January 2025

• If you're stressed or tired, experts suggest you postpone your dog training session to another time. Dogs are tuned into our moods and respond better to training if we're in a good mood.

• If your dog associates car rides with feeling anxious, start by gradually introducing them to the car. Begin desensitizing them by keeping the car parked (at first, you may need to just walk toward the car without getting in). As your dog gradually feels less anxious, you can progress to both getting in. While in a parked car, you can get them used to car sounds like locks clicking or the fan coming on before actually hitting the road. And be sure to reward them with treats!

• One way to get puppies used to a leash is to have them associate it with fun. Practice indoors with them wearing a leash for short periods of time while you play with them and give them treats. Then begin to associate the leash with a verbal cue, such as "walk." When you eventually go outdoors, start with short walks and reward them with treats for focusing on you instead of distractions around them.

• A recent study at UC San Diego's Comparative Cognition Lab showed that dogs trained to use soundboards or sound buttons could make two-word button combinations to express their desires and needs. The study analyzed data from 152 dogs over 21 months that captured more than 260,000 button presses, 195,000 of which were made by the dogs themselves.

• Speech-language pathologist Christina Hunger is credited with inventing the talking sound button movement for dogs. The first dog to use them was her dog Stella, a Blue Heeler/Catahoula mix who began to live with Hunger as a puppy in early 2018.