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This is one of my most popular videos EVER on YouTube. Close to 250,000 views and still growing. Why is it so popular? Simple, because people are constantly making mistakes in dog training and having to fix them later. So to avoid that, here’s a simple video that can help you prevent problems or help you fix them depending on where you are in your training. Either way, it’s a super helpful video to watch at any stage of training - although I consider the lesson at an Intermediate Level, I think parts of it fall under beginners and some under advanced. Member Video Lesson Mistake #1- RECALL FROM STAY Although, now after having seen some of the really silly comments I’ve received on this part of the video I can address them for you. I don’t like to “teach” a dog a RECALL from a STAY for obvious reasons. The most obvious is because I don’t want the dog to predict that the NEXT move after STAY will be COME. If he “predicts that” he will think that is his default behavior. So I avoid it. I teach him that STAY means STAY. Of course if I call my dog he will come, but it won’t be a default behavior. I want my dog to be present in the moment and not start to “think” what is next?! So, after your dog understands the command COME, which I teach in prey mode, he should also understand that STAY is not followed by COME. This can be a lifesaver for a dog in the real world, but it can also save you in competition because you don’t want your dog “auto-recalling” before you call him. The very most important thing to consider is not to put too much pressure on your dog right at the beginning. This can destroy your relationship with your dog or overwhelm a new puppy. That’s why I give my new dog(s) a break. I set up a crate or two in the house and make sure they know their place. YES, a crate is that important. You want your new dog to understand that he can look at and enjoy people and things without direct engagement. This will come into play significantly during his development. The problem that people make is often giving their dogs way too much freedom early on. Stay means STAY until I tell you something else! Mistake #2 - DOWN FROM SIT One of the most common ways that pet dog trainers teach a dog to go DOWN is from a sit. It’s not that this is improper, it’s just extra work and can look sloppy. So, to start with I ALWAYS teach a dog DOWN before I teach SIT. This starts to form a solid mental picture of separating the two commands. The dog should not think that he HAS TO SIT to go DOWN. Teach your down first! From a SIT, I release the dog and then do a DOWN on its own. I like to teach a proper folding down - please see my other videos on that. Of all three of the mistakes I talk about in this lesson, this is the least problematic, but I still think it’s all too common. It’s less dangerous than the other, but nonetheless it’s an important one to address. Mistake #3 - Obedience on Recall While you’re at it, hand feeding, start to put some behaviors into the mix. You can lure the come, the sit, the down and so much more. In the video I show many of the things you can do. This exercise teaches your dog that there’s no such thing as a free lunch and the joys of working with you for rewards. Again this will set your dog up to learn how to learn. RECALL or your COME command is perhaps the single most important thing you teach your dog. If your dog ever runs away, you want to know he will return when you call. The easiest way to mess that up for your dog is to let him think that you will scold him when he returns or make him do something he doesn't want to do. For example… your dog is running away from you chasing a cat or squirrel or anything. THAT’S FUN! The reason he probably ran away from you to do that in the first place was because you weren’t fun enough! So when you call him back he better expect a party, or else he’s not gonna come. You can do corrections and all that, but if he thinks he’s gonna get corrected, chances are he’s not coming back! I like to teach my dog that if you come back after one call, you’re gonna get the best reward ever. If I have to go get you, then you’ve got a problem and some corrections coming. The way I make sure of that in training is to always reward my dog on the RECALL and NOT ask for a sit, down or anything. Again, I’ve had people email me and tell me that in AKC and other dog sports that the dog is expected to auto sit, and that is true - and since I’ve titled my dog(s) in 3 of the major dog sports, I know that. I’m telling you here how to avoid mistakes and predictive behaviors. I teach sit and obedience separately and it works. I link these behaviors together only sometimes because I work with the dog’s natural drives and that will take more work. The dog should not automatically THINK what he should do. He should work with you! Correct Old Mistakes - Form Solid Habits Whether you are training a puppy from step one or taking a rescue dog on with some old bad habits, be patient with your dog. He’s bound to make mistakes and so are you. The biggest mistakes down owners make is to rush things and become impatient. EVERY DOG can learn, but it takes time. The approach you take with your dog will make all the difference in the world. Make training fun and always end training on a good note. Training too long or ending when the pup is burnt out is a sure fire recipe for failure! Takeaways Your dog should see COMing to you as rewarding. Teach your dog to COME from a prey mode, that means when the dog is running away, playing or busy doing something. If your dog is in a STAY don’t ALWAYS call him to you. Mix it up, but be sure he doesn’t automatically COME on his own. I ALWAYS teach puppies the DOWN Command first. It helps the puppy learn the biomechanics of movement better. Try to always start with your dog in a STANDing position when teaching DOWN or SIT. Be patient with your dog. Chances are if your dog is making a mistake, you play some part in it. Examine your part before you criticize your dog’s part.
I've talked about this in the past and I want to revisit it, because it IS THAT IMPORTANT. As a dog trainer I'm always asked: "What is the most important thing for dogs to know?" Without a doubt, I always say this THREE THINGS! COME when called LEAVE IT STAY In no particular order, because they're all important. This doesn't matter if it's a rescue dog, family pet or competitive working dog. These are critical for the dog's safety, the owners safety and wellbeing as well as the safety of the community. They are not hard to teach, but they take a little time and some structure. In this lesson I cover all three with Siggy and Max. These dogs are very different personalities and drives, so you may see the finer points in teaching it to various dogs. I left the video complete (as I always strive to do) no edits - and as you know, I leave in the mistakes. That is what you will learn from. Corrections are necessary and I spend quite a bit of time explaining the corrections, timing and rewards... so HAPPY TRAINING!
Last week I got a request from a member asking to shoot some video of my training my dog(s). I’ve had this asked before, so I assume it is of interest to you guys… Goofy and I are getting ready to go to a competition this weekend. We’ll be showing in Utility and Open exercises at the trial. I shot this online dog training video during one of our training sessions. I left in the work of perfecting each technique just so you can see that even a dog that is close to perfect, still needs work. I think this is a very important thing to remember for all of you, all dogs make mistakes, just like all people do. That is why the same dogs may not get perfect scores every time. There are conditions that can skew things. Member Video Lesson Utility is a series of exercises that are at the highest level of AKC obedience. They are (in no specific order): SIGNALS SCENT DISCRIMINATION DIRECTED RETRIEVE MOVING STAND DIRECTED JUMPING I didn't include the moving stand for exam since I had no one with me to demonstrate that. I'll show it next time. These exercises are super fun and take years to perfect, and, once perfected, will require constant work. I hope you'll enjoy watching this. I will add some lessons on some of these exercises if you enjoy them. They are super fun little things to teach your dog. Don't expect too much from your dog. Goofy has had thousands of hours of training and he LOVES to train and play. Any little step you take with your dog is monumental. Takeaways from Utility Training Prep Since there is no real "lesson" in this weeks lesson I hope just to inspire you to do more with your dog. PLEASE, don't compare your dog to Goofy or your training to mine. Your dog is perfect just the way he or she is. Love them for who they are and cherish them. I want to inspire you to try new things, improve your communication with your dog and most importantly - appreciate and LOVE your dog!
Ben reached out to me for help with his young German Shepherd puppy Sonny. He sent me a video and I thought he and Sonny would benefit from some clearer communication / training. This lesson is part 1, there are a few more sessions coming up, so bear that in mind when you watch this. In this session I get a good understanding about Sonny, but other behaviors start to show up in the next sessions that help me get to the bottom of this issue. I've gotta say that Ben is really good at handling Sonny and learns really quickly. I was impressed with his dedication to solving this problem for Sonny. He is aware that he got a lot more dog than he should have. But he's committed and that shows with the training. You'll see in future videos (which I'll get up as soon as I can) there's a lot to follow and understand. In this session I focus on getting Sonny to understand that he must listen. I don't like to bribe dogs that are showing this kind of behavior because it cna make them worse. Give them an option between reward and consequence, make it clear and most every animal will choose reward. This is the entire session, and although it is one of my longest lessons here, it's worth it to watch the dynamic changes throughout the training and that should clarify the need to be consistent until the dog understands. I've gotten so much good feedback from members and subscribers on YouTube about these lessons and that make me happy. I much prefer to train dogs like Siggy and Goofy and Duane, but all dogs deserve a chance and because it's not popular to show this side of solving behavioral problems, you don't really ever get to see it. I want to be clear, this is not necessary for every dog, but for every dog that needs it, there's no other option.
We're back in this lesson with Sonny, the Black Germnna Shepherd who had some aggression issues to other dogs. We worked with Sonny and his dad Ben to redirect him and teach him what we expect of him. Sonny's behavior switches between play and aggression / frustration. Some would ask, "Why not let him play with another dog?" And the answer to that is simple.... we don't allow dogs with bad manners to meet other dogs, even if they are not aggressive. The reason for that is because we don't want them to set off another dog and get bit. If he approaches the wrong dog in this state, he will set off a dog and get bit. Also, his reckless abandon to get to the other dogs doesn't respect Ben's position as his owner. My goal is always to strive for a neutral dog around other dogs, not playful, not aggressive, not reactive - ONLY NEUTRAL! That is safe for everyone. Good manners come through obedience!
Janet and I were at the park a few days back and we happened upon Eric taking Roxy out of the car. She lost her cool when she saw our dogs. Eric being a gentleman, offered to put her back. I insisted that he should take his dog for a walk, and I would put our dogs away for a little while. Janet thought it would be a great idea to help him out, so she asked him if he was up for it, he agreed - what you see in the lesson is pretty much minute by minute what happened. He was in a rush and I thought it would be great to limit the actual lesson to the amount of time and exposure the average dog (like this ) should be trained and exposed to the stimulus. There's little for me to write about here, since what you see in the video is exactly what happened that day. I didn't edit anything out. I I've had similar experiences with countless dogs in animal shelters, and being limited in my tools when working with municipal shelters, I was happy to try this session with only a slip lead.
Some call it aggression, others call it reactivity, leash reactivity.. It doesn't matter what you call it, it's just bad behavior. Even something as simple as dominant play can lead to a host of problems with people and other dogs. In this online dog training lesson we follow up on Will and Red who have made some great progress since the last time we saw them. Today we'll have Red meet Jimi. Although it didn't start out too well, the end result was truly amazing. Red initially reacted as Will told me he would. He got very riled up and lunged, growled and even tried to snap at the guy at the end of the leash. Without the use of severe force, Red learned how to get his bad behavior under control and have good leash manners. At the end of this session Red lied down a few feet away from Jimi with no more bad behaviors. You'd never believe it looking at the promo video, but I can promise you at the end of this session Red had a very clear understanding how to behave and Will learned the skills that the owner of a dominant dog needs. Giving your dog structure, corrections, engagement, training and the tools to survive while keeping other dogs and people safe is job #1! The best part of all, this was done without any abusive techniques, no e-collar, no prong collar - NOTHING... just a simple chain collar, a long line, some treats and a whole lotta dedication. I think this is an awesome lesson for anyone who has (or trains) reactive / aggressive dogs! Member Video Lesson Steps to Dealing with Reactive or Aggressive Behavior: Before correcting or introducing your dog to the stimulus, it's important to build a relationship with your dog. Will had been doing this with Red for several weeks after our last session. Your dog should have some basic obedience understanding. Know a basic position or two such as DOWN or SIT. The dog should know the word NO and should understand reward comes from engagement. Train engagement away from stimulus or distractions. Keep other dogs and people safe and make sure your dog is on a strong collar and lead... and MAKE SURE YOU HAVE CONTROL over the dog. Introductions start at a distance and are slowly brought closer. NEVER bring your dog close to another dog if you know the behavior exists that could endanger another dog! Correct on a loose leash. Tight leashes create problems. Long lines are best for correcting dogs at a distance. The correction should be away from the handler to avoid confusion. Keep your session short and aim for small successes in each and every session. Takeaways from Leash Reactivity: Make sure your dog has a relationship with you before you begin this part of your training. Basic obedience, understanding a place command, sit or down. Teach your dog YES and NO. Corrections are not personal, they are meant to guide your dog away from conflict. Always correct on a loose leash and at the end of the leash. Always protect yourself, other people and the other dog 100%! OR DON'T DO IT! End on a successful good note and throw a party. Don't overdo it!
Max is a handful and we've said that since he was a little puppy. You've followed him along in so much of his training. He's made amazing strides, but he is still an AKITA, a very formidable and powerful dog. Add to that a dog that is thick headed and you know what you have to deal with. I really don't recommend this breed for anyone. Joey has had 3 so he knows the situation and what it takes. Since we had been training at the park, some of that structure didn't carry over to his home, so we needed to do a session there. This session is kind of out of the weekly classes you've been following, but I thought you have to see this since it really shows my corrections, timing and reward for this behavior. I hope you'll learn something and gain some insight. I would warn, that a dog like Max is highly likely to turn and redirect when annoyed, so cover your ass!
Janet's friend Jeff rescued a new Labrador Retriever, and he was concerned that the dog wasn't trained. From what Jeff said, I thought we were looking at a really bad dog. But to my surprise, Bruin was a really nice dog. All that was needed was to get these two onto the same page. You'll see at the beginning of the lesson, Jeff was frustrated with Bruin and Bruin was quite confused. I really love these kind of lessons, because so much ground is covered with such little effort. That is why I decided to post this entire lesson as one video lesson. It is LONG, but well worth the effort to watch. So many people have these kind of issues with a brand new rescue dog. I think the transformation is monumental, and I hope it will help you transform your relationship with your dog. All it takes is really getting a good look at what's going on in the dog's mind and tapping into that.
Karl is a rescue dog who belongs to my good friend Jerome. He is a pure bred Rottweiler that Jerome rescued and dedicated himself to train in order to make him a good citizen. Oftentimes Rottweilers get a bad rap for being aggressive, so Jerome wanted to make sure that didn't happen. Karl is actually one of the nicest Rottweilers I've ever met! I will create a small series around Karl's training that will be shared with all of you here in the member section. My thought in doing this is to help people with similar breed dogs (and similar temperament) to understand the training process better. This is our first lesson in which we focus on some basics such as obedience, engagement and structure, including corrections. This is a great place to jump in for anyone who is just starting out with a mature rescue dog. Enjoy this lesson and look for more to come!
There are three basic positions that we expect dogs to know. They are STAND, SIT AND DOWN. Most people don't teach the STAND, but in dog sports it is required for a dog to know a STAND. How you teach your dog these positions is very important. For example teaching your dog to SIT and then DOWN can cause problems with creeping forward. Not teaching your dog a clean "tuck" SIT can lead to sloppy form. I've taught many of these positions in other videos, but in this video I address moving through these positions as well as the benefits to using a platform to teach your dog. In this video I use a K9 KLIMB (you can find a link below to buy one). However, you can do almost as good by using a bench or a picnic table. In the second half of the online dog training video I introduce Maya to the platform and you'll see some of the mistakes that you will run up against when you try to teach this to your dog. Goofy is perfect and requires very minimal guidance and corrections, Maya on the other hand will show you how to guide and correct your dog. I left this in as it will help guide you to properly teach your dog this lesson. Member Video Lesson Steps to Teaching Positions on a Platform: Be sure your dog is comfortable getting on, staying on and getting off of the platform. Use plenty of treats and reinforcement to make your dog at ease. Don't make a big deal if your dog slips off of the platform, just put him or her back on. The discomfort of slipping off should teach your dog to stay on. Lure the positions from STAND to DOWN to STAND to SIT in the manner shown in the video. Using the idea of the "< " to lure from one to the next. You'll understand clearly my methodology once you see the "lines" in the video. Once your dog is comfortable with the basic luring, begin removing the lure. You can add a tactile reinforcer such as a tap on the line. Getting your dog to get to the level Goofy is in the first part of the video will take a long time... A LONG TIME. Please be patient with yourself and your dog. This is the reason I left all the mistakes in on part two with Maya. Teaching your dog the obedience from you standing still, to movement, to turning your back to laying on your back is very difficult for any dog. It's a process that could take months to teach. This is not a 1 week lesson. It is something you'll be working on for quite some time. Takeaways from Positions on a Platform: Remember, I'm using the platform to make the positions easier to learn. Raising the dog off of the ground keeps them from moving and is easier on your back. If the dog slips off, just put them right back on and keep going. Be sure that the dog is comfortable with the platform before introducing positions. You can use a picnic table for this exercise just as well! Guide your dog from STAND to DOWN to STAND to SIT Don't go from SIT to DOWN during training. This lesson will take a LONG time to perfect. Be PATIENT!
Using the e-collar to communicate with your dog in a big field environment can give you and your dog a great degree of freedom. The main objective is to form a clear communication with your dog that is based on reward and relationship. The main purpose for me in using an e-collar is to take the corrections away from me and place them on the dog for disobedience. In other words, the dog should think that all things around me are sacred and safe, but disobeying me will cause a negative. How the dog perceives a negative is critical. If the dog thinks the correction is always coming from me, there's a chance the dog will avoid me. I want the dog to avoid mistakes NOT AVOID ME. I consider the space around me and my dog as sacred. Nothing should happen in that space that creates conflict and makes the dog not want to be there. In this online dog training lesson I break down the corrections needed for a dog that is not focussing on me or my commands. I use a toy that is very high value for Maya, a tennis ball. I teach her that there is a time to play and a time to listen. The corrections I show are very clear to Maya and following along you'll see how to fairly place these onto your dog. I leave in any mishaps so that you can learn from them. This is a great lesson for anyone, whether beginner or advanced with e-collars and lays the foundation of my approach to using the e-collar. Member Video Lesson Steps for Blocking Negatives with E-Collar Corrections: Always check your levels on your dog before beginning. It only take a few seconds but will pay huge dividends. Make sure the collar is snug, charges and sitting high on your dog's neck. When blocking negatives use a negative marker word -NO- before you stim. Teach your dog that disobeying your command will be followed by a correction, one that is not coming from you. Don't get emotional, let the collar do the work for you. Don't point the remote at your dog, it works just fine next to you. I use constant stim on the collar and press / release / press release. I find this works better and I can gauge the duration of stim I need. The NICK may be too short. Don't get carried away with stim. If it doesn't work, stop, breathe and re-evaluate. The e-collar takes the dirty work off of you and the leash. Throw a party for compliance and you'll build the relationship. Takeaways from E-collar for disobedience! Always check collar for charge and fit. Use your voice preceding the collar correction. Build a relationship with your dog before every using a collar. Use only a good quality collar, check my recommendation below. I prefer constant stim and decide how much to stim. Always end on a great note with lots of praise and affection!
This lesson is an intro and outline to what I am about to show you in the video lesson of getting your dog to bring back your toys. This can be balls or tugs and building drive to get your dog to "want" to bring them back. There's a reason my dogs always bring my toys back, I explain it in this video! Part of the Most Common Training Questions. To watch related videos click here: https://robertcabral.mykajabi.com/products/membership/categories/2159730896/posts/2196180323
I've been asked countless times, "How do you get your dog to bring back toys?" People face this issue in play time and in obedience when they give the toy as a reward. It is one of the great conflicts between dog and human to fight the dog to get them to bring the toy back, especially since you just gave it to him or her. Usually a fight or a game ensues. You wrestle the dog for the toy r chase him or her around the field trying to get back the toy. All of this further cements the conflict in the dog's mind that bringing back the toy ENDS THE GAME. In this lesson I show you how to change your dog's perspective on the game and make bringing the toy back the better game and one that your dog will LOVE. Follow along in the lesson and pay attention to the details and the finer points. Your dog MUST understand that bringing the toy back to you STARTS the GAME! Part of the Most Common Training Questions. To watch related videos click here: https://robertcabral.mykajabi.com/products/membership/categories/2159730896/posts/2196180403
Building focus with your dog is one of the very most important things you will do. When you add distractions it will all seem to fall apart. In this online dog training lesson I will give you an insight into Goofy's amazing focus, which I have always been extremely proud of. I can honestly say, he amazes even me. I have seen soccer balls kicked within inches of him, dogs run into him, lunge at him and he will maintain his focus on me. This is built through countless hundreds of training hours, years of relationship building and fair corrections. Over-correcting a dog can often times cause bigger problems than what you are trying to fix. You can use most any tool to correct for drifting focus (and I've used them all). You can lure, reward, bribe, use corrections on a chain, a prong collar and an ecollar. I decided to show you how fairly and mildly I use an ecollar for correcting the loss of focus. I stress, I used ONLY a level 3 correction on Goofy's collar. He generally works on a level 4,5,6. This correction is NOT a "Hey, you're in trouble..." it is a "Remember to look at me!" I stress that your dog MUST understand the ecollar before you endeavor upon this level of lesson and that you follow my other ecollar lessons to understand just how amazing the tool can be when used fairly! I think you're gonna love this lesson. It will not work this easily at first, and you might be disappointed - DON'T give up. It may take weeks, months or years. The end result will be a dog that you are so proud of! Member Video Lesson Steps to Building Focus with Your Dog: Begin by making sure you have focus without any distractions. Introduce low level distractions at a distance. Correct for fading focus immediately, but not harshly. If you don't catch it straight away, let it go. You'll see I missed a couple of opportunities in the lesson. Make your corrections fair. You want the dog to want to focus on you. If you come down too hard, your dog will think that being close to you is negative. I always want my dog to prefer me to the distraction. Keep moving, moving relieves stress. Don't be too static too much. Your movement should entice your dog to stay focused on you. Keep your dog from failing by always using a long line till you KNOW your dog gets it! Keep your session short and end with a party. Be sure to keep your dog safe at all times. Be highly aware of the level your dog normally works at and go at least 1-3 levels below that. The dog should barely feel the correction. If it comes across as a shock, it will not work correctly. Takeaways from Building Focus: Always use a long line, especially when using an ecollar. Focus to you is the goal, don't overcorrect! Mark bad behavior as well as good behavior. Never miss a chance to praise. Never put your dog at risk! Your correction should guide your dog into the place of praise and correct behavior. Use at least 1-2 levels below normal working levels on your dog. These are mild corrections.
*** PLEASE NOTE *** This lesson is also available on YouTube for free for non-members. Here is the link to the YouTube version: https://youtu.be/SWLzOsLf4aA However, in the member version I left in the correction for Schmoo re-gripping the barrel tug. I explained my reason for this in today's LIVE. The correction happens quickly and even more quickly you'll see me re-engage him on the bite. The trick is that he has to know WHEN he CAN and when he CAN'T BITE! I think this will be very clear for you to understand when you watch the video. There are a lot of very valuable lessons in this video including how I play, how I get my dog to focus and how I correct for bad obedience and for not paying attention. There are many ways to correct and I believe that using different corrections for different infractions is critical for building a solid communication with my dog. I also touch on how I end my play sessions. This is a very important lesson for anyone training a high drive dog. Hope you all enjoy it!
Using a long-line One of the most important things to train our dogs to do is to build good leash skills. Many people make a great mistake in this by over-correcting a dog that is right next to us. This creates a conflict for the dog. If he’s next to us and being yanked, he will not want to be next to us. The corrections therefor cannot come when the dog is too close to us. So, how do we fix that? By using a long line. I’ve loved using the long line to build leash skills for a long, long time. In this lesson I demonstrate my technique on a shelter dog. This was filmed during one of my Bound Angels University programs where we train shelter employees and volunteers how to handle and better understand shelter dogs. Member Video Lesson The Long Line The proper long line should be about 12-15’ or 5 meters long and attach to the dog’s collar, preferably a martingale. Alternately, in this video I use a one-piece long line / collar / slip lead. Below I will provide links to the products I recommend for this. It will take you time to become familiar with the handling of the long-line. Watch this video a few times and pay attention to the “gathering” of the slack to prevent the dog and me from getting tangled up in the lead. Building Rewards Before I ever yank on the leash or give the dog a command, I make sure the dog knows who he should be paying attention to and why. I do this by offering some treats for a good “Look.” Once the dog understands clearly that he should be paying attention to me, we can start our lesson. A dog is more likely to pay attention if it’s clear in the dog’s mind. The idea of just yanking the dog from the start is commonly used, but is not as effective as building the focus first. Keep Your Dog on the LEFT Don’t ask me why but walking your dog on the left has always been the tradition, so stick with it. If the dog won’t naturally come to the left or stay on the left during the walk, use gentle corrections with your leash and reward abundantly when the dog arrives in the correct position. The biggest mistake people make is over talking to the dog to try and explain why he should be on the left instead of the right. Watch how I get the dog to the left side with very little dialog and how I reward the dog when he finally arrives in the correct position. REWARDS It’s important in this skill to use rewards to keep the dog engaged. So, early on I will only use food to lure and shape this movement. NO TOYS until later. You’ll need to make sure your dog either LOVES his treats or has a good appetite. Patience and Perseverance Your dog will NOT understand this the very first time. Be patient with your dog and give him a chance. Don’t put the leash on and expect him to get it. Use a lot of rewards for good behavior and patience to overcome the mistakes. I promise your dog will get it if you make the process a fun experience. Takeaways By using along-line you remove yourself from the corrections. Don’t expect your dog to know how to walk next to you automatically. Your about turns must be dynamic to engage your dog to follow you. Reward your dog calmly to keep him engaged. If your dog walks slowly, speed up–If he walks too fast, slow down. Make the training fun so your dog will want to train more.
Building engagement with your puppy will be the most important thing to do. You are building a relationship with an animal that basically doesn't know you. You will focus on the dog's natural instincts such as prey drive to channel his or her focus toward you and away from things that distract! In this lesson we meet Augie and Denise. Augie is a young Springer Spaniel who is an awesome dog with lots of drive and little focus. In this session I give Denise some simple tools to channel that drive toward something productive and something that will enhance her relationship with Augie for years to come. By the ned of this session, Augie is much more able to focus on Denise, he learned the basics to "LEAVE IT" and is jumping up on her a lot less... WHY? Because Denise is starting to channel his drive and channel it toward something she desires! And Augie is a lot happier for the training! Steps to Building Puppy Engagement: Your puppy has natural prey drives. Those drives will steer him away from you and toward everything around him... sights, sounds, smells, etc. In order to channel your dog's focus toward you, become the object of your dogs attention. Move fast, let him catch you and get him to enjoy this game. Staying with you is important for training, but also critical to saving his life! Teach your dog that you moving away, starts the game of him paying attention to you and not paying attention to the things around him. Teach your dog a solid leave it early on. It will go a long way! If your puppy is jumping on you, use forward spacial pressure to get the puppy to sit. Moving slightly forward into the puppies space will put him into a position to rock back into a sit. Use treats to lure the behaviors such as SIT, DOWN, STAND, ETC... even come. But do not BRIBE your dog! Treats and toys are a reward, not a bribe. Takeaways: Running away from your puppy builds drive toward you. Don't run too far, too fast or too much. Just enough to get the puppy to chase you. Correct at a distance. The proximity around you should be friendly, the distance should make the puppy want to get close. Use treats intermittently, so the puppy doesn't learn to push you! Treats are your friend... not a crutch! Keep your training sessions short, end on a very successful not. To much time causes confusion in the puppy's little mind!
