Oh, Behave
B&Tea — Our Training Blog
Dipping your toe in the water or already deeply immersed? If you can’t get enough, check out the Behavior & Training blog for fun stories on training triumphs and foibles, cat and dog foster challenges and happy endings along with general musings on living life well with animals.
Scenting Part 2: Putting Your Big Human Brain on Hold
The most eager student I currently have a flock of eager students who are anticipating their first ORT (Odor Recognition Test) this fall. All of them have been with me since foundation classes, tossing meaty treats in boxes, and now they are fine tuning the look of a Trained Formal Response on birch, anise and clove. They have learned the hard way not to crowd their dogs. They can analyze the flow of odor based on wind direction, moisture [...]
Scenting and Shelter Dogs; Doing What Comes Naturally
Fun and games at MH What do the following titles “Little and Proud,” “The Girls Have It,” “Four Queens and a King,” and “Handler, Who Needs a Handler?” have in common? If you guessed it, then you clearly follow the antics of the Shelter Scents Team as headed and documented by Burt Greenspan. Burt, Donna Kalal and Peter Ornstein run the most extraordinary canine enrichment program at Marin Humane. The rest of you might be wondering, “What the heck [...]
Can dogs predict the future?
Yes – at times. "I'm just sayin..." Packing up to bug out The next time our family pooches start behaving in an agitated way for no good reason that we can see, we may want to check our disaster survival supplies – water, first-aid kit, essential medications, spare clothes, cash money, and the rest of what we need to cope with the Big One. And don’t forget our pet’s necessities. Fido and his pals may be telling [...]
THE POWER OF ROUTINE
Why aren't we walking?! Time was, it never rained in Northern California in August. Mostly, that is. Sure, the occasional sprinkle in summer, but as a routine, it “never happened.” Last week, as I anticipated the arrival of our friend, Bob, for our weekly morning walk I was executing the morning routine of preparing for our walk in a more than usually sporadic manner, putting leashes and harnesses on earlier than necessary and then wandering around the house in [...]
Choosing a Name is a Big Deal
Wolfie Choosing the right name for Fido is a serious business. It requires thought, sensitivity and forward planning. What seems like a cute name today may be cringe-worthy tomorrow. A wrong choice could prove not only embarrassing for you but cruel to your pet when you think about it. You don’t want to give your Mastiff a baby name even if he is an oversized lamb. The same principle applies to humans. I once knew a fellow who – [...]
OVERSEAS ADVENTURE ANIMALS
Getting a lift instead of giving one Since the beginning of 2022, both Susie Harper and I have had the joy and pleasure of traveling to North Africa, Susie to Morocco and I to Egypt (and Jordan, which is technically part of Eurasia). For this blog we’ve teamed up with our collective photos and our conflicted thoughts about experiencing other animals (we’ll leave the human species for other bloggers) in different cultures. Moroccan cats [...]
