Drinking From the Toilet: Real dogs, Real training

In this episode, we're diving into the connection between behavior and genetics in dogs. I'm joined by Dr. Jessica Hekman, who is a postdoctoral associate at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, where she researches how genetics affect behavior in pet and working dogs.

This week we are returning to our series all about Foundations and talking about Foundations for Agility. Joining us are my friends and authors of the book Agility Right From the Start, Eva and Emelie from Carpe Momentum. For full show notes, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/92 This podcast is supported by Awesome Obedience: A Positive Training Plan for Competition Success. Learn more here: shop.clickertraining.com/products/awesome-obedience

This week we continue our conversation about that mystical dog training unicorn: Loose Leash Walking. For full show notes, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/91 This podcast is supported by Awesome Obedience: A Positive Training Plan for Competition Success. Learn more here: shop.clickertraining.com/products/awesome-obedience

Loose leash walking (aka: the holy grail of dog training) is hands down the most requested behavior of all time from pet clients. It's also a topic of much debate on dog training circles. This episode is the first part in a series because there is just SO much I could say about loose leash walking. Believe it or not, I have opinions! For full show notes, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/90 This podcast is supported by Awesome Obedience: A Positive Training Plan for Competition Success. Learn more here: shop.clickertraining.com/products/awe…me-obedience

In this episode, Steve White and I discuss the pros and cons of using labels when communicating, how we might change our communication tactics depending on who we're talking to and what to keep in mind when having a conversation using labels. For full show notes, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/89 This podcast is supported by Awesome Obedience: A Positive Training Plan for Competition Success. Learn more here: https://shop.clickertraining.com/products/awesome-obedience

In this episode, some of my closest training friends and I discuss "zoomies", including what they are, whether or not they are good or bad, where we see them in training and what to do if they become a problem. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/88 This podcast is supported by Awesome Obedience: https://shop.clickertraining.com/products/awesome-obedience

In this episode, Peter Amelia and I get real nerdy about things like building a bulletproof recall (especially with competing reinforcers), improving your training skills by working with multiple breeds/species and how to keep the natural history of the animal in mind and use it to your advantage. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/articles/episode87/ This podcast is supported by Zero to CD: www.wonderpupstraining.com/programs/z2cd/

In this episode, Bobbie Lyons and I discuss when to incorporate fitness training, the skills and behaviors we should prioritize with a puppy or young dog, exercises we should limit/avoid and equipment needed. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/86 This podcast is supported by Zero to CD: www.wonderpupstraining.com/programs/z2cd/

You may remember back to episode #76 where Emelie and I talked about how we had both gotten new puppies around the same time and how important it is to set ourselves and our puppies up for success. Well, now those puppies are teenagers, but we are still very much thinking about (and talking about in this episode) what we can do with our training to build the skills our puppies need to be successful in sports and in life. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/85 This podcast is supported by Zero to CD: www.wonderpupstraining.com/programs/z2cd/

In this episode, we discuss the most important foundation skills for gun dogs, how these skills differ from other sports, and misconceptions about raising a puppy for hunting/retrieving. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/84 This podcast is supported by Zero to CD: www.wonderpupstraining.com/programs/z2cd/

In this episode, we discuss the most important foundation skills for gun dogs, how these skills differ from other sports, and misconceptions about raising a puppy for hunting/retrieving. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/84 This podcast is supported by Zero to CD: www.wonderpupstraining.com/programs/z2cd/

This episode explores the problem with Chaining Theory with Dr. Alliston Reid. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/83 For info on our affiliate sponsor, visit: smartanimaltraining.com/?aff=95

In this episode, I go over some tips to apply to your training so that you can successfully build distance into your behaviors. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/82 For info on our affiliate sponsor, visit: smartanimaltraining.com/?aff=95

This episode explores confidence and conditioning with Lori Stevens (CPDT-KA, SAMP, CCFT, CPBC). For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/81 For info on our affiliate sponsor, visit: smartanimaltraining.com/?aff=95