Murrow and Debra came to me because Murrow was acting up around other dogs. We did three sessions together to address this. I will post all three in a short series so you get a picture of what the issue was. It was so simple, in fact, it was so simple that it was hard to pinpoint. So often, the best intentions from humans leave the dog feeling confused. This was the case with Murrow. Debra over analyzed the behaviors and didn't break it down and make it as simple as it should be. When things are complicated, it's my job to advocate for the dog and make it as simple as possible for the dog to understand. Sometimes this means trying to wrap the owner's head around a much different concept than what they are seeing. You'll see that Debra had purchased just about every tool for training: prong collar, ecollar, harness and more. When in fact, almost all of the problems were able to be solved with a slip lead, treats and clear communication. I never used the ecollar because I didn't think it was necessary. I did introduce the prong/ pinch collar because of a concern that the dog had not been introduced to the tool properly - so this is a valuable piece for may of you to watch. Murrow is a very nice dog: great nerves and good genetics. More than likely he was confused through some behaviors that weren't channeled properly as a young pup and this drove the behavior. So, resetting it in this lesson(s) may be all he needs. The basics can be set with me, but the follow through is critical for the owner and dog to continue.
Hopefully you watched part one of this series where I helped Debra better understand the dynamics of her relationship with her Labrador retriever Murrow. We opened up communication and understanding and made the relationship a lot clearer. Here, on day 2, we can focus on some more skills including socializing Murrow around other dogs. Luckily we had Chris and Nyssa who were just finishing a class with me. In the first part of the video we were able to have both of them learn good manners around each other. Murrow and Debra then went on to learn the DOWN command as well as putting a little "pep in their step" when it comes to obedience. I call this DON'T BE SO BORING! It took a few tries for them both to get this, but they did. As always, I left the learning phase in there because it is critical for you to see that most dogs don't just get it! In the final phase of this lesson we focused on the leave it command. I always say, there are 3 things I want all dogs to know; COME, STAY and LEAVE IT! There is one more section / lesson to this series that I will post shortly. These lessons, where you get to experience a whole lesson and everything that goes on during the lesson, is so valuable for both dog owners who are trying to work with their dogs as well as professional & aspiring dog trainers who are learning how to structure a lesson.
I love these "Join the Lesson" days when I get to work on various things with a new dog. Today we met Buster, a very sweet dog with a few little quirks: He was shy, loved to jumping his mom and often others, didn't have great manners around other dogs and needed to work on some basic skills. Well, we got to cover it all in this lesson. We worked on building a better relationship with his mom through structured engagement and leash manners. He hadn't learned much of that since he came home during the "pandemic." I think so many people missed out on socializing dogs during this time and it is a shame for these dogs. Buster had some bad experiences that I wanted to work on, namely meeting other dogs. For that, Jimi is always a shy or scared dogs BEST FRIEND. Jimi is stoic and a true gentleman. The most amazing dog I've EVER met in this situation. He allowed Buster to meet him and didn't put any pressure on him at all. This was a good experience for Buster and one he should experience more and more to become more comfortable with other dogs. This session also helped Buster learn how to follow his mom, not jump and feel more secure and trusting. This lesson has a little something for everyone whether your dog has these issues or not.
Every year countless dogs are hit by cars, many due to carelessness. Dogs jump out of cars because they are excited and that excitement usually relates to getting out of the car. There are exciting things outside of the car, right?! And every time the dog gets in the car (or at least a lot of the time) they are heading somewhere fun. Dogs spring out of cars at home, at the dog park or anywhere we take them. Teaching them a WAIT Command can save their lives. This video is so important for you to teach your dog – it can save his or her life! The member’s video is over 20 minutes long. The version on social media will be about 10 minutes, because in the member version I’m including part 2 as well, which is how to safely leash and collar your dog in the car before getting out. **Member perk! Member Video Lesson Not Accurate in the Video I want to start by saying that in the video I show the window open, NEVER NEVER let your dog ride with an open window. I’ve known several people who lost their dog when they jumped out of an open window. DON”T DO IT!!! I mention in the video that I strongly recommend dogs travel in crates or using a safety harness. But I realize not everyone has these, so this video is designed to help those who will not follow those suggestions. WAIT Even if you’ve taught your dog the WAIT command, chances are you’ll need to re-teach it in the car. The environment is different, everything about this is different, so make it a new lesson. Don’t Be Concerned About Your Dog’s Feelings Lessons like this often have people saying, “That seems kind of abrupt to slam a door in your dog’s face... yes, it is abrupt, but not as abrupt as a car hitting your dog. That is deadly abrupt. Your dog MUST listen and you MUST make it happen. The WAIT Command is reinforced with your slamming the door in the dog’s face. Don’t sugar coat it, just do it. Watch the video carefully for the finer points, but be strong with your dog. Default Behavior The default behavior for your dog must be to WAIT and it should be to lay down or sit. You’ll see a few minutes into the video, Duane starts to sit and lie down. Remember, this is the very first time he went through this lesson. He ALWAYS rides in a crate in the back. I did this lesson with him for the first time and in real time. So what you see is what happened. Days not Minutes This video covers a couple of tough topics in about 20 minutes, but it will take your dog quite a bit longer to learn the lesson. I would practice this over a few days with various distractions to get the dog to learn this. I would only do it with a leash or long line on my dog and I would structure it as a lesson. Once the skill is set, your dog will have a solid behavior to wait. Take your time. Takeaways Always opt for a crate or a safety harness if possible. Always take your dog in and out of the car on the passenger side or the side closest to the curb (for those of you outside of the US). Early on only practice this in a controlled environment. Use a leash and collar until the dog is proofed with distractions, then try part 2. NEVER ride with your dog’s window open... this is a deadly mistake.
My go-to collar has always been a choke chain / slip collar. I believe it is the most basic way to control and communicate with a dog. I recommend this type of collar for almost every dog. The exception to this rule is dogs with cervical issues or very old dogs. There are some dangers involved with using choke chains and I address them in the first part of this video. This is the video that is available on social media for free. The second and much longer part is the proper use of the collar. This is a critical online dog training lesson for everyone to watch and learn from whether you have used the collar or are new to it. I promise you’ll take away some valuable information. Member Video Lesson Step One Always check your collar to make sure it is in good shape. I've had them break and it can be dangerous. I check my collars by giving a good hard yank before putting it on my dog. Step Two If your dog is on your LEFT the collar goes on the make a P. This is the preferred way and the most common place to walk a dog. IF you are the rare exception and walk your dog on your right, the collar should form a Q. Step Three Be sure the collar is not too loose and also not too tight. Both are not advisable and can be dangerous. Your choke chain must be properly sized to your dog... ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL. Step Four Using the choke chain helps you communication down the leash to your dog. Be sure that your leash is never tight to constrict the dog. The only time the collar and leash should constrict is for a quick moment on the correction. Watch the video for demonstration. Takeaways from Choke Collar Keep your dog on your left and the collar makes a P. Loose Leash = Relaxed Collar. NEVER leave any collar on your dog unattended. NEVER let dogs play while wearing any collars. Check the condition of the collar before putting it on your dog. The collar must be properly sized.
Getting a dog to sit closer when they come back can often be a mystery that boggles the mind. Some dogs sit very close, almost touching you, while others are so far away that you can’t even touch them. A member wrote me an email a while ago asking me to make a lesson that would help to better understand this. I’ve dealt with the situation with both pets and competitive dogs. In this online dog training lesson I’ll show you how to address this issue with your dog. Whether you have a pet dog or are training your dog for competition, you’ll want to get them to sit as close to you as possible after the recall. It looks better and your dog will feel better as well. Member Video Lesson Step One Begin by getting your dog excited to come back to you. I do this by calling my dog over and over and making it a game. Loose the formality and instead focus on building your dog's drive to come come come! Step Two Begin with treats, you'll see why later in the video lesson. Throw the treats (preferably something your dog can see) through your legs every time. This will force your dog to completely recall - and even going beyond. You want your dog to "think" he's gonna go past you. Later this will help in getting him to get as close as possible. Step Three NOW, alternate between closing your legs and the dog sitting in front and releasing the dog through your legs. This will make him think. At this point, I would still open my legs to reward the dog behind me. Do this countless times so the dog will have to figure it out. Step Four It's critical not to tell your dog SIT when he's in front of you. There's time for that later. Right now he should just have a blast getting to you and moving past you. This will close that gap. The longer the dog has been being told to SIT in front of you, the longer it will take for him or her to learn to trust that he can get closer and closer. Takeaways from Closing the Front. Watch my video on youtube, The Biggest Mistakes Dog Trainers Make. Learn to NEVER tell the dog to SIT when they are approaching you during the learning phase. Use a very visual treat on the surface you're training, I use string cheese. Toys will come after, begin with treats. Spend more time rewarding behind you and completing the recall than asking your dog to SIT in front of you!
The Focussed Heel, also known as a competition style heel has become extremely popular lately and I think people can never get enough of it. I've posted a few video lessons of it, but as I always say, it's different with each dog, so I think you'll gain something from this simple video with Siggy. There are several ways to teach this, but only the finer points are different. Luring and marking the behaviors are all pretty much the same and the goal is always the same: a dog that walks next to you looking upward and the dog's shoulders shouldn't pass your knee. That is the ultimate goal if you're competing at a high level, but getting the basics down can sometimes be frustrating, and I mean for the dog as much as for you. So, go slow. Get one two or three steps and throw a party. I always stress these very important points: teach the focussed heel in a very distraction free environment. don't expect your dog to get it fast, it takes time motivate your dog and reward abundantly don't use focussed heeling as a leash walking drill when luring keep your hand close to you or else the dog learns to get wide / away from your side the ultimate goal is the dog looking straight up without using the lure, but that will take a LONG TIME!
This is a great lesson for those of you who want to take your relationship with your dog as well as your obedience training a little further. Competitive Obedience is a category in many dog sports such as IGP / Schutzhund, Ring Sports as well as AKC. These are also skills that you can practice and perfect on your own. This is sort of fast forwarding over the lessons with Siggy, but some of you may be a little ahead of schedule, so I thought, why not share this one. Siggy, Yossi and I had a blast on this training session and I think you will too. Be patient with your dog. That is something that I'm having to remind myself of with Schmuley coming into my life. Some dogs re more difficult, and puppies are a whole different element. In fact I would say that there is NOTHING in this lesson that you should approach with a puppy under 6-12 months old. These skills in this video are based on an intermediate level of training with your dog. The exercises include: Go Outs / Send aways, broad jump, down in motion. and some other tidbits. As with anything there are numerous ways to teach these skills. This is the way I found best for Siggy, in some videos lessons you'll see me use a different approach. Neither is 100% right, none are completely wrong. I like to give you access to different ways of teaching that may help different dogs. I don't like a ONE WAY approach. Some dogs work well for praise, some need toys, some work best for food. You MUST find what works for a particular dog and use THAT way. It's not about which way is best, because no ONE WAY is best. You need to search and find the best way for THIS dog! Enjoy, ask as always, thank you for training your dog with me!
I get emails all the time from people who don’t know where to start with their puppies. Over the past few weeks I’ve posted a few videos that I shot at the shelter during my Bound Angels training sessions. These are the basic place to start. In this video I cover a complete session with a puppy, and you can see what I do from START TO FINISH. Let this lesson be your guide. Member Video Lesson Keep it SHORT The single most important thing I can tell you when training a dog, and most importantly a PUPPY is – KEEP IT SHORT. Multiple short lessons will help any dog learn the lesson much better than a longer drawn out one. This is imperative for puppies who have very short attention spans. Keep it FUN Make the training experience fun for both you and your dog. You will enjoy the training much more and so will your dog if it’s fun. Build lessons into games, keep your energy light and keep the lesson moving. Use lots of food and praise to keep the dog engaged to you even in a very distracted environment. Simple Steps Build the lesson from one movement to the next. Each step is a part of the lesson. Just getting your dog engaged to you is imperative for the first step. You can’t train a dog that doesn’t pay attention to you, so do everything you can to get the dog to focus on you and work with you! You are a team and you must work together. LURE and SHAPE Using Treats There really isn’t a good way to train a young dog without treats. We use the treats as lures to get the dog to follow our hand and through that movement we shape our dog’s movements. Find a treat your dog likes. Sometimes you can just use some of the puppy’s kibble, other times you’ll need to step it up to something the dog loves. Be creative. Don’t ask me what I use – find something your dog LOVES! The Crate is Your Friend Confining your dog before and after training will help him learn the structure of what he needs to know. It will help him wander off and get distracted. Watch my videos on crate training because it will help your training immensely. Use a Line and Collar The single worst mistake people make with training both dogs and puppies is they spend most of their time chasing the dog. Using a long line will help your dog spend his focus on the things you’re trying to teach him instead of being chased. Takeaways Keep your session short. Keep your session fun. Keep things moving along… Movement eliminates stress. ALWAYS use a line and collar to help your dog succeed. Crating the puppy before and after the training will help your puppy succeed. Use your dog’s natural prey drive to help them learn!
Getting your dog fit and keeping them in shape is an important mission. In this lesson I demonstrate a simple series of exercises you can do with your dog that will build strength, coordination and core strength that will get them into shape and keep them in great shape. I've done a variation of these exercises with Goofy since he was young and I believe it helped keep him in shape his whole life! More than just running, getting a series of movements that will get your dog to initiate their core muscle strength may help to reduce the risk of injuries as well as build confidence. I strive to keep my dogs as healthy as I can, and that often means thinking outside of the box for fitness. This lesson will give you one of my secret techniques to give your dog a great edge! Steps: Getting your dog into shape should be done slowly and you must consider the shape your dog is currently in. Just like embarking on a fitness routine for yourself, you must take into consideration your dog's age, condition and abilities. Most of all, GO SLOW! To prevent your dog from getting frightened around the new equipment, I suggest introducing it slowly and over time. If your dog is a little. sensitive, try just offering treats around the gear for a day or so. If your dog has little to no issues, then just get started. Balance and confidence will work hand in hand on this so you may need to assist your dog by using a vest or your hands. If you can get your dog to just do the first part of the exercises, that's great. Keep your time short and positive. It's not fun if your dog is getting frustrated. This takes time. Takeaways: Be sure your dog is in good enough shape to embark in this. Young dogs can learn this and do it for a long time. These type of exercises can help to get your dog into good shape and keep them in good shape. Consider your dog's size... larger dogs need a larger ball. Click here for the Stability Ball available on amazon.
Using simple skills to communicate with dogs makes the relationship so much stronger. Give the dog a clear picture of what is right and wrong, what you will and won't accept, what you like and what you dislike and you'll see the dog make the right choice. This clear picture will entail a simple concept, Reward what you want and Correct what you don't! Dog's are a blank slate, they don't know what is right and wrong from the human perspective. For example running is fun, even if they're running in the street. Jumping is fun, even if it knocks down an older person or young child. Being mouthy is fun, even if it tears flesh! Teach your dog that these are behaviors that won't get the dog far and he will aim to please you. I do this by delivering fair corrections. Corrections are as much a part of your vocabulary in dog training as they are in your personal life. If you don't correct bad behaviors, you're doomed to repeat them. This lesson covers a complete session with Nancy and Ozzy. We cover their basic communication throughout thei interaction including: LEAVE IT. COME SIT and a whole lot more. There's so much to learn in this one lesson, you should really look at it, no matter what level you and your dog is at.
Proper Use and Timing This may be one of the most important lessons I’ll post. Learning the skill of properly correcting a dog is critical to clear communications. I’ve taught it for years to my private clients as well as shelter employees through Bound Angels. I was about to film another video and this just popped into my head, so I went with it... And I’m so happy I did. I think this video really covers the idea and conceptualizes a lot of it. I was actually quite surprised when I sat back and watched the video. Member Video Lesson Corrections are NOT Punishment: This is the VERY most important thing to understand. Corrections are NOT punishment. Anyone who says you should punish a dog is either misguided by lack of information or a terrible dog trainer. What are Corrections? Corrections are a clear communication between you and your dog that give the dog the information that he needs to succeed. Not correcting a dog for doing something wrong is letting the dog flounder in confusion. Teach Before You Correct: It’s never ok to correct a dog for something he doesn’t know. That is, you can’t correct your dog for not DOWNing if you’ve never taught him the DOWN command. BUT you can correct a dog for aggression, I’ll cover that at another time and place. Bottom line, teach your dog first, make sure your dog knows what you want, then correct the dog. The Order of Correcting: Ask for the behavior i.e. SIT – if the dog doesn’t sit go to #2 Give the dog a verbal correction, NO – if the dog still doesn’t comply go to #3 Give the dog a physical correction – LEASH POP – repeat the command If the dog still does not comply, then correct one more time. *It is your goal to get your dog to comply quickly and fairly. If at any time the dog offers the behavior, reward with verbal praise and repeat. **I do not offer a grand prize, treats or abundant rewards until the dog complies on the first time I say the command. Be sure that you have taught the dog the commands well. Be sure that you have proofed the dog with distractions... Then phase into corrections. Your dog must know what you expect, which you teach during the luring phase. Once that is covered, we address the corrections. Takeaways Be sure you have taught your dog before you start correcting. Be sure your dog has been introduced to distractions. The level of correction muse fit the dog and the issue – don’t over correct, don’t under correct. Verbal cue / correcting (NO) always comes before a physical correction (Leash Pop / nick). Corrections are a necessary part of training.
everything you need to know I probably receive more questions regarding crate training than most any other topic. I’ve answered hundreds, either in person, on blog posts or in my #askmeanything video section. Still, there are more questions. So I’d like to post this lesson to address more of them here. I do believe crate training is one of the very most important things you’ll ever teach your dog. THE CRATE Let’s look at the first most important thing and that will be the actual crate. There are many different types of crate ranging from soft crates, wire crates, travel crates and more. The key thing I look at here is functionality and I believe that the basic wire crate is the most functional for several reasons: It's durable. Easy to clean. Your dog has perfect visibility. It folds up when not in use. It’s not expensive. SIZE One of the biggest mistakes people make when getting a crate for their dog is they get a crate that is too large. This can easily be remedied by using the divider that the crate comes with, but people often think they want to make it more comfortable for their dog or puppy and think bigger is better. That is not the case with the crate. Why? Because we only want to give the dog enough room to lie down and remain in one place. We will take the dog out of the crate plenty of times for playing, training and exercise that we don’t really want the dog to see moving around the crate as an option. We want the dog to figure out that he can’t soil in the crate just like he can’t soil in the house. This is the beginning to teaching him this. If he soils in the crate he will be laying in it. Dogs are very clean animals and if they see this lesson clearly they will learn not to do it in the house. So, if you have a dog that will be large, get a large crate, but ALWAYS use the divider to make the crate just big enough so the dog can lie down comfortably. Don't Worry About Mistakes As you will see by watching the videos, plenty of mistakes get made. If your dog or you messes up, just start again. Don’t get excited and PLEASE don’t get upset at your dog. Some dogs have a very hard time when you start to move behind them - that is why this is such a great learning aid. In my opinion this is one of the best tools to teach a puppy or dog the STAY command. Take your mistakes and run with them. Release the dog often so that you’ll keep him interested. Member Video Lesson GETTING HIM IN Getting the dog into the crate should not be too hard. As you can see in the video, make it a party and get excited when the dog is in the crate, be neutral or uninterested when he comes out. I always put chew toys or bones and the dog’s food inside the crate and they start to figure out that great things happen in the crate. The more the dog learns this, the easier he will accept the crate. Trust me, the crate is a great place! My dogs love their crates and we have crates in the house as well as in the car. Crates = My Safe Place! KEEPING HIM IN As I mentioned in the video, I don’t like to close the door and latch it right away. I want the dog to know he is not trapped early on. If he thinks he is, he will be reluctant to go back in. So, people always say, “How do I get the dog to stay in the crate overnight the first day?” Well, simply put, there's no simple answer. I suggest getting your dog in an out of the crate a bunch of time and seeing how he responds. I usually try to bring my dog home earlier if possible so that crating them will not be a problem because we can play some games. Also, remember your younger puppy will need to go out a few times a night to potty as will your new dog. Teach them the routine of where the door is to go out so that they will head there when they need to go potty. ONE CRATE OR TWO Another common question people have is “What do I do when I go upstairs or to another area of the house?” Simple, get 2 crates. I believe that if you divide your time between two areas, get two crates. Especially if you don’t want to lug the crate upstairs. Witha new puppy, I’ll usually have a crate in the living room and one in the bedroom. The dog will go from one crate to another. It will make life easier for you when the dog LOVES their crate and enjoys going in. HOW LONG DO WE CRATE This is one of the most common questions. The answer is “it depends.” Some dogs a few weeks, some a few months, some up to a year. It’s not a 24/7 sentence. The dog will be out to play, train and socialize. You’re using the crate to protect him when you can’t watch him. A crate to a dog is like a bassinet for a baby. If you’re not interacting with your dog - crate him. For his safety and the safety of your belongings. No one wants a dog that is destroying the house. Once a dog learns what he can and can’t play with, he will be better to let loose in your house. Younger dogs or new dogs to your home will try to pick up or chew most everything, Crating them teaches them by keeping them away from your stuff. This carries over later in their lives and they end up being really nice dogs. Takeaways Crate training is the best thing you can do for your dog Teaching them to be safe in a crate helps them if they ever have to go to a vet or travel Also consider a car crate for everyone’s safety. Teach the dog that the crate is a fun and safe place NEVER correct your dog or yell at your dog in the crate Feed your dog in his crate and always have a safe chew toys in his crate Wire crates with 2 doors are best.
A Puppy at the Shelter There are some things that are necessary to repeat, not only to stress their importance, but also to help people better understand how to do it. I believe Crate Training is that important. I get emails all the time with questions on proper crate training. I posted a video a while back about crate training, but that was with ii, our Labrador who is very well trained. I thought to myself, “If I could take a puppy and explain this it would be so much more beneficial for viewers.” Then, to put my ability to the test, I tried it with a very young puppy AT THE SHELTER – in a yard full of smells!!! This is a multi-part video that I shot at the shelter that day. There is still one part to come. BTW- this video is a much fuller / complete video than the free version on YouTube. All of the videos here in the member section are more thorough than anything I will post on YouTube or Facebook for free. Member Video Lesson CRATE SIZE A critical consideration when getting a crate will be size. Most people will buy the perfect size for the puppy / dog they currently have. I suggest getting the one that will house the dog when he or she is full grown. Large crates come with dividers – and you can modify the size as you need. You’ll need to make the size of the crate small enough for the dog to have just about enough room to turn around and lie down. Bigger crates will give the dog a chance to pee or poo in a corner and lie away from it. One or Two Doors The reason I opt for the 2-door crates is two-fold: It allows me to use the crate in a couple of different positions, lengthwise and widthwise. If I want to put the dog in a narrow room, I have the ability to use another door to get the dog in and out. Most importantly I like the 2-door system for getting some dogs used to the crate that are a little suspicious. To do that I simply let them walk through the crate – go in one door and out the other. This desensitizes the experience to the dog quickly. Plastic or Metal Crates basically come in two varieties: plastic or metal. For most all crate training I recommend the wire crates because it gives the dog the ability to look out and feel a part of the surroundings without actually interacting with those surroundings. I want my dog to see everything and smell everything and experience everything – but not necessarily interact with everything. Giving him the crate keeps him safe and allows him to see what’s going on around him. The plastic crates just seem to shut the dog off from the surroundings and removes them from the experience. Inside the Crate is a Happy Place The biggest mistake people make is that they get excited when the dog comes out of the crate. This inadvertently teaches the dog that being out of the crate must be a great thing, therefore being inside the crate is not a happy time. I get super excited when the dog goes into the crate and ignore him when he comes out. Inside the crate there are always toys, treats or anything that motivates the dog to go inside. The outside is sterile and bringing. Remember to continue this when your dog sees you after a short separation. Don’t get excited and hug and play with him when he pops out of the crate. Be chill and ignore him for a little while. Might be hard, but he will need to learn this lesson. Your dog will learn to LOVE the crate when you make it a great place to be. If you use it for time out and punishment it will never be a happy place for your dog. I’m not saying that going to the crate can’t be a resting place when your puppy is too excited, but don’t scold the dog and put him in the crate. Simply walk him over to the crate and say,” OK, time for a little rest!” Closing the Door Don’t be in a big hurry to close the door. If the dog feels trapped in the crate, he’ll be less likely to go in again and it will take a lot of work to undo that suspicion. For the first few sessions, I don’t latch the door. I walk away and when the dog follows me, I ignore him. If he runs back to the crate, I’ll drop another treat in there. Everyone will ask, how do I get the dog to stay in there if I need to go out. Well, that shouldn’t be your expectation the first couple of days. You may need to plan ahead if you get a new dog, have someone stay with the dog or take the dog with you until he or she is used to proper crate training. Why are Crates so Important: If you travel you should always put your dog in a travel crate in the car. If your dog goes to the vet and needs to stay overnight, he will be confined to a crate. Getting your dog used to a crate early on helps him learn life skills Dogs need a place to get away. If you’re moving and need to confine your dog. If people are coming over or your visiting someone else and need to confine your dog. Takeaways The crate should not allow your dog to wander around inside. Great things happen when your dog goes into the crate–nothing happens when he comes out. Don’t leave a collar or leash on your dog in the crate. Don’t try to close the door too soon. Teach your dog the crate and it will be the best thing for him or her.
The DOWN on RECALL is a very impressive thing to see a dog do. It’s also a safety exercise which shows how much control you have over your dog and how well your dog listens. Down on Recall is also an obedience exercise. In AKC Obedience you need to demonstrate this and in Schutzhund / IPO you need to do something similar, which is a Down on Send Away. In this online dog training lesson I will teach you the complete Drop on Recall and also show you the training, reward and corrections that I use. In the first part of the lesson, I use Maya (who doesn’t know the exercise). You’ll see the basics to teaching your dog the drill. In the later part of the video / lesson, you’ll see me doing the exercise with Goofy who knows it well and has competed in competitions where he needed to demonstrate this control. We’re currently preparing for a trial, so I included some of the more advanced training and corrections that we’re doing. I think you’ll love this exercise. It is an advanced exercise and probably not something to teach a green dog, but I think the value in seeing this will help you immensely as you progress in your training. Member Video Lesson Step One Be sure your dog has a solid DOWN command. You CANNOT progress to this exercise unless your dog is 100% clear on DOWN. I use the command PLATZ (down in German), since both of my dogs are trained in German. Occasionally I will alternate between the two words since I try to teach my dogs commands in English and German for demonstration purposes. Step Two When you say DOWN, take a step into your dog and put your hand forward. This will block your dog’s travel and will inhibit his forward motion. I like to teach the dog both the verbal and physical cue. Step Three If your dog continues to travel, take your dog back a few steps to show you want him to stop when you say the command. Bonus Reward the dog behind him to prevent creeping forward. Use a toy to increase your dog’s drive. Make sure your dog holds the sit position as you move away. Takeaways Use spatial pressure to show the dog what you want. Begin by using both physical and verbal cues / commands. Rewarding the dog behind him, will prevent creeping. ALWAYS use multiple completed recalls for every one DOWN on recall.
