Pet Me with Two Hands and Two Eyes, Please?

Blog post by Amber Quann KPA-CTP, CPDT-KSA

Multi-tasking is a favorite pastime for many of us, myself included. Why do only one thing when you can be doing many things at once?!?!

With the advent of technology, our addiction to multi-tasking has become even more easy to feed. I find myself checking my email on my phone while making breakfast, returning phone calls while washing dishes, and catching up on social media while half-heartedly folding laundry.

While doubling up on these mundane tasks may seem innocent enough, I’ve recently become aware of another pattern to my multi-tasking that is less harmless.

I often multi-task on activities with my dog. It’s so easy to pet him with one hand and scroll Instagram with the other. It’s very convenient to return phone calls while walking our daily morning and evening walks. That’s 1.5 hours EVERY DAY that is just asking to be put to more than one use!

But just like excessive technology use can impact our relationships with other humans, I think this tendency to consistently split our engagement between our dogs and distracting technology has real consequences for our relationships.

Engagement creates engagement - if I engage with my dog, he is more likely to engage with me. Conversely, if I disengage from my dog, he is more likely to disengage from me. While this isn’t the end of the world every now and then, if it is the norm on our activities together, it’s no surprise that the disengagement behavior becomes way more reinforcing to the dog than engaging.

So, a challenge for all of us:

Let’s be intentional about our technology use around our dogs. Let’s choose complete engagement as much as we can. Put down your phone when you pet your dog. Leave your phone at home when you head out for your daily walk. Show your dog that you are engaged completely with him on the activities you are sharing together.

Gear Up for Spring Hikes! - Essential Supplies for Hiking with Your Dog

We are just wrapping up a month-long series on our Facebook page about our top 10 gear list for hiking with our dogs. Here is the summary of the list, but if you want details on each item, be sure to check out the posts on Facebook!

1. Water bowl + water bottle. Ruffwear Quencher & HydraPack Seeker.

2. Clean up accessories! TurdleBag + biodegradable bags

3. First Aid Kit

4. Long-line. Our favorites are from Rawah Dog Outfitters!

5. Backpacks. We love the Ruffwear Palisade and the Outward Hound Quick Release.

6. Squeeze Tubes. Coghlans or GoToob are the best!

7. Tasty Treat Trailmix

8. Collar + I.D. Tags + Microchip

9. Flea + tick prevention & mosquito repellent

10. Education on wilderness first aid & safety. Check out the Field Guide to Dog First Aid.

Happy adventuring!!

Work Out With Your Dog - Without Losing Your Mind

Blog post by Amber Quann KPA-CTP, CPDT-KSA 

If you’re like me, there are some days where you just can’t make it to the gym.  Whether the culprit is your crazy schedule, the negative temperatures outside, or your dog’s sad puppy dog eyes begging you not to leave again, the struggle of being torn between a good workout and staying cozy at home is real!  

But if you live in a small house like me, and/or have a dog that wants to be involved in all of your activities, getting in a good home workout can be an additional challenge for those of us deciding to skip the gym.  If left to his own devices, my dog Roo would be all up in my business as I’m trying to get in a good workout rhythm, leaving both of us frustrated.

Thankfully, we’ve worked out (pun, haha!) a great system for avoiding this frustration!   We’ve modified Karen Overall’s Protocol for Relaxation framework to include workout skills like squats and burpees and push-ups and sit-ups.  Roo settles on his mat quietly right next to my workout area and gets a treat from the nearby treat bucket every few minutes. This way he gets to be somewhat involved in my workouts and I don’t have to worry about tripping over him while carrying my dumbbells.

We didn’t start with the long intervals between treats that we work at now though!  If you want to give this a try with your dog, here is a model to follow to start building up this skill!  For most dogs it will be easier to start with workout exercises that keep you upright before adding in exercises that put you on the floor right in their reach.

Foundation: Settle on a Mat. If your dog doesn’t know this skill, he should!  You can see a short video of this skill here.  Work through at least day one of the Protocol for Relaxation to build a little bit of distraction and duration into this skill.

Set Up: Mat or towel near your workout station. Small treats in container readily accessible but out of your dog’s reach if he’s likely to sneak a taste while your back is turned.

