Tag Archives: dog training

Recommended Reading: changed the page a bit…

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Marika S. Bell

I have altered the layout of the recommended readingpage just a little. I have now organized the books into new sections, with my top picks in the first section. These are books I feel that every person interested in dog … Continue reading →

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Easy Shaping Part 10: Always End on a Positive Note!

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Marika S. Bell

Top Ten Ways to Shaping a behaviour…  We have finally made it to number ten, probably one of the easiest criteria for us to understand but sometimes not always the easiest to follow through unless you have been doing all … Continue reading →

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Easy Shaping Part 9: Regress When a Behaviour Deteriorates to Refresh Your Dog’s Memory

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Marika S. Bell

1. Raising Criteria (successive approximation) 2. Breaking Down the Behaviour 3. Vary the Reinforcement 4. Relax Old Criteria When You Add New Criteria 5. Plan Ahead 6. Don’t Change Trainers Mid-stream 7. Be Flexible! When necessary, Change the Plan 8. … Continue reading →

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Easy Shaping Part 8: Don’t Stop a Session Abruptly

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Marika S. Bell

1. Raising Criteria (successive approximation) 2. Breaking Down the Behaviour 3. Vary the Reinforcement 4. Relax Old Criteria When You Add New Criteria 5. Plan Ahead 6. Don’t Change Trainers Mid-stream 7. Be Flexible! When necessary, Change the Plan 8. … Continue reading →

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Easy Shaping Part 7: Change the Plan!

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Marika S. Bell

1. Raising Criteria (successive approximation) 2. Breaking Down the Behaviour 3. Vary the Reinforcement 4. Relax Old Criteria When You Add New Criteria 5. Plan Ahead 6. Don’t Change Trainers Mid-stream. Rule number 7. Be Flexible! When necessary, Change the … Continue reading →

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Easy Shaping Part 6: Don’t Change Trainers Mid-stream.

Posted on March 4, 2012 by Marika S. Bell

So Far…. 1. Raising Criteria (successive approximation) 2. Breaking Down the Behaviour 3. Vary the Reinforcement 4. Relax Old Criteria When You Add New Criteria 5. Plan Ahead Now… 6. Don’t Change Trainers Mid-stream. It is very easy to confuse … Continue reading →

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Easy Shaping Part 5: Plan Ahead!

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Marika S. Bell

So far we have worked on….. 1. Raising Criteria (successive approximation) 2. Breaking Down the Behaviour 3. Vary the Reinforcement 4. Relax Old Criteria When You Add New Criteria So lets talk about,  5. Planning Ahead. It sounds very obvious … Continue reading →

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Superstitious Behaviour Response

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Marika S. Bell

Superstitious Behavior Response happens when you have tried to teach your dog a cue, only to realize that he has decided the behavior you were looking for is preceded by something else… let me give you an example. Goal Behaviour-   … Continue reading →

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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


Do No Harm…

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Marika S. Bell

‘Do No Harm’ is a good motto for life really. But  in this context specifically, for dog training. So much harm is being done by society against dogs. Some more jaded people may say, “Why should we worry about animals … Continue reading →

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