I'll start out by saying this is a monster online dog training lesson, over 35 minutes long... The directed retrieve is a part of formal obedience training in the AKC obedience Utility exercises, and is also used in other sports. For example, teaching your dog to "follow a line" is a good skill in many sports and the directed retrieve can be a foundation to teaching this. In the directed retrieve what you are trying to do is "set the line" for your dog to follow. Basically, you point the dog in a direction and the dog will run in that direction. In the retrieve portion there is an object that the dog will retrieve, but there are also other objects that he could pick up. The dog MUST go to the object that you point him to. He MUST pick up only that object and bring it back to you. This lesson is a very in-depth one and will delve into the basics through the advanced levels of the skill for both you and your dog. You will see the basics as well as the finished product. The lesson actually starts out with a beautiful demo of Goofy doing a 4 point directed retrieve. I've left everything in the lesson including the mistakes which your dog is bound to make. If you ask yourself what good is this skill, the answer is "every skill that you teach your dog heightens your bond with your dog and teaches your dog to learn." Teaching a dog to learn is something I strive to do forever with my dogs. It's fun, it benefits both you and your dog an it's fun! I really think you'll enjoy this lesson! Member Video Lesson Steps to the Directed Retrieve: 1. Begin by teaching your dog a basic retrieve. Straight and simple. 2. Add a second object (identical to the 1st). You'll need 3-4 to master this skill. It can be toys, plastic bottles, rage, anything. 3. Teach your dog to follow your body position. When aligned, point in the direction and watch to see if your dog will connect on the object. If he does, walk with him to the first object. 4. If your dog doesn't see the object, either you or a helper, should take the object and tap it on the ground to get your dog to recognize it. Do this for each object before sending the dog. 5. I like to move from object to object before sending the dog to the first retrieve. 6. Use a long line to prevent failure. You'll see this during Duane's portion of the lesson. 7. Be careful with your dog looking at you. ALWAYS look at the retrieve object, if your dog looks at you, continue to look at the object until your dog locks onto it. This may take time. *** This is an advanced skill. Go slow, start with two objects, then three. Set your dog up for success! Takeaways for Directed Retrieve: Always start with one object. When adding a second be sure there is enough space to make it simple. Be sure your dog knows what he should be looking at, if not show him. Start by walking your dog in the direction of the retrieve item. Be clear and concise. Looking at your dog will often make him look at you. Look at the object. Get your dog to understand to follow your movement. **** This is a long and advanced lesson. It will take a long time to teach your dog. It looks simple, but it's not! Click here to get the yellow towels on amazon!
This is not the kind of video lesson that I enjoy posting, but I have to be totally honest with you. Integrity is such a big part of who I am. Even if people don't like me, I'd rather they know the truth and dislike me for that, rather than liking me for an illusion or a lie. So, in saying all of that, I see so many posts about working with aggression in which they cut out the stuff they don't want you to see. This was day 2 with Whiskey and Lisette. And even though Whiskey had absorbed some of what we taught in lesson #1, there were some more challenges here. As you will see, he tried to come after me a few times when I didn't accept his bad behavior and corrected him for it. This is not uncommon, especially for a dog like Whiskey. The corrections you see did a couple of things.... MOST importantly, they kept me safe. As well, they taught Whiskey that bad behavior is not acceptable. And finally, something sunk in, because by the end of the session, you will see, he was much much better with all of the dogs in our group. I have handled aggression many times, and as my buddy Steve says, "It's kind of like making sausage, it's not pretty. But everyone likes the result," As was the situation here. Please understand that you should NEVER attempt to do what I did here unless you are a professional and are totally aware that you might get bit. So, why am I showing you the video? Most importantly, to show you that there is a lot that goes into aggression, and there are dogs that don't just take a little tap on the collar correction and comply. Some need a lot more. And, you're either prepared to do that, or put the dog down. Also, there are a lot of great learning moments in the video aside from where he came after me. Lisette did a very good job in this session, after we got past the first 15 minutes or so. Watch the lesson carefully, AND understand, your number 1 goal is to stay safe. Dog bites are not fun and they almost always end up more consequential for the dog than the person. The person gets stitches, the dog gets killed. Getting this type of behavior managed requires lots of training and structure, and most people are not prepared to do that, so they allow it to continue and hope for the best. There are very few options when a dog turns on you. Disabling the dog from being able to bite you is the safest. Notice also, that I never yelled at Whiskey or got punitive after his misbehaviors. I corrected him when he needed it, praised him when he did good and focused on making this a learning lesson for him.
I have to start out by saying that the audio in this video is a little sketchy since we were filming in our normal spot and there was construction going on this day... so my apologies ahead of time. This is our third session with Loaf, you remember the other two: the first he tried to bite me and on the second he went after Goofy. Well, not being one to give up, we worked past all of those issues and sent Edith back with some homework. In today's session we follow up and and see her progress. Now, these sessions were a while ago and I can report that Loaf is doing well with Edith and her family, I heard from her a few weeks back! Some important things to remember with aggression cases is: Never take things personally. Focus on the aggression and help the dog learn through structure and correction. Stay focussed and don't stop when it gets tough. People usually give up and that reinforces the bad behavior. Never put anyone in danger. This includes the dog you're training, other dogs, other people and yourself. Protect everyone. Don't take on a dog you can't handle. This will become an ego situation for many people and it SHOULD NOT be! You should be easily able to handle the dog if and when you need to correct. Reward good behavior, but don't bribe the dog. Bribing creates weakness on your side and a dominant dog will walk all over that! Overall there's a lot to learn with the aggressive dog videos I have here in the member section. They are geared more toward advanced handlers, so if you're not ready, don't do it! If a dog is too much for you either get professional help or get rid of the dog. You won't do anyone a favor by getting injured or allowing someone else to get injured by an aggressive dog. I always caution people that if your dog should become suddenly / surprisingly aggressive out of nowhere, get the dog checked by a veterinarian. There can oftentimes be a medical reason for sudden behavior changes. This is CRITICAL.
There's not another video like this that you'll see from me. As you know, I've handled many aggressive dogs, but this one was a surprise. I had done one session with Loaf the Bully that has some aggression issues. Those of you who know and saw the video, saw that he went after me... and in this session it got worse. I had Goofy out at a distance to desensitize Loaf to another dog. Well Goofy decided to come over and investigate. Loaf went off and the rest is history, as you'll see in the video. I know and trust Goofy 100% and therefor I know that he won't attack another dog, but I was shocked that he didn't even try to retaliate for Loaf acting like a jerk. I love Goofy even more after this video (as if that is possible)... because he showed me that he knew that I had control. In any case, never put your dog in this kind of situation, this is really an advanced level lesson, but just to show you some great tips that will undoubtedly help you if you're dealing with an aggressive dog. There are plenty of corrections you'll see in this video, and the end result is worth the work. For a large percentage of the population, I would never suggest a dog like Loaf, I think these dogs can be a liability, and in this situation, I think it's weak nerves / genetics. Enjoy the lesson.
As many of you know, I am not a big fan of using collars to train for dog reactivity, but there are exceptions. In this case, Lisette had been using the ecollar on Whisky for some time, but perhaps not exactly the right way. Whiskey is a lot of dog for anyone, and he has not had a lot of training. He seemed to me to be very insecure about a lot of things, but not when it deals with running up to other dogs. In other words, his insecurity was mainly fed by being protective over Lisette. Now, I will say that Lisette, like so many owners of dominant dogs made common mistakes. There was no intentional neglect, just rather a neglect of structure. I talk a lot about it in this lesson, it's a long one, but one that is full of great information - including when I go a little hard on the ecollar. I believe in everything being fair to the dog, and in that case for to all dogs, including the one that is on the receiving end of being bullied. Whiskey knew what we wanted in the form of a recall and a leave it, but chose not to obey. The BIGGEST problem that handlers make in a situation like this is not enough correction. What happens then is a dog learns to push through that correction and that leads to more dominance / disobedience. I've seen it 1000 times and when it gets set into the dog's mind, it's very very hard to undo. As you know, I leave all of the lesson intact for members to see. Even though it might not look pretty for that 1/2 second, it solves the problem. Dog training is about being fair to dogs and their owners and also protecting other dogs. When Whiskey pushed through my initial correction to leave Pluto (the small Valhund) I increased the correction to gain compliance. It taught him that I am serious and that he must listen. Furthermore, I had worked with Pluto for months to gain his trust because early on he was insecure and mistrusting of bigger dogs. Leaving that encounter to chance would risk the safety of Pluto, the mental trust of Pluto to all larger dogs and it would teach Whiskey that I am not serious in my commands. I won't let any of those things happen. Corrections are information, and this information, as you'll see at the end of the lesson is 100% clear to Whiskey and Lisette.
This is a lesson I posted on YouTube, but wanted to put it in here for members to see as well. It's one of my core principles on What You Need to Train Your Dog or Puppy. In the lesson I cover the tools, including leash, collar, toys and treats as well as the benefits of using these tools. I think understanding what you need and how to use these tools will make training your dog easy and help you better understand how to succeed in your training and how to make training most beneficial for you and your dog... or puppy.
Sandy spotted me at the park working with my dogs and asked if I could help her with Tasha. It seems that she just can't control the jumping. I've heard that so many times before, so I thought this would make a great video lesson for everyone. I'll put a short version of this lesson on YouTube later this week, but the member lesson is over 30 minutes long. I give Sandy two options to work with this issue. Those of you who know me know that I'm not a big fan of kneeing dogs in the chest for this issue. The most important thing to do is to get the dog to do something preventatively and correct if they make a mistake. The other thing is to block the action altogether. Both of these are addressed in this video. Remember a dog jumping on people may seem cute, but people can get hurt, in particular older people and smaller children. This is a strike on your dog if they cause injury, whether through fun or not. I think you'll enjoy this video lesson, Sandy was such. nice lady and I really enjoyed our session. She was ecstatic with her new learned skills, as I hope you will too!
Your Dog's Safety! Needless to say, dogs running out your door is a huge safety risk. Of all the topics I’ve addressed, I’ve never addressed this one. So, I decided to make a complete lesson on the topic. It’s broken down into three parts. I will post a portion of part 1 on my YouTube and Facebook channel, but only members will see all three complete parts in this lesson. See: online dog training Member Video Lesson Whether You Have 1 or 100 Dogs: No matter how many dogs you have, start by teaching each dog individually. Then you can start to add more dogs once your main dog(s) get it. You will NOT teach this to a group, or even a couple of dogs at once! Start with the Basics: Almost everything we teach dogs we go back to the basics of relationship, structure and the basic exercises of STAY, COME and the positions. In this video we will focus on the stay command and add the distraction of the door. Similar to the car WAIT we worked on a few lessons back. Less Failure – More Success:Be careful to keep your dog from failing during this lesson. The more times the dog gets to dart past you and make it outside, the worse it is for learning this lesson. Try to block the failure with your body and teach the dog the success of WAITING Deliver Treats BEHIND: Here’s another place that we will want to deliver the treats behind our dog to teach them NOT to break forward. If the dog learns that the treat comes from the same direction as the distraction, it will be harder for the dog to learn. I’ve taught this a few times, remember, the dog can get the reward from behind to teach him a valuable lesson. Option 1 or 2: Depending on how you want to teach this, the lesson gives you two options. You can either 1. Teach the dog a simple WAIT at the door, or 2. Teach the dog to go to a place. Personally I think you’ll get a better result by teaching the dog to go to a place. It’s easier on the dog. Don’t Add the Next Dog YET! I know you’re tempted to try this with 2 or more dogs, but take your time, make sure that each dog understands the lesson clearly before interjecting another dog. This is critical. Two dogs failing is much harder to fix than one…. GO SLOW. Takeaways Always use a line when teaching this if you live on a busy street or your dog is at risk. Make sure your dog understands a WAIT command or a PLACE command. Minimize the dog’s failures to make learning more fun for him. Reward BEHIND the dog – not to the front. There should be no big reward when the dog comes outside. Make a bigger deal for the dog inside.
The Down in Motion is one of the motion exercises in competitive obedience, including AKC and IPO / IGP. There are three, the Stand in Motion, the Down in Motion and the SIT in Motion. I'll teach all three, but for the foundation it's good to start with the DOWN in Motion. Also, the Down in Motion is a great thing to be able to teach your dog to STAY when you have to keep moving forward and temporarily leave your dog. It's definitely an advanced exercise, but you'll see, as I teach it to Duane, it can be taught to most any biddable dog. The Down in Motion is an important skill for your dog to learn, because it helps them learn to focus on what you're asking / telling them to do, not to be distracted by a visual. I hope you'll enjoy this online dog training lesson. It's almost midnight here in CA and I'm just getting to posting this. Had several issues with my computer, so I hope this video works. Check the member page over the next couple of days as I'm doing to do a member only live chat maybe Friday. I believe I've got the internet, camera and audio figured out. Member Video Lesson Step 1: Before you begin teaching any of the motion exercises, be sure that your dog has a clear understanding of the positions of SIT, DOWN and STAND. It's a bad idea for you to try and teach your dog an exercise in motion that the dog doesn't understand static. Step 2: Begin with a slow walk, with your dog in heel position, take a step with your left leg and tap the dog's collar down as you lure the dog down. You can do either or both, but you must help the dog down. Immediately reward the dog! Step 3: Repeat step 2 and take another step forward, first with the right leg, then with the left leg. When the left leg leaves the dog's side, he may follow. If he does, don't get angry, just tap the dog back and down and show him what you want. Step 4: Once the dog gets comfortable, you can use a gentle tap to the top of the dog's head right AFTER you say DOWN. Step 5: It's always best to reward the dog behind him. This will prevent a dog that creeps forward. Step 6: Once your dog gets the exercise, you will see your dog having so much fun doing this. Watch the first part of the video with Goofy and I having so much fun. It was tough to get the dynamics of this video in our small yard, but I think you will appreciate the methodology that makes the whole thing work! Takeaways for Down in Motion: 1. Always be sure your dog knows the positions before teaching motion exercises. 2. Guide your dog with a lure or a collar pop to put them into position. 3. Reward dogs behind them to prevent creeping. 4. First step is to get the dog to go DOWN while you're moving 5. Second step is to get the dog to STAY DOWN when you move away!
Max & Joey and Siggy and Yossi met me at the park and we wanted to work on an exercise called DOWN on RECALL. In this exercise you are about 50 or so feet away from your dog, you call your dog to you and 1/2 way in, you drop the dog. That is you tell your dog DOWN, and they must DOWN right where you told them. This is a great exercise that can potentially save your dog's life. I've done a video on it before, but this is a little different with these dogs, the situation as well as using the Flexi leash. I hope you will learn this lesson and practice it but NEVER need it in an emergency, such as your dog is running across the street to you and a car is coming. Wishing you all a nice weekend and to all of you in the USA a happy Thanksgiving! Takeaways: Teach your dog to COME without stopping the dog. Teach the dog a solid down before you put it into this exercise. When calling DOWN.. walk toward your dog using spacial pressure to get them to stop. Reward the dog behind the dog to avoid crawling forward. Do more recalls than DROPS because you don't want your dog predicting the DOWN and stopping before they get to you for a regular recall.
Most every dog obedience sport has a retrieve exercise. The retrieve in IPO /IGP / Schutzhund is a bit different. The retrieve is done in 3 parts: on the flat over a jump over an a-frame It's further broken down that the retrieve on the flat is done with different weight dumbbells depending on the level of competition. Level 1 is a 650 gram dumbbell, Level 2 is a 1 kilo dumbbell and Level 3 is a 2 kilo dumbbell. The level one dumbbell is used over the jump and a-frame in all 3 levels. In this online dog training lesson I break down some simple tips to get your dog accustomed to the size of the dumbbell, how to hold the dumbbell as well as some tips to get a better hold and retrieve. There are a few tools that I like to use to make the retrieve easier for the dog to understand. These are physical tools such as long lines, flexi-leashes as well as some tricks on teaching the hold and getting dogs to be clear headed on the task of picking up the dumbbell and bringing it right to me. This lesson has something for everyone whether you're a beginner or advanced level competitor looking for some extra tips to polish your retrieve. Member Video Lesson Steps to Teaching a Dumbbell Retrieve: I don't initially introduce the dumbbell to the dog until the dog understands a hold and bring on another object. Ideally I use a dowel made of either wood or pvc. In this video I use a 6" x 1" dowel that I drilled a hole through both sides. I put a string through that I can grab instead of grabbing the dumbbell. Once the dog understands the hold on the dowel, i pull on the strings: forward, up, down and side to side to make sure the dog will grip the dowel (later the dumbbell) and will not chew or drop it. If the dog drops the dowel, correct the dog by either a tap on the snout and / or a HEY and repeat. Watch my other retrieve related videos including TEACHING HOLD. Before throwing the dumbbell, place it in the dog's mouth and simply take a step or two back and say BRING. Short distances will build success. If you immediately throw it a distance, the dog is likely to get excited and lose focus. Distance comes later. Always use the backup of a flexi leash or a long line to assure the dog will go to the object and return straight back to you. Keep your session short and don't do any type of tugging work in between to avoid chewing on the dumbbell. I like to use a very small amount of food as a reward, but would be careful to avoid building too much prey drive. Praise for a job well done will be your best reward in this training. Takeaways from Teaching the Dumbbell Retrieve: Teach hold and retrieve on an inanimate object such as a dowel before introducing a dumbbell. Start with very short distances. More distance increases drive. Using a training aid such as the dowel with string, teach the dog a calm hold with no chewing. If you're doing IPO be sure to get your dog used to holding a heavy dumbbell early on. I like to use the #2. Use a flexi leash to teach your dog to go straight out to the object and bring it straight back. Don't always FINISH the dog... go to the dog's side to finish. Try the various placements to get your dog to clearly understand his job is to find the dumbbell and retrieve it.
This lesson is a continuation of last weeks lesson where Harold and Cheri get to understand the tool by using it on each other. This is a very different dynamic because using it on me or the dog is removed from the personal realtionship. When you use an ecollar improperly on your dog you can cause a damage to your relationship. This is why I always like to have clients do this exercise. It works 100% in getting a clearer and fairer communication. Cheri was very reluctant to use the collar on RIO and having her work with Harold and understanding the fairness of the tool made it a very easy jump. Like I said last week... wait till you see how nice RIO and Cheri communicate now. I'll post that video lesson in a little while. The key take-aways in this lesson will be the dynamic of husband and wife and then owner and dog. Watch as the lesson progresses how clear Harold becomes with the collar on Rio. I can honestly say that these two really have done a great job with Rio, who is quite a handful. This lesson was filmed in the order it appears on the video... Watch it a couple times and it will make sense with the lesson from last week.
Getting a good understanding of the e-collar is paramount to making it the humane tool it can be. When dogs scream, jump and cower, they are improperly trained on the e-collar. In this video lesson I introduce the collar to Rio the Alano. Now, Harold has been having Rio wear the collar, so he's used to the feel of it, but getting him used to the response is what we focus on in this lesson. One of the biggest issues with e-collars is improper fit on the dog, and the human not understanding the proper communication with the dog when the dog is wearing the collar. It is NOT a remote control that will change the channels on the dog. It is a tool to enhance your communication by get your dog's attention when distracted and effectively blocking negative behaviors and mistakes. The reason I LOVE the ecollar is because it is fair to the dog and removes me, my voice and my physical corrections from the mind of the dog. This was an extremely long session and there is so much to understand that I decided to break the lesson into two parts. I'll post the second part next week that will really help you better understand this lesson. It may seem like I should post part 2 first, but what I want you to see is exactly how the lesson went and how I was able to clarify so much for Harold and Rio in the sequence exactly the way I taught it. *** I have to disclose that we did another lesson after this with Rio and Harold and Cheri and WOW... I was impressed. This dog is awesome and Harold and Cheri really have done an amazing job training him. When you see that lesson, which should be up in a while, I think you'll be floored! Most everything is spelled out in the video lesson, but there are a couple of things to understand that will help you with your communication with your dog: NEVER point the remote control at your dog - like a remote control. The idea is to keep the remote hidden and let the stimulation speak for itself. Keep your calm. The e-collar allows you to remain calm and let the correction come from the collar. Yelling and shocking the dog is exactly what you DON'T what to do. Conditioning your dog to the stimulation must always be done with a long line to protect the dog. Some dogs may get confused and try to run. I use the line to "show" the dog what I want and then reward. Use abundant rewards when you get the desired behavior. The collar MUST fit snug and the contacts MUST contact the skin. A collar that is improperly fitted can cause higher than anticipated stim and startle the dog.
Although the promo video for this lesson is quite funny, it's meant to grab your attention to a very important issue that many people don't understand about the ecollar. A basic understanding of electricity is necessary to understand what I am trying to get across in this video, so I spend a little time to get you to grasp what I'm saying. Electricity flows to the path of least resistance. That means if there's an easy way for electric to get from point A to B, the electricity will take that path. For example, metal conducts electricity better than plastic, so if you touch a piece of metal to two ends of the battery, the "juice" will flow through the metal a lot easier than through the plastic. It becomes a little more confusing when we talk about more abstract things like skin, fur, water, etc. So to make it easier to understand, I will use the skin on my hand in this lesson. Water, although a conductor of electricity, functions differently with low current like an ecollar. E-Collars are safe because they use low current / higher voltage to deliver a stimulations. Did you ever see the stun-gun that says it delivers 1MILLION volts? Well a million volts could kill you, but not if it is VERY LOW amperage. Similarly a low voltage / high average battery like a car batter can deliver enough to kill someone. So with low current, the electricity gets lost in the water. You'll see this when I put my hand in the water, I feel a lot less stimulation than when my hand is out of the water.... **** but more stimulation when my hand is out of the water AND WET! This is all quite complicated, but I want to give you a little background in the event you need the info and you are using an ecollar on your dog. Information is king! Your dog is quite safe with an ecollar used properly and, in my belief, your dog will receive great training and communication if you use the ecollar correctly. People ALWAYS say, "Don't use the ecollar in the water because it will kill your dog." Well, quite the opposite is true. let me explain. Your ecollar will deliver less of a stimulation to your dog if it is submersed. I'll prove this in the lesson. The PROBLEM is that people will crank the collar up higher and higher since the dog isn't responding because the collar is submerged. Then when the dog's head (neck and collar) bob out of the water, they get over stimmed. This happens because of the increased power (you dialed up) and the fact that the collar is out of the water and the dog's skin and fur is wet. This will all make sense after you watch the lesson. Know your tools before you use them! In the member lesson I demonstrate tis with 3 different brands: the MARTIN SYSTEM (my choice), the Garmin and the Dogtra. I want to prove the point that all brands are pretty much the same here. As I mention in the video lesson, the vibrate option is the best option for dog's in the water because vibrate functions the exact same in water and dry! That is one of the reasons it was invented.
I've posted several lessons on focused heel, in fact last week I posted the first 1/2 of this lesson on focused heel with tool like the riding crop and pull tab. This weeks online dog training lesson focuses on using an e-collar to effectively communicate with your dog how to focus heel. The communication, when done right, is clear, easy to understand and conflict free. This heeling video can be used by those who want to compete in AKC, Ring Sport or IPO / Schutzhund obedience or any pet dog owner who just wants a better heel with their dog. A focused heel is different from a loose leash walk in that we're asking the dog to look ONLY at us. This is an advanced video and will take some time to get. Watch some of the other heeling videos first and when you've mastered them, watch and teach your dog this one. Using an e-collar gives you the ability to dial corrections down to the smallest degree necessary and remove any physical proximity to your dog. It is, in my opinion, the most effective dog training tool that exists (other than your mind). Better than prong collars and most other collars. A dog that has properly learned the e-collar is better trained and more reliable. Member Video Lesson Steps to Using an E-Collar for Focused Heel: Always be sure your e-collar and remote is charged and in good working condition. I always test the collar on myself first. Then I get a baseline for my dog. Remember, as conditions change, so does your dogs response to the collar. Find the dog's working level and then begin. Start with fun, get your dog excited and engaged. DO NOT start shocking the dog early on or the training will be a waste. Using the collar as I do here, you will use it to back the dog off of excitement and to block bad habits such as looking away. Corrections on the collar should always be met with reward. Correct the dog and reward the dog -that will mean praise or tug or ball throwing. Watch my timing on rewards in the video above. If you should inadvertently stim the dog, do not say "I'm sorry" or "OOPS." Go on and reward the dog, praise, excitedly say "GOOD GIRL!!!" Make something happy and good out of your mistake. Your dog really should not associate the correction coming from you, rather from their mistake. Using too much pressure on the e-collar can make the dog shut down. PLEASE watch all of my other e-collar videos before attempting this one Use only the BEST e-collars, like those I use and recommend. E-collars are not a place to scrimp! Takeaways for E-collar with Focused Heel: Use the best quality collar and make sure its charged! Don't correct your dog by pointing the remote at the dog and shocking them. That is STUPID! E-collar training takes time, be patient. Condition your dog to e-collars before training with them. Test the collar on yourself so you know! After a stim be sure to reward your dog. All good things come from you!
Part of the Most Common Training Questions. To watch related videos click here: https://robertcabral.mykajabi.com/products/membership/categories/2159730896/posts/2196182669
Part of the Most Common Training Questions. To watch related videos click here: https://robertcabral.mykajabi.com/products/membership/categories/2159730896/posts/2196182703
I'm sharing my e-collar modification because I think it is superior. You can use the standard strap that comes with your e-collar either in place of the modification or until you make the modification. The modification may not be easy, but I think it's worthwhile. You might be able to have your local shoe repair shop make this for you! To Make the Collar Modification, you'll need the following items: Two (2) small d-rings to fit the width of your collar (check local hardware store) - sized according to the width of your collar strap Two (2) Chicago screws or rivets may work as well (check local hardware store) - I use 1/4" About 24" of shock cord (mountain climbing supply) - I use 1/8" One (1) spring loaded cord stopper (mountain climbing supply)- you'll get the stopper based on the size of the shock cord. Please watch the lesson / videos carefully several times and practice on yourself before you EVER put the collar on your dog. Part of the Most Common Training Questions. To watch related videos click here: https://robertcabral.mykajabi.com/products/membership/categories/2159730896/posts/2196182704
Part of the Most Common Training Questions. To watch related videos click here: https://robertcabral.mykajabi.com/products/membership/categories/2159730896/posts/2196182706
Member Video Lesson People have asked for my e-collar online dog training more than any other request. I've waited for good reason. I want my students to have a good understanding of dogs and dog training before using an e-collar. The e-collar is a great tool when used properly, but it is a disaster when used incorrectly. Over the last 10+ years I've used the e-collar effectively in various training methodologies including: Competitive Obedience Counter Conditioning Aggression Avoidance Training (rattlesnake avoidance) Protection Training Pet Dog Training The e-collar is also called the SHOCK COLLAR, REMOTE COLLAR, ELECTRONIC COLLAR and a host of other names. They are hated by many and misunderstood by most. This intro lesson to e-collars is one of the longest lessons I've ever posted because I wanted to include as much information as possible to hopefully avoid confusion with the tool. There are many modifications I do to my collars and I share all of my secrets here. Nothing held back in the first lesson. I also give my recommendation on which collars I use, which I prefer and why. This one lesson is worth more than the price of a yearly membership. I will be adding more lessons on using the e-collar effectively and humanely to enhance your relationship with your dog and keep him or her safe. This lesson should take at least a week or two to digest. Please use the links below if you want to get the same collars I'm recommending. Also, see below for the gear you need to modify your collar. BTW - you can use your own e-collar and follow my system. I only suggest that you understand the collar thoroughly. Part of the Most Common Training Questions. To watch related videos click here: https://robertcabral.mykajabi.com/products/membership/categories/2159730896/posts/2196217942
The ultimate goal of all training should be to get the dog to happily perform our commands without the need for treats, toys or hand gestures. It is at the tip of everyone's tongue when they start dog training. In this lesson I will address it with Will and Red during our Join The Lesson! It's not hard to do, but it requires a little understanding on how the dog thinks. There is a sequence of events that I will explain below that makes the process quite simple. I explain the sequence in the opening lecture, but will address it again here for those who are visual like me. This lesson should spell out the exact steps you need to take to get the dog to happily and willingly perform obedience without treats, toys and / or hand gestures! STEPS: Make sure the dog knows the commands with a treat, toy or hand signal. in a neutral environment, tell the dog the command, PAUSE, and then gesture. The pause is critical. Once the dog does the command, give an excited reward and repeat. THAT's IT! Watch how great it works with Red and Will.
