1. Find the Right Class To get the most out of a class or lesson you need to find the right fit. If the activities are too easy or too hard, you may not get as much out of the class. The instructor needs to have a teaching style that Read more…
The talk for tomorrow has the long and intriguing title of “Professional Secrets to Dog Training” but really… none of it is a secret. We have 50 minutes to present the talk to an over-filled room (65 attendees, more have called to ask if they can sneak in!) at Read more…
This morning the “Advanced Agility” class took a field trip to go and watch an agility trial. It was nice to take them to see what we’re working towards, how it should look, and how proficient the class has become. The class got to see how a trial runs, the Read more…
An important part of basic training is to not give the dog opportunities to practice the incorrect response. If your dog jumps on visitors? Keep him far enough away. Pulls on leash? Find other exercise options until his walking training is better established. Barks in his crate? Find alternative confinement Read more…
This is one of the most common reasons people come to class and it often has easy fixes.We do a lot of exercises in class to teach appropriate behavior around people. Many times people are told the advice to “ignore the dog” when he jumps up and then to “reward Read more…
Many people will accidentally train their dogs to jump on a visitor then sit. Or jump on the counter then get off. Or pull on the leash then return to heel position. These are created with good intentions. The owner sees the error, then asks for another behavior and reinforces. Read more…
Last year for Blaze’s birthday I wrote about living with abnormal dogs. Now he’s 11! During the past year we finished his APDT Rally Level 1 title. We intended to finish his AKC Rally Novice but never got our entries in on time. This year we met a person who Read more…
Many of my clients have adolescents or puppies. Most of those have a regular complaint of the puppy going wild, either in the house (often in the evening) or on walks. The puppy runs around, tail between his legs, as fast as he can, frenzied, sometimes jumping and nipping at people as Read more…
Griffin doesn’t appreciate grooming/vet type handling. He has always been cautious about handling and it got a lot worse preceding Lyme disease being diagnosed. Those exams were very painful and uncomfortable for him. Here’s a quick video showing how happy he is about eye drops. We’ve done the training steps a few times before, Read more…
In group classes we talk about how to practice. I first give a general set of tips and then we talk about efficient training. Use great treats. Work on one thing at a time. Many short sessions a day are better than one or two long sessions. Any sessions are Read more…