Once you are set up, try an easy workout sequence like this: 

Hey you just did 15 squats! Good job!  You could replicate this same framework with lunges, oblique leg lifts, jumping jacks (add some shorter intervals between treats here, this is an exciting one for many dogs!), etc. 

Here’s another variation to try:

When your dog is doing well with your upright exercises, try some that put you on the ground!

Look at those abs! ;) You get the idea.  You can start to add more reps between each treat for your dog, expanding to the duration that you want to see.  Added bonus is that after your workout, your dog will have gotten some quality one-on-one time with you as well, and practiced a very important self-control skill that is applicable to so many areas of his life!

Happy sweating!  

Here's to a new year . . . 2019 Summit Dog Training Update

Blog post by Amber Quann KPA-CTP, CPDT-KSA

At our goal setting meeting last year January 1, 2018, my husband Charlie and I had a simple goal for the year: maintain the status quo. This goal was born out of realizing that every year since we’ve been married, we have either moved to a different state, started a new job, started or graduated from a degree program, moved to a different house, opened or closed a training facility, etc. etc. etc. In 2018, we made it our goal to stay in the same jobs, the same house (we’d just bought our perfect first home), the same state, and the same level of education. We met that goal pretty well over-all and it was oh-so-nice.

Which brings us to 2019 - new year, new goals.

Maintaining the status quo is good sometimes. It allows you to find a baseline. Find some level of proficiency before you raise your criteria - that’s Training 101.

But sometimes the status quo isn’t a healthy long-term solution. When the status quo is working an average of 50-60 hours a week, juggling 306 business hats all at once, feeling guilty about taking time off, and fighting compassion fatigue every other day - that’s not healthy, and not sustainable.

So, here are some updates for each of us on the Summit team for 2019. We’re shaking it up a bit.

Amber: For the past 3.5 years since I started SDT, I’ve worked an average of 50-hour work weeks, including multiple weeknights every week, and weekends. I love helping people and their dogs, and SDT has helped a lot of them in Fort Collins so far (I just noticed that we just passed the 1000th client mark in our scheduling software!). But while this is my passion and has been my dream job since the age of 10, I am also on the edge of burnout. In order to keep helping dogs and their humans, I will be taking a sabbatical this year to rest and work on some other projects that have taken a back burner to my regular responsibilities. The first part of my sabbatical will be for 6 weeks middle-of-February through the end of March. I have a new project that I’m very excited about. It’s called Drink With Your Dog™, and when this project is complete it will include education for breweries and dog owners all about keeping dogs in breweries in the safest and most positive way for everyone involved. I need time to work on developing this project fully, and this is part of what I will be using my sabbatical for. I also have been wanting to teach an online Rally obedience class for quite a while now. During my “downtime” I’m going to be offering that class since it never seems to fit amid all the other routine classes that we offer. After these 6 weeks, I’ll be back for a bit . . . and I’m not sure exactly what my availability will look like then, but we will see. There may be a second part of this “sabbatical” happening later this year, details still TBD.

Photo credit: Jasmine Beaubien Photography

Charissa: Charissa has been enjoying raising her new puppy and married life since early this fall. And now that the new year is upon her, she and her family are looking for their next adventure. Sticking to the mountains of Colorado, Charissa and Tyler will soon be packing up the dogs and cat and moving to a new town. She would like to work on training her animals and teaching some goals with them but once settled knows she can’t stay away from her passion long. Charissa is still teaching the CSU vet students every week so she won’t be far for long! During this time she’ll be taking a back seat at SDT and won’t be leading group classes or taking on new private lesson clients.  

Sarah: Sarah joined the SDT team back in October, and has been working hard preparing to take over her own Level 1 classes starting this month. We are so excited to have her as part of our team, and for the expertise that she will be bringing to our class students. She will also be available for Basics private lessons starting soon, and will be a great resource for our students while I’m away.

Emily: Emily is our rockstar administrative assistant - if you call our office phone or send us an email through our website, you’ll reach her! She's always ready to help and will be continuing to work hard on behalf of our clients even during this weird downtime. I’m also going to be putting her skills to good use on the development of the DWYD™ Project!

