The Crossover Trainer

Medical Problems Behind Unusual Aggression

I was reading the Association of Pet Dog Trainer’s magazine when I came across a case study of aggression by Michael Shikashio, CDBC. Long story short, this Great Dane/Lab mix bit two people pretty severely and was reactive on leash. The dog wore a prong collar while out on

Are You Truly a Clicker Trainer or Just Training With a Clicker?

“Clicker training is an animal training method based on behavioral psychology that relies on marking desirable behavior and rewarding it.” – Karen Pryor Clicker Training Karen Pryor began using a training method called “clicker training” when she was working with Dolphins. It helped her communicate precisely what behaviors she

Car Phobia in Dogs

I recently got a question from a reader about her dog and his car phobia. She said that he trembles the whole time and she feels absolutely terrible when they have to go places with him. This is a pretty common scenario, unfortunately. Car phobia can arise from a

MY Graduation!

After a long 4 years, I am really proud to announce that I’ve just graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Biology. It’s been a lot of work and many days of studying instead of playing with my dogs or going out with friends, but I know it’s all

Annoying Puppy Habits

When I’m working and training Clark (my Cardigan Welsh Corgi puppy), he is amazing. Even during our group class, he makes me look like an awesome owner/trainer even though we haven’t worked on anything during the week since I’m focusing on finishing up my degree right now. I try

Guest Post: Preventing Obesity: Helping our Pets Live Longer and Healthier Lives

I am very excited to share this post by Dr. Lynn R. Honeckman! I had the pleasure of meeting her last year when she was in Texas for a conference and decided to meet up with the local trainers here in DFW. When I wanted to find a knowledgeable person

Reactive Dogs Will Take Themselves Over Threshold

Unfortunately, reactive dogs will take themselves over threshold if you aren’t careful. This usually occurs because it is what the brain has been trained to do if the dog is allowed to continue to practice this behavior for a long period of time. It is also because the brain

Introducing Your Reactive Dog to New People

Reactivity is usually due to fear and insecurities about how to behave in a certain situation. Instead of running away, the dog tries to scare the “trigger” (object or animal that causes the reaction) away. Unfortunately, the reaction that dogs resort to (barking, lunging, etc) are typically interpreted as