tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57208419797873997152011-11-27T18:59:48.902-05:00A professional dog trainer's insights from training her own puppyHilary Bolea, Certified Professional Dog Trainerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08689368407449718818noreply@blogger.comBlogger131100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5720841979787399715.post-29483261307354753602011-01-30T15:20:00.004-05:002011-01-30T15:32:50.124-05:00

Yesterday, a client's seven-year old daughter said the cutest thing I've ever heard on the job.I was having the kids practice how to "claim" an object from a dog. Usually, when a dog is trying to snatch a child's toy, the child's natural instinct is to hold the toy up high, and run from the dog yelling, "No, no, get away!" in a panicky voice. This, of course, is dog for, "See if you can get it!

Hilary Bolea, Certified Professional Dog Trainerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08689368407449718818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5720841979787399715.post-72728616358011191032010-12-07T16:47:00.003-05:002010-12-07T16:59:44.524-05:00

Earlier tonight, I told my client that it will make me happy just to know that, somewhere out there, another lady is being driven crazy by a dog who is every bit as big, strong, crazy, goofy, hyper and eager as Bagel!!

Hilary Bolea, Certified Professional Dog Trainerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08689368407449718818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5720841979787399715.post-48294567960595129542010-04-27T22:02:00.005-04:002010-04-28T08:21:28.791-04:00

If you consider your hands to be clean after they’ve been licked and wiped on furIf all of your coat pockets smell like SnausagesIf you've given up on lint rollers and just buy clothes to match your dogIf you’ve ever discussed anal glands with a strangerIf all of your shoes are stored above eye-levelIf you've ever reached into your pocket for cash and come out with poop bagsIf more than half of

Hilary Bolea, Certified Professional Dog Trainerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08689368407449718818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5720841979787399715.post-88577826650364478972010-04-07T12:19:00.007-04:002010-04-09T09:15:03.697-04:00

"Language is the source of misunderstandings." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900 - 1944)I just saw this quote for the first time and I love it! It captures so much about the relationships between humans and their dogs, and our efforts to communicate.Dogs don't use language, and they never have misunderstandings. They communicate with their bodies: eyes, mouth, tail, breathing, muscle tension and

Hilary Bolea, Certified Professional Dog Trainerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08689368407449718818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5720841979787399715.post-39585512496273573562010-03-26T10:57:00.003-04:002010-03-26T11:34:39.901-04:00

For a teething puppy, put a bag of (full-length) carrots in the freezer. They love to chew on them, and the cold soothes their gums.If you walk your dog on an extendable leash, give your dog a cue each time before you hit the lock button. Your dog will quickly learn to stop when he hears the cue, before the leash locks up, and avoid getting a jerk on his neck. For Bagel, I say, "Lock down!"

Hilary Bolea, Certified Professional Dog Trainerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08689368407449718818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5720841979787399715.post-1778575119986070992009-12-14T11:07:00.003-05:002009-12-14T11:31:34.139-05:00

Dog trainers are in the business of positive reinforcement, but it's very easy to confuse what's enjoyable for you with what is enjoyable for your dog. The most common examples I see among my clients are hugs. I've seen countless owners cozy up with their dogs by grabbing them around the shoulders and giving playful rubs on their cheeks and ears. The dog looks miserable and wriggles away; the

Hilary Bolea, Certified Professional Dog Trainerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08689368407449718818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5720841979787399715.post-55715451899439435962009-10-26T23:35:00.013-04:002009-11-06T11:00:54.118-05:00

The first time my father-in-law met Bagel, he remarked on how Bagel would only roam 50 feet or so out in front of us, and then stop, turn and look at us, as though to say, "Am I still going the right way?" In the past, when Bagel has done this, I have always smiled at him and said something reassuring (to me, anyway), like, "It's okay, Bagel," and gestured down the path, as though I were urging

Hilary Bolea, Certified Professional Dog Trainerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08689368407449718818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5720841979787399715.post-91550825383164876132009-10-11T12:18:00.009-04:002009-11-06T10:54:50.758-05:00

I am reading Jane Goodall's magnificent book In the Shadow of Man, where she first shared with the world her experience of living among chimpanzees in the jungles of eastern Africa. The book is full of fascinating stories that show the chimps to be capable of much higher levels of thought than I ever imagined. One such story was about a clever youngster that Jane called Figan.Jane had set up a

Hilary Bolea, Certified Professional Dog Trainerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08689368407449718818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5720841979787399715.post-74623640171505736712009-09-21T10:13:00.009-04:002009-11-06T11:20:45.390-05:00

I took Bagel to visit my sister and her family in West Virginia, and we were all relaxing by the pool. I had given him an old flip flop to run around with and guard as his prize, but my two-year-old niece thought he shouldn’t be allowed to have it. Sloan would approach Bagel to try to take the flip flop. Bagel would face her and gaze at her, perfectly still, calculating how close he could let

Hilary Bolea, Certified Professional Dog Trainerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08689368407449718818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5720841979787399715.post-65117619899991335132009-09-17T13:12:00.010-04:002009-11-06T13:47:24.991-05:00

The Austrian philosopher Wittgenstein once said, “If a lion could speak, we could not understand him.” (I wish I could say that I knew that quote from having studied philosophy, but I actually heard it on the Ricky Gervais show.) But it was a fascinating idea to me, and it got me thinking. Is it true? What would a lion say if it could speak? Why couldn't I understand it? Would there be "

Hilary Bolea, Certified Professional Dog Trainerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08689368407449718818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5720841979787399715.post-68701938308152491892009-09-16T12:52:00.003-04:002009-09-18T19:01:15.382-04:00

Our dog Bagel is a yellow lab mix, and it has galled us to no end that he is not a natural retriever. Chase the ball and keep it? Yes. Chase the ball and bring it back? Not so much. We would see the labs at the dog park faithfully fetching their tennis balls, and we’d look at Bagel and sigh. But no more -- I finally solved the mystery of how to get Bagel to fetch instead of play keep-away.

Hilary Bolea, Certified Professional Dog Trainerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08689368407449718818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5720841979787399715.post-4441010175390700512009-09-16T12:51:00.003-04:002009-10-14T15:46:31.678-04:00

I had Bagel in the vet’s office today, and I was trying to keep him interested in a Kong stuffed with his wet food, but he wasn’t having it. There were just too many other sights and smells to distract him, and the result was a lot of squirming while the vet was trying to examine him. I decided to try something based on what I had learned about cognitive dissonance in college. The theory

Hilary Bolea, Certified Professional Dog Trainerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08689368407449718818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5720841979787399715.post-73505588783366995602009-09-16T11:51:00.002-04:002009-11-06T10:59:58.271-05:00

I have a dogs and cats calendar that gives a quote, ostensibly by Shakespeare : “Me and my dog, we speak the language of love. I understand his kisses, and he mine.” I don’t think Shakespeare really said that, but I love it all the same. After I read that quote, I wanted to know, did Bagel really understand the meaning of my kisses? Do they convey an affectionate bond, or are they just an

Hilary Bolea, Certified Professional Dog Trainerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08689368407449718818noreply@blogger.com0