My book, Awesome Obedience: A Positive Training Plan for Competition Success, was recently released and I'm excited to be talking about it with you on the podcast. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/80 To purchase the book, visit: https://shop.clickertraining.com/products/awesome-obedience

Giving animals choice in their training sounds like such a wonderful thing. But what exactly does that mean? And in real life, it doesn't feel good when your dog makes a choice to opt out of a training session by ignoring you, sniffing the ground, leaving the ring, etc… That's not very reinforcing. In this episode, Chirag Patel and I discuss how we should we handle these behaviors while still maintaining our positive reinforcement framework. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/79 For info on our affiliate partner, visit: smartanimaltraining.com/?aff=95

I asked my Instagram followers to send me their dog training questions, and boy were there a LOT of them! On this episode, I'm doing my best to give you my answers and insight. I wasn't able to cover all of the questions this time around, but don't worry - we'll do this again! Make sure you're following me on Insta (@hbranigan)so you don't miss out! For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/77 For info on our affiliate partner, visit: smartanimaltraining.com/?aff=95

This week I am hanging out with returning guest, Emelie Johnson Vegh- one half of Carpe Momentum. We're chatting about our puppies, how it's going and what we've learned from previous puppies that has shaped our current experience. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/76 For info on our affiliate partner, visit: smartanimaltraining.com/?aff=95

This week I want to share a couple of counterintuitive solutions to training problems you may have encountered. We'll explore the meaning of the word counterintuitive, and how it relates to our training. And I'll share 5 training hacks with you. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/75 For info on our affiliate partner, visit: smartanimaltraining.com/?aff=95

This week, we are talking to Aussa Jakobsson, who is a Swedish dog photographer, she has Kelpies… and she also trains. In our conversation, we talked about what makes a good photo and how to take a good photo using any kind of camera, but especially your phone… which is what I use almost exclusively. And she also talks about some of the behaviors that can be useful to teach your dog. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/74 For info on our affiliate partner, visit: smartanimaltraining.com/?aff=95

As a dog trainer, I am working with changing behavior in the real world in dogs and humans. And also myself. Trying to understand and modify behavior as it's happening in the world... in animals and human learners. So much of animal training is based on anecdote and tradition, rather than on actual evidence and data. In this episode, we talk behavior analytic research with Jackie and Diana from ABA Inside Track. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/73 For info on our affiliate partner, visit: smartanimaltraining.com/?aff=95

If you are like me, you mostly train by yourself. And training by yourself definitely has some pros and cons. If you're also an introvert like me, that alone time with your dogs is the best part of your day. But it means we have to work a little harder to get feedback that is required to continually improve our training skills. This is where video is a handy training tool and we're talking about it on this episode. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/72 This episode is sponsored by Zero to CD. To learn more, visit: www.zerotocd.com

This week we talk about tugging and specifically what I did with my dog, Rugby, to build it. My terrier, Rugby, came straight out of the package with good food drive already installed. All I had to do was harness it. But getting him started with toys was a much harder process. I pretty much had to build his toy play from scratch in order to have anything useful to work with. It seems like a lot of trouble. Why even bother? Listen to this episode to find out. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/71 This episode is sponsored by Zero to CD. To learn more, visit: www.zerotocd.com

This particular episode is a little different topic, as it's really aimed mostly at those of you who work as professional trainers, especially if you own your own business. You see, Melissa's specialty is… well, it's marketing. I know, I know… as a dog trainer, I too am terrified of marketing. That's why I wanted to warn you, that this episode may feel a little intense, but Melissa has some interesting points. For full show notes, visit: wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/70 For info on our affiliate partner, visit: smartanimaltraining.com/?aff=95

For no particular reason, this week's topic is Arousal. Now, get your mind out of the gutter. We're not talking about sex here. We're talking about behavior. But if you are a behavior nerd, the topic of arousal IS pretty sexy. For full show notes, visit: wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/69/ For info on our affiliate partner, visit: smartanimaltraining.com/?aff=95

