BARKS
from the Guild Published by the Pet Professional Guild 9122 Kenton Road, Wesley Chapel, FL 33545 Tel: 41 Dog-Train (413-648-7246) PetProfessionalGuild.com petprofessionalguild.com/BARKSfromtheGuild facebook.com/BARKSfromtheGuild Editor-in-Chief Susan Nilson barkseditor@PetProfessionalGuild.com Contributing Editors Jan Casey, Patience Fisher
Images © Can Stock Photo: canstockphoto.com (unless otherwise credited; uncredited images belong to PPG)
The Guild Steering Committee Fiona De Rosa, Diane Garrod, Debra Millikan, Susan Nilson, Anne Springer, Angelica Steinker, Niki Tudge, Catherine Zehner
BARKS from the Guild Published bi-monthly, BARKS from the Guild presents a collection of valuable business and technical articles as well as reviews and news stories pertinent to our industry. BARKS is the official publication of the Pet Professional Guild.
Submissions BARKS encourages the submission of original written materials. Please contact the Editor-in-Chief for contributor guidelines prior to sending manuscripts or see: PetProfessionalGuild.com/Forcefreeindustrypublication Please submit all contributions via our submission form at: PetProfessionalGuild.com/BFTGcontent Membership Manager Rebekah King Membership@PetProfessionalGuild.com
Letters to the Editor To comment on an author’s work, or to let us know what topics you would like to see more of, contact the Editor-in-Chief via email putting BARKS in the subject line of your email. BARKS reserves the right to edit for length, grammar and clarity.
Advertising Please contact Niki Tudge at Admin@PetProfessionalGuild.com to obtain a copy of rates, ad specifications, format requirements and deadlines. Advertising information is also available at: PetProfessionalGuild.com/AdvertisinginBARKS PPG does not endorse or guarantee any products, services or vendors mentioned in BARKS, nor can it be responsible for problems with vendors or their products and services. PPG reserves the right to reject, at its discretion, any advertising. The Pet Professional Guild is a membership business league representing pet industry professionals who are committed to force-free training and pet care philosophies, practices and methods. Pet Professional Guild members understand force-free to mean: No Shock, No Pain, No Choke, No Prong, No Fear, No Physical Force, No Physical Molding and No Compulsion-Based Methods.
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From the Editor
ovember is finally here which means it’s time for the PPG Summit. We will be tweeting live (#PPGSummit) during the three days and updating our public Facebook page throughout the event so be sure to follow and/or like us to stay in the loop. See page 7 for all the links you’ll need to keep track. The keynote speaker at the Summit will be renowned certified applied animal behaviorist, veterinarian and author, Dr. Karen Overall, who is featured in an exclusive interview this month. Overall has plenty to say on the current status of behavior – or lack of it – on the curricula in the majority of veterinary schools and offers some useful advice for trainers and behavior consultants on working more effectively with veterinarians too. Trainers often talk about setting up a dog for success, and our cover story this month features errorless learning in dog training, a methodology that strives to keep errors to a minimum by prompting behavior to elicit the desired outcome, versus trial and error learning. We consider what a dog is actually learning at every step of the process when being taught a new behavior and what emotion is attached to it, as well as investigate the role of frustration in the learning process and the impact of a chosen training method on a dog’s creativity and critical thinking. This all segues neatly into our feature on clicker training which examines the common belief that the “click ends the behavior” and explains why it is not quite that straightforward. Our feature on noise phobic dogs delves into another commonly held belief, that a dog experiencing fear should not be comforted for risk of “reinforcing the fear,” and how we can best help these dogs. Other canine matters in this issue include the benefits of using Tellington TTouch® in a behavior modification program and the daily breed discrimination experienced by one proud Rottweiler owner as she takes her happy, affectionate boy on his journey towards becoming a therapy dog. We also explore the issue of whether deaf dogs bark more than their hearing counterparts and, if so, why, and discuss the importance of early socialization for dogs. Our expanded feline section features the common practice of scratching, an essential behavior that does not always delight owners when it comes to their prized furniture, and explore another commonly held belief, that cats are fastidious eaters. In other species we feature pigs, ever more popular as pets, and birds and the importance of early prevention in terms of behavior problems, which goes in tandem with daily enrichment. Too many exotics are ending up in shelters, making problem prevention a top priority. Elsewhere, in our business section we highlight the importance of compassion and understanding for our clients – both animal and human – and look into the essential differences between so-called whispering versus knowledge and critical thinking. We also feature a special advertising section on page 63 for PPG members and supporters – be sure to check it out. Once again a big thank you to all our contributors and readers - we look forward to meeting many of you at the Summit.
n Susan Nilso
BARKS from the Guild/November 2015
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