From the Editor
Pet Parenting Can Be Hard. It’s Okay – You Are Not Alone.
...whether you’re looking for more connection and fun in your partnership with your pet, or you’re simply wondering, “Why is my pet doing this?!?” perhaps you'll find the inspiration and information you seek right here.
Editor’s Picks

Why Focus on Life Skills vs Obedience in Dog Training?
The life skills approach emphasizes training dogs to be well-behaved and well-adjusted in everyday environments, rather than just focusing on obedience commands in a controlled training setting.

Ask a Trainer: When Will My Puppy Stop Biting Me?!
...some dogs may continue to mouth or nip in certain situations, so ongoing training and reinforcement are important.
Issue Content

Eye Drops for Dogs, the Premack Principle, and Stationing on the Stairs
Trainers in zoos and other places with large captive animals train the animals in their care to “station” so they can perform necessary medical procedures.

Should I Play Tug with My Puppy?
By giving a puppy an appropriate toy to tug with, we are saving our clothes from rips and tears by those sharp little teeth, and our tender skin as well. Plus, we are affording our puppy the opportunity to engage in very normal doggie behavior.

Looking for a Fun Way to Enrich the Life of Your Cat? Give Agility a Try!
By the very fact that agility is a team sport, it can strengthen the bond between you and your cat.

Top 5 Stress Busters for Pet Parents
It’s so easy in everything we do and care about to overthink and fixate when something goes wrong or isn’t going as we hoped. Look at the bigger picture and turn your attention to what’s going well with your pet.

Ask a Trainer: Help for a Dog Who Growls at Strangers
Never punish her for growling or snapping; those are the only ways that she is able to tell you that she is uncomfortable with what is going on.

Puppy Not Listening to You? Here’s Why and What to Do!
If puppies are teething, or experiencing growing pains, they can find it hard to focus or listen to you as they’re just feeling quite sore!

Fallout is Not Good for You…or Your Pet (Part One)
Recently, trainers who use aversive methods and equipment began sugarcoating what they do, calling it “balanced” training.

Fallout is Not Good for You…or Your Pet (Part Two)
It is far better to inform pet people in advance before the damage is done.

Training Your Equid: The Many Benefits of Protected Contact
Protected contact keeps you safe from behaviors that may make you uncomfortable or put you at risk, like your horse bumping into you, pushing you with their nose, or nipping.

To Save a Starfish: A Compassion-Fatigue Workbook for the Animal-Welfare Warrior (Book Review)
Blough defines burnout as the feeling that there will always be more to do and that one will never be able to do enough.