In this podcast, we're talking about how how cute, brilliant and nice smelling my new puppy, Figment, is (seriously what's is with that new puppy smell??). But, we're also talking about how much extra work a puppy can bringing - to life and to your training schedule. For full show notes, visit: wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/68/ For sponsor info, visit: smartanimaltraining.com/?aff=95

Settling on a station, bed, or mat is one of the most important skills we can teach any dog. Why is it so important? Settling is the perfect alternate behavior to replace almost any annoying behavior your dog has thought of. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/67

Does shaping have anything to do with waiting? No. Actually - shaping has nothing to do with "waiting", and, if you find yourself waiting more than a few seconds for the dog to make a move in the right direction, you're probably doing something wrong. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/66

"All behavior is modifiable." - Karen Pryor On this episode, we discuss labels and how to avoid subscribing to them. Sure, you may be missing a few skills to complete your set, but skills can be learned. All behavior is modifiable. Even our own! For full show notes, visit: wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/65/ For information on my next virtual workshop, Set It and Forget it, visit: wonderpupstraining.com/pricing/set-i…get-it-08-22/

This week we are exploring a major rabbit hole with special guest, Ken Ramirez (Executive Vice President and Chief Training Officer at Karen Pryor Clicker Training), and talking about concept training and teaching modifier cues. Very nerdy subjects indeed! For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/64 For sponsor info, visit: www.karenpryoracademy.com/toilet/

Is training to increase duration of a behavior as simple as just waiting to reinforce longer responses? Maybe it's not so simple! In this episode, we discuss what we need to keep in mind when training for duration, and where to look if the training isn't going as planned. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/63 For sponsor info, visit: www.karenpryoracademy.com/toilet/

This week, behavior nerd worlds collide as I chat with Ryan O'Donnell (AKA "RYANO") about changing human behavior as it relates to training. Basically, why and how we need to train humans to train dogs. It's sort of like training inception. Enter to win a free copy of The Science of Consequences: https://kingsumo.com/g/aiz0r7/the-science-of-consequences-dftt-podcast-giveaway For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/62 For sponsor info, visit: karenpryoracademy.com/toilet/

Life is easier when your dog is confident (or at least comfortable) around other people. But what if your dog isn't? Good news! There is a lot we can do in training to help build his confidence. In this episode, we cover my top 3 tips to keep in mind when working with dogs that act worried or lack confidence around people. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/61 For sponsor info, visit: karenpryoracademy.com/toilet/

Dr. McConnell is an internationally known zoologist and a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist. In her career, she has worked with dogs with all kinds of serious behavior problems. She was also the host of the nationally syndicated Radio show "Calling All Pets", and she is a retired assistant professor of Zoology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is an amazing speaker… in fact, she was one of the first real dog seminars that I ever went to…possibly THE first if my memory is correct. So she is partly responsible for getting me hooked on dog training in the first place. She is the author of many beautifully written and well-researched books, most of which I have in my house, and are among some of my favorite books that I read over and over…particularly "The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs", which again was sort of a gateway dog book for me. And her book "For the Love of a Dog: Understand Emotion in You and Your Best Friend", I have in both hardcover and audiobook format. Her new book, "The Education of Will", which I have read and will read again, is also beautifully written and insightful. It's a little different in that it's written as a memoir. She shares stories from her own life and her experience with trauma, fear, and anxiety…something I know a lot of us can relate to. But they are interwoven with stories about the dogs she's worked with, particularly her own dog, Will, and their journeys with trauma and anxiety. And among those of course, she includes glimpses into what we know about the science of fear and what we can do about it. Fair warning, I did cry a little. So just a heads up. In the book, the theme of resilience comes up. And it's a topic that really fascinates me. Why do some individuals bounce back after a bad experience and others don't? What can we do to help our dogs recover quickly after something stressful happens? How can we set ourselves and our dogs up for success? And that is exactly what we talked about during our conversation. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/60