Other updates:

Level 1 Classes: We recently had one of our class locations close their doors unexpectedly. We have found solutions for our classes for the short-term (thank you Prost, Wagz & Krisers for stepping in and helping us out!). As we have team member changes in conjunction with this location snafu, we likely won’t be offering our Level 1 classes with the same regularity as we have been able to for the past 3 years. We are still exploring other location options as a long-term solution (if you have any leads on a great classroom space for us to pursue, please reach out via email at amber@summitdogtraining.com) but in the mean time, please bear with us and if you see a class pop up on our schedule that you want to join - sign up right away so you don’t miss out since supply will be limited.

Thank you all for your continued support of Summit Dog Training. We are so honored to have been able to serve so many dogs and their humans in Fort Collins over the last 3.5 years. We are excited about the next steps we are taking - hopefully these steps will ensure that our team has the capacity and energy to continue serving the dog community for many years to come.

Harmony in the Household: Bringing a New Cat into a Dog's House & Vice Versa

Blog post by Amber Quann KPA-CTP CPDT-KSA & Emily Jacobs

Harmony in the household is a pretty great goal, and harmony among the pets is an important piece of harmony for the whole family. Too often, bringing a new pet home can cause mayhem and discord. It can be a major nuisance, and it can also be a serious safety concern if the animals living under one roof do not see eye to eye. The great news is that with a combination of management and training, most issues can be avoided all together or at least mediated successfully. 

The first step in the process of bringing home a new pet is deciding whether your current dog or cat would benefit from company, or if what you know about them actually points to them being happier as the only pet. If it’s right for them and you to add a member, here are some tools to help the transition flow peacefully. 

• Plan Ahead: Have some idea of your training and management tactics before the new pet comes home. It’s our responsibility as pet-owners to keep our animals safe and comfortable, and planning ahead is an essential piece of this!

• Separate:  Separating the new pet from your current pet is crucial in the initial stages. Until you know how they will react to each other’s presence when they are separated and supervised, it’s not a good idea to give them full access to each other. A house can almost always be physically separated into at least two zones: one for the resident animal and one for the newcomer. Utilizing those zones, delineated by baby gates or similar, can help reduce the stress of the introduction. Trading the zones between the animals can help acclimate them to each other’s scent and start to incorporate each other into their idea of normal territory. 

• Go Slowly: When it’s appropriate to combine them, interactions should be supervised and slow. 

• Observe Body Language: How do you know if your animal is comfortable? One hallmark indicator is body language. If you don’t know what signs of discomfort or aggression to watch out for, read up! Being prepared to spot whale eyes, for instance, and separate your dog from your new cat might prevent an overstimulation or fear reaction. Lots of dogs and cats are able to play and learn cooperatively, but it’s always important to ensure safety first. In fact, once they have an established relationship, there are many fun ways that you can help them bond and enrich each other’s lives. 

• Train Foundation Skills: Training preparation and practice with both dogs and cats, and current and new pets is extremely helpful. When you are introducing the two, focus exercises and a great recall are just two examples of real peace-keeping skills that you can keep in your training toolbox. There are a variety of exercises that will help you in bringing a new pet home, and they are just as helpful in houses with existing inter-species animal interactions too. 

These concepts can be applied to most animal combinations, as positive reinforcement training is based on scientific animal behavior knowledge and is not species-specific. If you’re thinking of taking another pet into your home, or if you’ve already brought a new pet home and need some guidance, you might benefit from looking through our handout, “Dogs and Cats” (available as a PDF download in our store!) and/or scheduling a lesson with one of our trainers. We wish you the best of luck and the happiest of trails with your growing households. Maybe we will see you along the way! 

Oh, do you specialize in _______ breed??

Blog post by Charissa Carvell KPA-CTP, CPDT-KSA

“Do you specialize in ___________ breed?”

As a dog trainer, we often get asked if we know more about certain dog breeds over others. The truth of the matter is it doesn’t matter what kind of dog you have or even what kind of animal you have. As animal trainers we focus first and foremost on training the human learners in front of us. Once we have taught you how to effect behavior change its then up to you to work with your animal (dog, horse, cat, or lion). There are many species-specific behaviors that occur (dogs don’t suffer from cribbing like horses do) but the way we can help modify these behaviors are the same.   

