These two herding dogs love their couch and their kitty.  

Dogs and cats often get along splendidly.  But not all dogs love cats, and not all cats like dogs.  In this case, the best advice is everyone else's advice.

Please COMMENT and share your experience of introducing cats to dogs and vice-versa.

Things to consider sharing:

Who was in the house first?

Was the cat/dog around other dogs or cats as a kitten/pup?

Was the cat the decider (just hated the dog)?

Was the dog the decider (could NOT stop chasing the cat)?

Did you use a management device--gate, door, cat escape tree?

Who did you confine?

What helped the situation the most?

When did you feel everything was OK?

When did you realize it wasn't gonna work?

Pet Products Review - Orvis Dog Proof Feeding Station

Every so often I see a product in a catalogue or store and can't think to myself "how genius, I need this".  Well thats exactly what I thought when I was reading the Orvis Dog Book and saw the Dog proof feeding station for cats.

If you're like me and have both a cat and a dog, there is a constant struggle to keep your dog out of the cat food.  Considering more than 40% of households with a dog also have at least one cat; this is a big problem.  Most of us simply put the cat bowl on a high counter or shelf.  Surely this is not the most sanitary or convienent solution.

With the Orvis Dog Proof Feeding Station your cat has a secure place to eat.  Best of all its not on a kitchen counter and  where the dog can not enter. The feeding station’s enclosed food platform is accessed via a cat–size opening in the floor.  This reminds me of my first tree house. Humans can enter via the hinged lid that props open for easy access and stays securely shut when closed. Side slats allow for a dining sanctuary where your kitty can eat in peace while enjoying the view of family activites outside.

The cost is luxurious at $249 on www.orvis.com.  So, consider this feeding station a substantial piece of furniture.  But then again, if you consider how much money you'll save in cat food not stolen by opportunistic pups, then maybe it pays for itself in a year.

If you have a product you think will pass the Secret Shopper Test, send an email to secretshopperblog@gmail.com.

In general, I find the term "Positive Reinforcement Trainer" too specific and misleading. 

The term is commonly used to describe trainers who won't use aversive methods such as choke, prong, or shock collars.  Because of this I think that many dog owners/guardians have been given the impression that trainers who focus on rewards never punish dogs.  This is untrue.

Reward-Based Trainers (I consider myself one) choose to not scare, hurt or intimidate dogs.  This does not mean that naughty behaviors will go without consequences.  Nor does it mean, that I am arguing: aversive methods won't work.  I am aware that aversive methods can effectively punish out bad behaviors.  However, using aversives to punish/doling out yucky stuff (aka: Positive Punishment) will have side effects.  In addition to the side effects there are moral and ethical considerations that prevent me from even considering Positive Punishment: Giving (+) an aversive for a bad behavior.

My concerns regarding Positive Punishment:

1) Given the many other options available for teaching a dog what to do or how to respond, Positive Punishments are unnecessary. 

2) To reduce harm, Positive Punishments demand absolute accuracy; perfect timing is hard for trainers and almost impossible for new dog owners/guardians. 

3) Even when used correctly, aversive methods can have damaging and dangerous side effects including increased fear, unintended associations, avoidance and learned helplessness. 

4) Aversive methods are a poor choice for fear-based behaviors (barking, lunging, growling, biting) because Classical Conditioning, not punishment, is what will condition new responses to threatening stimuli or items perceived to be scary. 

This is usually where someone tries to argue:  

________ piece of equipment "doesn't really" hurt the dog. 

IF this were true, then the equipment or method being used would be an ineffective punisher.   Because ineffective punishers don't work they need to be used over and over again. If what the trainer wants is to teach the dog NOT to do something and they are adding/giving a punishment then you must assume that the intention is for that punishment to be aversive.  Aversives are by definition unpleasant.  If they are not truly aversive then they won't eliminate the behavior and the trainer/handler is merely startling or nagging the dog over and over again (choke/prong collars used for pulling).  This could be considered abusive.

It needs to be recognized that many Reward-Based Trainers (myself included) DO punish dogs when they fail to respond or behave rudely.  But, let me be clear.  This does not mean that we use aversive methods or GIVE punishments.  

Reward-Based Trainers stick to focusing on rewards by using 1) Positive Reinforcement (giving rewards -adding good stuff into the situation) and 2) Negative Punishment (taking away rewards, or removing access to fun stuff).  ***Remember the words: positive & negative refer to whether the trainer is adding or taking away a reinforcer or aversive, not to whether the dog will perceive them as good or bad.

This leads to the question: How does one punish a dog by using rewards?

It's simple.  If rewards can be given/earned, then they can be taken away/denied.  Taking away something your dog wants is a type of punishment.  By definition a punisher reduces or eliminates a behavior.  This is the principle behind detention.  In school detention a student loses their "free time," This translates as a loss of access to people, places and things that are fun.  This loss is a consequence for bad behavior.  This is calledReward-Removal or Negative Punishment.  ***Again, negative refers to something being taken away or removed (-) from a situation.

The expectation in dog training is that naughty behaviors like chewing, jumping and barking will decrease until they are extinguished completely.  As with all learning, the principles of Reward-Removal must be used in conjunction with other learning tools.

Removing Rewards is an effective and humane way to eliminate unwanted behaviors in dogs, cats, children, and many other living beings. As a humane dog trainer I use Positive Reinforcement (giving rewards) & Negative Punishment (removing rewards). I call myself, and others who train by similar principles Reward-Based Trainers.

One practical application of REWARD REMOVALS is removing access to fun stuff.  This can be accomplished by putting your dog in a Time-Out.  Because dogs are unable to comprehend a long time-out at the end of the week (no Saturday morning romp at the beach) you will need to be prepared to give your dog many, short time-outs immediately after each offense.