This week we talk to Alexandra Kurland about the topic of Balance in training. I asked Alex to talk about this, because the word Balance tend to have a particular usage in dog training circles, and that's not at all what Alex means when she says the word balance. Of course, Alex isn't a dog trainer. She's a phenomenally skilled horse trainer, who is responsible for introducing clicker training concepts to the horse world back in the 1990s with her first book Clicker Training for Your Horse. Even though she works primarily with horses (and sometimes goats) there is a LOT we can learn from her approach to training that is completely applicable to our training with dogs... and of course people, too! For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/59

What exactly is "food drive"? It's a fuzzy term for sure, but what do we mean when we talk about a dog's food drive? Is it a fixed characteristic, or is there something we can do to influence it? (IMHO, there is a lot we can do!) Why do we care so much about food in dog training? Well, mostly because it's convenient! It's easy to dispense. We can carry it around in our collective pockets. And all healthy dogs eat food! (Because living animals eat food or they don't stay living for very long.) But we also know that some dogs eat more food than others, and there are certain circumstances under which the same dog may eat more or less food. For training purposes, we can arrange those circumstances in our favor... get more bang for our buck/hot dog. But there are also ethical concerns. What are some things we should keep in mind when it comes to optimizing our dogs' interest in food without crossing a line into deprivation? There is a lot we can do to make food more valuable as training resource without restricting the dog's caloric intake to the point of starvation. Here are some of the food/treats I use most frequently in training: Fresh pet Happy Howie's rolled food Ziwi Peak For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/58

This week we are going to tackle the topic of multiple event markers or specific reinforcement cues (both names for the same thing). This is a really hot topic on the internet right now, and lots of different trainers have their own recipes and systems. As usual, I want to go deeper than the recipes and look at what is actually happening with the behavior. Because when you understand how a particular system of cues (and they are all cues!) is applying the principles of behavior, then you can decide for yourself which bits you want to use in your own training, and eventually build your own system that meets your unique needs. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/57

This week we are hanging out again with our Swedish dog training buddies, Emelie and Eva, of Carpe Momentum. And we are talking about the importance of defining, building, and maintaining our reinforcement procedures. During our conversation, Eva shares something that gets her a little worked up when she's talking about training. Of course, since these guys are the authors of the book Agility Right From the Start, the initial examples that we discuss are agility-focused but don't worry because the principles are totally applicable to good training in general. And we do get into other examples of these concepts as we dig in. We also talk about: • What we mean by reinforcement procedures, as well as why they are important. • Why it might be a problem if your dog develops a habit of LEAVING your reinforcement procedure (which you might call it a game), but leaving it before you are ready to begin the next rep. • What happens when you interrupt a trained sequence of behaviors, and why that can't be your primary training strategy. Spoiler alert: It all keeps circling back to how important those clean training loops are too efficient and effective learning. But I won't give you any more spoilers, you'll just have to listen for yourself. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/56

This week's topic is generalization. Before we jump into that, I want to give you a heads up that I am about to open up some spots in my Online Mentorship program: Zero to CD. For the full show notes or more info on Zero to CD, visit: https://wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/55/

Behavioral momentum applies the idea of momentum (from physics) to the realm of behavior. Same idea here - once you get something started, it's easier to keep it started. It works for trains, and it works for trainING, too! For full show notes, visit: https://wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/54/

Getting a puppy can be a bit of a crapshoot. What can we do to select the best puppy for our lifestyle and goals, and what can we do to optimize our training to help that puppy reach his potential? For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/53

The process of operationalization takes a fuzzy concept or construct, and makes it clear… so that we can talk about it, we can measure it, and we can have internet arguments and know that we are talking about the same thing. This is critical to dog training and animal behavior discussions where we are often using subjective terms to describe concepts like "enthusiasm" or "aggression". These concepts can have different meanings to different people, based on their culture, life experience and learning history. And that's ok! The important thing is to be able to define it: "When I say 'ball feelings,' I mean..." And then we are all on the same page. ps - Check out my upcoming virtual workshop, Set It and Forget It. www.wonderpupstraining.com/workshops For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/52