Fenrir, my German Shepherd puppy, LOVES to learn.

This is one reason that using positive training methods is so amazing - they can be replicated across species. Lions at the zoo, dogs in a rescue, or horses in your pasture all can learn the same behaviors in the same way! It’s what separates clicker training from other forms of training that involve force. When you use force or intimidation, you often get stuck when trying to apply such methods to larger species. What you can physically do to a dog, you cannot do to a tiger. But using a clicker and some reinforcement you can get amazing behaviors no matter how big or small your learner. 

We can all learn new things and I love teaching! The variety of learners that benefit from these positive training methods - from working dogs like German Shepherds to toy breeds like Chihuahuas, to humans with a long history of practicing different dog training methods to humans who are training their first dog - is part of what makes my job interesting and the science of learning so exciting!

How to "Give the Gift of Dog Training" without Wasting Your Money

Let’s think about love language. For example: quality time spent, cuddles, and gift-giving. As the weather turns colder, it’s easy to get swept up on the warm, cinnamon-scented trail of purchasing, wrapping, and gifting our hearts out. Here’s a resolution: Make your gifting money count. Gift-giving is, ideally, a mutually-beneficial activity. The giver receives warmth, while the recipient receives something they can use and appreciate. 

We at Summit are spending the first days of the holiday season with this in mind: we hope that when someone purchases dog training as a gift for another, their money goes as far as possible – generating both the warm fuzzies and the utility. We have to charge for our training sessions and classes, of course, but we definitely aren’t just in it for the money. We like to help clients reach their goals, and to feel productive and connected to their dogs while doing it. It’s tough to feel like the session isn’t the best use of your money. Here are a couple of questions to ask first to help determine whether or not dog training is the right gift to give.

• What are your recipient’s training goals? Are you sure that the goals you have in mind are on their mind as well? That can happen if the recipient can’t think of anywhere they would like to go with training. Also, recipients sometimes worry that the gift means there’s undesirable behavior they’ve been ignoring or haven’t noticed. It’s alright to chat with the potential recipient about their dogs openly, and to discern whether or not they see eye to eye with you about their dog’s behavior.

• Does the recipient have time to spend on training? We also know that a lot of humans and pups have training goals, but just don’t have the time to work on them right now. Check that your recipient has the schedule flexibility for training sessions, and that now is the best time for them to fit them in. At the expense of the surprise, you might save the expense of a session that doesn’t feel productive, or that feels rushed. Or, you might find out that training is the perfect gift! Or, that it would be better given another time, due to seasonal scheduling constraints. 

• What is the best way to deliver your gift to make sure your recipient actually receives it? Don’t purchase training and then send it off into the ether. Make sure your gift has a confirmed delivery location to get to your recipient, since no trainer is able to work with a dog they can’t find! (This suggestion is based on a real example - last Christmas someone bough a large gift certificate and the details they provided for delivery were incorrect. After a year of repeated efforts to contact both the giver and the recipient with no luck, we are donating this training package to one of our shelter partners.)

Training works best when the pup and human are both engaged and interested. Make sure your recipient wants to train, and that they believe their dog can benefit from it. We adore our clients and want them to love working with us too, and the best way to do this is to make sure that dog training gift recipients feel like training is fun and important, not emotionally or logistically difficult. To you as a potential gift-giver, our is not to dissuade you from giving the gift of dog training, but to make sure that you have spent you money well.   We want your message to reach your recipient in a love language that is clear.

We can’t wait to train with those of you who can’t wait to train with us! 

(Still thinking about giving the gift of dog training? Check out our Gift Certificates on sale through Cyber Monday for 25% off the redemption value!)

