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No Pain, No Force, & No Fear – Green Acres Kennel Shop Position on the Use of Dominance and Punishment for the Training and Behavior Modification of Dogs
By Don Hanson<Updated 2MAR17> This position statement is based on the understanding that: As our dog’s guardian we have a moral responsibility to meet their physical and emotional needs1. We can train our dogs to a very high level of compliance using a variety of reward-based training methods, but we cannot dictate their emotional responses to situations. … Continued
Read moreCat Behavior – Inappropriate Elimination (Urination & Defecation)
By Don Hanson< Updated 8MAR19 > < A short Link to this post – https://bit.ly/Cat-Inapp-ElimUrin > You can listen to a podcast where we discuss this topic by clicking here Inappropriate elimination (Urination and/or Defecation) is when a previously litter box trained cat begins urinating or defecating in areas other than their litter box. This problem can … Continued
Read moreNutrition – Determining True Pet Food Costs
By Don Hanson<Calculations, feeding amounts, costs and prices are all based on data from 18NOV08> The feeding directions on a package of pet food tell you how much you need to feed the average pet in order for them to get an adequate amount of nutrition. This number is usually given as a range, and it is … Continued
Read moreProfessional Development – Trends in Training – The Evolution of a Pet Care Professional
By Don HansonThis article is a companion piece to a presentation of the same name which was given by the author on March 13th, 2008 at the American Boarding Kennel Association (ABKA) Pet Expo held at the Seelbach Hilton in Louisville, Kentucky and at the at the Canadian Association of Professional Pet Dog Trainers (CAPPDT) 12th Annual … Continued
Read moreDog Training – What Is Clicker Training?
By Don HansonClicker Training uses an event marker or signal paired with positive reinforcement to train the dog each desired individual behavior. The reinforcement may be food, play, or even freedom; whatever is most motivating to the dog and applicable for that specific training session. The marker signal, in this case a “click”, is used to precisely … Continued
Read moreNo Pain, No Force, & No Fear – Green Acres Kennel Shop Position Statement on Pet Friendly, Force-Free Pet Care
By Don Hanson<Updated 19JUN19> < A short link to this page – https://bit.ly/GAKS_Pet-Friendly > Green Acres Kennel Shop is a pet-friendly, force-free, fear-free and pain-free facility. We believe that pets have an intrinsic right to be treated humanely, to have each of their individual needs met, and to live in a safe, enriched environment free from force, … Continued
Read moreGreen Acres’ First Statement on Being A Pet Friendly-Facility
By Don Hanson< This article was originally published in Green Acres Kennel Shop’s Paw Prints in February of 2006 > < Updated 27MAY19 > < A Short Link to this page – https://bit.ly/GAKS1stPetFriendly > < Green Acres Kennel Shop’ Current Position Statement on Pet-Friendly, Force-Free Pet Care – https://bit.ly/GAKS_Pet-Friendly > Green Acres Is A “Pet Friendly” Facility … Continued
Read moreWhat You Need to Know About Cesar Millan, “The Dog Whisperer”
By Don HansonWhat You Need to Know About Cesar Millan, “The Dog Whisperer” < A short link to this page – https://bit.ly/ExpertsCMJAN07 > A compilation of comments on Cesar Millan appearing in the media published on the Green Acres Kennel Shop website in January of 2007 C’mon, Pooch, Get With the Program Dr. Dodman [veterinary behaviorist and … Continued
Read moreOuch! The Shocking Truth About Electronic Collars
By Don HansonOriginally published in Green Acres Kennel Shop Paw Prints – May 2004 In my opinion it is NEVER appropriate to use electric shock to train a dog or any other living thing. There are far better ways to train, with far fewer serious side effects. However, since there are people advocating the use of shock … Continued
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