Member Video Lesson Aggression is so often misunderstood when it comes to dogs and dog training. Many lump all barking and lunging behavior into the same boat and that is aggression. I've dealt with fear aggression countless times in my work at animal shelters and have helped many people as well as dogs understand it better, learn to manage it and work through it. Fear aggression is very different than dominance based aggression. It is very clear when you know what to look for. When Kat first booked this session with me, she told me that Bear was very aggressive and she was afraid that he will attack someone. I set up the session at the request of a mutual friend, Dr. Lisa. I knew almost immediately that this was fear aggression because I know the signs; Mainly barking and retracting. You can see it in the video, if I stand still, the dog lunges - barks and then retreats. If I move calmly forward, he will get confused and almost always back up. It's important to understand that a fearful dog when cornered, WILL BITE! Sometimes worse than a dominant dog. A fearful dog is fighting for his life. Bear is not as far gone as most of the dog's I've worked with in shelters, but it does make for one incredible lesson. This will be in two parts, because if you're dealing with this or working with a client who's dealing with this you will wan to GO SLOW! Flooding the dog and trying to "Show the dog who is in charge" will NOT solve the problem. In fact it could make it even worse. Part 2 will. wrap up everything that is contained in this video and offer the explanations you will need to put the pieces together. In this lesson you'll see exactly what should be done in order to "break this barrier" in the dog's mind. It must be fair, the dog must work through it with your help and it must make sense. Failure is NOT an OPTION. Confidence will help the dog work through this better than anything - including force! The dog must learn what he needs to learn to comprehend that he or she is not in danger. This lesson is about understanding what is going on and the basic steps to working with fear aggression. It will NOT be solved in one session, but the mechanism can be put into place. This is the first step of many that will help Bear learn to trust Kat and through that trust learn to see the world through a clearer lens. Steps to Dealing with Fear Aggression: Fear aggression is very real to the dog, they are usually fighting for their lives. In their mind, something is going to hurt them and they ned to protect themselves. Take this very seriously and go slow. Be fair to the dog, don't rush or flood the dog. Know the difference between fear aggression and dominance based aggression. The difference is very subtle, but one sign I try to look for is a dog that barks and retreats. Don't corner the dog because at that point the dog will strike out of fear. The same can happen when the dog is on a tight leash. Notice that after I taught Kat to loosen the leash, Bear's behavior started to change because he learned that the tightness on the leash was not "boxing him in." The initial primary lesson is don't put too much pressure on the dog. This refers to spatial pressure, such as standing over the dog, standing square on to the dog, trying to touch the dog, direct eye contact or attempting to talk the dog through it. One of the worst things that people do is try to bribe the dog with. treats. This can often reinforce the bad behavior because in essence you are rewarding the behavior. You are looking for the dog to work though his or her fear and rewarding the effort... NOT BRIBING. This will often take several sessions with several people. GO SLOW. Teaching the dog to walk away and immediately bringing the dog back in helps the dog to learn the escape path, ease the pressure and work though the fear. You WILL NOT force a dog through this fear. You'll see my approach to the behavior is neither to coddle it or belittle it, rather just to make it "NO BIG DEAL." Takeaways for Fear Aggression: It's always best to work with a professional when dealing with fear. Go slow and be patient. Take your time working through the steps going from merely being in the dog's presence to touching. Breaking this down to your dog can take several sessions. Better a short successful session than a session that is too much for your dog. Don't attempt to "teach the dog a lesson." Instead your goal should be for your dog to learn confidence and trust. Bribing a dog is not the right approach, instead learn to reward and be patient.
In last weeks lesson, we dove into Bear's behavioral issues of fear aggression. I watched and evaluated him and started to put some steps into place to help the healing begin. Living in a wold like this is very hard, emotionally and physically on both dog and owner. The most common problems are: If the dog is improperly evaluated as "aggressive," the training remedy will not be effective. If positive ONLY approach is used, it can often reinforce the exact behavior you're trying to negate. I talk a little about both of these issues in the intro to this video lesson. The evaluation and proper approach are imperative if the dog will ever heal. This weeks lesson really. delves into explaining the behavior, the signs / body-language to look for and the meaning behind what I'm doing. You'll be able to see the end of the session in today's lesson. Remember, this lesson, as well as many I post, are not meant to necessarily show you the problem solved, rather to show you the process to take to solving the problem. The "join the lesson" lessons are real people, just like you that I work with on real problems. If the problem were that easy to solve, it wouldn't be a problem. Dog training and behavior is really about understanding, patience and time. More success than failure! Member Video Lesson Takeaways from Fear Aggression #2: Don't try to solve the problem today or else you'll push the dog too hard. Your goal is to develop an understanding and trust... then help the dog solve the issue. You won't force a dog not to be fearful, you'll help him learn confidence through trust! Your goal is short and successful sessions. Expose your dog to people who will follow these guidelines, not to people who know how to fix your dog! This process will take months, be patient and be consistent!
In the previous lesson I worked with Joey, Max's dad on learning the ecollar. We did this by NEVER putting the collar on Max, but instead, learning the collar on our necks. This is imperative, because once we understand the finesse of the collar and how it works, putting it on our dogs is quite simple. First thing is finding our dog's level. We do this fairly and calmly, as you'll see in the lesson above. Once we do this we always tie the stimulation with either a correction and/or a reward. I like to make sure that the dog understands that the ecollar is nothing to fear, by not making it an issue and NEVER making it personal. I like hiding the remote and NOT pointing it at the dog. Enjoy this lesson and watch it a few times before you put the collar on your dog. Lots to understand before you use it on your dog. It is the best tool. A quick note. I ALWAYS use an extender on ALL of my Ecollars which makes it very fair to the dog. I'll be making a series of videos on Better and Smarter Use of the Ecollar coming soon. You probably saw my modifications in my Ecollar Hack Video. Good new is that you can buy a premed extender from my friends at Martin System, by using these links: Large Extender for Large Dogs (Max wears a large) https://bit.ly/3m36v5C Medium Extender for Medium Sized Dogs (Goofy and Maya wear a medium) https://bit.ly/3x4YB0v Small Extender for Small Dogs (Dogs with small necks probably 35-40lbs or less) https://bit.ly/3N8IB4p You might also check the complete collar system which I use: MICRO B K9 Kick (I will have a video on this system very soon) https://bit.ly/3aBGO9S
This is a 2 part lesson... not that either part relates to the other, but these are the two things that I worked with Will and Red on in this lesson. It's good to mix different things into lessons / training depending on the dog and the mood. Sometimes I'll work on one thing, and other times I may work on 3,4, or 5 things. Today it was RECALL and then FOCUS Heeling. The RECALL or COME is really critical. In fact, I think it's the single most important thing to teach your dog. I stress it over and over again. You'll see that Red has an "almost" perfect recall, but that is as long as Red wants to do it. We want the recall perfect at ALL TIMES. When Red gets distracted, it's another story. And Will getting upset only makes it worse! My simple fix in this lesson will give you some solid insight on a basic way to fix your recall. This doesn't involve anything other than a long line and some ingenuity. In part 2 of the lesson we focus on working a FOCUS HEEL with an older dog. Red never learned this as a puppy, and that really is when it should be taught. However, I thought it would be a good lesson to leave in here for those of you who are working this skill with a little older dog. Remember, you can always teach your dog new things, whether they get it or not is NOT the most important thing. What is important is that you are interacting with your dog and that means everything to them. Make learning fun and love your dog forever!
The Focused Heel is one of the most impressive of obedience exercises. It is used in all dog obedience sports such as AKC, IPO /IGP Schutzhund as well as the Ring Sports. It looks very simple, but it's not! It takes a long time to build a good focused heel. In this online dog training lesson I'll break down the basics of the focused heel. I've taught it before, but it is ALWAYS a good idea to revisit training exercises from a fresh perspective. There are a few other parts to this lesson, such as some corrective tools as well as a version using the e-collar for corrections. I will post them in the near future. For now, spend some time learning this portion, it will come in very handy for the following lessons... Building a good focused heel requires a good relationship with your dog and a trust. Your dog is required to look at you, not where he or she is going. This requires a connection and blind trust. As I said, it takes a long time to build this exercise so let's get started with training. The bowl I'm using is this one - click here. This is a long video lesson, almost 30 minutes and it will take you a long time to perfect - so be patient! Member Video Lesson Steps to the Focused Heel: The idea is to build a focus that doesn't look away until you break or release. That is different than a focus that needs to be corrected over and over again. Get the look / focus, keep a short duration, then reward and start again. This will build a better look than having to constantly pop the dog back up. When the dog looks up start to walk in place. The look should be toward your head, not the toy. Remember, the look to your eyes DELIVERS the treat / reward. KEEP THE FOOD at your HIP to keep the dog's head in the right position. Holding your hand in front or behind builds a bad position. Encourage the dog to keep up and keep him in a happy mood. Use your hand to "steer" the dogs head into position for turns and hind end awareness. Using a "brick" or bowl to pivot on will help build great turns. Watch the last part of the video! Takeaways from Focused Heel: Build on success! Keep the exercise short to avoid the dog looking away. Encourage more - correct less! Look means to look at your face, not the toy! Use treats that can be feed consistently, think jerky or string cheese. Use bowl or brick for hind end awareness. Keep your hand tight to keep your dog tight!
I've covered just about every topic in dog training both here and on my youtube channel. However, I finally found a topic that I never addressed: FOOD REFUSAL. I've been asked several times to cover it, and have been reluctant to do so. The reason I've been reluctant to do so is because the process is not pretty - and it can't be taught positive ONLY. It is a LIFE SAVING skill that most dogs will NEVER need, but those that do, REALLY need it. There are people living in different areas of the world that truly love their dogs, but risk their dogs being poisoned by some very bad people. Now, I will say this lesson is definitely not for everyone, so for those of you who don't need it, take a look, learn and be grateful that you don't have to teach your dog this. Food refusal is a skill that is practiced in some of the RING sports, but this skill is real life! Again, this is not a sport dog, obedience dog or trick dog lesson - it is because I am very concerned about people who may lose their dog to poisoning.
In this very unique lesson, I want to discuss some important points that will help clarify common questions and set you on a path to better understanding common stumbling blocks people face when training their dogs. These mistakes are made by beginners as well as advanced level people. Laying them out clearly will help you better understand how to set your dog, and yourself, up for success. This is a general outline for dogs approximately 9 months old and older. Your goal is building a relationship through training. TIME / DURATION You’ll want to train your dog in short durations 10- 15 minutes You can do this 3 -5 times a day. - early morning and before bed are important times, then add a few times throughout the day. Expecting obedience early on sets a dog’s day up for structure and what a dog learns before they rest stays with them. I like to confine a dog before and after training. So that means, take the dog from the crate *potty, then training…. short play session, * potty and a short duration of confinement ** feeding or reward via kong or marrow bone, etc. Over training can be an issue, but it’s more likely to be an issue if you do longer durations as it flattens the dog’s drive. Member Video Lesson Steps to Your Foundation: WHAT TO TEACH FIRST Teach your dog to engage with you and to want to train. Do this though hand feeding.. I always recommend teaching these things first: recall stay leave it Once your dog understands these things, move into: loose leash walking, down, stand, sit and anything else HOW TO TEACH All beginning training will be done through luring. For this I use food. I expect to use food for about the first year of the dog’s training / life. During the end of this I start to withhold food and wait for behaviors based on my verbal commands CORRECTIONS Don’t be in too big a hurry to correct the dog, but help him learn not to make mistakes. Don’t expect too much too soon. Lure and reward recalls Correct STAY TEACHING ONE THING vs. TEACHING MULTIPLE THINGS We should make training fun. Teach multiple things but focus on a lesson…. a topic you’re really focussing on. I often wrap a new exercise within a current training routine. WHAT TO EXPECT… and what NOT to EXPECT Don’t expect too much, but train for perfection Understand your dog’s limitations and yours. Don’t get frustrated for lack of progress. The timing of your marker words and corrections will make a huge difference. Expect progress after 3 months of beginning and at the 1 year window. Look at three month intervals: 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months. Video yourself to mark progress realistically. This will also give you something to reflect back onto. Correct mistakes before they become too great. Waiting for your dog to figure it out is often futile. REVIEW Try for 3 trainings a day. / 10-15 minutes each Early-on everything should be done with luring and rewards. The most important things to teach : RECALL - STAY - LEAVE IT
One thing that gets lost with online training is the process. You see a wild dog in one scene and then suddenly the dog is perfect. This is not the case... NEVER! There's always a process. That is the great thing about the Max and Siggy program, you can actually see that process. This is a video we shot some time ago and it shows Max's reactivity to so many things: bicycles, balls, other dogs and more... This video will show you the session we did here and how revving a tool that we would think would help, changed the whole process. Training is a process you continue to do, it's not a magic show... work hard and you'll get results.
Throughout the years, I've found two opinions on e-collar training, those that HATE it and those that don't really love it, but wanna try it. If you're in either of these categories, this lesson is for you. FIRST and foremost, we're not even gonna see a dog with an ecollar in this lesson. That's because I believe you must understand the tool before you put it on your dog. Years ago, people used to threaten me and say, "How about I put the ecollar on you and shock you?" My answer was always, "what makes you think I want to shock your dog?" I like to let people feel the collar and then try to control their friend or spouse with the collar. In today's situation, Joey's wife wasn't here, so I got to be the partner. Joey and I have been friends for a VERY long time, so we have a mutual respect for each other and that is what you should have when you think about using the ecollar on your dog. IT MUST STEM FROM RESPECT. In today's lesson Joey and I learn to communicate "non-verbally" using the ecollar as a tool. I think you'll appreciate this lesson. The collar you see me using in the lesson is a Garmin Delta Sport XC, BUT the more important element is the attachment that makes it work so well is the Chameleon Extender. You can check this out here in Large and here in Medium. The great thing is you can attach this to any ecollar and make the collar work 100X better because you are assured of perfect contact. I'll do more videos on this issue with Ecollars in the coming lessons, but I've used a modified "rig" on my collars for years. In fact you probably saw my ultimate ecollar hack - well this is the hack and you can just order yourself one. No work. I can assure you it works perfect. I have one for Duane, Maya and Goofy. I also use the Martin System ECollars and Remotes. You can order them here, they are not cheap, but are well worth the money. Again, I'll have more videos coming up talking about their benefits, AND I can tell you I started using these collars over 10 years ago and they've gotten better and better!
Many of you have reached out and told me how valuable you found the last "group training lesson" I posted. This lesson is from the following week at the park. We continue on with our training and focus on some more skills, such as being able to move our dogs around other dogs on a leash, meeting people and some basic obedience. I also spend some individual time with some of the dogs and their people to focus on building engagement and increasing the dog's desire and drive to work, as well as the most important of all things: building a relationship between dogs and people. This can all be done through training if that training is fun and fair to our dogs. I've done many of these classes for free at the local park. I wish more trainers would do these kinds of classes and I wish more community centers offered them instead of being caught up in this PC / Purely Positive nonsense. These are real dogs with real behavioral issues that all get on just fine with a little bit of structure and dedication from their people.
Canine Good Citizen is a test that anyone can participate in. It is provided by the AKC so a dog can demonstrate Good Manners in public. There's a similar test in IGP / IPO / SCHUTZHUND called the BH. These lessons, more to come, will cover the basics in these tests. In this lesson we cover the following skills: RECALL / COMEFIGURE 8 / not in CGC but in BHSTAY under distractions Among the most important things for a dog to learn is being able to be well mannered and socialized in a group of other dogs, in particularly in a public setting. For a couple of years I helped some classes at a local park and invited friends and others to come along. We had a host of breeds and personalities and it was a really great learning experience for these dogs and their owners. You'll see in this (mostly) un-edited lesson. We focus on solid obedience and control and we make the training fun! I'll try and post a few more videos from these classes if you all like them and find them beneficial!
Many people are fascinated when a dog knows hand signals. They see the dog’s ability to respond to hand signals as more incredible than responding to verbal commands. Conversely, most any dog trainer will tell you that hand signals are easier since they rely on the luring that we do to originally teach a dog the command. We have to remember that a dog’s eye sight is much weaker than their hearing, so hand signals fall apart on many dogs after about 20-40 feet, since a dog relies on his sense of smell and hearing at that point. In either case, there are times to use hand signals, like in obedience and to impress your friends… therefore, I’m including a lesson on it here. This lesson contains two important parts. One is the hand signals, all three in the member section (only the first on YouTube). Two is the work on keeping your dog from creeping forward – which is such a sloppy habit – but easy to fix as you’ll see in the video. Member Video Lesson Signals Should Match the Lure All of your hand signals should basically match part of the luring and shaping you did with your treats to get the dog into the position. You’ll see as I talk about in the video, it’s pretty basic. Using those basic lures makes it very easy for your dog to put the pieces together. SIT, DOWN and STAND are all taught by luring the dog into the position. The DOWN is the only position that will have a different hand signal, but if you see my previous lesson on teaching the stand, I offer a solution. STAND When I teach the STAND, I place my hand to the side and tap the dog’s tummy with my foot. Therefore, the dog will always think that the hand moving into that position will predict my foot connecting with the dog’s tummy. This is a gentle guide for your dog to move into the position. It is NOT a kick to the dog’s stomach. If you do this (or even use too much pressure) you will mess up the technique and the dog will move away from you and you will not have a clean stand. Physical guidance is a big difference from cruelty. SIT The sit lure is going to be moving your hand upwards over the dog’s head to create the sit. The dog should see this from up close and then from a distance. His following of the lure will create the sit. Works clean and simple. DOWN As I said the down is the only position that will differ. I mention in the video how to teach your dog this simple lure with a tap on his head. This is a “love-tap” that teaches your dog to go DOWN. It works clean and simple and used properly will make your dog flop into a down quickly since you’ll be rewarding abundantly. CREEPING ISSUES If you’re competing, you’ll soon find out that your dog creeping forward will cost you points. You can prevent this easily by placing your dog behind something as simple as a piece of PVC pipe on the ground. Your dog must understand they PVC is a block. I gently tap the PVC either on the ground in front of the dog or gently on the dog’s foot to teach him to avoid it. This again is not abusive, but aversive. Teach you dog this guide and it will make it easier for the dog to understand his positions. Furthermore, using things like the reward behind him, such as throwing the treat behind him makes this crystal clear – DO NOT TRAVEL FORWARD. Takeaways Be sure your dog is clear on all three positions through verbal cues before starting hand signals. Work on one position at a time, release and then reset. Then work on two and release. You DO NOT want your dog to think it’s a routine. ALWAYS use a long line to start. Use a block on the ground like a piece of PVC pipe. GO SLOW... this one takes time! Try always rewarding your dog to the back to prevent creeping!
Ever wonder how many different ways there are to HEEL with your dog? Well, there's heeling on the left, heeling on the right and then.... Heeling between your legs. Although this doesn't seem very practical to most people, there are specific places it is required. Namely in Mondio Ring Sport, it is a necessary skill - and some people love to show this off as a skill their dog possess just for fun. Well, I've been asked by several members to teach this and in this lesson I address it The online dog training lesson starts out with Duane, our young Labrador Retriever who has NEVER done this before, so you'll see how I get him used to it and get him used to getting into the position and work through some of the issues, then in the second part of this lesson, I show the more advanced points of the skill with Goofy introducing distractions and more. Goofy learned this years ago, and although I haven't practiced with him for a while, he hasn't forgotten. I think you're gonna LOVE this lesson. Super fun to practice with your dog and a great skill to build an even better bond with your dog! Member Video Lesson Step 1: Start by getting your dog between your legs and rewarding him for a quick moment there. Step 2: Once your dog is comfortable there, start by putting some slight pressure in from your legs to the dog's sides. Just slight simple pressure, nothing too much. Keep this stage short, as your goal is to keep your dog there, not spook him to get out. Step 3: Start by gently walking in place... No steps forward just yet, just walk in place. Step 4: Teach the movement for the dog to get into that position. Use a treat, and similarly to how you taught your dog to get into heel position, get your dog into this position. Simply, get your dog to put his head through (between your legs) and come back out in the front facing position. Step 5: Once the dog is very comfortable there, start by walking in place and then take a step forward. Keep your hands in the proper position to continue to lure your dog forward. Watch the video for proper hand position. Your hands need to be pulling the dog forward, not putting him into a sit. Watch carefully, as this is the most common mistake. Takeaways: 1. Start by getting your dog used to this position, it may be uncomfortable at first. 2. Make it fun and short. 3. Lure the dog into the position. 4. Walk in place to get your dog used to the movement. 5. Slight pressure will get the dog used to the movement. * Once the dog gets this you'll be amazed how much he or she will be able to do.
Those of you who know me know how much importance I put on the little things in training. There’s a saying in the TAO “to know the little things in the big things, and the big things in the little things! Knowing and applying little tips can make a big difference in your obedience as well as solving other problems. See: online dog training This week I’ll share with you one of my favorite tricks, never shared before, on getting your dog into position cleanly and quickly. It involves using a prop, either an upside-down pot, bowl or even a brick! Let’s call it a prop here! Member Video Lesson Condition Before Training It will be nearly impossible to get a dog to just jump onto the pot or bow with their front feet and begin this exercise. You will need to spend some time conditioning the dog to having his front feet on the prop. Get one foot on, then the other and reward. That’s it. That’s all you should do for the first day or two or maybe even three! Step 1 Once the dog is comfortable with his front feet on the prop, start slowly moving in a counterclockwise direction. Small steps and big rewards for keeping front feet on the prop. Only one or two steps then reward. You don’t need to go all the way around for a while. Step 2 Go back and forth, in other words – clockwise and counterclockwise. Use small steps, lure the dog each way a few steps and reward. Some dogs, like Goofy, will get super excited with the food and exercise and you’ll need to keep your patience in check! Step 3 Once your dog is comfortable moving around the prop, start to fade the lure and see if the dog will do it without it. Get a couple of quick turns then reward the dog. The idea is to get the dog to follow your movement, not the treat. The treat simply gives the dog the target and the motivation to stay with you. Name It I like to put a name to all my exercises. If I ask Goofy, “Where’s your brick?” He will jump on it and be ready to go. Name your exercises for the benefit of your dog training skill and the “fun factor!” FUN FUN FUN As you know, the most important thing is to keep training fun. You won’t get very far if you have to FORCE your dog to do things. Instead, try to motivate and inspire your dog to enjoy the activity by making it fun! Takeaways Go SLOW... teach your dog one step at a time. Use lures to keep the dog focused on you and connected! Name the exercise. Teach small steps in each direction. DON’T only go one way. Fade the lure once your dog is following you easily Be patient. High drive dogs will get super excited and low drive dogs will be slow to catch on!
I was referred to Doug, and his beautiful Labrador Retriever Carlos, by a good friend. Doug was having problems with Carlos at dog shows where he would bark and lunge at other dogs, much to the disappointment of Doug. This also happened on walks and around town! I really thought that there would be some serious issues. Doug showed up with ecollar, prong collar and just about everything else. He said he had been using the ecollar to correct Carlos for this behavior. The first thing I always try to see when training a dog with these kind of issues is the relationship between dog and human. That, most often is the issue.... as was the case here. I think this video comes at a great time, because of all the controversy on the internet about using tools and how some people just resort to them. You'll see in my video that I, often times, will take tools away when not necessary - but I like them to be available. This one just broke down to a relationship issue and one that was easy for the dog to understand, once I was able to get Doug to see a clear picture. This is a two part lesson. This is day one and you'll see all the things we worked through at a public park with Carlos meeting so many dogs and people. He really is a great dog and Doug is a fantastic owner who is really dedicated to helping and training him! Take this lesson as a VERY valuable lesson in understanding how critical our energy and communication with our dog is! This one, and the one coming next is PURE GOLD!
Using Food Dispensing Toys Seeing as last week’s lesson covered a topic that requires some drive in a dog in order to perform the task, I thought I’d spend a lesson on building drive. In particular building drive on a dog with little to no toy drive…. Remember, there is always something a dog will work for. Dogs need to eat, so food is always an option. You may have to skip a meal or two in order to get your dog to work for food, but your dog will thank you. They are working animals and LOVE to work for food. In this video I introduce you to a great idea. A food dispensing toy. These are often called LOTUS Balls, but that is the brand name, there are others. Personally, I feel the lotus ball is the best one, it’s the one Janet and I use with our dogs and I would have no issue recommending it very highly for this purpose. Hiding the Food Some people may say, “Why not just throw the hot dog or cheese on the floor for your dog?” Great point and exactly what I’ve done for years. There are two issues with this: It makes a mess and distracts future training It’s not as much fun for your dog. For some reason, tearing open the Lotus ball makes the dog LOVE IT even more! Member Video Lesson To START Remember this is a strange object to your dog, so to start – show your dog the toy and let him watch you putting the treats inside. Then open it and give him the reward. Repeat this process several times. It took Goofy and Maya about 5-10 times to figure it out. NOW they LOVE IT! Put the treat into the toy while your dog watches. Open the toy and reveal the treat and let your dog take it. REPEAT. Now, hold the toy and let your dog start to open the toy to get the treat. ONLY NOW, throw the toy. If your dog has an issue, help him. Be patient because it’s worth the payoff. Various Uses There are a few different ways I like to use the Lotus Ball. I can hold it and lure the dog and reward the dog with it. I can hide it or throw it and send the dog to the reward. I can have an assistant hold the toy and surprise the dog with it. All uses can be beneficial in different situations. Remember to vary your rewards so that your dog doesn’t get tired of training. CAUTION There are two things I would caution you about: Don’t leave your dog alone with the lotus ball or any toy. They will try to eat the whole toy since it will smell like and taste like rewards. Don’t use the toy as a reward with other dogs around. This can cause a fight over a valuable resource. Takeaways There are various models available… Find the right one for your dog. ALWAYS teach your dog how to use the toy before putting into a training routine. Don’t leave the dog unattended with the toy. If your dog is not interested in treats as rewards, have the dog skip a meal or two and use the lotus ball filled with some of his favorite kibble. All dogs will work for food if they’re hungry. Help your dog learn the value of food by letting him work for it!
Puppy biting is one of the most concerning issues new puppy owners have. Quite often people fear that they have an aggressive puppy that will develop into an aggressive dog. This is hardly ever the case. However, understanding how to handle puppy biting will help you immensely. That is why I did this lecture to explain some of the important aspect to you! It may seem short on the outset, but the information contained in the lesson will really help you to better deal with your puppy! The points in this lecture are very to the point, but important to understand. The most important is to avoid using conflict or too much pressure with puppies. the biggest thing is patience. TAKEAWAYS:1. Puppies communicate with their mouths. Keep your face away from the puppy's mouth to avoid getting bit! Every puppy will bite, so prepare yourself. It usually lasts till the puppy is about a year old and is the worst during teething 14-16-18 weeks. 2. Give your puppy something to chew on such as bones, stuffed kong toys, frozen bananas, etc. If you don't give them something, they will choose something. 3. Your puppy needs rest, be sure he or she gets plenty of time in a quiet place such as a crate. This will teach your puppy to settle down and learn good manners. NEVER leave your puppy un-attended! 4. Teach your puppy from day one. This can be done with luring using his or her meals. Teach COME, DOWN, SIT, GO TO PLACE and MORE! 5. NEVER hit or yell at your puppy. He's doing the best he can. Be patient. If you need a break, put the puppy up and take a walk! Take a deep breath. This won't last forever!
