Training Your Dog For The Fight Of Their Lives

Thanksgiving. Friends and family are visiting. A family member accidentally leaves the front door open, and your dog takes off. I hope you have trained for this day… All good training begins with the proper end picture. Then train for that goal. What is the proper end picture? For me, I want my dog to […]

One Dog To Rule Them All?

Can one dog be everything, do everything, that all other dogs can do? Uh, no… I encounter potential students, from time to time, who want their dog to do tasks or live a lifestyle that is not suited to that dog. Some listen, some don’t. Here are some examples. I get emails from people who […]

Arizona Dog Training In The Summer

When I first moved to the Phoenix, Arizona area I was very concerned about how to train dogs during the summer. After being here for several years, I have it figured out… First, is the handler. I pay attention to the physical location, weather and physical condition of the dog owner. I’ve worked with some […]

Dog Training And Conscientiousness

What is probably the most important aspect of dog training that I want all my students to understand? Conscientiousness… First, that means seeing the training as a duty to be fulfilled. Accept the responsibility. Carry the load. Make a moral and practical decision to get trained, and to get your dog trained. Second, that means […]

Dog Training Is Doing

“You’ll never plow a field by turning it over in your mind.” – Irish Proverb A lot in life can be compared to farming. You leave a field to itself, it will become overgrown and produce no fruit. You work the field, you get a good crop. The same can be said about owning a […]

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… For example, dogs can sometimes get in a fight with another dog in the home. Maybe the first time, the dogs can once again get along. Sometimes, just that one […]

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… […]

Why Do We Train Our Dogs?

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 […]

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 […]

Dog Training: Flustered?

It is normal to feel flustered when learning something new, or when increasing your skills to the next level. It is also normal for your dog… Learning is more than just doing something repetitively. There is an emotional part to the learning, and at times, you may feel insecure, unsettled, nervous, self-conscious, agitated or confused. […]