Both Can’t Be True
A dog owner’s mindset can be a roadblock for making gains in training. I have heard many new students tell me that their dog “knows” this or that. Or they say that their dog doesn’t need to learn this or that. And then, right after that, they are describing situations where the dog doesn’t know […]
Lifetime Dog Training Fundamentals Series
As I write this article, it is now the peak heat part of summer in Arizona. Every year, at this time, I encourage all my students to learn and practice my Lifetime Fundamentals Series (back to basics). These are the crucial skills and habits for both the dogs and owners that are taught and practiced […]
Dogs And Collars
Hello, Sam I just had a question about your opinion on certain dog collars and methods to prevent dogs from pulling while on a leash. I have 3 dogs. My terrier rarely pulls on the leash; he was a stray and I don’t know his background. My chocolate lab pulls very hard – we have […]
Dog Training Marketing Gurus
In the past 20 years, a lot of new people have come into the market as dog trainers. I remember when I first started out, there weren’t that many. Something changed around 2005… I blame the internet. What I saw happen over the years was the self-promoting Dog Training Marketing Guru trend. New people, with […]
Dogs Which Experience Traumas
Dogs can be significantly harmed by unexpected traumas. For example… I did a lesson a lesson with a couple who adopted a Miniature Schnauzer a month ago. For the first 2 weeks, the dog was great. The shelter notes said the dog was great. Then the dog started biting people who came into the home. […]
The Five-Minute Dog Aggression Solution?
A while back, there was a rescue dog that supposedly was not good around other dogs. This dog was being housed by a foster family. The next step was to address this issue since it could have been an obstacle to finding the dog a new permanent home. Off in the distance was another trainer […]
Dog Training And Suspicious Minds
More and more, I see articles and advertisements regarding “reactive dogs”. These are dogs that tend to bark and lunge at strangers or strange dogs. Most people aren’t going to consider these responses to be desirable in a pet dog. Some things in dog training can be fixed, some can only be managed. Let’s compare […]
Three Parts Of Dog Lessons
Working with dogs typically involves changes in three areas: Behavior Modification, Changes in Owner Management, and Skill Development. Each part interacts with the other, but it is useful to separate them to understand what to expect when training your dog. 1.) Behavior Modification. Behaviors are responses dogs have to various stimuli. To change these responses […]
How Much Dog Training Is Necessary?
One of the questions I ask new students is what they want out of the training. Since each dog and owner are unique, the amount of effort required to get to those goals varies considerably. Let’s consider an example: the Pointer mix I’ve been working with over the last month or so. He’s a super […]
The Face In Dog Training
There is a certain “look” that I work to obtain from every dog. I call it “The Face”. It is that happy, affectionate, stress free, attentive, warm, open, and smiling mouth expression. In play, or when doing tasks, The Face is more attentive, sparky, and focused on the handler and task, but either way, it […]