Blog

Uncategorized

The Language of Needs

July 3, 2023

How do you think about your dog’s needs and behavior?   The words we use matter. They shape how we think about the world around us in surprising ways.  Over the past  few decades, many animal trainers, animal scientists, and animal advocates have talked about the need for us to be more mindful about what…

Read More

Understanding the Human Side of Using Punishment

September 2, 2022

or, Lessons Learned as Cross-Over Trainer   Last month, we looked at what positive reinforcement is, and why it isn’t used universally in dog training (though it should be). You may remember that: we live in a very punishment-centric culture, and this heavily influences what is considered normal in our relationships with dogs.   That…

Read More

What Exactly *Is* Positive Reinforcement

August 1, 2022

…and why do some folk say it doesn’t work?   The first full topic I want us to dig into seems pretty darn straightforward. But, like so many things related to how we raise and care for our companion dogs, it can start to get a bit confusing if you’re a pet parent looking into…

Read More

Welcome to the Blog!

June 6, 2022

Now, who am I and what on earth are we doing here? Welcome to the very first post for the Quest Companion Dog Training blog! I’ll admit, I am both excited and nervous to be writing this. Nercited? Exervous? I don’t know. I’m excited because, as a dog trainer, I want to tackle lots of…

Read More