Waking Up on the Wrong Side of the Dog Bed

Blog post by Emily Jacobs, SDT Admin

Haven’t you ever come to the end of a particularly tough day to wonder, why me? Why did everything seem so wrong, and so difficult? Further, have you ever caught yourself and thought, “well, plenty of good things did happen…?” It seems obvious that negativity in human daily life can be toxic. One tough break at work can color your whole day, and one critique from a friend might put you in a funk for a while. However, I think it’s easy to forget that most negativity is contagious for our pooches too. Our demeanor and the emotional environment we create for our dogs can be an important factor in the success of our relationship.

Back to humans: our mood often directly affects our perception of other people’s personalities. I know that when I am in a bad mood, my first impressions of people tend to feature more judgements than when I’m feeling well-rested and happy. Isn’t it true that our dogs’ behavioral “sticking-points” nag at us more when we are underslept, underfed, or feeling unloved? When they bark at the fenceline, if we are feeling negative, won’t we feel more inclined to bark back?

It can certainly be said that our dogs aren’t holding grudges. I know that when I accidentally step on Dally’s toe, I apologize to her profusely in a language she doesn’t understand, but it’s just to placate my own guilt. She can’t understand me, and she has already forgiven! How peaceful it would be, in the human world, if we were able to allow the mis-steps of others to roll off our backs in a similar way. Further might we have more emotional bandwidth to approach our dogs without judgement, if we have spent our day forgiving rather than begrudging?

We might foster more productive relationships with our dogs if we extended to them a portion of the courtesy they extend to us. We always have the benefit of the doubt, in our dogs’ minds. They might be pretty color-blind, but they seem to see the world through rose-colored lenses. Perhaps we could wake each morning and forgive ourselves for our mistakes, then put on our own rose lenses and see others that way too. Finally, we might be able to see our dogs more clearly, without the fog of stress and frustration that obscures so much of our sight.

It’s evident that our own self-care (medical, emotional, financial, spiritual, etc…) can have an effect on how we perceive our dogs’ actions. The redirection a begging dog receives should be consistent and loving each instance, no matter how hot it was today, or how long the line was at the grocery store, or how much your feet hurt from walking. It is worth saying that we are responsible for taking care of ourselves when we are owners, because the needs of a pet can’t be met with just money, kibble, and exercise. We are responsible for meeting our dogs more than halfway in emotional engagement. To have the most fruitful relationship, it’s important for both parties to be heard, well-fed, well-rested, and well-loved.

The Effects of Training Method on Companion Dog Welfare

Guest post by Laurel Gardner.

Hello! My name is Laurel Gardner, and I am a second year veterinary student in the DVM Class of 2021, at Colorado State University. After working closely with Charissa to get help with training my own dog, Winnie, I have undeniably become fascinated with the effects of training methods on the human-animal bond and animal welfare. Charissa did an amazing job at helping Winnie and I to get the most out of our training and really work through the behavioral issues Winnie was having. After having experienced the benefits of positive reinforcement training with my own dog, I decided to do some research and look into the documented positive results that have been associated with this type of training, and it is clear there are a lot! Thank you for taking the time to read this piece, and feel free to send any questions concerning this paper to: Laurelmg@colostate.edu

The Effects of Training Method on Companion Dog Welfare

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, “an animal is in a good state of welfare if (as indicated by scientific evidence) it is healthy, comfortable, well nourished, safe, able to express innate behavior, and if it is not suffering from unpleasant states such as pain, fear, and distress.” As animal welfare tends to be more commonly associated with animal basic needs such as the requirements of safe shelter, adequate nutrition, and a life void of the suffering and pain that is avoidable, it is common that mental and behavioral health may tend to be neglected, despite being an equally important portion of comprehensive animal welfare. After all, while the type of suffering we most frequently refer to is physical suffering, suffering can also undeniably be an aspect of psychological health that manifests in the behavior we see exhibited by “man’s best friend”. 