Using them to Properly Reward and CORRECT Communicating with your dog is a simple thing, but if it’s not understood, it can lead to great confusion. Using marker words will make the process simple because this allows you a clear communication with your dog. You will use positive markers as well as negative markers. See: online dog training Using a marker shows the dog that the behavior he or she did is what you wanted (or also not what you wanted in a negative situation). You will have a clearer communication with your dog by taking out the over-explaining that people often do when training their dogs. Member Video Lesson The THREE Words I use YES, NO and GOOD, but you can pick any words you like. Basically it breaks down to this: YES – you did the correct behavior, here’s a reward, you’re done! NO- you did not do what I asked for, try again. GOOD – (the bridge word) you’re doing the right thing – keep doing it. YES Yes, is the positive marker, it “marks” the behavior as being what YOU wanted or asked for. I use yes as a mark and release. In other words, when the dog has done the behavior, I release him. TEACHING YES This is the most important part. If the dog doesn’t know what YES means, it has no value. So we will teach it like this: Stand in front of your dog and each time he or she looks at you, say YES and give them a small piece of treat. You’re teaching the dog that YES means something good is about to happen. YES is a very important word and it must be used more often than NO to ensure you and your dog have a happy relationship. NO NO is your negative marker, NO is more information for the dog. It means, you did NOT do what I asked and therefore I will withhold the reward. You might also add a correction, but by withholding a reward you are already adding a correction. Corrections should be added as follows: A verbal NO followed by a physical correction i.e. a tap on the leash/collar. GOOD This is where people sometimes get confused. Instead of saying DOWN and then STAY, I add a bridge word GOOD as a reinforcer. GOOD…. you’re doing what I want…. keep doing it. Later I will fade the bridge word and the dog will remain in the command. Listen to my intonation and I think you’ll see how easily the communication can work. I’ve done this with countless dogs from shelters, private clients and my own competition dogs and pets. It works great. WATCH – LISTEN – LEARN… this is super fun! RELEASE I release the dog on the marker word. Some people do it differently and have a separate release word like FREE. I prefer to keep it simple and limit the words that the dog needs to focus on. I don’t think it’s wrong to add a RELEASE word like FREE or YAY or OK, but I don’t do it. Takeaways Pick your words and stick to them. DON’T CHANGE THEM. Start by teaching your dog the positive word, YES. Duration comes slowly. Initially I reward the dog as soon as he does the command… Immediately! Keep communication clear and simple. Keep your training sessions short, especially early on!
Socializing a dog is a very misunderstood topic in the world of dog training. So much so that most people do it completely wrong. When I say wrong, I mean they truly believe that socializing means meeting every dog and every person they come across. This ultimately sets dogs up for failure. These dogs oftentimes end up neurotic, fearful and aggressive - basically anything but socialized. Carlos had some issues with lunging at dogs and acting a bit rambunctious around other dogs. Now, I will say that he doesn't do it in this lesson, but the lesson is a valuable one nonetheless. Doug and Carlos compete in dog obedience (and do quite well), but the real word stuff was a bit of a tussle. Be sure to check the previous lesson that we did together where we addressed his overall "free time " and how to trust Carlos to be a dog. When we carried that over to the socialization, it was awesome. I believe in not being overly nitpicky on dogs, because I think it makes them neurotic. I'm all for solid structure, a correction or two for acting out, but ultimately the dog needs to walk on a loose leash no matter where we are. Listen to the conversation on our walk, listen to what I explain to Doug and how I break down the overall mindset that I expect from the dog and I think it will give you a world of understanding on proper socialization.
Coming from a place of working with shelters and helping them save dogs, I know a bit about the right (and wrong) way to introduce dogs. Everything really boils down to the initial intro. Using the right technique gives dogs the best shot at getting along and making the most of it. A bad intro can prove disastrous and can also be nearly impossible to “make right.” The most common way people introduce dogs is just “letting them meet.” When it goes good its great, but when it doesn’t, it’s a big problem. Also, when you don’t know much about the dogs it can be dangerous for either, or both dogs. Dogs who meet nose to nose are more likely to snap at each other, and dogs that are let to meet on their own will often get in trouble when they go to sniff. I’ve used the “stacked intro” hundreds of times personally, and know it has been used countless times by people I’ve trained. Remember, shelter dogs are quite different because they don’t have an owner and may have some behavioral issues that landed them in the shelter in the first place. So in this online dog training lesson I want to show you how I suggest letting another dog meet your dog when others say, “Heck, just let them meet!” This is what I suggest and have had success at it countless times. *** disclaimer, not 100% of dogs get along with other dogs. You’ll still want to control your dog and work with someone controlling the other dog. Your safety first, the dog’s safety next! Member Video Lesson Step One Most importantly the intro should be facilitated by two people who can control the dogs. Step Two Watch the behavior of both dogs, if there are warning signs, don't go forward. This is used as a next step. If you see signs like lunging, fierce barking or anything else, STOP! Step Three Check to see if the dogs can be stacked. I do this be seeing if both dogs will let me put my arm through and touch them. Start by simply touching around the back leg areas. Dogs with hind quarter sensitivity issues may try to snap at you for reaching through. In this case use the "lured stack." Step Four Be aware that the dog sniffing can still snap at the back end of the stacked dog. It is the responsibility of the person handing each to to keep an eye on THEIR dog. I stress this in my lectures - Don't watch my dog, WATCH YOUR DOG! There is nothing you can do if your watching my dog and he does something wrong. You can only control your dog. You must have trust in the person you're working with! Takeaways from The Stacked Intro: Be sure you observe body language before attempting the stacked intro. If there are red flags, don't proceed. Keep the intro VERY SHORT. No more than 2-3 seconds. It's a sniff and goodbye. Be sure to keep your eyes on your dog and make sure your partner watches his or her dog! If a dog has a hind quarter issue, use the lured stack. Even if this goes well, use caution. This is no guarantee.
My use of the "dog treadmill" has certainly gained a lot of attention. From overwhelming positive to very very critical. In today's lesson I want to address everything basic about the treadmill. Why I use is, the kind of treadmill I use including features and most importantly how to get your dog / puppy used to the treadmill. There are many things to consider with the treadmill, namely the quality and price. I have a couple listed on our amazon store, but the one I use here is made by DogTrotter. This machine is hand made and the best quality.. it is however quite expensive. I've had this machine for over 10 years and would buy it again tomorrow.
The Binary Dog If you haven’t read my blog post on The Binary Dog or watched one of my lectures on it, I invite you to do so. My thought is that you’re (the dog) either doing what I want you to do or your not. That is it, black and white, yes and no, 1’s and 0’s. So when the dog does what I want he gets a reward, when he doesn’t he gets a correction. Getting a dog to understand that simple Yes and No principle and repeating it makes learning easy and fun for your dog. I’ve trained countless dogs with this system and it ALWAYS works. It doesn’t matter if I’m training for competitive obedience, pets or shelter dogs with severe issues, all dogs learn because its simple and clear. You’ll hear me talk about this in almost all of my lessons. The Bridge Word There is another word beside YES and NO that I use all the time and that is the word to continue a behavior. Let’s break this down simply: I lure the dog to a DOWN and the dog downs, I say YES and release the dog. The YES is the accomplishment of the task. YES, you’re done and you can do whatever you want. Sometimes I’ll throw the treat behind the dog to “release” the dog. I ask the dog to come and the dog lies down, I say NO and give the dog a pop on the leash or walk backwards. If the dog becomes stubborn, I can repeat my NO and continue. Once I’ve lured the dog into a DOWN and he learns the down command, I want him to stay there (and this is only early on) – I add the word GOOD. Good will be used for the continuation of anything I’m teaching him: it could be a SIT, DOWN, HEEL, BARK, STAND… anything! Good means, Keep Doing It. I can say YES, NO and GOOD multiple times because they are the information guidelines that the dog needs to know if he’s doing it right or wrong. It’s not the same as repeating SIT SIT SIT when you want the dog to sit. Commands are only repeated to teach the dog what the command is. Oftentimes I’ll put it with my bridge word because it makes it easier, for example; GOOD DOWN! Corrections are Not Punishment Now, we need to talk about corrections. Corrections are not punishments and I’ve talked about this over and over. When we correct a dog we are actually giving the dog more information. NO is a pathway to more information. Of course all of this comes after we have lured and shaped the behaviors we want. The very first thing we need to do in training our dog is build a relationship with them. Then we entice and reward them to do what we want them to do and then reward that behavior. Once that is handled we will move into the proofing phase. During this phase we need the dog to do what we ask with or without the reward. The key word here is reward – NOT BRIBE. Many people think they’re training the dog, but it all falls apart when there is no treat or toy present. We will talk a lot about that. Treat Training If the dog can do something with a reward present, but refuses , you’ve got a problem you need to fix. Positive only people, you know the ones that will never correct a dog, will rarely be able to move forward if a dog refuses or becomes stubborn. I’ve worked with some very stubborn dogs and they learned – and no, I didn’t beat them into submission. I simply found a better way to communicate with the dog – a way the dog clearly understood. I love a balanced training methodology. For those of you who don’t know, my background is in Japanese Martial Arts. My initial success in dog training came because I approached dog training the same way I approached martial arts. With a very ZEN mind. So, now that we’ve ironed out some of the basics, I hope you’re ready to get started. But I want to be clear on something early on, although there will be a lot of instruction here in my member’s section, I believe you can find a “how to” video on teaching your dog almost anywhere for free. What I hope to share with you is a different approach. A method of communicating better with your dog and making the training and the relationship more fun. I want you to LOVE training your dog, it should never be a chore. Takeaways Simple, clear and concise communication is the best way. Don’t expect a dog to know, show him. Don’t bribe a dog, show him what you want, then ask him to do it… THEN Reward! You must be in a calm mental place to train. Don’t bring your baggage to training. Part of the Most Common Training Questions. To watch related videos click here: https://robertcabral.mykajabi.com/products/membership/categories/2159730896/posts/2196213748
If you haven’t read my blog post on The Binary Dog or watched one of my lectures on it, I invite you to do so. My thought is that you’re (the dog) either doing what I want you to do or your not. That is it, black and white, yes and no, 1’s and 0’s. So when the dog does what I want he gets a reward, when he doesn’t he gets a correction. Getting a dog to understand that simple Yes and No principle and repeating it makes learning easy and fun for your dog. I’ve trained countless dogs with this system and it ALWAYS works. It doesn’t matter if I’m training for competitive obedience, pets or shelter dogs with severe issues, all dogs learn because its simple and clear. You’ll hear me talk about this in almost all of my lessons. The Bridge Word There is another word beside YES and NO that I use all the time and that is the word to continue a behavior. Let’s break this down simply: I lure the dog to a DOWN and the dog downs, I say YES and release the dog. The YES is the accomplishment of the task. YES, you’re done and you can do whatever you want. Sometimes I’ll throw the treat behind the dog to “release” the dog. I ask the dog to come and the dog lies down, I say NO and give the dog a pop on the leash or walk backwards. If the dog becomes stubborn, I can repeat my NO and continue. Once I’ve lured the dog into a DOWN and he learns the down command, I want him to stay there (and this is only early on) – I add the word GOOD. Good will be used for the continuation of anything I’m teaching him: it could be a SIT, DOWN, HEEL, BARK, STAND… anything! Good means, Keep Doing It. I can say YES, NO and GOOD multiple times because they are the information guidelines that the dog needs to know if he’s doing it right or wrong. It’s not the same as repeating SIT SIT SIT when you want the dog to sit. Commands are only repeated to teach the dog what the command is. Oftentimes I’ll put it with my bridge word because it makes it easier, for example; GOOD DOWN! Corrections are Not Punishment Now, we need to talk about corrections. Corrections are not punishments and I’ve talked about this over and over. When we correct a dog we are actually giving the dog more information. NO is a pathway to more information. Of course all of this comes after we have lured and shaped the behaviors we want. The very first thing we need to do in training our dog is build a relationship with them. Then we entice and reward them to do what we want them to do and then reward that behavior. Once that is handled we will move into the proofing phase. During this phase we need the dog to do what we ask with or without the reward. The key word here is reward – NOT BRIBE. Many people think they’re training the dog, but it all falls apart when there is no treat or toy present. We will talk a lot about that. Treat Training If the dog can do something with a reward present, but refuses , you’ve got a problem you need to fix. Positive only people, you know the ones that will never correct a dog, will rarely be able to move forward if a dog refuses or becomes stubborn. I’ve worked with some very stubborn dogs and they learned – and no, I didn’t beat them into submission. I simply found a better way to communicate with the dog – a way the dog clearly understood. I love a balanced training methodology. For those of you who don’t know, my background is in Japanese Martial Arts. My initial success in dog training came because I approached dog training the same way I approached martial arts. With a very ZEN mind. So, now that we’ve ironed out some of the basics, I hope you’re ready to get started. But I want to be clear on something early on, although there will be a lot of instruction here in my member’s section, I believe you can find a “how to” video on teaching your dog almost anywhere for free. What I hope to share with you is a different approach. A method of communicating better with your dog and making the training and the relationship more fun. I want you to LOVE training your dog, it should never be a chore. Takeaways Simple, clear and concise communication is the best way. Don’t expect a dog to know, show him. Don’t bribe a dog, show him what you want, then ask him to do it… THEN Reward! You must be in a calm mental place to train. Don’t bring your baggage to training. Part of the Most Common Training Questions. To watch related videos click here: https://robertcabral.mykajabi.com/products/membership/categories/2159730896/posts/2196183779
I’ve never made a video on jumping and I think understanding the basics of it can be very beneficial for anyone and every dog. First and foremost, NEVER EVER teach your dog to jump over a gate or a fence. This teaches bad habits that will be impossible to break later and could cost your dog his or her life. This video covers the intro to jumping. Although the video itself is relatively short, it contains a ton of info. Watch it a few times and I guarantee you’ll see things the second and third time that you missed the first time through. See: online dog training Member Video Lesson Make or Buy a Proper Jump: The one in this video is one I bought online for about $80USD, it’s a basic obedience jump you can order from J&J Dogs or any other online supplier. You can also make one out of wood or PVC pretty easily and inexpensively. Get Your Dog Comfortable Around it: This new object will arouse some suspicion to your dog. Let him sniff it, touch it and walk over and around it. If he’s nervous, make it fun and throw his favorite toy around until he’s used to it. STARTING OUT: First and most importantly, have your dog walk around the jump and over the bar while the bar is either on the ground or very, very low. Raise the bar to about the height of your dog’s knees to learn jumping. You’ll want to use a line early on to get the dog to go over, you may even have to help him over a few times with the leash. Try your best not to let the dog go “around” the jump. Make it fun and keep it light! The TARGET: The target should be a disc or paper plate or anything with a treat on it. Start with it kind of close, then move it further and further back as you see in the video. You’ll see where it needs to be as your dog will jump much more effortlessly when it is in the proper position. *You’ll need to make sure the target is in the right place behind the jump, but just as importantly, you’ll need to make sure that you are in the right place in front of the jump! Multiple Positions: I want my dog to be able to jump in a variety of positions relating to my position. Jumping with me next to him, dog moving away from me and coming back. Jumping toward me. Jumping across the jump with me standing next to the jump. These are the basics. I will make a few other videos on this topic as well as a problem solving one using another dog that is not too familiar with jumping…. MAYA! Takeaways No corrections or punishments for mistakes early on, it must be fun. Start low and work up on height. Learn your dog’s distance in front of and after the jump. Guide your dog carefully to jumping over the middle of the bar and returning the same way. Be cautious of your dog’s well-being, don’t overjump your dog.
The last lesson I posted with Karl and Jerome was the beginning to introducing the ecollar to Karl. As I mentioned, Jerome had suffered a double stroke and was at risk of losing Karl. Jerome had lost the strength on one side of his body and controlling a big, strong dog like Karl was proving difficult. Luckily we have the ability to utilize a tool like the ecollar and this tool will change everything for Karl and Jerome. We're using the ecollar as a remote control to do what a leash pop would do, and with Jerome's mobility impinged, this works beautifully. Watch this lesson and you'll understand my joy. I generally don't use the ecollar to call a dog off of another dog, but in this situation there are a couple of reasons why I felt it important. Jerome doesn't have the strength or speed to get to Karl if this should happen, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, Karl doesn't have any real issues with other dogs. So you might ask, why correct him at all? Because a dog like Karl could easily hurt another dog even in play, and that could prove disastrous for him. This lesson will give you some great insight on how I use the ecollar as a tool to teach off leash walking and a few other great lessons. I hope you'll enjoy it!
For those of you who were not aware, shortly after beginning training Karl with me - Jerome suffered a massive double stroke. He was hospitalized in serious condition for quite some time and lost the use of the right side of his body. Several people tried to talk Jerome into getting rid of Karl - I fought back with him. But... how would Jerome be able to handle a strong Rottweiler like Karl? After all, he had just rescued him a few weeks before the stroke and we had only begun training. Well, I had an idea. Our good friend Joey donated his ecollar to Jerome and we had a plan. This lesson will take it from there and give you an idea, not only how happy Jerome felt, but also how easily he was able to handle, train and work with Karl. Needless to say, these two are still together, better than ever! Thanks to the ecollar and some good training!
As many of you know, Jerome, my good friend, was the victim of a double stroke a few weeks before this video was shot. He was at risk of losing Karl and that broke his heart. We had just started training Karl a few months back, and then this stroke took Jerome by storm. I promised him I would not let anything come between him and Karl. But how could we do this, Jerome had lost most of the strength of one side of his body and Karl is still a strong dog. THAT is where the e-collar comes in. My friend gave Jerome and Karl an awesome ecollar as a gift and we began conditioning Karl to it. It was simple task and Karl took to it very well. This was the tool that would keep these two together. It was a lifesaver and game changer for a guy who loves his dog as if it were his own child. As you all know, I am a big advocate of keeping dog training free and open. PROSECUTE anyone who abuses a dog, but don't take away tools that can help. This is exactly one of those situations where this is so necessary. To some this may be a boring lesson, full of "not much going on," but others will see the value in that "nothing." A well behaved Rottweiler under the control of a guy who is struggling with building his own physical self. Jerome is a hero to me. He NEVER gave up. He has the determination of a super-human! Love this guy!
So, as I was looking through my computer, I realize that there was actually a day that Jerome and Karl and I shot that I misplaced. This is such a great lesson that I'm posting it, even though it may seem out of order here. The basic idea here is that you see Jerome and Karl really connect on so many levels. It really is a great lesson to watch and learn from. I cover the basics including: Engagement, COME, Loose Leash and Don't Jump... but beyond that it's a beautiful experience to see a person connect with their dog. This lesson will give you one of those all in one sessions where you will know EXACTLY where to begin with your new dog!
If there's ONE lesson that will give you all the information to train your puppy, this might be it. Session one was the lesson that laid the groundwork, and this one picks up where that left off. Here you'll see Mellow putting into practice what we learned on day one, as Ellen has been working on it with her. You can see even after one session the wheels are turning in that little brain. Training puppies is so much fun, and this shows it. Let me list for you all of the things that this lesson contains, but bear in mind, these lessons are structured to give you things to work on for an entire week or so. They are in NO WAY meant to be crammed into ONE training session. My goal with both my members and my in-person clients is to give you things take home and work on. This one lesson contains: NO-JUMP HARD MOUTH - SOFT MOUTH RECALL - teaching the come command! LEAVE IT NO-JUMP with a stranger walking by LEAVE IT pt.2 and 3 POSITIONS - SIT- DOWN -STAND luring and shaping BEGINNING STAY MEETING OTHER DOGS There is so much information in this one lesson that it could be a course in itself. You could take this ONE lesson and have enough material to train for a month. Take it slow, watch and absorb it, then choose which pieces you want to work on. Break it down, keep it short and fun!
As we continue our training with Siggy, I want to introduce TUG into the picture. Malinois are generally very apt to play tug and LOVE the game. However, there are some basic things we want to teach them. Most important will be a nice grip, how to hold the tug and how to win. Looking at Siggy, he is a softer than usual Malinois, which is ideal for the average owner. Siggy is about the sweetest Malinois I've ever seen - and Janet is in LOVE with him. So, for a dog like Siggy, he will need a little more help to become possessive over the toy. You'll see I develop that here. By building his possessiveness, he will hold onto the tug better. In part two of the lesson, I address good manners in meeting other dogs. In today's session Siggy gets to meet Max, another young puppy (Akita), Jimi our super. kind and friendly Labrador retriever and Goofy, my 11+ year old Malinois. Take a look at the different ways Siggy reacts to each of them. Keep this in mind when you are trying to introduce your puppy or dog to other dogs. This lesson will prove extremely helpful for those early lessons where you are trying to really. develop a training relationship with your dog.
Dogs with bad leash manners are always problematic. Even if their behavior isn't aggression, it can cause serious problems. Dogs that bark and lunge at other dogs (or people) even in a playful manner can trigger behaviors in other dogs that will get them in trouble. This is usually taught in early socialization. Behaving on leash and in the presence of other dogs will lead to a happy, balanced life. Cora is a really nice German Shepherd who did not learn her lessons properly, so we had a little work to do. In today's lesson you'll see how I help Cora and her mom and dad see the benefits of structure and clear communication.
Sometimes it's important to reflect back to our basics. I do it all the time, in life, personal workouts, as well as my dog training - whether with a client's dogs or my own dogs. Today's lesson deals with those basics on a leash. What leash do I prefer? What leash do I use for what purpose? What's the best way to hold a leash and so much more. As I mention in the lesson, there is a good reason to use different tools, namely for different circumstances. I touch on that in this video as well as much more. Sometimes a long line is better than a Flexi, sometimes vis a vis. My favorite leash for walking? I always opt for a 4ft leash, not a 6 ft. But I'll use a 6ft leash for training? I think you'll take a lot away from this lesson, and I think it will be a valuable tool for experienced handlers as well as brand new members. ENJOY! *** It's really important that you always check your leash and snap. They can get old and worn out. Just like you hope that a pilot gives the plane a once over before taking off, you should take a quick look at your leash - at least once a week to make sure!
Puppies that are not properly socialized can often end up with terrible leash manners. Truffles was rescued by Alex and Ana who booked a session with me to help better understand his issues. In this online dog training lesson, you'll join me for almost the entire session as we work through leash control, basic redirection, reward for paying attention, corrections for acting out and at the end we'll see the potential this puppy has. It's important to state that this lesson was filmed over the period of one session. In these sessions I evaluate and work on the training the dog needs to go through. What you're seeing with me is the potential of the dog, but that will depend on the owners putting in the work. It shows, this puppy can learn, but needs repetitive exposure and correct guidance. The corrections you see in this video are not harsh, personal or punitive punishment, but self corrections the dog receives because he is making bad choices. Teaching a dog right from wrong is one of the most important things we do for a dog. Member Video Lesson Steps to Correcting Leash Reactivity Engage the puppy to you. Be sure you're interesting and ready to give a reward for connection to you. Either praise or a food reward. The puppy corrects himself or herself at the end of the leash. There is no rough housing the puppy to correct. If the puppy isn't paying attention, allow the puppy enough leash to correct and walk 180 degrees / the other direction. Always use a long leash. This is much harder to do on a standard length leash Be sure the dog is wearing a secure collar. No corrections on harnesses. Keep your training session short. Always set the dog up for success and end on success. This training is best done in a controlled environment, not a good idea to try this on a street with other dogs and people too close. Best option is to avoid off leash dogs. You'll see the challenge I faced at this particular park. Takeaways: Practice at a safe distance from other dog. Use a long line and proper collar i.e. martingale. Set the puppy up for success by keeping training short. Don't be punitive, let the puppy correct himself and reward for compliance. Do NOT lure the puppy away from reactive behavior, reward the compliance!
Leash reactivity is a very common issue. Even when a dog doesn't follow through with aggressive behaviors, it is still a problem and can turn into aggression left unchecked. Over the past 10+ years I've dealt with hundreds of dogs who have this behavior, both as puppies and adult dogs. Countless shelter dogs have this as a primary reason for being dumped in shelters and many lose their lives over it. I take it very seriously. I think this week's online dog training lesson is going to help so many of you understand not only leash reactivity, but the proper timing of a proper leash correction. This weeks lesson brings you along on a lesson with me. I've worked with Ariel and his other dog before. He got Koda as a puppy but started noticing some behaviors with him on leash that made him uncomfortable. Koda would become quite reactive to other dogs on leash and the behavior wasn't getting much better. Some people would see this as aggression, but I see it as displaced prey drive. I will post occasional lessons bringing you along, especially with cases like this. What you will see here is the timing and intensity that I deliver in a correction. Remember, the correction must be properly suited to the infraction. That is really the most important thing. Being too hard on a correction can be damaging to a dog's spirit and not correcting hard enough will not serve as a strong enough message. All of you know that I believe correcting a dog for bad behavior is critical. I'd like to explain why correcting for this behavior is critical. Dogs that act like bullies (even though it's playful) will eventually land themselves in trouble. Either they will develop more and more into frustration, they will meet a dog that doesn't see it as playful and bites them or they will scare a person. Bad manners are bad! Being rude is not acceptable. You'll see in this video where Ariel and Koda start and how nicely the lesson gets the message across to Koda and his behavior at the end. This is not a one time fix. Correcting this behavior will take constant repetition over several weeks. It is worth the effort. But you gotta be steadfast in your approach. Thank you Ariel for sharing this lesson with me and all of us! Member Video Lesson Steps to Correcting Leash Reactivity: Make sure the dog has a good understanding that he should look at you. The dog should have a solid SIT or DOWN. Obedience should be taught in the absence of distractions. Don't teach your dog obedience in a stressful environment. Bring the dog toward the distraction and suddenly turn and walk away before your dog reaches the end of the leash. The dog correcting himself at the end of the leash will serve to redirect his focus to you. I move a step or two closer each time. I re-introduce the dog to the stimuli quickly, fairly and with firm redirection / correction. Your goals is to get the dog to see you as more important and more interesting than the other dog. Getting this handled early gives you a good chance of nipping possible aggression in the bud! Takeaways: Teach your dog obedience void of distractions. Be sure your dog is clear and solid on obedience BEFORE you introduce the distraction. Turn 180 degrees (opposite direction) BEFORE your dog reaches the end of the leash. Your goal is to always maintain a loose leash. Don't feed your dog treats to LURE him away. This may only make it worse. A fair, well times correction will help your dog clearly understand what you are asking for.
