Author: Arianna Jones

During my last Summer School Class with Odin, we played a fun game called “101 Things to do with a Box.” However, since Odin associated boxes with nose work, we needed a different object for him to play with that he had no previous association with. So, the name of the game changed to “101… Continue reading 101 Things To Do With A(n) [Insert Object Name Here]

The Premack Principle is an important tool to have in your dog training arsenal. It states that a high probability behavior will reinforce a low probability behavior. In terms of dog training, this means that what the dog wants to do (such as sniffing a bush or chasing a squirrel) can be used to reinforce… Continue reading Letting Your Dog Choose Their Own Motivation: The Premack Principle

Relaxation is an important skill for your dog to have. If they are not relaxed, they will not be able to focus on their training or the job at hand. When your dog is mentally in a relaxed state, their behaviors will reflect that state. Rewarding and marking their relaxed behavior will encourage them to… Continue reading It’s Time to Relax

Dogs have greater than 220 million smell receptors compared to the 5 million smell receptors humans have. Nose work nurtures your dog’s natural instincts and creates a game out of what they do naturally. They are motivated to find hides (places where scents/treats are hidden) as scent work was what their evolution has led to.… Continue reading Nose work: Nurturing Your Dogs Natural Motivation

Our ability to communicate with dogs is one of the primary reasons why we were able to nurture  our human-canine bond so effectively. Body language is an important communication tool as since they are unable to speak, the rely heavily on body language. Our bodies communicate concepts to our dogs and effective communication relies on… Continue reading The Importance of Body Language and Facial Cues in Communication