This week Laura Monaco Torelli and I talk about husbandry in the dog training world, and it turns out it's not ENTIRELY about teaching dogs to trim their own nails (though that could be part of it). During our conversation, we talked about exactly what "husbandry" means, and how we can work it into our training routines without a whole lot of effort and time commitment, we also talked about how she gets her pet clients to buy in and participate in husbandry training solutions, and a few other little tips and tricks, like using behavioral momentum to make hard stuff easier and the training sessions more fun. Laura Monaco Torelli is the founder of Animal Behavior Training Concepts in Chicago, Illinois. She began her career in 1991 at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, where she trained beluga whales, dolphins, sea otters, seals, river otters, and penguins. After nearly a decade at the Shedd, she moved on to the San Diego Zoo and then Brookfield Zoo as a lead supervisory trainer. During her time in the zoo community, Laura worked with a wide variety of terrestrial animals, including primates, large cats, birds of prey, horses, parrots, tree kangaroos, giraffes, red pandas, and dogs. Laura serves as a faculty member of Karen Pryor Academy (KPA), and as a Teaching Assistant for Dr. Susan Friedman's Living & Learning with Animals online course. She and her team at Animal Behavior Training Concepts offer private in-home training as well as group classes at Medical District Veterinary Clinic, an extension of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. Laura has presented at many professional conferences, including those held by the American Pre-Veterinary Medical Association, the Animal Behavior Management Alliance, the International Marine Animal Trainers' Association, ClickerExpo, the Society for Veterinary Behavior Technicians, the Association of Professional Dog Trainers, the Midwest Veterinary Conference, TAGteach International, and the Interdisciplinary Forum for Applied Animal Behavior. She has appeared on various print and broadcast media, including Clean Run magazine, Chronicle of the Dog, Steve Dale's Pet World, WGN and NBC 5 news and WCIU's You & Me This Morning. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/51

Can we even operationalize "frustration" in order to define "frustration tolerance"? What does that look like? How do we measure it? Can we, should we, expose a dog to frustration in training to teach them to tolerate frustration? For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/50

In this episode, we discuss what we mean by "offered" behavior, why it's useful to structure our training around having the dog volunteer behaviors off cue, and some practical tips and tricks to apply to our training sessions. As Emelie and Eva say, the more things we add into our training session, the more things there are to pay attention to. From where I'm sitting, that means the more things there are for me to screw up! For full show notes, please visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/49

What are your training priorities? Join me as I discuss mine and why they're at the top of my list. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/48

How many different components go into accomplishing the smallest of tasks? In episode 47, we breakdown task analysis with Dr. Mallory Quinn, owner and founder of Applied Behavior Analysis Sports Innovations, and Theresa McKeon from TAGteach International. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/47

In episode 46, we sit down with Andrea Harrison again to discuss the importance of using feedback. Andrea teaches online classes through the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, that help trainers get their head in the game with good planning, coping strategies, and generally making the most of what you have. For full show notes, visit: www.wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/46

In episode 45, Terrie Hayward joins me for a discussion about the obstacles and special skill-building needs that come with training a deaf dog. Terrie, M.Ed., CSAT, CPDT-KA, ACDBC, KPA-CTP is a Karen Pryor Academy Faculty Member. She has written several behavior and training articles for Bark's Magazine, Grooming Business, Deaf Dogs Rock, and KPA. Terrie owns PAW, LLC and regularly travels the globe to hone her training skills with a diverse group of animals. For full show notes, visit: https://wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/45/

In this episode, we break down prompts and cues. How are they different? Where do you draw the line? Are some "good" and some "bad"? The words are used interchangeably in our everyday language, but let's see if we can unpack them a bit. For full show notes, visit: https://wonderpupstraining.com/podcast/44/