            Consider the timid puppy that hides beneath his owner’s chair and growls and snaps at any face that comes to greet him. Such a heightened state of fear, anxiety, and defensive aggression is a difficult mental state to live with, as human faces are an unavoidable life experience for that dog.  Unfortunately, the case of the aforementioned puppy is not uncommon and has been strongly linked to the use of positive punishment (1) training techniques. According to a study of dog training methods published in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior in 2008, owners using some form of positive punishment were far more likely to have dogs with aggression against unfamiliar people or dogs (27%) compared to those owners who employed only positive reinforcement (10%). The owners using solely positive reinforcement in their training also had dogs with a much lower score for fear, avoidance, attention seeking, and general aggression [2]. Another study from 2004 showed that owners who used positive punishment had the highest proportion of dogs that showed “separation-related problems, either currently or in the past” [5]. While these owners may have good intentions in trying to train away bad behaviors in their dogs, it is clear that the effects of the training often make the situation worse than it was before. Yet another study in the journal, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, which directly observed owners while they trained their dogs, revealed that dogs trained with positive punishment were less likely to play with their owners when the owner offered a toy. This lack of desire to play could be the result of fear of humans associated with past punishments, and also indicates a lack of natural behavior, which is an essential part of good animal welfare [7]. Clearly, the use of positive punishment in dog training is not an effective way to promote good, complete animal welfare for our furry friends!

In addition to this mental distress, many forms of positive punishment involve physical reprimands including the use of shock collars, alpha rolls (2),and many other assault methods that can result in physical pain and suffering, affecting yet another aspect of comprehensive animal welfare for these dogs. For example, tools such as shock collars and choke collars have undeniably been linked to physical pain and suffering. These punishment tools can cause instability of the joints in the neck, induce inflammation of joints, cause paralysis of the nerves that allow normal breathing, and even cause glaucoma from the increased pressure placed on the veins of the neck [6]. According to Charissa Carvell, a double certified dog trainer that specializes in using only positive reinforcement methods, training “naked”, meaning without any collars or harnesses, is the best way to go. Eliminating this compulsive behavior to pull on the collar or leash (and other positive punishment tactics) makes the training process a more positive experience for both owner and dog, and often enhances the rate of learning, since the dog desires to please his human partner instead of fearing his owner and dreading training time [3]. 

            Despite the unpleasant consequences associated with positive punishment on dog welfare, these training techniques have been popular for years among dog owners throughout the world. One sizeable reason for the popularity associated with this training method is that these tactics have been idealized in books and on television shows like Cesar Millan’s “The Dog Whisperer” that describe positive punishment as an efficient method to train a truly obedient dog [9]. But, are these methods truly that effective? Herron et al. disagree in their 2009 article published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science, noting that the idea of physically asserting oneself as the alpha to his or her dog in order to obtain obedience is a naïve misunderstanding of the root of canine behavioral issues, since current literature on dog behavior actually shows that most canine behavioral problems arise from anxiety, fear, and self-defense [4]. With this in mind, the supposedly effective strategies that accompany positive punishment training are in fact worsening the already present behavioral issues a dog may have. Dr. Karen Overall, a DVM and co-chair on the Scientific Working Group on Dogs (3), emphasizes how positive punishment training increases the “unreliability” of the dog, especially in real-world situations. Dr. Overall eloquently compares the use of positive punishment techniques in stressful situations to the phenomenon of escalating violence that occurs in human domestic violence situations. She explains how the use of aversive stimuli like “shocking” or hitting the dog only lead to increased arousal and negative emotions in the dog, which are likely to spill over as unwanted aggression toward the handler [6]. 

            A 2010 study of owner relinquishment showed that 46% of dog relinquishments at shelters were due to some behavioral issue, aggression or otherwise [9]. With an increased tendency toward aggression, separation anxiety and an overall increase in “unwanted behaviors”, it is clear this training method can lead to frustrated owners who may give up and relinquish their dogs to nearby animal shelters, or worse, abandon them. In either case, the tendency toward relinquishment would similarly impact the dog’s welfare by creating more anxiety from living in a new, high-stress environment, or even restrict basic needs like nutrition and safe shelter if the dog is left to fend for itself. Also, with the overcrowding of our shelters and rescues being at an all-time high, relinquishment of dogs with correctable behavioral issues could result in euthanasia of healthy, treatable dogs that were simply the victims of inappropriate training methods.