Here we are at Lesson #9 for Siggy and he has come a long way. The biggest thing that I want to point out is his confidence. I see that not only in his obedience, which is part 2 of this lesson - but MAINLY in his tug play. He was very nervous and skeptical for the most part of the training. I can assure that is almost 100% genetic, but here's where nurture can help nature. With consistent training and great experiences, his confidence level is getting better and better! I started this lesson out with play, which I feel builds the dogs confidence and desire to engage. Playing cna be a fun way to start the session if you want to get the dog into drive. Food will not always do that. You will need to see what you're dealing with and what medium of interaction / reward will suit the dog and the situation best. This is a shorter lesson, but I cut it short because of the great success that Siggy had here. The bigger mistake is to train until stuff starts going wrong. If you can end on success - cut your session short and pick it up later in the day or the next day! Don't Train to Failure.
Logical Solutions Easy for Both Dog and Human I think that getting a dog to walk on a loose leash and enjoy their walk is one of the most frustrating things that owners face. There are countless issues that go into it from the do’s prey drive, tight leashes, distractions, bad manners and a host of other things. In this lesson, one of our longest ever, 30+ minutes - I discuss most every aspect of building a nice leash walk. PLEASE NOTE – This lesson should be approached over several days / sessions. PLEASE, do NOT make this a one lesson training. Your dog needs to learn the various aspects of this training. See: online dog training Some of you may have seen the other lesson that I did with Maya on this topic, and as I mention in the video, there are different approaches that work with different dogs. Not every dog is the same. So examine the videos and see what works best for your dog. Be consistent once you find your way and be patient with your dog. Member Video Lesson Step One Start with the understanding that the space next to you must be pleasurable for your dog. If the dog is receiving corrections next to you, he will NOT want to be there. That is the simple premise to understanding this lesson. The pleasure comes close to you, the discomfort or correction comes when the dog is away from you. This can only be achieved with a long line. Step Two Use a long line. The long line should be 10-15 ft / 3-5 meters in length. Step Three: Teach the dog “leash pressure” early on so he understands how to avoid this pressure or “turn it off.” We do this with any corrective collar. Give the dog the information he / she needs. Right Turns Right, about turns – very abruptly, will teach your dog to pay attention to you. There is no need for lots of talking, it’s all about space and pressure. Be careful to keep the dog from getting tangled up in the leash. Watch my “double belly” long line technique. The long line should be transparent to the dog until it corrects. Remember, the dog is correcting themselves. Left Turns Left turns, which turn you into the dog are a powerful tool to teach your dog to keep a little distance and not to creep forward. They should be used sparingly to prevent the dog from forming a negative association to you. Takeaways The space near you is pleasurable. Corrections happen at the end of a long line. Reward the dog for what you want – being next to you! Leash pressure helps the dog understand what you want from him! Left turns will slow the dog from getting in front… but… Right about turns will also correct lunging and pulling. ALL CORRECTIONS HAPPEN ON A LOOSE LEASH!
Parts 1 & 2 This video is another one of my most popular from YouTube that I combined into one lesson (from 2 separate videos on YouTube). Getting a dog to walk on a loose leash is not a tough task if it’s approached correctly, but usually many mistakes are made that are hard for the dog to unlearn. In this long video I show you every example of mistakes that dogs make in learning this lesson - not to mention the mistakes people make. Member Video Lesson Don’t Get Too Close The most common presumption that people make is thinking that they have to get the dog to walk right next to them right away. The problem then becomes correcting the dog. You start popping the leash or yanking the dog and all of these corrections come from you (at least the dog sees it like that). So, you say, “Who else is going to correct the dog?” Simple, the leash. Stay with me on this. Close vs. Distance If your dog is right next to you when you pop that leash, he “personalizes” the corrections and it can cause a conflict in the dog’s mind. This conflict prevents the dog from “wanting” to be next to you because being next to you has aversion. The idea is to correct the dog for being away from you. To teach that simply, we start with a long line, preferable 12 feet or so. 10-15’ lines are sold at pet stores and on amazon. Click here. The Long Line By using a long-line the dog receives corrections at the end of the line. First of all, let the dog be at a certain distance away and only correct the dog when they go beyond that distance. The leash pops that come at the end of the leash give the dog the option to get away from the correction by moving closer. This is what we want. Image of a long line. optimal size is 10-12' to start training. Linked above! Teach the dog being away from you is unpleasant! Being next to you is very pleasant! Make the Dog Chase YOU Instead of “forcing” the dog to be next to you, reward them for being next to you. Rather than pulling the dog into you, walk away from the dog and when the dog follows you, reward! I use treats to reinforce the dog’s good decision. It doesn’t need to be all the time, but you need to make sure the dog knows when they are doing something you like. Food or praise is a great way to do that. Dogs will naturally chase what moves away from them. If that is you, you’ve solved ½ the battle. I make 180 degree turns - that means ABOUT turns to get the dog to make sharp turns toward me. The idea is that your dog will keep an eye on you. This will prevent the tight leash syndrome. The only reason the dog has a tight leash is because they know where you are by the pressure on the leash. Dogs Want to Walk with YOU If you are a strong enough person or are interesting enough, your dog should want to be with you. Remember, dogs are pack animals. Separating themselves from the pack is outside of their realm of normalcy. You must be fair yet strong enough to maintain your position. Your walk should be fun and interactive, at least in the beginning, to form this habit. Correct your dog if he pulls on the leash, but don’t hold onto the frustration. If you are frustrated, your dog will feel it and not want to be around it. I use a 4ft leash for my normal walks and always opt for a choke chain or at the very least a martingale collar. Takeaways ALWAYS start by using a long line. Let the dog learn that getting close to you only brings rewards. Reward the dog when he follows you and the leash is loose. ALWAYS reward the dog using praise or treats. Rewards are always delivered from the side the dog is on. It’s customary to walk dogs on our left side Using pops on the leash teaches a dog that loose leash walking is our preference. Never let your dog drag you or keep tension in the leash.
The Very First Day! It’s not uncommon that I get messages from members that “It’s not working…”. This usually is during the frustration mode (from the viewer) and the confusion mode of the puppy or dog. This is an older video that I’ve never shown before but want to share it with you because I think it’s extremely valuable if you’ve ever been frustrated with your puppy. The video / lesson is broken down into 3 segments that were shot separately. You’ll see in the very first one Duane is pretty clueless as to what I want. So, I let him figure it out with a little help using luring with food. The key thing here is to be very patient. Member Video Lesson Let the Puppy Be a Puppy: Whether you’re training a puppy or an adult dog, be patient in the initial phases. No need to strive for success, all I want here is engagement. If the dog / puppy runs away, let him, then call him back. During this phase, in a very controlled environment, like my yard, I let the puppy have fun. Then I’ll add a long line. Right now, I’m building a relationship and that will be built around run training games. Use Yummy Treats: Whatever is the dog’s favorite thing to eat, I use. That can be hot dogs, string cheese, kibble, jerky…. Anything. It doesn’t matter what I use… figure out what your dog LOVES and get it! Keep the Game Going: Keep it fun, engaging and keep it going…. But not too long. I would limit these sessions to about 5-8 minutes MAX! Do a bunch throughout the day, but keep it short! Luring for Success: Lure what you want and what you want it to look like. I like to lure the dog into the positions of DOWN, STAND and SIT. I also do a little spinning in between to get the dog to bring his or her drive back up. If the dog is confused, move the dog… or puppy. Takeaways It’s a game – have fun. Keep it engaging and happy. Be patient. Be positive. Don’t push the puppy. Do several sessions throughout the day!
So, in this lesson I wanna just bring you along on a training routine with both of my dogs. I usually try to do a few sessions like this a week now since both Goofy and Maya are retired. If I was actively training or still doing competition this is what my daily training regiment would look like. In the lesson you'll see how I engage during training, how I correct and reward and how I structure the session. I thought you might enjoy this since so many of the lessons really have been more structured lately. Just getting out and having fun with your dog during training is what it's all about. I really want too tress this for you.... getting out and having fun is what it really should be all about. Enjoy this video: first part with Goofy and part 2 with Maya. You'll see that Maya definitely present more of a challenge than training Goofy, but I love them just the same. You'll be able to learn how I handle the challenges with Maya over training with Goofy and I am 100% aware that not every dog is "the most trainable dog in the world." Right now we are preparing a special new section here in the member's area that follows Siggy and Max along on their training from day one all the way through almost 1 year. this really will be the highlight of this site because these two dogs are so different. Max is more stubborn and lower drive, Siggy is higher drive and more suspicious. Each presents challenges that you may see in the dog that you are training, and seeing their progress and hurdles will guaranteed help you along on whatever issue you're facing. The lessons here in the member section will include the entire daily / weekly training session (the YouTube version will. only address one part of the lesson). So you will see the training as well as the structure of how I work each lesson. COMING REALY SOON! For now, enjoy a fun training with Goofy and Maya!
In last weeks lesson you met LJ a super cool Schnauzer whose mom and dad brought him over for an evaluation session with me. In that lesson you saw some work on engagement. In this week's online dog training lesson we'll deal with a little issue that LJ has, and that is manners when first meeting another dog. One of the biggest dangers that people face with their dogs is meeting other dogs. And, even though a dog might "be friendly," if they come across like this, the other dog may start a fight. We want to set this straight right away. Leash reactivity or aggression is a very common issue and one that is relatively simple to handle... IF you know what to look for. In this lesson I address the issue with John and Kandice and LJ's demeanor changed dramatically - almost like magic. This isn't complicated, but it does take understanding the situation from the dog's point of view. This lesson addresses exactly what you need to look for. Although I've addressed this in a couple of other lessons, its always good to see it again and again and with different people and dogs. The information contained in this lesson is critical to understand, not only to correct the issue, but also to prevent the issue from happening the first place. Member Video Lesson Steps to Solving Leash Frustration: The most critical step in solving leash frustration is to look at it from your dog's point of view FIRST. Your dog want to either go and play with or fight with the dog across the park. If he hasn't been exposed to seeing other dogs around him, and his response to that being trained, his natural reaction will be to bark and lunge. Preventing that from becoming aggressive and / or dangerous will entail his experiences. if he has good experiences, he will more than likely be good, if the experiences are negative he may end up becoming aggressive. Give your dog a chance to experience other dogs at a distance while he is training, walking or having fun with you. Too Close - Too Soon is BAD! Give your dog a job to do instead of telling him what NOT to do! ALWAYS work to keep the leash / line loose and correct on a loose line with a pop. Don't scold a dog, in particular when the dog is looking at you. Correct when the dog ignores you, REWARD for compliance. Corrections are information and are not personal. Make sure your dog knows that he or she may not just meet any dog they want. AND YOU, be careful on the dogs your dog is allowed to meet. Not all dogs are friendly and your #1 goal is positive associations and introductions. Only let your dog meet dogs that you know are safe. Always teach your dog that he must pay attention to you and meet dog after being calm. Takeaways for Leash Frustration: Socialize young dogs with safe dogs and control the interaction. Tell your dog what to do, "SIT" "DOWN"- Don't tell your dog what NOT to do, "DON'T DO THAT", "KNOCK IT OFF." Use a long line when possible and correct at the END of the leash. Correct with a pop on the leash. REWARD for compliance. Don't scold your dog. Your dog doesn't need to meet every dog.
One of the hardest things to teach a dog to do is to be calm when there are distractions. Here we challenge Max the Akita to do just that. I am a stickler when it comes to dominant breeds being under control. Too often we hear the horror stories of people's dogs getting hurt by a dominant dog who cannot be controlled. I have worked with countless strong, willful and dominant dogs, as well as having owned several - they MUST be under control. Max is not an easy dog and for most people he would be way too much dog. As Joey, one of my closest friends, learned - we have to take control on a dog like Max. As you'll see near the end of this video, Max had more distractions than just the flirt pole, Siggy was also close by testing him.
Here on day 5 I start adding several things to the lesson to keep it interesting for Max. We've introduced most of the basics already, but as you may or may not have encountered, based on the dog you have, dogs don't always remember everything you've shown them. Today we start out with some fun exercises including a fun RECALL, DOWN and more, but I also talk about fading the lure / treat, introducing distractions such as other dogs moving and the prong collar. This is a very in-depth lesson that will touch on many things that puppy owners will encounter. The key take away from this lesson, and all of the Max lessons is that Max is a more stubborn dog than many of the others you'll see. This will take more patience and more perseverance. If you have a dog like this, you will really appreciate these lessons and the good hard work that my good. friend Joe does with Max!
Welcome back to our puppy series with Max the Akita. This is lesson 6 and today we're going to touch on "fading the lure" whether that is a treat or hand signal or a toy. We need our dogs to know that they will be rewarded, but they should perform the command when asked. We use the lure with a treat to condition the behavior, but then must fade them so our dog doesn't become overly reliant on them. This is a great lesson to see how we start this process with Max, who we have followed along since lesson one. Be sure to check the other 5 lessons on Max as well as the complete series with Siggy the Malinois. This is a great way to see the progress and problems step by step.
It's been a little while since I updated the Ultimate Puppy Series, so let's get back to it with Max. As you can see, Max is coming along nicely, but he is still Max and he is, after all, an Akita. The beauty in this series is that you can see the difference between training a dog like Siggy and a dog like Max. In this session we teach Max a short engagement routine to build some engagement to Joey. This is a great little trick you cna do with your dog. It doesn't have to be what I show here, it can be any 3-5 things just strung together. Something to get your dog into the mindset to train. Once we get Max engaged we get to the training and we cover the send away, stay and stay with a big distraction, the Duane O Mator. Never add distractions to your dog's training if he hasn't mastered the skill without distractions. Enjoy the lesson and be sure you watch this series in order.
This is a new series that I'm launching, The Puppy Series. I've invited two friends with puppies, about the same age, but very different in personality and drive. We will follow them along through all of their training. Week by week, their accomplishment and set-backs. I think this will be an awesome way for you to learn. In this lesson, meet Max, aka Maximus, an Akita that is owned by my good friend Joey, an amazing fitness coach and all around good guy. He has had several Akitas over the years, but with Max, he decided to do some formal obedience training and you'll get to follow along with an overall unique and somewhat stubborn breed. You always see me with higher drive dogs, so lets see if we can get a dog like an Akita to understand obedience. The other dog you'll meet later, Siggy a very cute and fun Belgian Malinois puppy. Both unique! But I think showing you this contrast in puppies will give you a great insight into training your puppy! This is a very long and detailed lesson. If you are using it to train your puppy, watch it a few times. I explain all the basics in the video lesson including: engagement, down, teaching the puppy his name, how to socialize your puppy, leave it and the MOST important one - RECALL. TAKEAWAYS:1. With puppies, the most important thing is to be PATIENT. Look how long it took me to get Max to understand the DOWN command. I offered help, but remained patient. I left all the waiting and set-backs in for you to see. 2. Celebrate the successes. Throw a party when the puppy gets it. 3. Keep training short. 4. Keep moving. Movement relieves stress in dogs, and humans too! 5. Always use a long line on your puppy!
As we follow Max, the Akita, along his training, today I bring to you lesson #2. This is exactly one week later and Joey has been doing his homework. Max is engaging better and it's time to start adding more into the lessons. Today we add the PLACE command, reinforce the HERE or COME and then start to work with Max's positions of STAND, DOWN and SIT. I also talk about proper corrections. The interesting thing in this series is the differences you'll see working with a green puppy who is a bit stubborn compared to a dog like Goofy or a puppy like Siggy, as a young, higher drive Malinois. I think these lessons are some of the most valuable lessons here. Getting these basics understood by the puppy will go a HUGE way to making the puppy into a good dog! Remember, everything you see here taught to the puppy is something you can teach to a dog at any age! This lesson is quite long and contains a lot of information. I would prefer if you could break this up into a few lessons for yourself. There's enough information in this one video lesson to keep you busy for a few weeks. Don't over-push your dog. Take your time and be fair to your dog. The exercises in this video contains things you'll be doing for the next several months with your puppy. In the final part of this lesson, I introduce Max to Jimmy, our black Labrador retriever who is a perfect neutral dog to introduce a puppy to. I STRESS that you only introduce your puppy to neutral or safe dogs. Positive experiences are the key to success in getting a puppy to develop into a well balanced dog! This video really explains everything in detail. Between my dialogue with Joey, the demonstration and the corrections, I think you'll be able to learn most everything from this lesson without much need for any text. Just a few things to remember: Always be fair to your puppy. Be patient and let your puppy tell you when he or she has had enough. Keep your puppy on a long line unless you are in a completely fenced in area. Only ever introduce your puppy to dogs you know are totally safe or completely neutral. Watch Jimi. Your training sessions should be short, fun and always end on a good note!
I generally think that a client and their dog have a connection and a pretty good understanding by the 10th session we do. We're coming up to that lesson and you can see that Ellen is really connecting better with the training with Mellow and understanding where the mistakes are. REMEMBER, there will always be mistakes no matter where you are in your training. The key becomes recognizing them faster and fixing them. So the things that once were strange become more natural, your communication opens and it all starts to make sense. That's the best part of the job. Now, it's really important to understand that after the 10th session we've only just begun. Training will be a process that takes a long time and will continue for the life of the dog. But the point that the dog and person connect is put into place. In this session we focus a bit more on the PLACE command, something I start teaching day 1! We can also now focus on the STAY, which is something that I don't teach young puppies because it can be stifling and confusing. The basics of SIT and DOWN come into place and the BBBIIIIGGG piece is learning that we're not always luring, but we can start rewarding. That comes through how we deliver the rewards. The last two parts of the lesson are a great insight. First we take Mellow's first walk on the street and you'll see my basic theory for that and then we talk about some basics that I consider important for being a responsible dog owner and protecting my puppy! I hope you enjoy this series as we draw close to the last lesson. ONE MORE TO GO!
The great thing about these series videos is that you get to see the evolution of training unlike any other lessons. It's one thing to see a dog or puppy learning something in a video and at the end of the video it's perfect. Then you try it and get stuck over and over agin. The truth is that it takes multiple repetitions over multiple weeks to really get the information across to your dog. This series really helps you understand that and keep you on track. I think these lessons are the backbone of this site and help people like nothing else. I love watching the progress of each and every dog I train, and seeing it on video makes the process even more enjoyable. In this lesson we continued to focus on those basics that will evolve into everything we want our puppy to know. This lesson includes the RECALL, NO JUMP, STAY, meeting OTHER DOGS, DISTRACTIONS, LOOSE LEASH WALKING and LEAVE IT. These are all the basics we want our dogs to know. I enjoy mixing them all into a lesson so the dog will have a solid understanding of the process and then we can break it down in the sessions on other days. Remember this is only 4 lessons / 4 weeks into the training and look at the amazing results we're seeing with Ellen and Mellow!
As with all of our training, there's always a need to review. I tend to review often with my puppies because that will help them really cement what they know. It also gives me a chance to see what they are remembering and what I need to help them learn better. Currently, as I write this, I'm sitting in a hotel about 3 miles from where my house stood. We lost our home and everything in it doing the recent fires. Luckily I grabbed my computer, or else there would be no lessons. I have so many lessons saved that it would have been a catastrophe ... thanks God I grabbed the computer. The reason I write this is to show you that even I have emergencies here training is not possible. For the past few weeks formal training has been tough, although this last week I've been back at it. But for two weeks, I had to make do with just a little something here and there. Then when I got back to training, we spend a day or two reviewing what I thought he knew - some things he did - others required some more labor. No problem, that's all part of the game. In this video with Ellen and Mellow, Ellen had taken a few weeks off, and you'll see how quickly Mellow jumps right back into it! This lesson should really help almost everyone who is training their dogs, take your time and always review to make sure you're on track with your puppy!
One of the best features that I've incorporated into this site is these continuing lessons with the various dogs. It really gives you an insight into the week by week progress (or lack thereof). The reason I say this is because people are often let down by the progress their dog is making in training. They become frustrated and disappointed. I really understand this, especially now with my puppy. BUT, I want to tell you something... I'm really enjoying the slow progress. I'm enjoying seeing things connect and being patient. I wasn't always like that, but this time it's different. I want to enjoy each step of the way. This is Ellen and Mello's 5th lesson and you can see the changes starting to happen. Now, Ellen is not a dog trainer, but she's owned many dogs. This is the first time she's taken training this seriously... and I really admire that! Look at the great progress that Mellow is making and you're seeing it right before your eyes. I can't say that she is 100% dedicated to training every day as I might be, after all she is quite busy with her personal life. But dogs can learn a lot from a little bit of focused training. In this lesson we introduce Mellow to a better focus by using "mouth rewards", we work on staying close while walking, we enforce our recalls with "restrained recalls" and a whole lot more. I urge you to stay dedicated to your training. It only takes a few minutes a few times a day. Altogether less than an hour a day can make a HUGE difference.
Fun with Tug Tug is not only a fun game to play with your dog, but it also benefits your relationship with your dog tremendously. If your dog will play tug with you, you will have a bond with that dog like none other. I will state on the outset that not EVERY dog will play tug. If your dog won’t, forcing them will not work. In this lesson I want to show you some ways to teach your dog the game and learn the skills to make it fun. Most working dogs and herding dogs will love the game and benefit greatly from it. You’ll see in this online dog training video how much Goofy loves it. Tug does involve a fight drive in the dog. The dog must want to engage in this “play fight” with his or her person. Some dogs, like our Jimi would never play tug (and trust me I’ve tried). Give it a try and see what you think. Member Video Lesson Step One For the game of tug to work, the dog must have some frustration to increase his “desire” to bite and hold the toy / tug. The biggest mistake people make it pushing the tug into the dog’s mouth. Think of it this way. The tug is the rabbit…. the rabbit never EVER runs into the dog’s mouth. It is the act of the rabbit running away that brings out the dog’s prey drive, his desire to chase the rabbit, grab it and (sadly) kill it. That is the game of tug. it’s a delicate line with a green dog how much to frustrate the dog. Too much may turn him off – too little may make for an uninteresting game. Step Two One way that you can build a little more frustration into the dog is to hold him back from the toy. Although I didn’t include it in this video, I will have someone holding the dog back using a long line and a harness. You should NEVER hold the dog back from the tug with a prong collar or choke chain. I would only do it using a harness. Step Three A few misses before the bite will make it more interesting for the dog and will get you a better and more committed bite. Step Four Outing the tug is a science. You don’t want to make it aversive, because then the dog won’t want to re-bite, but you have to get the toy back. In the video I offer some good advice. You must know your dog. There are essentially a few ways to out the dog: hold the tug still until the dog outs push the tug forward into the dog’s mouth lift the dog off of the tug by means of a harness or flat collar Takeaways Always grip the tug to avoid the dog biting the ends of the toy. Teach the dog to bite properly early on. Balance the amount of pressure your dog needs to tug. Be sure the dog wins by letting him pull you as much as you pull him. Misses build more frustration and frustration gets a better grip.
Part of the Most Common Training Questions. To watch related videos click here: https://robertcabral.mykajabi.com/products/membership/categories/2159730896/posts/2196201518
Part of the Most Common Training Questions. To watch related videos click here: https://robertcabral.mykajabi.com/products/membership/categories/2159730896/posts/2196201520
Part of the Most Common Training Questions. To watch related videos click here: https://robertcabral.mykajabi.com/products/membership/categories/2159730896/posts/2196201523
Part of the Most Common Training Questions. To watch related videos click here: https://robertcabral.mykajabi.com/products/membership/categories/2159730896/posts/2196201525
Part of the Most Common Training Questions. To watch related videos click here: https://robertcabral.mykajabi.com/products/membership/categories/2159730896/posts/2196201535
Part of the Most Common Training Questions. To watch related videos click here: https://robertcabral.mykajabi.com/products/membership/categories/2159730896/posts/2196201536
Part of the Most Common Training Questions. To watch related videos click here: https://robertcabral.mykajabi.com/products/membership/categories/2159730896/posts/2196201537
Part of the Most Common Training Questions. To watch related videos click here: https://robertcabral.mykajabi.com/products/membership/categories/2159730896/posts/2196201540
Part of the Most Common Training Questions. To watch related videos click here: https://robertcabral.mykajabi.com/products/membership/categories/2159730896/posts/2196201542
Part of the Most Common Training Questions. To watch related videos click here: https://robertcabral.mykajabi.com/products/membership/categories/2159730896/posts/2196201543
Part of the Most Common Training Questions. To watch related videos click here: https://robertcabral.mykajabi.com/products/membership/categories/2159730896/posts/2196201545
Part of the Most Common Training Questions. To watch related videos click here: https://robertcabral.mykajabi.com/products/membership/categories/2159730896/posts/2196201549
Part of the Most Common Training Questions. To watch related videos click here: https://robertcabral.mykajabi.com/products/membership/categories/2159730896/posts/2196201552
Part of the Most Common Training Questions. To watch related videos click here: https://robertcabral.mykajabi.com/products/membership/categories/2159730896/posts/2196201558
Getting your dog motivated involves lightening up your energy. In this lesson, I work with Yossi and Siggy to put some more "umpfff" into their training. I think this is an invaluable lesson for almost EVERY person. We cover a host of exercises including: heeling, focused heeling, basic obedience and we end up working on Siggy's STAND. It's a fun lesson and I think you're gonna love it. Remember that the fun you build into training will enhance both your relationship as well as the way it looks to everyone else.
Building a solid and reliable RECALL or COME command takes a basic understanding of how a dog thinks. You must make the act either very pleasurable or the avoidance of the command quite un-pleasurable. Now, that might sound a bit harsh, but your dog's desires are trigged by some basic things... Pleasure and pain, actually just like all of us. Pain doesn't necessarily need to be physical, it can be withholding of a treat, affection or other things. BUT, remember, if your dog doesn't listen to you when you call him and he runs into the street and gets hit by a car, THAT will be serious physical and emotional pain for both of you. I make the act of coming / recall very pleasurable and exciting in my dog's eyes. I also make his blowing me off, or choosing not to obey, un-pleasurable. It is the rare case I have to physically correct a dog it sends a message and that message usually lasts for most of the dog's life. The RECALL is the single MOST important thing you will teach your dog! In this video lesson I address the basics to a motivational recall. How to do it, understanding what makes it work and showing the basic corrections. I'd like to state, that, as you will hear, Nancy had a VERY scary incident a few days before our lesson. She almost lost OZZY when he WOULDN'T listen to her. I hope this lesson will help Nancy and help many of you. By the end of this session Ozzy was very motivated and inspired to COME when Nancy called - with continued training, I think Ozzy will do well. This was a very inspiring and exciting lesson. Steps: When it comes to building a solid recall we have to FIRST and FOREMOST make it fair and make sure that our dog understands that recalling / returning to us is in his or her best interest. In order to build a solid recall we Inspire and motivate the dog to come. We do this by rewarding the dog in our presence. The more fun it is to be with us, the more the dog will want to be with us. I try to avoid obedience, such as SIT, DOWN, etc when the dog comes to me. The dog should be taught these things separately. COMING is the ultimate reward. If your dog is slow to recall, run away from your dog - be sure to run BACKWARDS... that means facing your dog. This will inspire him to come. You're using your dog's natural prey drive to CHASE you! If the dog opts not to come, run away and then pop the dogs leash until the dog starts to come. Immediately praise and continue running. Do not nag the dog on the leash too close to you. Remember, being close to you MUST be a reward... no nagging! Takeaways Always use a long line or a flexi-leash to teach the recall. Motivate the dog by running away and backwards. Use your dog's name to get him or her to look, then run. Short pops n the leash will motivate the dog to come if your movement alone doesn't. DO NOT ask your dog to SIT or DOWN when recalling. That will come later.
