Canine Nation on Pet Life Radio (PetLifeRadio.com)

Eric Brad challenges his listeners to question what they think they know about dogs. As the Greek philosopher Aristotle once said, “The high-minded man must care more for the truth than for what people believe.” Our best source of information about dogs is the dogs themselves! Perhaps it’s time to ask them and see what they say. With all of the methods and information out there, this is a great time to try something new and learn something about our dogs. Our dogs are wonderfully adaptable if we give them a chance. There’s not harm in trying something we’ve never tried and it may work better than what we have been using! Question everything and be prepared for some surprising answers.

Some dog trainers use a kind of shorthand when they are describing dogs. Dog trainer Eric Brad thinks that some of those common terms can unfairly shift the responsibility for success or failure off of the trainer and onto the dog. The words and phrases we use when talking about dogs and training can influence our perceptions. Sometimes our inner dialogues can work against us. Are we being fair to our dogs and looking objectively at our own training skills? It could be the difference between a good relationship and a GREAT relationship.

When training dogs, it’s sometimes helpful to prompt them for the behaviour we are looking for. Trainer Eric Brad cautions that “prompts” can be as much a distraction as a help. Knowing how to “fade” them out of the picture can be just as important in good training. How we get our dogs to do the things we are trying to teach them matters. There are lots of techniques to try and each will come with their own pros and cons. I think it’s worth taking the time to look at how we go about teaching our dogs and make things as clear and easy for them to understand as possible. Sometimes that means getting unnecessary or distracting actions or sounds out of the way so they can learn!

Dog training can sound almost like a chore that needs to be done. But dog trainer Eric Brad finds it an almost musical experience. Working with your dog in training can be a wonderfully creative experience. Training your dog can be an incredibly creative experience. Communicating with a different species is challenging and can be very rewarding for both the dog AND the trainer. You just need the right approach and the ability to think outside the box a bit. You might be surprised at what’s possible with positive training and a little creativity.

Food is something every dog has every day. Unless they are ill, there should be no reason for our dogs to turn down any snacks we offer them. But many dog owners claim their dogs won’t work for them for food treats as a reward. How can this be? Dogs are scavengers by nature. Could it be something we humans are doing that puts them off sometimes? There can be other reasons dogs won’t take food such as anxiety, distraction, or arousal. It’s best to make sure that a dog is within their tolerance for these things before attempting to train them or offer them food. Failing to do so could create more problems than it solves.

It’s been a great year. 2011 was a very positive year for Canine Nation and I want to thank all of my readers and podcast listeners for their support and comments over the past 12 months. I’ve learned a lot writing and producing the podcast and reader/listener comments have been a great source of information for me as well. Here’s wishing you all a successful and joy filled 2012 with your dogs!