
Happy Hound University Blog
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Happy Hound University offers certified, professional positive training for you and your dog in your home. Happy Hound University's positive dog training blog is about living, loving, and learning with dogs as a certified professional dog trainer.
Happy Hound University Blog
8h ago
We understand now that our dog's physical health is a key puzzle piece to resolving certain behavior problems ..read more
Happy Hound University Blog
2M ago
We understand now that our dog's physical health is a key puzzle piece to resolving certain behavior problems ..read more
Happy Hound University Blog
7M ago
I recently came across a tiktok video of a trainer who claimed to be "training" a dog, when in reality she had a very distressed dog on a slip leash (a leash designed to tighten around the neck without stopping) and was pulling up on the leash to cut off the struggling dog's airway.
I know that that is disturbing to read, and I am sorry if it's upsetting. but that is exactly what happened in this video. And when the dog stopped struggling, the handler relaxed tension on the leash, claiming that the dog was now "calm". I went to this "trainer's" profile, aghast at what I just saw, and the firs ..read more
Happy Hound University Blog
9M ago
So, you recently met (or maybe even adopted!) a dog who seems fearful of you or other people. Maybe they bark and back away when approached, maybe they silently slink away if you even glance at them, or maybe they just freeze and become unable to function in your presence.
I won’t sugar coat it: being the guardian of a profoundly fearful dog is difficult. Many of these dogs struggle socially, don’t tolerate change well, and it can take months or years to see real improvement. Some of these dogs very much need behavior medication to even begin to function normally; their behavior is a sym ..read more
Happy Hound University Blog
1y ago
Are you still looking for the perfect gift for the dog lover in your life? Still looking for the perfect gift for a dog? Then look no further, listed below are some of my favorite recommendations! Please note, some of the links on this post are affiliate links, meaning I will make a small amount of money from each purchase at no additional cost to you! (Also note, some of these products are made to order so they will likely not make it to you before the holidays! Make sure you check delivery dates on these products!)
For the avid outdoors person:
High Tail Hikes is a fabulous woman owned comp ..read more
Happy Hound University Blog
1y ago
To start this post off, we'll tackle that title: what exactly are motivational states?
One of the definitions of motivational states is: “… physiological internal states in the organism that play an important role in initiating behavior, selecting actions to perform, and orienting the actions to achieve desired goals”- Alarcón, 2021
Let's put that into layman's terms, shall we? Basically, motivational states make our animals more or less likely to perform certain behaviors or more or less likely to respond in certain ways to the environment. Motivational states are internal states that are eff ..read more
Happy Hound University Blog
1y ago
The concept of “stress” can be an abstract concept, but it has a very clear definition. Stress is the result of a triggering event that challenges an animal’s “status quo” and causes a physiological response that involves the release of stress hormones. The release of stress hormones prepares the body for “fight or flight”, kicking you into high gear to prepare for what might come next! The purpose of the stress response is to provide immediate energy to critical systems, and reduce the energy sent to systems that aren’t needed at the time; i.e. the animal experiences increased heart rate and ..read more
Happy Hound University Blog
1y ago
If your dog has ever growled at you, it's normal to be upset and concerned. And while we don't want our dogs to be growling, since it's a sign that something is wrong, one of the most important things to realize if your dog is growling is to NEVER punish them for it!
First a note about this post: anywhere that you see "growling", you can substitute growling with any other warning signs from your dog, such as stiffening, snarling, or snapping. These rules apply to all signs of discomfort from your dog
I know what you're probably thinking. "If I tell the dog not to growl, won't they understand t ..read more
Happy Hound University Blog
1y ago
Doggy daycare has become a mainstay in the lives of dog owners everywhere. According to what I was able to find on the internet, the very first formal doggy daycare was called Yuppie Puppy and opened up in New York City in 1987. Seeing how many doggy daycares there are now (it feels like a new one pops up every week!), it’s hard to believe that there was ever a time they didn’t exist!
Doggy daycare can be a great opportunity to continue providing your dog with lots of social opportunities and to give them a break from boring day to day life if you are out of the house a lot. But not all dogs ..read more
Happy Hound University Blog
1y ago
Choosing a puppy training class is one of the most important things you will do when you first bring your brand new puppy home. Puppy classes are ideal for the vast majority of puppies; a good puppy training class will introduce you to the training basics, expose your puppy to a new place, new people, and other puppies, and will teach you how to safely socialize your pu p!
It’s critically important that you bring your puppy to a WELL RUN puppy class. In all honestly, puppy classes are a dime a dozen, but a well run puppy class is worth it’s weight in gold! Some folks think that puppy classes ..read more