Dog Training
Retrievers are very special indeed. I love Flat-Coated Retrievers and Golden Retrievers. Others will swear by their Labrador Retrievers. You must know that they are all very similar, but we’ll focus on the golden. I’ll start with what inspired me to write this blog. I grew up with many dogs, one of them a golden. She was wild and fun until the day she passed. Something that struck me about her that I didn’t know about the breed at the time was how loyal she was. I grew up with herding...
It’s that time again, holiday get a puppy time! Also, go to the rescue and adopt a dog for the holidays! I think it’s wonderful…or it can be. I never want to discourage anyone from doing that. However, as a trainer and someone who worked in rescues for several years, serious caution and advice is necessary. First off, never do this on a whim. Research the breed or breed mix you are adopting. Know that when you go back to work after the holiday break, the dog is properly covered for...
To kids, dogs often must be a chore or they are ignored. How often has your kid grown tired of a new toy, hobby or sport at school? Many kids under 15 grow tired of everything at some point. Then they get some freedom around 15/16 and nothing else matters but their journey to independence. Human nature, normal, unavoidable, life…right?! Where does that leave your family pet? Many kids and families are over-joyed at their new puppy or family dog. It’s so exciting and fun at first. That can...
Incremental success equals stacking! This is a key component in dog training that gets overlooked. Of course everyone wants results quickly. Who wouldn’t want that? The problem is even though you can make a big difference quickly, the true long-term consistent success comes from stacking! The key is to start with small expectations, build the muscle memory of completing a new routine, and then add more tasks once you’re consistent. Want to know something interesting? The above sentence was...
Common questions from dog owners before training: Will my dog still be able to sleep with me? Does my dog HAVE to be crated? Why can’t my dog just have some free time in the yard? Why can’t my dog get affection and belly rubs from me? Why can’t I designate an area of the couch for him/her? The thing is, your dog CAN have all of those things...possibly. We treat each dog individually, but have everyone start off by heavily restricting privileges for a while when going back home or starting...
The vast majority of dogs we see from rescues, evaluate in shelters and get in for training that have fear aggression, aggression or reactivity issues have two main problems...certain genetic factors and lots of kindness shared with them. This is a tough one to communicate properly, though the concept is simple. Dogs that are not taught a solid “no”, but get lots of love, pets, play and treats end up in shelters, passed to another family or worse. Dogs, just like people, need to learn...
Meet Happy…the very suppressed dog… Let me explain! There is a new trend for balanced trainers and other trainers that “correct” bad behavior. The trend is to say we only suppress behavior, we create ticking time bombs that way and we don’t do any actual training. WHEW! That’s a little hard for me to even type out because of the craziness behind it. If correcting dogs is ALL it took I would be out of business. Me just telling people how to correct dogs would diminish my industry and...
Does your dog suffer from anxiety? It’s something I see constantly. The root of MANY unwanted behaviors starts with an anxious dog. What do I mean by anxiety? Well, there are many ways to spot anxiety, but for the sake of this article, I’m going to hit on some key specific points and what you can do about it to see a potentially quick change if you are committed (and everyone in the home is committed!). Some ways to spot anxiety: -whining when you leave the room -excessive drooling in...
If you want to gain a better understanding of your dog's behavior and learn how to not only tell your dog what to do, but teach them to learn and become more self reliant in their decision making, this seminar is for you! The target focus two day weekend seminars are leash handling skills and how different types of leashes and tools are beneficial for different reasons. It’s also important to know how and when to use them. With the leash we’ll be going over when and how to be gentle, when...
Do dogs like hugs and getting in their face for kisses? This is something we come across a lot and I hear debated by so many people. I might watch a video or read an article with another trainer talking about how dogs hate hugs and it doesn’t come natural to who they are and causes stress. Then many people will be angry at that swearing that their dog loves hugs. So here is the skinny! They are both right. For me, in my experience it comes down to trust and easiness of nature. Now this...