Your trainer says you need to use "high value" reinforcers for your dog. But what exactly does that mean? Learn what we mean by reinforcer, and how to know if your treats are high, medium or low value when training your dog. What is a Reinforcer? The …
(The right kind of) ‘practice makes perfect’
Do you “practice at your performance?” I’ve been talking to a lot of clients about practice lately. People hate practice. Do you remember being forced to practice the piano? What about sports drills? It seems to be in our nature to want to get better at …
Continue Reading about (The right kind of) ‘practice makes perfect’
Go for a better walk
If you're like many dog people, you and your dog spend a big part of each day going for walks together. Do those walks ever feel rote or routine? Each time you walk out the door, you get an opportunity for quality one-on-one time with your best buddy. Here's …
High value dog treats that are easy on the stomach
If you have taken a WOOFS! class you have probably heard us request that you bring high value food rewards to class. So what's with the obsession with food, you might ask? To begin with, we are positive reinforcement trainers. This means that we use …
Continue Reading about High value dog treats that are easy on the stomach
Why teach tricks?
Teaching tricks is great for dogs. It provides them with both mental and physical stimulation and helps create a stronger working relationship between the dog and the handler. To start: want better basic obedience skills? Teach some tricks. The more things …
Surviving your dog’s adolescence
Much like happens for all of us, your dog will go through an adolescent phase and this period can be fraught with difficulty. Dogs will enter their adolescent period at around 6 months old, and exit between 18 months and 2 years of age. Smaller dogs tend to …
The REAL first priorities to teach your puppy
Congratulations, you've got a new puppy (or a maybe even new adult dog)! Your first training priority will be to teach is "the basics", right? Sit, come, lie down, stay in front of the food bowl? Not so fast! Yes, these are all valuable skills for your new …
Continue Reading about The REAL first priorities to teach your puppy
What is socialization?
Socialization is the process of positively introducing your puppy to new things so that as they grow into adulthood, they are able to adapt to new situations without fear or anxiety. The most important thing to know is that most puppies are only open to the …
On-leash greetings
Urban living can be tough on our dogs. And meeting and greeting other dogs on leash can be one of the toughest situations our dogs encounter in their daily life. Meeting on leash is a completely artificial situation for dogs. The leash and the resulting …
Voluntary Attention: A Basic Skill
The number one priority for every Basic Obedience class at WOOFS! is something we call Voluntary Attention. Simply put, voluntary attention is the ability of the dog to pay attention to their human in a distracting environment without requiring the human to …
The truth about wolves and “Pack Leaders”
I learned something last week when I was visiting Wolf Park in Battleground, Indiana. Wolf packs donʼt have pack leaders. Thatʼs right. NO pack leader. As it turns out, the concept of the pack leader was a mistake. A mistake made many years ago by people …
Continue Reading about The truth about wolves and “Pack Leaders”
