All Blog Posts (11)

Get Me A Beer!!

Get Me A Beer : check it out on FaceBook! Stewie is getting me a beer from the fridge!

Believe it, or not, this trick is relatively simple! It's a composite of a bunch of different commands.

The first thing to practice is "tug".

You need to play "tug" with a sock, toy, rope, or any other item that you could tie to the refrigerator handle.

Say "tug it" when you play!

Put your dog in a "sit" position, and then back away and say "OK TUG IT!" and let…

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Added by Dina on January 26, 2012 at 8:30pm — No Comments

How to train/bond with an adopted and shy dog

We are proud new owners of a 'career change dog'. He is a labrador who was released from the service dog program for fear issues and is not our family pet.

At 18 months he is gentle, yet playful, especially with ball playing. But he is not very curious, always on the shy side. I have trained him to pick up and bring the papers in the morning. But sometimes he just looks at me, like 'what'? and other days he runs happily to get them.

Food does not matter to him as much as to our… Continue

Added by S. McDowell on July 28, 2010 at 7:49am — No Comments

"SITTING PICKY"

Ok, the puns may not make you laugh, but being picky is very important in order to build the concepts that make up the rest of your dog's life. I know "sit" seems like the easiest thing in the world, but we are using the sit to set up a foundation of understanding and a world of concepts for you and your dog to share together. The "sit" cue sets the stage for the rest of your dog's understanding. If you master the "sit" properly, then "down" and "stay" and even your recall will be amazing. It's… Continue

Added by Dina Zaphiris on May 29, 2010 at 2:43am — No Comments

HOLY "SIT"

Ok, let's get serious. Today, simply, we are teaching your dog to "sit", but there's a little more to it than that. Like I said previously, all dogs sit, so why would we teach them something they already know? Because we want them to sit when WE want them to, even with distractions like running, squeaking squirrels, and we want them to STAY sitting until we release them to get up. Last blog we covered building attention and sustaining eye contact and developing a release cue. Those three things… Continue

Added by Dina Zaphiris on May 24, 2010 at 5:00pm — No Comments

"Sit"... but not really.

The Perfect "Sit"

All dogs sit. Just watch. Why should we teach an animal something he already knows and does? Because we want our dog to sit when WE want him to sit, whether there are distractions, or not. And truly, we want him to STAY sitting until we tell him to get up! Really, what most people want, and the secret to a perfect sit, is all about perfect ATTENTION. In order for your dog to become really good at commands, you must develop ATTENTION first. Every dog should have great… Continue

Added by Dina Zaphiris on May 21, 2010 at 8:02pm — 2 Comments

Even YOUR dog can have a job!

Therapy Dogs are dogs who go into hospitals and make visits to sick people. Your dog can be certified to do this work, if you think you and your pal would enjoy it. It's wonderfully rewarding, and you will make others very happy. Years ago, I used to go to hospitals with my Chow/Retriever mix, Eugene. He would light up the room. People's entire being would change as soon as they saw my dog. Kids would laugh, older people would light up with joy. Somehow, dogs have a magical power to help us… Continue

Added by Dina Zaphiris on May 19, 2010 at 3:30am — No Comments

Thank You Dina

Dina,

Thank you for this awesome site! So glad you emailed me to let me know about it. I have already invited several friends with amazing and/or problematic dogs! (Including my next door neighbor with his barking Shelty whom I adore despite all the barking!)

Also, very happy to see you are making good use of my pet photography on your website.

My pet photography website has a few updates--feel free to check 'em out!

Caroline

Caroline White… Continue

Added by Caroline White on May 16, 2010 at 10:30pm — No Comments

z factor training

Can you give me more info on z factor training.I have 11 month old havanese.

Added by virginia on May 10, 2010 at 4:22pm — No Comments

Canine Cancer Detection Project LA

We are raising funds to conduct the next phase in clinical trials for the early detection of cancer. Join our cause to support research for the early detection of cancer through scent detection dogs.

We are embarking on a very important project where we are researching the early identification of cancer using canine scent detection. Dina participated in a study in 2003 which was published in the Journal: Integrative Cancer Therapy. Some studies have suggested that dogs have the… Continue

Added by Dina Zaphiris on December 7, 2009 at 10:50pm — No Comments

Biscuits for Thought

Guess what?

Aggression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, intelligence, motivation and dominance are NOT behaviors. They are hypothetical, psychological constructs and diagnostic labels. They are concepts, and concepts can’t cause behavior. Labels like: dominance and aggression can actually cause barriers to really understanding and changing behavior. Behavior can be measured. Try to look at behavior for what it is…. For example, a dog jumps up on your bed, you do not like this… Continue

Added by Dina Zaphiris on October 8, 2009 at 5:30pm — No Comments

The Bonnie Hunt Show

Hi fellow dog lovers!

Good news: I was asked to be the resident dog behavior expert for The Bonnie Hunt Show this season. I host the adoption segment, and I’m going to be on once a week. It’s a really great segment, with lots of amazing adoptable dogs and great training tips!

Tune in to NBC for the Bonnie Hunt Show. Join my mailing list to be informed of show times and dates!

Thanks!
Dina

Added by Dina Zaphiris on October 3, 2009 at 2:30pm — 1 Comment