Welcome to the Dog Division

The Dog Division of the IAABC offers opportunities to both seasoned and aspiring professional Dog Behavior Consultants. We encourage members to share with and learn from one another in IAABC's online educational venues, including discussion lists, guided studies, case study tutorials, mentoring, and networking. We work together to establish guidelines for dealing with dog behavior issues and toward the goal of enhancing the lives and relationships of dogs and their people.

Dear Inquisitive Canine (December 2011)

Joan Mayer on December 23, 2011

Dear Inquisitive Canine,

Hellooo, my name is Hazel and I have a question. I am an 18-month-old crazy retriever mix – a little Chessie, Golden and Lab all rolled into one. I think I am pretty smart, and I am definitely cute. I have been crate trained, but want to move to a nice comfy bed without borders…

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Progress vs. Perfection

Jolanta Benal on December 22, 2011

I read the same training lists as everybody else – Click-L ABAT, clickerexpo, you know the ones. All those precise, clever trainers put my jaw on the floor. They also lead me to thinking about how the goals of behavior modification and the goals of training aren’t always exactly the same – in fact, sometimes too much focus on perfect manners can make us miss a behavioral improvement that we would otherwise greet with joy.

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Podcast: Dr. Sophia Yin’s Perfect Puppy in Seven Days

Eric Goebelbecker on October 13, 2011

Dr. Sophia Yin joins me for the first podcast of the new season! We talk about her new book, Perfect Puppy in 7 Days: How to Start Your Puppy Off Right (also available in KindleKindle) and also her classic Low Stress Handling Restraint & Behavior (No kindle version but you can check out the online version here.)

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On Leash Frustration and Aggression

Joan Mayer on October 12, 2011

This month Joan and Poncho answer a question about dogs that display aggression behavior toward other dogs, but only when on leash.

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“Canine Behavior A Photo Illustrated Handbook” By Barbara Handelman

Barbara Handelman on September 21, 2011

The developing field of canine behavior and communication needs a consistent vocabulary with which to describe observed behaviors. This book is offered for the purpose of creating a consistent lexicon of commonly used terminology.

The information required to interpret behavior lies in the environmental contexts in which the behaviors are offered. Distinct communication behaviors rarely appear in isolation; instead, three or more forms of bodily expressions may be present concurrently. The resulting impression is greater than the sum of the component expressive parts.

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Introducing “Dear Inquisitive Canine”

Joan Mayer on September 14, 2011

Introducing a new feature on the IAABC dog blog: Dear Inquisitive Canine!

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How To Be A Friend To A Fearful Dog

Debbie Jacobs on September 07, 2011

Are there a lot of fearful dogs out there or am I just noticing them more? Since Sunny landed in our living room, and settled into the corner, my ‘shy dog radar’ seems to have been fine tuned. At the pet shop recently a young woman was browsing the dog treat section, her black and white dog, a young adult, was doing the same. When I turned to speak to the woman, making small talk about ‘kids in candy stores’ her dog took one look at me, ducked his head and stepped back, his eyes locked on my face. I’d seen that look enough to know that I should not return the stare and immediately turned my head. The dog resumed his sniffing of the various dried, animal body parts available to him.

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