Impulse Control

position a mat or bed near you, and invite your dog to lie down there. You can use a food lure to encourage her to rock onto one hip and mark this posture (with the click of a clicker or a verbal marker such as the word Yes!") and a reward.üReward her with small bits of tasty treats for initially short

Competing with our Sheltie Asta at her first agility trial was an answer to our prayers. After her diagnosis, we lived with months of uncertainty about what type of life she might have. Following her lovely debut, a friend aware of Asta's condition commented on how normal" it all looked. But our path to that first agility competition was anything but "normal" because Asta has a mental illness."

The game of leash-tug is encouraged by some agility competitors, as a reinforcer for their dogs at the end of an agility run. However, many dog owners (myself included), find it an annoying and sometimes even dangerous behavior. Here are five things you can do if you're in the latter group and would like to get your dog to stop playing leash tug:

Responsible service-dog handlers aim to keep their dogs as inconspicuous as possible, and are quick to take corrective action if the dog's behavior becomes problematic. When they don't, businesses are legally allowed to ask the handler to remove the dog. While many business owners are afraid to exercise this right, not doing so has created significant problems for the disability community.

so the behavior never gets rewarded or reinforced.üDoes your dog jump

but most will send an officer right away if the dog is contained."

Most of us find a dog's habit of eating feces to be the most disgusting thing that a dog can do. The clinical name for this behavior is coprophagy (pronounced kä - prä - fey - je), from the Greek words copro, which means feces, and phagy, which means eat. The habit is not just revolting to us humans, it's also potentially harmful to the dog's health.

Radio talk show psychologist Dr. Joy Browne offers her listeners a stress-reducing “Square Breathing” technique. To relax before or during any potentially anxiety-producing experience, try square breathing: Inhale to the count of four, hold to the count of four, exhale to the count of four, and hold for four. With practice, you can increase each side of the “square” to a count of eight or even 20; the longer the count, the slower and more calming the breathing.

and now offers a calm sit or down when he wants something

Every behavior and training professional has seen her share of WCCS dogs. Some have developed their own programs to help humans help their dogs.

Your dog grabs your stuff and runs away either because she knows you're going to take it from her and she doesn't want you to, or she's inviting you to join in her a fun game of Catch me if you can." In either case

Owners of herding and sporting breeds – Border Collies, Aussies, Kelpies, Labradors, Goldens, and others – often cheerfully talk about their dogs' obsession" with tennis balls. What they really mean is that their dogs are very reinforced by the opportunity to chase a ball. That kind of intense interest in a ball or toy can be useful for training and management purposes