New Dogs Which Don’t Understand
It is interesting doing a first lesson with an untrained 1- or 2-year-old dog. They are often impulsive and have no clue what you are trying to communicate. At first, during that first skill exercise, they are somewhat bewildered. I typically start with a problem solving exercise which makes the dog figure out a simple […]
Puppy Training Milestones
I have a series of Training Milestones (goals) that I use to organize dog training lessons. For example, for a Puppy, up to 4 months of age, these are my Milestones: Housetraining completedMouthing (mostly) eliminatedBasic Command word associations (such as Heel, Sit, Down, Come, etc.)Leash and collar introductionSocialization and Essential Exposures completedEstablishment of “Home”Crate training […]
Dogs As Galley Slaves
Dog training trends are interesting to me. The current one I’m watching is how younger trainers out there are basically throwing their hands in the air, giving up, and opting for solutions that enslave dogs. Here’s what I mean. Everything they do is about stopping dogs from doing this or that. That’s because they have […]
Dog Training And Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Twenty something years ago, I joined a Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy (dojo). It was a bit intimidating that first time, not knowing what to expect. How did they start me out? What happened that first month (I was attending 3 times a week)? Well, what they didn’t do is discuss the theory of ground-based self […]
Dog Training Choices
You are interviewing dog trainers. You find there are two choices: Which should you choose? What does an e-collar manufacturer recommend? I own the book, “Tri-Tronics Retriever Training” by Jim Dobbs (1993). Here’s what I can tell you in a nutshell. They have you train the dog in the basics before using the e-collar, that […]
How Do You Have A Well Trained Dog
What is the biggest mistake dog owners make with their dogs? They pursue a finite result on a timeline. Here’s more of what I mean by that. Let’s say you exercise correctly, very diligently, and by such and such date, you are in the best shape of your life. Now, you stop exercising for the […]
Dogs And The Silent Treatment
Is it a good training idea to ignore a dog for several weeks with the goal of forcing them pay attention to you? No. In other words, should you risk breaking your bond with your dog? The Alpha (male and female) wolf pair maintain the family bonds (play, working together, resolving disputes, traveling together, defending […]
Dog Training Old And New Ways
Do you think dogs should be trained the same way today as they were in the “old days” (and I’m referring to decades ago)? Of course, I do not think so. After all these years, I’ve seen too much, done too much, learned too much: good riddance to the “old days” and old ways. You […]
Dogs And Psychology
Before you train a dog, it would be ideal that you understood the psychology of the dog. There are differences between a child and a dog. A cat and a dog. A horse and a dog. A fish and a dog. And a cartoon dog and a real dog. Generally, novices try to coerce a […]
Dogs And Uniforms
If you look at my photos and videos, you’ll notice I don’t wear a uniform when training dogs. I used to. I used to have shirts and other items with my logo on it. But not anymore. Here’s why. Dogs notice all the small details about us during every interaction. Including our clothing. Yes, they […]