No matter how many times you work on the basics, there's always something to look at. I see this now training my new puppy Schmuley. I look at countless videos, of others and myself and am always able to gain something. This was Debra and Murrow's third session and I think they did great. There are a few things to polish up on, but that is always the case. This video should give you all a good encapsulation of common mistakes that you may be making as well. Usually our timing is off and that can lead to a communication breakdown with our dog. I think the most important thing to remember is that training is not something that we do and are done with, instead it's something we do every day. I can tell you that with Schmuley, we are only beginning and looking at the very tip of the training and I've trained him every single day (sometimes multiple times a day) for over two months. Be very patient with your dog. If you're like me, then the training is something you absolutely love and look forward to. I did this with Goofy and Maya, there was always something to work on -and I LOVE that!
This online dog training lesson gives you a peek into my feeding ritual with my dogs. How your dog sees the feeding time in your home is how your dog sees you. This is often one of the most overlooked aspects of dog ownership. Everything in your dog’s eyes relates to his survival and that is a direct reflection of how his food is given to him. Some people just let the dog eat whenever they want as in free feeding, others just throw the food down. I believe in structure at feeding time and in this video I give you an insight, behind the scenes, what it looks like in my kitchen at feeding time. Member Video Lesson Step One I prefer to have my dog in the room with me when I am preparing their food. I want them to look up to me during this time. This means, no jumping on me, no barking and no pushing me for food. I don’t give them any treats during this time, I expect them to be patient during this time. They can play with each other, but they can’t push me. Step Two There is no sharing food. Everyone gets their own food bowl and that is it. Once everyone finishes (walks away from their bowls), I can either pick up the bowls or let the dog peek into the other bowls. I allow this if there is no food aggression, if there is, I suggest picking up the bowls immediately. *I highly suggest that you work on counter-conditioning for food aggression early on and stay on top of it. My dogs know I am in charge and aggression is NOT tolerated. Step Three Everyone needs good manners before, during and after feeding. At any time I can reach into their bowls, take food away, give more food or move the dogs. I don’t often do this because I feel it unfair, but occasionally I reach into one or tow of their bowls. I can do this because I’ve taught structure in every part of their lives. Takeaways Your dogs are not allowed to bother you during feeding. Use a crate to confine them if they are too pushy. They are not allowed to jump, bark or push me. I don’t interact much with the dogs during meal prep. You decide when they eat and where they eat. Don’t free-feed. Structured feeding is very important to dogs.
This is a crucial lesson in toy training, and so much of your training should revolve around toys as a reward. I'm always surprised at how trainers as well as dog owners have an issue with getting toys back from their dogs, try to figure out which toy their dog will like and so much more. If your dog has toy drive, they will like any toy that you make interesting. Remember though that there are a very small percentage of dogs that don't like toys, I've met a few. If you have one of these dogs, stick with food rewards and praise. That being said, no matter what reward your dog prefers, ALWAYS use praise as it will be your most consistent and readily available reward ALWAYS! In this lesson I talk about getting TWO of the EXACT toy. That means, buy it on the same day, keep them together and if one goes, so does the other. Matched toys are matched toys. This will be a huge part in your dog's comprehension of "I want what you have!" PS. The shorter version of this video, on YouTube doesn't include a lot of the tips found in this video, so watch it twice!
I hope you enjoyed day one with Karl and Jerome. During that session we really focussed on building engagement, as I feel that is the most important thing to do when starting with a new dog - especially an older, more mature dog. This is Karl's second session and you can see the wheels are turning. Karl is a biddable dog that really likes to train, and really loves Jerome. That always makes training easier. So, since we covered a lot in session #1, here we will start to build on some finer points such as COME, STAY, DOWN and more. These lessons are full length so you can see how to develop these same training sessions with your dog. Just because Karl is a Rottweiler doesn't mean that you need to have a Rottweiler to do these lessons. I try to show my obedience on many different breeds, and that lets you choose which dog is most like the dog you are training.
Training for Success How you begin your training routine is among the very most important aspects of your training. Even with the very best training techniques, you can still have a difficult time training your dog unless you know how to start and the importance of the structure of the training. I’ve had many people ask me “how I train my dogs, how I interact with them?” So, I want to start posting some lessons that show this important structure. See: online dog training To train for success you must start off on the right foot. NO matter what you are embarking on with your dog, it should start with structure. That structure begins the minute the dog gets out of the car, house or kennel. Just letting the dog run free and then trying to get that control is very damaging to your relationship and even more damaging to your training. Member Video Lesson Obedience FIRST NO matter what you are embarking on with your dog, it should start with structure. That structure begins the minute the dog gets out of the car, house or kennel. Just letting the dog run free and then trying to get that control is very damaging to your relationship and even more damaging to your training. Start SMALL then Open Up Obedience FIRST Giving your dog too much freedom means you’ll have to take that freedom away at some point. I think this is very disruptive to the dog. I always strive to give my dog more and more freedom. That means my dog starts off confined and as they give me more of what I want, I give the dog more of what they want. This means BALANCE! It’s Never So Dire The most common objection here will be from people who say, “My dog really needs to go to the bathroom.” Sadly, this type of thinking will get you into trouble, and more importantly it will get your dog into trouble. If your dog tears out of the car and gets hit by a car, it’s a bad thing. I covered that in a previous lesson. But, if your dog tears out of the car and starts just playing, you’ll have to correct him to get obedience after. You’re much better off to start with structure and slowly open your dog’s world up slowly. Dogs LOVE Structure Structure makes dogs feel safe, and if you are the provider of this structure your dog will love you, respect you and that will make your relationship much, much better! Have a PLAN Whether it’s just a walk in the park or a training routine, have it mapped out in your head. You should know what you’re going to do. If it’s a play session or a walk, start with the dog coming out of the car, sitting, waiting politely, offering one behavior like a look or a down and then releasing the dog. If it’s a training routine you’re embarking on, have that all set in your mind. Dog’s LOVE structure… give them that structure and you’ll not only have a successful training, but a balanced relationship! SAFETY Above all Else The number one, most important thing to remember is that it’s all about safety. Your dog must know where he belongs and who to listen to. Give him a chance to check in with you, demand it and reward it! If you are his leader, his master, his everything – give him the tools to thrive! It’s Not Trivial I know this short lesson may seem trivial to you, but I can promise you it is one of the most important things you will ever learn… EVER! This one secret can make the difference between successful training and mediocre training. I promise you this! It’s nothing I’ve really ever posted about in my social lessons, but I want you to know the info and its relevance! Takeaways Never let your dog have freedom before structure. Ask for some behaviors before releasing your dog. Your dog will respect you if you provide obedience and structure. ALWAYS use a line and collar to help your dog succeed. If your dog knows where he belongs, it will be safe zone for him.
Obedience is really based on the relationship between you and your dog. In this lesson I want to address some tips and tricks as well as tools that will help you with one of the more important things we face in obedience - Focused Heel. Many of these principles can also be applied to other training issues, but let's focus here on the heel. Creating excitement and an energy of fun and reward will take you a long way to building a relationship with your dog and making that training fun for both of you. I address some corrections and tools that will help you fairly correct your dog. These tools can be used aversively, just like any others, so I stress the importance of watching the lesson, reading my instruction and following it to make them a help to training, not a hinderance. The most important part of this online dog training lesson, and I'll stress it a few times is to keep your dog engaged during and between the breaks. I like to use a toy to do that. The more you keep that engagement, the easier the learning process will be for you and your dog. When corrections enter the training, some people become uncomfortable and that will make the dog uncomfortable. In this lesson I show you how to go from correction to engagement and not make corrections personal. This is a relatively simple lesson, but the principles in it carry through to the most advanced training you'll do with your dog. Also, this is a two part lesson. In part two I address all these same issue with the e-collar. That lesson will be up either next week or the week after. Member Video Lesson Steps to Focus in HEEL and Obedience The very most important aspect of obedience is the connection you share with your dog. To make that connection the most it can be, I try to make training fun and rewarding. Use all of your personality to connect to your dog. Get your dog excited and focused at the same time. Sluggish dogs are the hardest to train, excited dogs are more fun and easier to manipulate into obedience. Build your dog's focus and make sure that you've lured and shaped behaviors before introducing toys. You will want the dogs focus peeking so that you can harness the drive into the obedience. I try to do some toy misses and then jump the dog into obedience to get a better focus on heel. The keep the dog engaged for these few steps, then release and start all over again. Corrections should be non-personal and should be met with a reward for compliance. Don't stay stuck on the correction, make it short, sweet and forget it. The reward will overshadow any correction. Positives out-weight negatives! Takeaways from Tips, Tools and Tricks: The riding crop is used as an extension of your hand. Do not use it too firmly or you will lose the connection with your dog. You can use the crop for corrections: a. under the chin b. to prevent the dog from crossing in front of you c. on the outside back leg of the dog for turns d. on top of the dog's croup for faster sit. It only takes a slight pressure from the crop to help the dog learn the circle within which you want to keep the dog. Using a toy gets the dog excited and makes him happy to work. If you use corrections, be sure to use something exciting to reconnect between repetitions. Don't let your dog check completely out during training.
I was asked by a member about teaching obedience to your dog from a distance. NOW, it’s hard enough to get your dog to obey you when he’s next to you, getting them to do that when you’re far away is even harder. This really is an advanced lesson and I hope you won’t attempt this unless you’re ready. PLEASE, stay at your level, watch this lesson and if you’re not ready, come back when you are. It’s critical that you use this membership section to help your dog learn, not overwhelm them. See: online dog training Like I said, there is probably at least 1-2 years worth of lessons here in the members section. Take your time, this site is not going anywhere. I want to keep adding stuff to offer you more lessons as you’re ready! This lesson will be broken into two parts. This first part is really showing you what it should look like and the advanced portion. Next week I will upload part 2 with Maya which will teach you how to introduce your dog to the box and also how to make your own PVC box. I think this is one of the best tools for training dogs. Member Video Lesson CLOSE BEFORE FAR: Before you ever attempt to teach your dog any commands at a distance, be sure that the dog knows the commands well. That is, don’t teach your dog how to do something at a distance that they don’t know how to do when you’re next to them. This is bad training. BLOCK HIS TRAVEL: In order to prevent your dog from traveling toward you, put something between you and him. In this lesson I use a PVC Box which I will teach you how to make in the next lesson. Here I want you to be familiar with the actual structure of the lesson and training. REWARD BEHIND: This will be one of those situations where you want your dog to not move forward to get rewards, so rewarding him behind will make this easier. The dog knows the release will come from behind him so he will be inclined not to travel forward. START WITH LOW LEVEL REWARDS: The reason we want to use a lower level of reward is to keep the dog from being so excited that he will break or fall out of position. You’ll see this in the next lesson when I work with Maya. If the dog is super excited, they will lose their focus and not be able to concentrate on the task at hand. BE PATIENT: I believe I say this in every lesson, but just because you see this done here, doesn’t mean your dog will be able to do it. It may take a month to teach, it may take years and some dogs may NEVER get it. That’s not the point. What is the point is that you are working on something with your dog. Time spent with your dog is never wasted and training is the best connection you will ever have with your dog. It’s communication in the highest form. Takeaways Teach your dog all of the obedience positions near you before training this! Use a long line or flexi to teach this no matter how good you think your dog is! Be patient and repeat over and over. ONLY reward the dog to the back when starting. Don’t recall the dog to you for the first week or two. Use a lower level reward to keep the dog from getting too excited. Use a lower level reward to keep the dog from getting too excited.
In last week's lesson I worked with Harold and Rio on the game of tug and how we can use it to teach Rio more obedience and to speed things up. Well they've been working on their dance and it looks quite good. I have a video of it at the end of this weeks lesson. What we also worked on was obedience and timing corrections. A few weeks back I did a lecture on the timing of corrections, if you haven't watched that, I urge you to go and watch that before you do anything else. Timing your corrections is the difference between communicating with your dog and frustrating the dog! In this lesson you'll see the importance in timing your corrections properly and punctually. Giving your dog too much time to falter will create a sloppy obedience routine. At the end of this lesson you'll see a great session with Goofy showing great tug play and the obedience that can be achieved with it. This weeks lesson is really a 2 parter: First we really cover the concept of correcting our dogs properly and fairly with the information they need to succeed - and then in part 2 we do a quick TUG LESSON with Goofy and Harold. Steps Very Very Simply... we can't correct a dog for something they don't know, so teach them first. We can't correct a dog for something after the moment has past, so correct quickly. We must correct a dog with the information they need to do the act correctly. Always follow these steps: COMMAND, PAUSE, VERBAL CORRECTION, PHYSICAL CORRECTION, PAUSE, COMMAND. The verbal correction must always come first.... then the physical. This teaches the dog to avoid the physical. It is the information the dog needs to preform as we want. And this leads the dog to success.
Getting your dog to STAY when you are in the immediate line of sight is a skill that is taught to a dog early on. I consider it one of the most important skills that all dogs should know. When we take our dogs to a higher level of training, we introduce the Out of Sight Stay. In this online dog training situation, we expect our dogs to STAY even when they can't see us, and we can't directly control them. This takes a lot of trust and work to establish. It is definitely an advance level skill. In this lesson I show you part 1, which is the part of the lesson with Duane. We touch on the basics for a beginner dog learning this. Not a beginner dog, but a beginner to learning this skill. I urge you to make certain that your dog understands the STAY command in your presence before you ever try to introduce this advanced level skill. As you will see in part 2 of the lesson, I introduce Goofy to show the finer points and introduce the distraction of having another dog in the picture: how to correct and implement it with two dogs. Member Video Lesson Step 1: Using a raised platform, such as the KLIMB, makes the lesson easier for your dog to understand. You can also use a box or even a carpet square to show your dog the difference of where he should stay and where he should not go. I like making the feeling on the dog's feet different to make it tactile. Doesn't seem like much to us, but it does make a difference to the dog. Step 2: Begin by getting the dog to see you disappearing for a very short duration, such as disappearing behind a post or something. Step 3: When you return to the dog, use a long line and give the dog a tug while saying STAY. Make the picture clear to the dog that your verbal command should over-rule what he or she might be thinking. Step 4: Don't release the dog right away. Make sure the dog knows to STAY when you come back and when you turn your back on him or her, such as when I'm talking to the camera. Step. 5: The timing of the correction is critical. If you are late in the correction, you're correcting the dog for wanting to be close to you - and that is wrong. The correction MUST be for stepping off of the PLACE. That will make it clear and fare to your dog. Step 6: PLEASE, help your dog succeed by only staying out of sight for a short, very short, duration of time. Build up slowly. Building upon success is easier than recovering from failure! Takeaways from Out of Sight STAY! 1. Your dog must know STAY before you add the Out Of Sight part. 2. Use a platform, box or carpet square. 3. Don't release the dog too quickly. 4. Build duration slowly. 5. When first leaving sight of the dog, keep it short and CALM. 6. Add another dog once the dog has been proofed to STAY without distractions. 7. The timing of corrections is imperative. It must happen immediately when the dog steps off of the place.
I was asked to meet with Edith and LOAF by a very good friend of mine Dr. J. She told me that Loaf has no issues when she has him, but for some reason Edith is having some issues with him biting people and being reactive to people and dogs. We met and I saw some immediate things that concerned me. As you'll see in this video, he is reactive and very stubborn, as is pretty normal for this breed. He barks a lot, postures a lot and bites occasionally. You'll see in this video, he even tried to bite me. Go figure! Well, we set some ground rules, put some training into place and there was a pretty big turn around for both Edith and LOAF. Now, I gotta say that Edith and her husband are super nice people and really are working hard to make this work. After this session we did another one a week later. I'll post that one coming up, but for now the lessons in this video will give you a good idea how I structure the training for a very reactive and stubborn dog.
This week's lesson will be a huge help to so many people. Now, you may not realize it at first, but there are so many mistakes that everyone makes… and you won’t notice them till you see someone else doing it. The most common mistake is repeating commands and then changing the words. You’ll see Ellen do it a few times and you’ll see how Mellow responds… Sometimes it's better to be a little more patient than to confuse the dog. I think the value in this lesson is that the mistakes that are made here are so common, but commonly overlooked. I’m ecstatic to catch this on film. The key thing is that at this point in training, the 6th week / 6th lesson, you know what you “think” the dog should be doing, and you really think the dog should know it, so logically you get frustrated. We ALL have done this. Let me give you some great advice, your dog is not trained for a long time. Your dog will learn some things and forget some things…. They will also confuse some things - so be patient. It frustrates me when people tell me their 3 month old puppy is trained and knows how to blah blah blah! Your puppy is learning for the first couple of years, at LEAST the first year. So take it easy, be patient and keep things light and fun!
I've taught the game of tug to dogs of all ages from young puppies to adult dogs. I can assure you that you'll get a clearer, better experience from a dog that you teach and develop from a young puppy on. There are so many bad habits that can pop up in dogs when you are unsure of how they were taught to handle the game of tug, the outing of the tug and the overall interaction with the person playing the game. It can be a lot of pressure and that pressure can be negative on a dog. I taught Duane, our young Labrador Retriever, the game of tug when he was just about 9 weeks old. In this video I'll show you that early footage and then show you how to do the same with your dog. Even if your dog is older, there are still some really great tips to teach you how to develop the tug game and how to solve some basic problems such as: not biting the center of the tug, re-gripping, not outing, not enough drive for the tug and several more. I'll also show you how well he has developed in the game, how I use it to reward him, to get him in an out of drive and how I differentiate the outing of a tug versus the outing of a retrieve object such as a bumper, doken, etc. This is an awesome online dog training lesson on one of my very favorite games to play with dogs. Tug builds a solid relationship and is a great tool as reward in dog training. I know you're gonna LOVE this lesson! Member Video Lesson Steps to a Successful Tug Game: 1. Start by teasing the dog with the tug. Either hold the dog back and make several "misses," or hold the dog back and kick the toy away from the dog. 2. Once the dog is "in drive" give the dog a bite. It's critical that you don't "feed" the tug to the dog. This will create opposition and the dog will oftentimes not grip the tug. 3. Once the dog grips, put pressure onto the tug and keep the pressure there to keep the tug game engaged. 4. Run the dog while he / she is holding the tug. This will create possessiveness and maintain a good grip. 5. Tug for a moment and run again. 6. To out the tug, either steady the tug in your hands or lift the dog off of the tug, generally by a harness. My least favorite option is to lift them off by a collar. Better to teach a clean out through two ball, or steadying the tug. 7. Give an immediate re-bite to teach the dog that "outing the tug" starts the game all over. Takeaways from TUG: 1. Don't play tug with a very shy, fearful or dominantly aggressive dog. 2. Puppies taught to tug will be much better players than adults taught to tug. 3. NEVER play tug when your dog is teething! 4. Have 2 identical tugs on hand to teach a clean out. 5. You must maintain pressure to keep the dog biting on the tug. 6. You must release pressure on the tug when you want the dog to let go! 7. Running your dog with the tug in his mouth will build more possessiveness. 8. Too many outs or yanking will build a "chattery" bite. *** Some dog will NEVER tug. Don't try to FORCE a dog to tug who doesn't get it!
Everything You Need to Know Some people call it a prong collar, others call it a pinch collar. Either way, it remains one of the more controversial dog training tools. I've used prong collars for years very successfully and taught countless clients how to use them effectively. Never before have I put all of this information into one training video or post, but I wanted to do it for you, my members. So, read on! Remember, this may NOT be the right tool for your dog, but you should have the ability to try it and see. The prong collar is a tool that allows fair corrections on a dog once the dog is conditioned to the collar. I explain that in this video as well as the proper sizing. I put the collar on myself so you can see how virtually painless the collar is when used properly. Of course, used improperly the collar can cause damage, but so can any other collar. Member Video Lesson Which Brand? Does it Matter? YES! 100% the brand you get is important. I only use the Herm Sprenger or abc Klin collars from Germany. Over the years I've found that many of the cheaper versions on amazon are poorly made and can have rough edges which can harm your dog's neck. The ones I use are polished edges and are very well made. Sizing Prong collars come in 3 basic sizes: 2.25mm, 3.0 mm and 3.25mm You might be tempted to get the larger size if you have a larger dog, but you are probably choosing the wrong collar. Look at the size of my dog and look at the collar I use. I have rarely every used anything larger than a 3.0MM - for the most part, the 2.25 mm is useful for most dogs. My dogs are strong shepherds and weigh 60-70lbs and I feel the 2.25mm is sufficient for them. If I need a stronger correction - I'm reluctant to use a prong collar. Fit Most dogs wear the prong collar incorrectly and it creates issues. The prong collar must sit snugly on a dog's neck and it must sit up high, just behind the ears. If the collar slides it can cause issues and can scuff the skin on the dog's neck. A snug fit is important for proper corrections and safety. Also, please note that I talk about using a back-up collar on the dog at all times when using a prong collar. More than likely if you are new to the prong, the proper fit will seem too tight to you. Consider asking the advice of a professional to make sure you have the collar fit properly. It should be snug enough not to slide around the dog's neck, but should not constrict breathing - obviously! Conditioning- BEFORE! Most people and some trainers will just put the prong collar on the dog and start yanking him around. This is IMPROPER! The dog must first be conditioned to the collar by use of leash pressure. I describe how to do that in this video. You must put the collar on your dog and FIRST let him get used to having it on. Some dogs will scratch at the collar for a while. Just let them. Put the collar on for several days before ever doing a correction. People said, "I can't believe you leave that collar on 24/7!" But, I didn't say that. I said leave it on for days before using it... that means take it on and off as you would any other collar. Use common sense. NEVER EVER leave any kind of collar on your dog when they are unattended. Watch my breakaway collar video here. and here! Takeaways Use only quality collars such as Herm Sprenger and abc Klin Use the right size for your dog. If your dog is under 80 lbs, a 2.25mm is probably perfect. Be sure the collar is fitted snugly and sits up high on the dog's neck. NEVER slide the collar over your dog's head. The collar must be fitted around the neck, NOT OVER THE HEAD! Condition your dog to the collar before you use it to correct. Use leash pressure to teach the dog how to get away from the pressure.
This is a very short video, and one that I shot a while back. But I just realized it's sitting on my computer and it contains some valuable information. We all know that training tools for dogs are under attack by a very vocal, angry and small minded people who have little knowledge on dog training, real dog training that is. Their claims are always that certain tools can harm the dog. The truth is that ALL TOOLS can harm our dogs, which is why we want to educate ourselves and others on the proper use. The prong is a great tool, and can help a lot of people and their dogs, so I always want to stay on top of its proper use. This video is a quick bullet point checklist on some common mistakes that people make. Hopefully after watching it you'll be more aware of these. Even if you've seen every video on the prong collar, a quick refresher is always a good idea.
Using a prong collar on your dog can have incredible benefits if done properly, but done incorrectly, your dog may become afraid or even more reactive. In this lesson I work with Troy and his beautiful mastiff Sadie on a few things. After a little chatting I came to find out that Sadie sulks when the prong collar comes out. This could be in part because the prong wasn't introduced properly. Prong collars, also known as pinch collars are one of the best tools to help a dog understand control -that means that YOU are in control. Getting a dog to understand that we are in control helps the dog feel safe and that makes your relationship much better. If the prong collar isn't introduced with the use of leash pressure, it's a crap shoot if the dog will truly understand how they should respond to it. The problem with that is that the dog often responds in a counter productive way. This lesson really outlines the proper use of leash pressure using a prong / pinch collar. In the end of the video I chat with Troy a little bit about some other concerns that I think you will also find very helpful! Steps: Getting your dog to understand the prong collar will require a proper and fair introduction to it. I always prefer to do this when the environment is not stressful and I use leash pressure. Leash pressure will teach your dog, fairly, how to get away from the pressure of the prong. This makes the learning experience fair. Apply a small amount of pressure to the leash and WAIT. When the dog gives in to the pressure on the leash / collar, immediately reward the dog and remove the pressure. Then repeat. Move the dog: LEFT, RIGHT, FORWARD, BACKWARDS... toward something or someone and away. All while being neutral to the dog and not communicating with him or her. Do not teach this to a dog in a distracted environment or in the presence of stimuli. Takeaways: Teach this in a neutral environment, such as your back yard to start. Use abundant rewards for giving in to the pressure. Be sure to use a backup on your prong collar. Make sure the prong is fitted properly. Use a good quality prong. Keep your sessions short and end on a good note!
I think that the video lessons on properly socializing your dog in town are among the most important ones I post. There are so many dogs that have terrible manners and create countless problems when they are not properly introduced to socialization at an early age. Negative experiences can make it worse, so it's important to set your dog up for success and that is what I have been covering in all of the lessons that relate to this topic here in the member section. Siggy is a great dog to do this with. He's a little insecure and could be a dog that could have issues with an experience like this. In his case it is more genetic than training so it takes a little more work. I went through this with Goofy who also had issues early on. It's imperative to work through these issues, not try to avoid them. THAT is a huge mistake! Take the time to properly socialize your dog, make it a positive experience, but also correct for bad behaviors and above all else, protect your dog, other dogs and the people around you..
These really are my very favorite type of lessons to post, because they cover so much. Ellen has been a friend of mine for many years and I have helped her in the past with there dogs / labradors she's brought home. That's why I was so excited when she called me and said she just got a new puppy. I asked her if she would consider letting us film it and she agreed! That was AWESOME. What you will see in this series, yes I said series, is everything from day one forward. Currently I think we're on Week / Lesson 7, so I will be posting these regularly. The big issues lots of dog owners have is those first few sessions: Just what do you do about this or that? How do you teach the basics to this and that? All of that will be covered here with Mellow and Ellen. Today's lesson covers so much including: COME, DON'T JUMP, PLACE COMMAND, DOWN as well as many of this very important FIRST THINGS we need to consider with new puppies. It's a long video, almost 40 minutes, so sit back and enjoy it once through before you begin to start putting it to practice. Lots of wisdom in our conversation as well! Enjoy!
As we continue to follow Max and Joey along with their training, we see some progress and a few things to fix. This lesson will give you a few things to work on and will show you a good sequence of things you can do with your puppy or dog. Getting Joey to clearly communicate with Max has been really easy because Joey is a song and direct person. I give him a couple of pointers that make all the difference. The main on is not to use the dog's name as a correction and also to avoid telling the dog NO when he doesn't know what he should be doing. In this lesson well talk about fixing the heel, recall and come, getting a distracted dog's attention as well as back, fixing a corked sit and the concept of corrections. It's a great "Join the Lesson" as it will help anyone struggling with a more stubborn dog! Enjoy!
Today's lesson is day #2 of Siggy's training. Yossi and Siggy are staring out with a bang... lots of new stuff to cover including teaching Siggy: His name and how to learn that Siggy is his name. Luring some basic heeling. Go to Place Positions on the place board. COME ...... and a whole lot more. I think the biggest take-away from this lesson (and these puppy lessons in general) is how to best teach our puppies (and dogs) how to learn behaviors fairly and setting dogs up for success. You'll see in Siggy as well as Yossi where things are easy and how to solve some problems as they arise. You won't get a better lesson than watching me with a student and their dog / puppy. It's like taking a private lesson from me!
