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“Dominance” in Dog Training and Behavior, Explained

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Guest post by Nancy Frensley, CPDT-KA, CAP2, CNWI, CGC Evaluator, Senior Behavior and Training Manager, Berkeley Humane Dog trainers sometimes still talk about a dog being dominant or dominating. This terminology has affected how people behave toward their dogs and is thankfully, falling out of use. The term is common among biologists who primarily study species in wild settings. It has a use and a precise definition in that context. It describes how a specific species or sub species controls resources in a domain and it can describe population dynamics. People sometimes excuse their dogs' rude behavior toward other dogs by saying, “He’s alpha.” And some famous trainers have recommended ways to get dogs to change their behavior by “dominating them in physical ways. These are moves that all too often get used for every behavior an owner doesn’t like such as not coming quickly enough or barking at another dog. Dog trainers, many of whom had been military dog handlers during World War...
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Dogs Playing Together: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

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Guest post by Nancy Frensley, CPDT,CAP2, CNWI, CGC Evaluator, Senior Behavior and Training Manager, Berkeley Humane One of first things adopters from Berkeley Humane want to do is take their dogs to a dog park. It’s easy to assume that all dogs both want to play with other dogs and have the right temperament and social skills to do so. However, everyone will benefit by considering a few things before beginning this particular adventure. Pixie and Cinnamon chase a friend. Photo by Pär Winzell. Until puppies reach maturity, between the ages of eighteen months and two years, most of them enjoy playing with other dogs. Good dog play can teach young dogs valuable lessons. Play enhances bite inhibition, develops communication skills, and maintains friendly responses to other dogs. As they mature, most dogs become less universal in their desire to play. Even though some parts of each puppy’s play style are inherited, each of them goes through distinct developmental periods during the first tw...
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BLAST from the PAST -- Remembering back to those Toddler Days!

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I was cleaning out the hard drive on my computer today and came across this article I wrote but never published about getting jobs done around the house while homeschooling young kids. The memory of those days with four kids under 7 is a hazy one, but reading my advice from then feels surprisingly relevant still today, and I can see a lot of the fruit from some of those routines and diversions. Hope you'll be blessed by this if you feel unable to release those grasping hands from your "skirts" when all you want to do is clean a toilet or fill the dishwasher. Trust me: this season will pass! WHISTLE WHILE YOU WORK: 5 SURE-FIRE WAYS TO KEEP THE KIDS BUSY (WITHOUT RESORTING TO THE TELLY)* *This should now read: without resorting to electronics As a home-schooling mum with young children, I�m often asked how I can get any jobs done with kids always around. I won�t lie and say it�s easy (I�m definitely no super-mum), but with my five sure-fire tips, you, too, can keep your ho...
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