Welcome to Week Thirty-Two!

Bark Barkbark Barkbarkbarkbark Barkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbark, etc. Did you know that once rewarded, a behavior will grow stronger and that even when the reward has stopped, the behavior will still increase? In other words, it gets worse before it gets better, and the turnaround point is called an “extinction burst.” All species, humans and canines included, do this with behavior. Kids have temper tantrums or increasingly nag to get a toy. Adults do it when the vending or ATM machine doesn’t work, as well as hoping to manipulate a relationship. Just when you thought it was hopeless and you intervene, is exactly when you need to steel your patience and work your way through this learning point. Read more in Understanding My Pet, “The Power of the Extinction Burst.”

Your dog suddenly starts wheezing, her eyes bulging, frozen in place. It’s quite alarming to see and you feel helpless, thinking she has something stuck in her throat. Fortunately, she isn’t choking and suddenly she’s breathing normally again. Several days later this repeats and you begin to think she has asthma. What is happening to your dog? It’s called, “Reverse Sneezing” and you’ll learn more about it in this week’s Perfect Pet column.

You hear your son tell your dog to, “Go find Josh” and off she runs, and she finds Josh! What an amazing skill! You can learn how to teach her this in this week’s Kids & Pets, “Teach Your Dog to Find Someone by Name.”

Did you lose your sandwich to your dog when you left it on the coffee table? Or have to chase her because she grabbed the butcher knife off the counter? Or watched her grab and run with three bananas from the bowl on the kitchen table? Or walked into the bathroom to find the wastebasket strewn across the floor? In this week’s Training For Success column, we have tips to help you prevent, manage and use the environment to help teach your dog to stop these theft issues. Read more in, “Tables, Counters and Trash Can Surfing.”

The staff of the MyPetTrainer.com and LostMyPet.com community is here to support you! We hope you enjoy this Week Thirty-Two issue of MyPetTrainer.com.

Together in success,
The staff of MyPetTrainer.com