Dog Training And Conscientiousness

What is probably the most important aspect of dog training that I want all my students to understand? Conscientiousness… (MORE)

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, everyone!

Dog Training, Animal Welfare, And Taking Credit

If you are committed to a noble cause, you dedicate your life to finding solutions. That is the way of life: you see many needs, one in particular gets your attention, you make a decision, and then you act. Animal welfare can be one of those causes... (MORE)

Dogs: The Foxfire Book

“Many had at least one “plantation dog” whose whole job was to keep the hogs and cows out of the corn… Lots of times cows would push over th’ rail fences and turn th’ whole herd into your corn. Or hogs would slip in. Dogs would gram’im, and he’d squeal like he’d not come back for a year after they turned them loose, and then he’d be back th’ next day… Since cows and hogs were grazed on open range, mountain families often trained “ketch dogs” also. Their job was to help round up the stock when the time came to bring it in for slaughter or sale. And then there were hunting dogs – the pride of many families… Blue ticks, black and tans, and redbones, for example, were popular coon dogs. Plots, curs, and Airedales made fine bear dogs. Feists were used by many for both squirrel and deer, bulldogs for boar, treein’ walkers for fox, beagles for rabbit, and so on… The most important rule was to goa with him on a hunt, stay with him, and get what you were after If he got on a track, treed the animal, and couldn’t find where the coon had gone, the hunter / trainer would point up in the tree, show him, and then shoot it out. Once they got one coon, the dog would see what he was after, and he would be a coon dog for life.”

- The Foxfire Book

Can A Dog Be Made Childproof?

Can a dog be trained to be 100% safe around all children, no matter what the child does around or to the dog? I get these inquires in some form or fashion about once a year... (MORE)

Is Your Dog Any Good?

Is your dog any good at...

Coming when called?
Greeting guests?
Meeting strangers and strange dogs?
Not destroying your home?

If not, why not? Yes, I know training takes time. Training takes money. Training takes effort. We all have limited amounts of resources.

What are your priorities? Do you want to solve this stuff, or keep passing the blame onto the dog? People spend stupid amounts of time and money on hobbies, but often don't spend anything on their dogs, but then complain or are rough on their dogs as a result.

Makes no sense to me.

Dog Training The One Thing

What one thing could you do, starting today, to improve your dog’s behavior? Consider this… (MORE)

Dog Training When Teasing Becomes Aggression

It is never a good idea to tease a dog. Teasing is different than play… (MORE)

Dog Training When...

I find that I often am a better trainer / coach when I'm tired. My work is smoother with the dogs and the people. I had a long day yesterday, and today I was tired all day. However, each lesson went well, each dog and owner got a great lesson. Something to think about.

Another thought: I see too many people in animal rescue get too complacent when working with troubled dogs, and eventually get bitten. Maybe the fatigue goes the other way for them, I don't know. You have to keep your wits about you and trust your gut more when dealing with potentially dangerous dogs. Fatigue can result in a trip to the ER. Just sayin'

Dog Training Breaking Points

Every dog has breaking points, physically and mentally. Thus, it is wise to set limits as to what stimuli your dog has to deal with… (MORE)

Dog Training Turning Points

Life has turning points. These are key events, or milestones, in your life that change you forever. Dogs also have turning points. The question is always whether they will turn out for the good or bad… (MORE)

Therapy Dog

Scooter Pie, one of my students, scored 109 percent on his Pet Partners recertification last week!

Maintaining A Proper Mental Attitude During Your Dog Training Lessons

If you don’t learn and practice the proper mental attitude during your dog training lessons, you will not get the most out of the lessons, nor will you be prepared to use the training in real life situations. Similarly, if you don’t help your dog to learn and practice with the proper mental attitude, your dog will not get the most out of the lessons, and will not be prepared to properly respond to real life situations. Dog training is a lot more than teaching Sit, Down, Come and Heel… (MORE)

Help, My Dog Is Broken!

You are making breakfast. Without looking, your sleeve brushes your plate off the edge of the counter, it falls to the floor, and shatters. For some dogs, after being attacked by another dog, being abused, or having to defend themselves against a human, the dog changes. What was once a social dog is now wary or aggressive to other dogs or people. I’ve seen it many times. What should be done? (MORE)

Should I Get A Second Dog?

I am a big believer in having extras... I don’t just buy one tube of toothpaste, I buy 2. Two milks, two pairs of shoes, etc. You will always find things run smoother in your life if you have extras on hand. I also think it is a good idea, for most people, to have two dogs, here is why… (MORE)

What Is The Difference Between Good and Great Dog Training?

I have three levels of dog training classes: Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced. Most students just do Basic, primarily because they feel this program is sufficient for their needs, and also because that is all that their budget will allow. Here’s more on how I see these classes. There are three common elements of each level… (MORE)

Is It OK To Take A Dog Training Break?

I have 4 students taking a dog training “break”? Here is my view on training breaks… (MORE)

Why Do We Train Our Dogs?

Because you and your dog are not going to learn new skills during an emergency. I play a bit of “What If” with all my students so they can translate what we are doing in class to what they are going to potentially face in the real world. What if the leash came off? What if your dog was attacked by a crazy stranger? What if a child comes up to pet your dog without permission? What if your dog escaped the front door and is running down the street? What if your dog gets lost? I start with training in the home... (MORE) 

Dog Training Exercises

When I first started out training dogs professionally, I used the same exercises that I learned from the classes I took. I then added exercises I learned from others, including those I found in books and videos. However, over time, these changed, and what I do today bears little resemblance to what I did years ago… (MORE)

Dog Training: Believe What You See

A major human behavioral error is believing what isn’t true instead of what is true. I regularly see this in dog training. Here is what I mean…

Most dog owners “know” some things about dog training. They’ve taken a few classes, watched a TV show, gotten advice from their best friend, read a post online, heard something from some authority (veterinarian, animal control officer, rescue volunteer, etc.), or they “grew up” around animals. Unfortunately, a lot of information is wrong.

Even when what they are seeing contradicts what they think they know, they will try to fit the dog to what they “know” rather than seeing what is actually happening with their dog, right before their own eyes.

Case in point… I was working a puppy and an adult dog alongside one another. Suddenly, the adult dog shut down in the middle of the lesson. The owner said she was being stubborn, seeking attention, and spiteful.

In fact, the older dog is still not settled with having this new dog in the home. Some adult dogs aren’t comfortable around puppies, and she is that kind of dog. She isn’t being stubborn. She isn’t seeking attention. She isn’t being spiteful. She was in avoidance, seeking to get away from the situation. She wouldn’t take a treat, ran into the home, wouldn’t come near the other dog.

By misreading the situation, the owner could have done something stupid with the adult dog. Instead, I had to help her understand what was happening, and how to relax and encourage the older dog to feel safe again. After a few minutes, I had the older dog working again, and then we ended the lesson. We will have to work on this over the coming weeks to get things to work out.

Most of what the public gets about dog training is both outdated and wrong. Even so, if they put aside what they “know” and really looked at what their dogs were doing, they could get a better result. However, that isn’t typical human behavior. Thus, people need experienced coaches and teachers, who are good at seeing what is actually going on, to lead them to the right answers and solutions. Unfortunately, many professionals are also trapped by what they think they “know” instead of seeing what is going on. The dogs suffer, and wrong solutions are applied.

Dogs need our understanding. Understanding means using comprehension, perception, and kind, approachable methods to train dogs correctly. My advice? Step back, don’t apply a reflexive response to what your dog is doing. Try to see what is actually happening. And if you can’t do that, find someone to help you figure out what’s going on. Then the right solution will develop.