Category Archives: Canine Ethics

Growling and Intimidation

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Marika S. Bell

Is growling at your dog or puppy an effective way of teaching them that you don’t like their behavior? Critical Thinking: ask questions! 1. How is growling used by other dogs to communicate? -Growling is used as a “distance increasing … Continue reading →

Posted in Aggression, Animal Welfare, Anthrozoology, Body Language, Canine Ethics, Communication, Ethology, learning, Methods, Training Methods | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments


APDTNZ conference 2011- a synopsis

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Marika S. Bell

Recent nasty cold/cough aside, I had a great time at the APDTNZ conference this year. The conference delegates ranged from all over New Zealand and included many dog trainers (of course) but there were also quite a few Veterinarians, Vet … Continue reading →

Posted in Animal Welfare, Body Language, Canine Ethics, Communication, Ethology, Health, learning, Training Methods | Tagged , | 3 Comments


Calming Behaviours: Tongue Flick

Posted on May 13, 2011 by Marika S. Bell

Calming Behaviours are “out of context” behaviors that signal that the signaller is friendly or nervous. Basically a dog who is not looking for a fight. One of the most common calming/anxiety signals is lip licking. This is a quick … Continue reading →

Posted in Canine Ethics, Communication, learning, Methods | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment


Announcing! CPDT-KA Certification!

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Marika S. Bell

I think you can tell by the title that I am pretty stoked about this, although I have been keeping the process quiet until I heard official word, I am now very pleased to announce that I have achieved professional … Continue reading →

Posted in Canine Ethics, CPDT certified, Equipment, learning, Methods, Training Methods | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment


Living Without Fear

Posted on April 24, 2011 by Marika S. Bell

I have recently been reading about anthrozoology in Hal Herzog’s book, Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat, as the subject of the human-animal relationship has always been one that I felt carried a lot of meaning. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthrozoology, Book Review, Canine Ethics, Health | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment


What Does a Dog Bite Mean?

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Marika S. Bell

So given that statistically, dog bites are in fact irrelevant (Dog’s Bite but Balloons and Slippers are more Dangerous) , why is such a huge deal made about them? Why is it such a shock to people to be bitten … Continue reading →

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Dogs with Questionable Backgrounds, or Worse.

Posted on February 19, 2011 by Marika S. Bell

Although I am primarily a private in home dog trainer, I also spend 6 hours a week (avg) at my local shelters helping to train the dogs. I have been doing this for almost two years now and I am … Continue reading →

Posted in Canine Ethics | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment