Behaviorist

Give a general definition.

List some tools a positive trainer would use.

List some tools a positive trainer would not use if there are any.

Give some examples of famous or well-known positive dog trainers if you know any.

Any additional thoughts?

I have wondered about this for years and no one I know has been able to tell me. On box fans you the speeds go Off, then HIGH. It seems like it would be more efficient to go Off then LOW. Do any of you guys who know about electical stuff know why?

I'm talking about when someone says something you agree with and you say or write in response, "Hear! Hear!" to indicate you agree with them. It is my understanding that it is an old expression that means, "You really should hear what this guy is saying!" However, I usually see it written, "Here, here!" which doesn't seem to make sense.

Anyone know the origins and proper use of the expression?

I am an animal trainer, but I'm asking because I am interested in learning how much dog lovers who are not involved in this business know about the kinds of training available and their options when they need a trainer.

One of my Desert Roses was started from a cutting and it used to bloom several times throughout the summer, but last summer it developed only a few blooms and they dropped off before opening. It's about 4-5 years old.

My Desert Rose started from seed has a nice caudex but has never bloomed. It's about 3 years old.

I'm reading different things about how often to fertilize, etc. What say you?

Dog training involves being around animals, but sometimes it involves it involves animals with unpleasant behavioral problems. You get to pet the soft fur but sometimes you have to pick up the poop. Most of all you're really teaching the owners how to teach their own dogs in most cases.

If you knew you could make a living doing this kind of work, would you want to do it?

Why or why not?

We humans live in close contact with dogs, cats and several other species of companion animals. Living in close contact with ANYONE can occassionally result in problems... behavior problems (aggression, chronic barking, fear) or in management issues.

What do you think is the problem that most badly needs a solution in terms of animals living among us?

This question is for pet owners who are not animal behavior professionals.

Do you want to understand your pet's behavior or are you more interested in directly eliminating the specific problems your pet has? I am a behavior analyst and I would like to write a manual to help pet owners resolve many of their own behavior problems, or to prevent them from happening in the first place. Trainers have different opinions- some think pet owners need simple info that applies to the specific issue at hand, while others think they need to understand the science of behavior to some extent to really be able to manage problems.

So I am asking YOU. What do you as a pet owner need or want to know about your pet's behavior? Would you be interested in understanding WHY your pet does what he does, or do you mainly want to know how to get him to do certain things in certain ways so he's easier to live with?

People often blog for pay and I'd like to learn what sites are worth pursuiing.

Several local politicians have sent recorded messages to my home for some local elections recently. I asked some of them to take me off their lists and their people politely complied. Others didn't respond. However, one candidate responded with a shrill email that said I'd have to rescind my voter's registration to get off her list. When I responded that she was being unreasonable, she got even shriller and sent a post full of underlined, capitalized, bolded remarks, basically saying I was being unreasonable in asking her not to call me on my personal phone.

Just today she responded to that saying that it was clear to her that *I* had an agenda. Yeah, my agenda was to get politicians to stop calling me in my home.

So here are my questions.

Is it possible for politicians to take someone off their call list? She claims it is not. Others apparently disagree.

Is there any recourse against politicians who send repeated recorded messages to my home?

There are some videos showing illegal dog fighting and a friend has been trying to get them removed, but we can't find a way to contact a real rep. They say to flag the video as inappropriate, but nothing has been done about the videos.

Their guidelines say that you can't post videos that are illegal or dangerous, but do they really do anything about it?

What do you get out of Yahoo Answers now, and what do you wish you could get out of it? It seems that some people use it as a social venue, while others use it to ask and answer questions. Neither is bad, I'm just curious about what most people get from it now and what they hope to get from it later on. (I'm not associated with Yahoo Answers in any way except that I'm a member!)

I was around when mullets were still in style, but no one called them mullets then.

I'm trying to list all the techniques commonly used for treating canine aggression. Please provide as much information as possible including links and references if possible! Thanks!