            All of these infractions on animal welfare are avoidable with the simple practice of positive reinforcement training in which verbal praise, play time, and other rewards for good behavior replace the punishments used to ward off bad behavior. Numerous studies have shown the effectiveness of positive reinforcement in training new tasks quickly and without frustration, preventing aggression toward familiar or unfamiliar faces, and strengthening the dog-owner relationship [2, 4, 5, 7]. Together, these aspects of positive reinforcement training help humans to improve their dog’s welfare in a comprehensive manner that allows for improved dog confidence and mental health, minimal physical harm in training, and reduced relinquishment rates. 

Sources

1.    “Animal Welfare: What Is It?” Avma.org, American Veterinary Medical Association, 2018, www.avma.org/KB/Resources/Reference/AnimalWelfare/Pages/what-is-animal-welfare.aspx.

2.    Blackwell, Emily J., et al. “The Relationship between Training Methods and the Occurrence of Behavior Problems, as Reported by Owners, in a Population of Domestic Dogs.” Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research, vol. 3, no. 5, Oct. 2008, pp. 207–217., doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2007.10.008.

3.    Carvell, Charissa. 9 Oct. 2018.KPA-CTP, CPDT-KA, Head Trainer - Summit Dog Training LLC.

4.    Herron, Meghan E., et al. “Survey of the Use and Outcome of Confrontational and Non-Confrontational Training Methods in Client-Owned Dogs Showing Undesired Behaviors.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science, vol. 117, no. 1-2, 24 Jan. 2009, pp. 47–54., doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2008.12.011.

5.    Hiby, E F, et al. “Dog Training Methods: Their Use, Effectiveness, and Interaction with Behavior and Welfare.” Animal Welfare, vol. 13, 2004, pp. 63–69., doi:10.1107/s0108768107031758/bs5044sup1.cif.

6.    Overall, Karen L. “Considerations for Shock and ‘Training’ Collars: Concerns from and for the Working Dog Community.” Journal of Veterinary Behavior, vol. 2, no. 4, 2007, pp. 103–107., doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2007.07.001.

7.    Rooney, Nicola Jane, and Sarah Cowan. “Training Methods and Owner–Dog Interactions: Links with Dog Behaviour and Learning Ability.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science, vol. 132, no. 3-4, 21 Apr. 2011, pp. 169–177., doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2011.03.007.

8.    Salman, M.d., et al. “Human and Animal Factors Related to Relinquishment of Dogs and Cats in 12 Selected Animal Shelters in the United States.” Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, vol. 1, no. 3, 4 June 2010, pp. 207–226., doi:10.1207/s15327604jaws0103_2.

9.    Sumner, Kay, and Sheila Emery. The Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, National Geographic Channel, 13 Sept. 2004.

 Notes

(1) Positive punishment is any training in which a target behavior is decreased following presentation of an aversive stimulus.

(2) Alpha roll is a direct aversive punishment in which the owner dominantly “rolls” the dog to its back and holds it down.

(3) Scientific Working Group on Dogs is a board of behavioral and veterinary experts gathered by the FBI to discern the best practices in dog training for working canines in the field.

Meet the New Faces!

We are so excited to announce two new additions to the Summit Dog Training team!!

Emily is joining us as our new Administrative Assistant! She will be working her magic on our phone and email communications, helping us be better about posting great content on our social media accounts, and all-in-all saving my and Charissa’s brain from exploding with all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into keeping SDT up and running!

Emily has worked in animal welfare professionally for nine years, and has always been committed to connecting humans with the tools they need to build a mutually-beneficial bond with their pet. Her previous work, including running a trail ride and horseback instruction program and coordinating adoptions at a Denver-area shelter, has centered on communication and dignity in human-animal interactions.  She is certified in Animals & Human Health, and her dogs, Tuvia and Dally Girl are sincere and responsible companions on trails and road trips. They remind her of the good in the world, and take her on at least one walk per day! 

We are so excited to have Emily on our team!

You may have also noticed a new little addition making an occasional appearance on the SDT social media platforms:

Meet Fenrir, a.k.a. “Little Wolf,” Charissa’s new GSD baby!  

Currently he spends most of his time sleeping, chewing on stuff, and exploring the world with his big brother Dylon.  As he grows I’m sure he’ll be making more and more appearances as Charissa documents all the awesome things that he is going to learn!