All Creatures Matter, LLC

11/13/2024

What a Peaceful transition of power is supposed to look like in this country!!!!!!!

04/25/2023

Yellow roses are blooming this year!

11/09/2020

Learn how to stop a puppy from chewing on inappropriate items. Find out how to puppy-proof your home and get expert dog training tips.

11/09/2020

Here’s what you need to make your dog’s first night home a great one

09/29/2020

perfectly sums it up! lol

Happy Friday SCGSR fans!!! 😂

09/26/2020

There is this old idea that you mustn’t pet your dog if he runs to you when afraid, such as during a thunderstorm or when meeting an unfamiliar person, because you will end up reinforcing the fear. This old idea is INCORRECT. Petting and consoling your dog during a thunderstorm, for example, will not increase the emotion of fear.

The function of fear is to help keep a dog safe from danger by avoiding it in some manner. Research on thunder-phobic dogs suggests that petting does not decrease the level of stress in the dog receiving it. So if petting doesn’t decrease the level of stress the dog is feeling about the thunder, it can’t increase it either. Perhaps your dog doesn’t want to be touched at that time, but even so, petting won’t reinforce the fear and stress.

This is also true for dogs who are fearful of unfamiliar people. Tossing yummy treats towards them will not reinforce the fear that is driving the barking behavior. If the dog is afraid of the stranger, they are barking to make the stranger to make the ‘danger’ go away; they are fearful of the stranger. Tossing treats will not create more barking at the unfamiliar person—in fact, it could reduce the barking behavior because you are associating that unfamiliar person with yummy treats. This is a technique many dog trainers use when working with fearful dogs. Fear (an emotion) cannot be reinforced; only behavior can be reinforced.

Thank you to 4Paws University for this great infographic!

***(EDIT: The nuance of behavior work is missing in this post. Behavior work is a complex topic and difficult to address fully in a social media post. That’s why we focused on just one component: the emotion of fear. When working with a fearful dog, or any dog when addressing behavioral issues, it is important to consider the dog’s threshold so that the dog is an an ideal learning state. Be sure to work with a professional who understands this so to provide the best support possible for your dog. Thank you to an amazing, engaging Facebook community who looks to us to as a resource and to operate with the utmost integrity!)***

09/25/2020

patience- 6 months!

03/09/2020

loving memory of my 2 amazing dogs!

02/18/2020