Paws / shelter / Tug by

Okey Doke – I promised you a follow-up on the Westie pup left abandoned in our driveway, so here it is. Never let it be said I don’t keep my promises… Maggie spent the week while we were on our biker vacation happily making friends at the Humane Society of Washington County. They assessed her at the end of her stray holding time, and found that she was friendly, outgoing, resilient (as in nothing rattles her) and very quick to use her mouth. They weren’t sure if she was using it aggressively or not, so were not willing to make […]

You Just Never Know… 14

 in Animal Cruelty  tagged abandon / dog / dog training / Humane Society of Washington County / Pat Miller / Peaceable Paws / shelter by

You just never know what surprise is waiting around the corner. I was wrapping up a private consult at about 5:30pm yesterday when one of our 6pm class students arrived and informed Shirley that there was a dog in a carrier halfway up our driveway. Since our drive is about a half-mile long, there’s no chance this dog crate bounced out of the back of a passing pick-up truck; someone must have left her there deliberately. PPaws apprentice Jenn Rutter and I hopped in my van and drove down to investigate. We found the world’s most adorable 12-week-old Westie pup […]

The Nose Knows 6

 in Animal Training / dog trainer / Dog Training Workshop  tagged dog / dog trainer / dog training / Dog Training Workshop / Nose / Pat Miller / Peaceable Paws by

This past weekend was Nose Games time at Peaceable Paws – and what a fun time it was! We spent two days playing with dog noses, and ended Sunday afternoon with tired and happy canines and humans. This was the first time we’d offered this workshop, and I can’t wait for the next one! Our Nose Games workshop differs from the competitive Nose Work seminar that’s touring the country, in that we explore a variety of scenting opportunities rather than just focusing on the competition, although what we do lays a solid foundation for Nose Work, if that’s where you’re […]

All That Is Necessary 7

 in Animal Training / dog trainer / Dog Training Workshop / Travels with PPaws  tagged Bark / Cesar Millan / dog / dog trainer / dog training / Dog Training Workshop / Dog Whisperer / Pat Miller / Peaceable Paws / Premier by

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” This quote, often attributed (perhaps incorrectly) to Irish political philosopher Edmond Burke, is at the heart of the debate between many otherwise philosophically aligned positive reinforcement trainers. Do we speak our hearts about the atrocities committed by TV personality Cesar Millan in the name of “dog psychology” or do we simply commend his success in encouraging more people to seek help for their dog’s inappropriate behaviors as we work to repair the damage done to some or our canine clients whose humans have tried […]

BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION TRAINER ACADEMY

 in Academies / Animal Shelters / Animal Training / Uncategorized  tagged dog / dog trainer / Dog Trainer Academy / dog training / Humane Society of Washington County / Pat Miller / Peaceable Paws / shelter by

Okay, I’ll admit it, I have favorites. I teach several different trainer academies throughout the year, and my Level 2 BMod is always my favorite. I sometimes forget how much I like them until another one rolls around, but the group that just finished last week reminded me, in spades, how rewarding this work is. I like the BMod academy for several reasons – one of which is I get to see return students. Successful completion of my Level 1 Academy is a pre-requisite for Level 2. There are some “equivalents” but most of the Level 2 trainers are Level […]

REACTIVE ROVER APRIL 2010 2

 in Animal Training / Dog Training Workshop  tagged dog / dog training / Dog Training Workshop / Pat Miller / Peaceable Paws / Reactive Rover by

Ach – our busy season is in full swing now, and it’s hard to squeeze in blogtime. But everything that happens now, I think, “Oooooh – I want to put that in my blog!” So – we’re on Day 2 of a Level 2 Behavior Modification Academy right now, with some wonderful dogs – grist for my next blog, but first I want to share our most recent Reactive Rover event with you. Our Reactive Rover weekends are three days of intensive counter conditioning and desensitization for dog-reactive dogs. We accept up to six dogs for a weekend. We had […]

PEACEABLE PATHWAYS: BACK TO THE FUTURE 1

 in Animal Shelters / Travels with PPaws  tagged dog / dog trainer / dog training / Humane Society of Washington County / Pat Miller / Peaceable Paws / seminar / shelter / Wisconsin by

I’m back home from an excellent seminar experience in Brookfield, Wisconsin, with 60+ (sold out!) attendees for a day-long discussion of dog body language and behavior. A well-educated, very positive and responsive group, who actively participated, asked great questions, and bought lots of Pat Miller books and videos – thank you!!! A huge thanks to AWARE for hosting me, and especially to Holly Lewis for making all the arrangements and playing very gracious tour guide on Sunday (more about that in a moment). I even got to see some of my Facebook friends: Crystal and Renea introduced themselves – it […]

IT’S A WRAP!!! 7

 in Academies / Animal Training  tagged dog / dog trainer / dog training / Humane Society of Washington County / Level 1 Training Academy / Marin humane Society / Pat Miller / Peaceable Paws / shelter by

  Yesterday afternoon saw the conclusion of yet another Peaceable Paws Level 1 Dog Trainer Academy. These are always exhausting yet fulfilling weeks for our students as well as for Peaceable Paws staff, and always end with lots of tears as the humans say good-bye to their canine co-students. Here’s the graduation photo: A hearty congratulations to all our successful Interns, and a loud shout out to High Scoring Graduate Kelly Spring, from Washington DC, whose very creative business name is “Spring Training (for Positively Good Dogs)” at www.SpringTrainingForDogs.com . Kelly worked with Lance, a wonderful Siberian Husky who was […]

Level 1 Trainer Academy This Week!

 in Academies  tagged dog / dog training / Level 1 Training Academy / MAAPPPT / Pat Miller / Peaceable Paws / Premier / shelter by

So… we’re on Day 2 of our first Academy for the year, where trainers come and spend six days here at Peaceable Paws. This is a Level 1 Academy – Basic Dog Training and Behavior. Students each select a dog from our local shelter (The Humane Society of Washington County) to work with for the week, and we go through our 7-week Basic Good Manners training in six days. It always astounds me to see the progress our students make with these dogs in just one week. As many Level 1 Academies as we’ve done (more than 25 since we […]

A Week in the Life 15

 in Animal Training  tagged bite inhibition / Carla Hebert / dog / dog training / Karen Overall / Level 1 Training Academy / Pat Miller / Peaceable Paws / shaping / shelter by

Okay, so… I knew this would happen. Now that I’ve started to blog, every time something happens I think “Oh, I need to put that in my blog!” That means that at least this time around (and probably in future times, at least some of the time) you get a running commentary on my week. Last week was a full one. First of all, the weather was scrumptious, reaching well into the 80’s by week’s end. I heard a weather reporter say it was the nicest two-day Spring we’ve ever had. Everything is starting to blossom… here are some of […]