In this episode, we discuss what your options are when starting from scratch trying to shape behavior, how you can get stuck when trying to shape behavior and your animal isn't offering much, considerations when making changes to the environment to get behavior started, changing the environment to stimulate new behavior, thinking about reinforcement beyond food, how to improve your observational skills to be a better trainer and not die of boredom in the process, and increasing variability and building a larger behavioral repertoire.

For full show notes, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/128 This podcast is supported by Patreon: www.patreon.com/DFTT

In this episode, we discuss when to change a cue, just because a cue doesn't seem to be working does not mean it's the cue's fault, when it's a training or fluency issue, when the cue itself is actually broken, when it's too close to an existing cue, whether your cue is poisoned, and two options for changing cues if you need to.

For full show notes, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/127 This podcast is supported by Patreon: www.patreon.com/DFTT

In this episode, we discuss three possible treat categories - "snacks", enrichment/management, and treats for training, some basic principles for treats selection, how many treats it's ok to give a dog, how snacks matter, but they are different than training treats, what qualities make treats more or less effective for training, why mechanics, timing and delivery, matter more than the actual treat itself, and special cases of training with treats - small dogs and dogs with food allergies.

For full show notes, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/126 This podcast is supported by Patreon: www.patreon.com/DFTT

In this episode, we discuss who makes the decision - the vet, the trainer, or the pet owner; how behavioral euthanasia is an "active choice" rather than a default decision - there is no formula, and this isn’t something that someone has to do because of a specific behavior pattern or problem, but rather an option that may be actively chosen due to safety or quality of life concerns that aren’t able to be mitigated; how professionals can support and guide pet owners through the process; the issues of guilt and shame associated with deciding to euthanize an otherwise healthy dog; and the importance of self-care and good boundaries.

For full show notes, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/125 This podcast is supported by Patreon: www.patreon.com/DFTT

In this episode, we discuss why training eye contact is so fulfilling for humans, the other benefits of training eye contact as a behavior, whether dogs hate making eye contact, the drawbacks to training eye contact, how you can make sure your dog's behavior is "voluntary," situations where eye contact might be helpful, and how you can avoid training problems associated with too much eye contact training.

For full show notes, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/124 This podcast is supported by Patreon: www.patreon.com/DFTT

In this episode, we discuss what is so cool about herding, what kinds of dogs can do herding, what is herding instinct, are there things we can train at home to prepare for herding, and what kinds of reinforcers are relevant in herding.

For full show notes, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/123 This podcast is supported by Patreon: www.patreon.com/DFTT

In this episode, we discuss the challenges of training behaviors that require another person, using remote reinforcement strategies to give you a way to practice, a little zen bowl, the advantages of role-playing a judge, groomer, or vet with your own dog as an initial shaping step, and preventing a plateau by incorporating the Different Every Day game into these sessions.

For full show notes, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/122 This podcast is supported by Patreon: www.patreon.com/DFTT

In this episode we discuss what makes training alone so hard, obstacles and challenges, what is GOOD about training by yourself (it's not all doom and gloom!), some ideas for motivating yourself, tracking progress and staying on track.

For full show notes, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/121 This podcast is supported by Patreon: www.patreon.com/DFTT

In this episode, we discuss what makes living with a reactive dog hard in addition to the top three skills that make life easier. While we're at it, we discuss how the pandemic brought about surprising changes, too!

For full show notes, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/120 This podcast is supported by Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DFTT

In this episode, we talk about training stations and the multitude of ways to get geeky about laying down on a mat!

For full show notes, visit: www.hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/119 This podcast is supported by Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DFTT