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Do Therapy Animals Enjoy Their Work?
Animals Are So Easily Misunderstood… the Importance of Empathic Understanding
It is quite common for us to misinterpret our animals’ behavior, especially in tense or stressful moments. A situation in which Jake was feeling pain is used as an example of how we must always observe our animals’ reactions, interpret them in context, and look at them from our animals’ vantage point. Many stressful interactions can be avoided if we take the time needed to apply empathy for the animal’s point of view to them.
Control, Compassion, and Choices Part 2
Control, Compassion, and Choices Part I
A Psychologist’s View of Crossover Training: Personal & Professional Reflections
What would possess a reasonably intelligent pet owner who loved her dogs and who had a strong background in behaviorism to apply choke-and drag methods for training her canine companions? This is a question I have asked myself – about myself – many times. Beyond my background in psychology (including classes on animal behavior and motivation!), I held what I thought were relatively humane values, instilled throughout my formative years by my parents’ demonstrations of kind treatment of our family dogs and cats.
Finding the Right Dog Trainer
Whether you plan to involve your dog in therapy work or not, you care about your companion canine. You want your dog to be happy and healthy and to enjoy being with you as much as you enjoy being with him or her. There are many myths and controversies swirling around the subject of dog training these days, and it can be confusing.
Help for Fearful Dogs
If your dog is fearful, anxious, or has fear-based aggressive behaviors, there is hope and help! Risë's article below entitled Zoom-Zoom-Zoom: Lessons Learned from a Semi-Feral Dog highlights the journey of a terrified dog and the approach used to help her gradually...
Kirrie’s Doggie Dictionary
One of the challenges of play therapy work with canines is to ensure that children use the cues, both verbal and nonverbal, with which the dog has been trained. Kathy Sdao, an associate Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (and wonderful speaker and trainer on dog...
Teaching LEAVE IT! to a Dog
MESSAGE FROM KIRRIE: Hi Everyone, Here is a picture of me doing Leave It! with cheeseballs! And this note comes with a video of none other than ME!! Leave It is one of the best things you can teach your dog, or so I’m told by humans. To me, it’s just a game that pays...
Dominance and Dog Training
Below is the position paper of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers on dominance approaches to dog training. This is a very important issue. It is provided here with the permission of APDT, www.apdt.com. [pdf-embedder...
Pets in Play Therapy Research
Dr. VanFleet has conducted a qualitative/survey study of play therapists who use animals in their work. Full results from 83 participants in this 2006-2008 study are now available. Sponsor: Family Enhancement & Play Therapy Center, Inc. Investigator: Risë...
Tips for Training a Play Therapy Dog
More information on this topic is available in the Play Therapy with Kids and Canines book that can be purchased in our on-line store. It is important that all dogs receive good training and socialization experiences, but this is especially true of therapy dogs....