I’ve trained so many puppies, including my own. There are several videos available on YouTube on my puppy training, but I’ve never done this before – training a shelter puppy in a complete run-through of the basics. Honestly, I never thought of it until last month when I was at the shelter teaching my Bound Angels University. Pete brought out these two adorable puppies and said, “What do you think we should teach these guys before they get adopted?” What you see in this and a couple more videos (yet to come) is what I recommended. Training a shelter puppy, in the shelter, is no easy task. There are so many distractions: sounds, smells and sights… Pulling off this training with this puppy was quite a task and I figure, if you can see me doing it with this puppy, you can do it with your puppy. Member Video Lesson First and FOREMOST: You don’t want your puppy to fail, and if you’re spending half the training session chasing the puppy around – you’re failing your puppy. I always recommend a puppy wear a long line and collar – I recommend a martingale. This is not to give you a tool to reel him back in, but instead to give you a tool that keeps him from failing. Please don’t start training your puppy off leash and then add the leash, he will figure that out very quickly! The Most Basic: If there’s only one thing you teach your puppy, teach him COME. The recall is the most important command for any dog to learn, and its super easy to teach it to a puppy. You will use the puppy’s natural prey drive – and it works. Run away from the dog and when the puppy follows, let him catch you. SIMPLE! Reward him abundantly when you do it and repeat it! The more joy he gets out of catching you, the more he’ll want to follow you. A dog that is happy chasing you will be unlikely to run away and not come back when called. I teach this to every puppy and always tell clients THIS is the MOST IMPORTANT thing you’ll teach your puppy – and dog! Proper Treat Delivery: People often complain that their puppy is biting their hand when taking treats. YES, puppies bite, but there is a way to minimize the biting by holding the treat properly. Watch the video carefully at the 8:05 mark and you’ll see the proper way to deliver the treats to a puppy’s mouth to minimize your risk of excessive mouthing on your fingers. Getting your dog to understand not to be too mouthy is covered in a couple of other videos I’ve posted, and I will cover it again. It is undoubtedly one of the most common questions I get. Using a Platform to TEACH POSITIONS: I like to use a platform to teach the basic positions of DOWN and STAND. You can also use a picnic table or riser such as the Blue K9 Climb. I think it makes it easier. In this video I use a basic Kurunda Bed. It’s also great to use for a PLACE and send away target…. Both of which I cover in this video. A THOROUGH VIDEO I think this is one of the most thorough videos on puppies, puppy training and puppy basics. I’m grateful to the puppy that I used to make this and wish him a happy life and pray he gets the training and love that will keep him in his new home forever. I have two more videos in this series that I shot at the shelter that day. I think training puppies is so critical because as I say, THEY ARE A BLANK SLATE. Whatever you put into them; it will come out when they are dogs. I live with some amazing dogs because of the work I put into them. PLEASE take the time to train your puppies and your dogs! Takeaways Use a longline and collar to prevent your puppy from failing. The COME Command / RECALL is the most important thing to teach a puppy. Use your dog’s natural prey drive to teach the RECALL. Make your training a positive and fun experience for your puppy. Lure your puppy through the basic positions of STAND, DOWN and SIT. Avoid getting your fingers bitten by using proper treat delivery as shown in this video.
Here we are on lesson #3 with Mellow the awesome Labrador Retriever puppy and her mom Ellen. As you can see, in week 3, she's starting to take to the training and understand that "training is fun!" Continuing to focus on the basics is the key to success, as you will see in this series. It's about giving your dog the tools to thrive... make training fun and the dog will love training. Learning will happen when the dog enjoys the experience. There are so many things covered in training, it's hard to list them all here, but to try... we cover: Heeling, DOWN, SIT, Soft Mouth & so much more. Really, I want you to understand what we're doing here is teaching our puppy to learn. Forget about perfection at this point and focus on building a relationship that will last a lifetime!
Building a solid relationship with your puppy means getting the puppy to look at you and engage with you. But the big question is, “How do we do that?” Do we use treats? Toys? Compulsion? What if the puppy chooses not to pay attention or finds something else more interesting? In this dog training lesson I address this issue with a new puppy. Nello has an issue focusing on his owners and it is one of the reasons that I worked with him. We took him to a big park with lots of smells and distractions. Building the engagement was a game changer for Nello and it is a great lesson for any dog / puppy owner. A big thank you to Walter and Marion for bringing Nello to me to train! Member Video Lesson Step One Getting your puppy to engage to you requires making engaging fun and disengaging “not so much fun.” I do this by the sue of a long line. In the later part of the lesson you’ll see me demonstrate the proper use of a long line with a puppy who has never worn one. But the very first thing I want you to focus on is building some engagement when the puppy is in front of you. You’ll see me do it with The Light Switch Game and other game. Step Two Your puppy will be interested in smells, sights and sounds that will all be more interesting than you. The reason for that is because you are boring. The reason you’re boring to your puppy is because he sees you ALL THE TIME, but the distractions he NEVER SEES! See what I’m getting at? In order to make yourself more interesting, you’ll need to BE more interesting. I do that by building excitement and reward into the training. Training must be fun for your puppy to want to continue. Step Three You’ll see, even though this puppy has not been taught a recall yet, he will COME because I am fun and exciting. He almost doesn’t know he’s doing the recall, he is just following the fun. That is the way to build the muscle memory. Takeaways Make sure your dog sees you as the source of all good things. Reward your dog / puppy when he or she is close to you. Corrections / pressure is best done at the end of a long line, not next to you. Be exciting, be animated and make training fun!
This is Day 8 of Max's puppy training. I hope you're enjoying watching the progress of his training. As with any training, it's important to realize there may be some hiccups. I want you to know that these hiccups are a normal part of training and every trainer experiences them, doesn't matter if you are a professional or first timer. In this session we work on building engagement to us when there are distractions present - and there almost always are distractions. I'll show you how I use excitement to build focus and engagement. Then we'll introduce some distractions to Max by using the flirt pole and finally by introducing another dog into the picture. Socialization is important, but that doesn't mean we let dogs play, in fact it means the opposite. I think you'll learn a lot from this lesson. Next Video: https://robertcabral.mykajabi.com/products/membership/categories/2159730896/posts/2196182707
This Lesson is for Puppies from 8 weeks of Age to Approx 6 months. In this weeks online dog training lesson we discuss the most basic things you need to know when dealing with your puppy. • Since the puppy is new your home, they must learn through structured freedom • Use a crate whenever you’re not directly supervising your puppy. • Puppy’s require several bathroom breaks throughout the day and night. I recommend: Take the puppy directly from the crate to the potty area, say nothing, don’t walk around, don’t look at the puppy and don’t play with the puppy. When the puppy has pottied, praise him and begin your training / playing / interaction. Training with the puppy will entail mainly luring and shaping. You’ll be doing this for a few months. The best way to do this is with food. For the first week or so, I recommend most meals come from hand feeding while training / luring. Use the food to lure behaviors such as COME, DOWN, SIT, STAND, WAIT and anything else. Use the allotted food for meals for training sessions and whatever is left over, put it into a bowl and let the puppy finish it from there. You’ll be doing 3-5 of these luring training sessions daily with your new puppy. Each one should last about 10 minutes. Keep them exciting and keep them short. Too much is not a good thing because your puppy will get bored. I recommend doing these sessions as follows: EARLY MORNING LATE MORNING EARLY AFTERNOON LATER AFTERNOON EARLY EVENING (bonus) Pick a few fun things to teach your dog. I love teaching recall first. With your puppy on a long line, run away from the puppy and see if he runs after you. Reward abundantly. If he’s not getting that, stand in front of him and take one step back, then anther and reward him for following Teach your puppy to look at you means rewards. Eye contact is best. Lure your down to stand and stand to sit. Along with these sessions be sure your puppy gets socialization, walking and playtime with you and other safe dogs. Socialization with safe dogs is critical as well as socialization with “puppy-savvy” children and adults. If you want to keep your puppy with you out in the house, be sure you’ve got an eye on your dog or tether them near you. It’s always safest and best to crate when you’re not keeping an eye on your puppy. Think of it like a bassinet for puppies Member Video Lesson Takeaways from Puppy Foundation: Only socialize your puppy with safe dogs, puppies and people. Give your puppy as many experiences as possible early on. Different people, environments, sights, scents and sounds. Keep training fun and short. Teach RECALL FIRST! Make being around you pleasurable for your puppy. CRATE TRAIN - CRATE TRAIN - CRATE TRAIN!
Even though this lesson is entitled “puppy” it doesn’t mean that it’s only for puppies. You can use most any lesson that is entitled “puppy” and train your dog with it. Puppies give us that bank slate we love to work with. But we are also given that chance with a new dog we just brought home or even for teaching newer behaviors to our current dogs. In this video I address some of the issues that might be making it hard for your dog to learn this lesson. I posted the full version (int – adv) a couple of weeks ago. So by now you should have had enough time to work through it and see where your sticking points are. Member Video Lesson BEGINNING You will need to introduce this to your dog very clearly. It’s the target that rewards the dog – NOT you. Remember, you’re sending your dog AWAY from you, so he must think there is a reward away from you. This will be tough for dogs that have been corrected for running away, but don’t fear – there’s hope! ENERGY As I mention in both of this week’s videos, don’t get your dog tired before you train. Use that energy to make training more dynamic and more rewarding. I think the biggest mistake people make is training tired and compliant dogs. Remember, the time you will need your dog to listen is when they are out of control – not when they’re tired. I love the high drive of a puppy, like you see in Duane in this lesson. Use that drive to get your dog to LOVE learning! KEEP TREATS OUT OF YOUR POINTING HAND We all love to give our dogs treats for training and it’s great, until your dog becomes so used to your hands delivering treats that the dog looks only at your hands. This is why I often use treats from my mouth and throwing treats to the ground. The dog should understand that treats are a reward, not a bribe. If you have treats in the hand you are pointing with, you’ll have a hard time getting the dog to look what you’re pointing at – he will instead look at the hand with the treats. WATCH YOUR DOG’S EYES This is a tricky order since you’re going to be standing next to your dog. But remember, where your dog looks is where he goes. A huge mistake is releasing the dog TO THE TARGET when your dog is LOOKING AT YOU! You will have to learn to watch your dog’s head gesture and his eyes from the side. It will take practice but just stick with it. GUIDE YOUR DOG When I show Duane the treats on the target and then guide him away, I keep his interest in the target. DO NOT show the treat and then say HEEL. Show him the target and as you gently guide him away, remind him “Where’s your PLACE?” “Where is it???” All the while guiding him away. This way, when you turn back, he will remember that place! ALL LEVELS Teaching a solid send-away goes way beyond teaching a place command. The place is not that hard because it’s usually always the same place. A send away, means the dog will run in a straight line until you tell him to stop. You can see great examples of this in AKC obedience and IPO ad well as Ring Sports. Takeaways NO treats in the pointing hand. Load the target and send the dog THERE. Use your dog’s excitement to make training fun. Make your training a positive and fun experience for your puppy. When you guide your dog way from the target, keep his interest in the target.
Even though this lesson is entitled “puppy” it doesn’t mean that it’s only for puppies. You can use most any lesson that is entitled “puppy” and train your dog with it. Puppies give us that bank slate we love to work with. But we are also given that chance with a new dog we just brought home or even for teaching newer behaviors to our current dogs. In this video I address some of the issues that might be making it hard for your dog to learn this lesson. I posted the full version (int – adv) a couple of weeks ago. So by now you should have had enough time to work through it and see where your sticking points are. Member Video Lesson BEGINNING You will need to introduce this to your dog very clearly. It’s the target that rewards the dog – NOT you. Remember, you’re sending your dog AWAY from you, so he must think there is a reward away from you. This will be tough for dogs that have been corrected for running away, but don’t fear – there’s hope! ENERGY As I mention in both of this week’s videos, don’t get your dog tired before you train. Use that energy to make training more dynamic and more rewarding. I think the biggest mistake people make is training tired and compliant dogs. Remember, the time you will need your dog to listen is when they are out of control – not when they’re tired. I love the high drive of a puppy, like you see in Duane in this lesson. Use that drive to get your dog to LOVE learning! KEEP TREATS OUT OF YOUR POINTING HAND We all love to give our dogs treats for training and it’s great, until your dog becomes so used to your hands delivering treats that the dog looks only at your hands. This is why I often use treats from my mouth and throwing treats to the ground. The dog should understand that treats are a reward, not a bribe. If you have treats in the hand you are pointing with, you’ll have a hard time getting the dog to look what you’re pointing at – he will instead look at the hand with the treats. WATCH YOUR DOG’S EYES This is a tricky order since you’re going to be standing next to your dog. But remember, where your dog looks is where he goes. A huge mistake is releasing the dog TO THE TARGET when your dog is LOOKING AT YOU! You will have to learn to watch your dog’s head gesture and his eyes from the side. It will take practice but just stick with it. GUIDE YOUR DOG When I show Duane the treats on the target and then guide him away, I keep his interest in the target. DO NOT show the treat and then say HEEL. Show him the target and as you gently guide him away, remind him “Where’s your PLACE?” “Where is it???” All the while guiding him away. This way, when you turn back, he will remember that place! ALL LEVELS Teaching a solid send-away goes way beyond teaching a place command. The place is not that hard because it’s usually always the same place. A send away, means the dog will run in a straight line until you tell him to stop. You can see great examples of this in AKC obedience and IPO ad well as Ring Sports. Takeaways NO treats in the pointing hand. Load the target and send the dog THERE. Use your dog’s excitement to make training fun. Make your training a positive and fun experience for your puppy. When you guide your dog way from the target, keep his interest in the target.
Puppies, Puppies, Puppies... One of our greatest joys, yet the cause for much frustration. Sometimes it's because we expect too much and sometimes it's because we're just not clear enough communicating what we want. This week, tag along on a lesson with Patricia and Hansen, a beautiful 11 month old Pembroke Welsh Corgi who is giving his owner some issues with paying attention, but mostly not coming when called. During this online dog training lesson I'll break down the need to understand that Hansen is a herding dog and these dogs communicate a little differently when it comes to paying attention. By the end of this lesson Hansen will have a much clearer picture of RECALL and will have much better focus as a result of a super fun lesson! Getting puppies to understand basics is critical to developing a well trained dog. Member Video Lesson Steps to Engagement and Recall Herding breeds follow movement. Move and your dog will pay attention. Running backwards helps a dog to move toward you. We want the dog to see us as a target to catch! Herders Herd! Be the movement you want your dog to follow. Your dog will focus either on you or something else. Your goal is to be the center of your dog's world. Reward the dog abundantly to build a solid relationship with him. You'll fade the treats later, but never the reward. Keep your training exciting and interesting - THEN STOP! Don't train too long. Takeaways from Puppy Engagement and RECALL Use treats until behaviors are hard wired. Don't expect your dog to know what you want. Teach him. If your dog looks somewhere else, create a scenario that will make him choose you! Correct at the end of a long leash, not directly next to you. Your dog should see being next to you as a safe and fun place. Always be dynamic.
In this week's online dog training lesson we meet LJ, an adorable Schnauzer puppy that belongs to John and Kandice. They are members of this team and reached out to me for a little guidance on engaging and training LJ. What you'll see in this video is the first 1/2 of our entire training session. I think it gives such a great insight into the benefits of training via this online forum and some of the hurdles you might be facing. As I always say, watching these videos are invaluable to the small things that you might be missing. From what I'm hearing from many of you, you agree. I think that the very small things that we were able to address in this session made a huge difference to LJ's relationship with Kandice and John. How to deliver treats, how to engage a puppy that is drifting, how long to train, what little things you can do to enhance your relationship. I'll post the second half of this video next week, so stay posted. LJ is a very typical example of a well trained puppy that can benefit immensely from some clearer communication. Member Video Lesson Steps to Better Puppy Engagement & Training Remember that puppies learn in "small bites." Don't push the puppy too hard or you'll lose them. Pushing puppies too hard shuts them down, so go slow and keep it fun. Keep your conversations to a minimum, noises are more enticing to puppies. I use noises to get a puppy to check in because puppies don't yet know what the words mean. Teach them! If you can make it fun, your puppy will stay engaged. Shape the behaviors you want. Don't use corrections during shaping and luring phase, use fun tones and "not-so" fun tones. Happy = Correct | Neutral = Not Correct. Keep it short. At the end of this session, I pretty much abruptly ended the session because LJ was fading fast. Had I continued, he would have had a much less than fun training. Go by what your puppy is telling you. Takeaways for Puppy Engagement and Training: Sessions must be fun and short. Don't pressure your puppy - it will crush him! If the weather is HOT, your sessions must be shorter than normal. Don't be afraid to use treats to long... your dog must learn muscle memory. Luring the behavior takes time. Don't fade the treats too soon.
RECALL or the COME command is among the VERY most important things we teach our dogs. This session revisits Truffle and works on some issues with the recall, namely distractions. We will start to introduce fair corrections and avoid common mistakes. The online dog training lesson points out what are some common mistakes when other dogs are around and our dog has a reactivity issue with them. I'll show you how to fix the problems by just fixing some basic handling issues. To build a solid recall we need to set the dog up for success. We do that through these simple steps: Show the dog what we want. Reward him for doing it. Correct him when he fails and guide him to success. Member Video Lesson Steps to Correcting and Proofing Your RECALL: Begin by teaching your dog the Recall. Moving away from the dog and luring him to you. Reward the dog for compliance. Add the word / command only once the dog is in motion toward you. Correct with a verbal NO and Leash Pop. Watch video for demonstration. You MUST correct quickly and firmly. Reward and Praise abundantly for compliance. Rewards must come quickly! Do not stay stuck in the correction after the dog complies. When distractions are present, try to keep a distance and close the distance with time. Your goal is more rewards than corrections. As always, keep sessions short! Takeaways for RECALL with Corrections: Make sure the dog knows the command. Rewards and Corrections must be timed correctly and delivered fairly. NEVER allow the leash to get tight. Corrections happen at the end of a loose leash! Correct with VERBAL No, then PHYSICAL Leash Correction. Keep distractions at a distance, close the gap slowly. Your goal is success, keep the session short and successful!
Dealing with a reactive dog takes a lot of work, but it can be VERY SERIOUS when the dog weighs more than you. Enter Sheila with Murphy. I've know Sheila for many years, she's been a private client with a couple of her other Irish Wolfhounds. Murphy has been a handful for her and shows unpredictable behavior at certain dogs. She was afraid that his behavior was serious aggression, but from what I saw during our session it was just reactivity to certain dogs. For example, Murphy reacted to Jimi, our 10 year old neutered Lab, but did NOT react to Duane our intact younger Labrador. He had no issues with Maya 10 year old female spayed German Shepherd (and Maya had none with him), but Goofy set him off badly. And so it is with dogs... you never really understand what is going on until you really see it. He's a monster to control at 160lbs / 73 Kilo. He's young and strong and even if his behavior isn't aggressive, it's enough to get someone (especially the owners) hurt. So Sheila came to me for some info on how to best control him. Murphy is trained on e-collar and my original intention was to do a 2-part lesson on using an ecollar to control this type of behavior. However, things don't always work out as we think they should. I found it more valuable for Sheila, Murphy and you guys to actually work through the dog's body language and predictive behaviors to prevent and control the impulses he's showing. This weeks online dog training lesson (one of the longest I've posted) will walk you through so much in the line of timing, corrections, rewards and what to really look for in the dog that it should be required viewing for anyone wanting to be a dog trainer. Janet commented afterwards what amazing stuff she saw from behind the camera. I never know because I zone out and just watch the dog. So instead of lecturing and explaining, I'll let the video lesson speak for itself. Enjoy and PLEASE... Study this lesson carefully whether or not you have a reactive dog. There is a lifetime of knowledge in this lesson. Member Video Lesson Takeaways from Reactive Irish Wolf Hound: Obedience foundation is everything. Before distractions, comes relationship and obedience. Your relationship with your dog dictates how your dog will see the world. Watch the difference in the video as Sheila's behavior changes. Corrections are not personal. Don't scold your dog - correct and reward! Confidence in you develops confidence and calmness in your dog! Loose leash is key! Tight leashes are the kiss of death! Correct at the end of a loose leash. NEVER bribe or lure a dog away from him trigger. Command him, correct him and then reward him!
One of the most difficult things to deal with is a puppy or dog that is active aggressive to other dogs. Some people will call it "reactivity" or aggression, but it is something that must be dealt with as quickly as possible because it just will not get better on its own. There are a host of reasons why a dog, in particular a puppy, may exhibit this behavior. The most common reason is often a lack of socialization at an early age. Other reasons include, dominance, desire to play with the other dog or down right aggression. The way to manage this behavior is by teaching the dog basic obedience (away from the trigger) then asking for that obedience in the presence of the stimulus. You can then correct for non-compliance of the obedience. I find this a better, more fair way, to teach the dog right from wrong. The obedience can be anything from a DOWN to SIT or FOLLOW ME.... The basic idea is, I'm asking you to do something, if you don't do that, you will get a correction. Barking or lunging at the other dog is not an option. Make no mistake about it, this behavior will get a dog injured. Whether it's playful or not, at some point this dog will meet another dog that will not tolerate the behavior and that will cause a fight. In this online dog training lesson you'll follow along with me and my clients and watch the way I correct the dog for non-compliance and how I reward the dog and you'll see how this slowly starts to make sense in the dog's mind. Remember, aggression / reactivity is not something that is "cured" it is something that we manage and it takes time. Member Video Lesson Steps to Managing Leash Aggression / Reactivity: Be sure the dog knows some basics. These should be taught to the dog in the absence of distractions. Never attempt to teach a dog any obedience or basics when the dog is un-able to focus. Be sure the dog understands a clear marker for YES and NO. It is always best to prevent a dog from going into the behavior than to try and pull him out of it. Your goal is to watch your dog's body language and prevent the dog from escalating the drive into aggression and reactivity. Blocking the dog's negative behavior is most easily done by asking for a behavior before the escalation of his or her drive. When the dog reacts to the other stimulus (dog), we correct them for non-compliance to the command. For example, I ask the dog to SIT as another dog approaches in the distance. The dog SITs. When the dog now gets up to lunge or bark at the other dog, I correct the dog with a verbal NO and physical leash pop and repeat my command -SIT! The gives the dog a job to do, instead of something "not to do." Dogs always do better by being told what to do as opposed to being told What NOT to do! Always start distractions / stimulus at a distance and then bring that distraction closer. Takeaways from Leash Aggression / Reactivity: Be sure your dog knows the basic obedience of SIT, DOWN and STAY. Use obedience to give your dog something to do when they get distracted or excited. Remember rule #1 Correct the dog for non-compliance to your command as opposed to the trigger. Keep training short and fair. Reward the dog for compliance with a calm voice and petting. Do NOT ever make corrections personal. Aggression is never "cured" it is managed.
This lesson with Claudine and Lucy was a referral because Lucy had shown some reactivity to other dogs and people. I am posting the entire lesson because there's a lot to be learned from it. On the surface you'll note that Lucy NEVER appeared "reactive" or "aggressive." But the bigger lesson that must be taken away from here is the dynamics that CAN trigger this type of behavior in a dog. You'll see that Claudine has done a great job in training Lucy in some basic obedience (as well as agility). But her dynamic with Lucy is a bit "over-concerned" and that leads her to be suspicious. Suspicion makes dogs nervous. And that is exactly what will trigger aggression or reactivity. I think this is a very valuable lesson for anyone beginner through advanced to learn from. Watch Claudine's body language, watch Lucy's body language... watch the dynamics that unfold and watch how proper corrections and communication help Lucy and Claudine from a cohesive bond and clear communication. This is a long lesson because I wanted to leave EVERYTHING in it so that you can really get a good picture of what triggers dogs, how we often set the dog up to do something that they never planned to do, and most importantly - how to properly correct and communicate with our dogs! ENJOY!
This is the first time I have released a member lesson on Youtube and I'm doing it because I feel it is THAT IMPORTANT. To make up for it for members, I will release another lesson in the next few days that will be exclusively members ONLY. But I am so tired of people being misled by online dog trainers that have very little skill and are deceiving dog owners. Or perhaps they have skill and are misleading down owners none-the-less! When I started my online training business my goal, first and foremost, was to help dogs and their owners - not make money. But lately I feel it has become a money grab for so many online trainers. So I am going on a limb and making this lesson available to people who may not be able to afford a membership. Often dog owners watch online training lessons and are misled as to the work and effort it takes to get a dog trained. The relationship aspect is so often overlooked and people think it's just a matter of barking a few commands at a dog. It's not. Dog training takes work, and more importantly it takes building a relationship with your dog FIRST! I address this in many different aspects in this lesson. I also touch on corrections! I hope you'll enjoy the lesson and thank you for your continued support as I try to reach more and more dog owners to help them better understand their dogs and keep dogs safe!
Resource guarding is one of the most common behavioral issues that plague dogs. Resource guarding can include "guarding" people, places and things. This behavior is often a death-sentence for dogs in animal shelters. Resource guarding is a behavior that is often, unknowingly, taught to dogs, and very often made much worse through improper training. In this lesson / lecture, I address what causes it, managing it, and understanding it. It is a very thorough look at it and it will give you lots of information on dealing with it if your dog has resource guarding issues, and also it will give you very valuable insights on things that can help prevent the behavior from developing in the first place. Resource Guarding Resource guarding is a behavior that dogs do when they become protective/ possessive over something or someone. This can be a toy, food, place, another dog, a person or even a threshold. It is generally a behavior of a dominant dog, but it can also be expressed by an insecure dog. It is generally a behavior that starts in puppyhood, but is usually outgrown or trained-out by the time the dog becomes an adolescent. People who are unfamiliar with canine behavior and think certain behaviors are “cute” when their puppy does them, such as growling, barking and protecting, often end up with dogs who have resource-guarding issues. You can often spot resource guarding by the dog’s body language. When protecting (or guarding an object), his body will become stiffer than normal, he may position the item between his front legs if he is lying down, or directly beneath his head if he is standing. If you circle around him, he will move to follow you while keeping the item in almost the same position relative to his body. If you move forward to take the item, the dog may bite/attack, bark, lunge, growl or just stare. Use extreme caution with a dog that is showing signs of resource guarding. Extreme stillness and stiff movements when a dog is engaged with an object, whether it is a toy, food or treat, is a warning sign of potential resource guarding. A few things you can do to assess this is: Offer another object to see if the dog will give up the current one. Move away from the object and try to engage the dog to follow you. Move the dog away from the object instead of trying to take the object away from the dog. Food aggression is a common form of resource guarding. It is one of the easiest to spot and is primal in nature. Some dogs may exhibit food aggression and no other resource guarding issues, while others may be food aggressive and possessive over other things as well. If you are starting to work with a dog that you are not certain of, it is always a good idea to keep a slip-lead on the dog during the first few interactions/sessions. This will give you a degree of safety in the event the dog has an issue. Resource guarding issues can be caused by people who always tease a dog when they try to take something away from the dog. If a dog is resource guarding an object, it is always better to remove the dog from the object, rather than remove the object from the dog.
Teaching a retrieve to a dog is essentially a pretty simple thing to do. Remember, through basic instinct dog naturally retrieve. They go get stuff! The issue comes into play when we want them to retrieve to hand. Bringing things BACK TO US is where the issue comes into play. The basic thought to them is that "IF I bring it back, the game is over." And, that is essentially true. How do we change that? How do we make bringing things BACK to US rewarding? We can use rewards, but there also needs to be a correction for non- compliance. That is what this lesson really focuses on, as well as proper holding and some more details. In this online dog training lesson we look at some issues and resolutions with both Goofy and Duane. Duane is still learning some of the more important aspects, so you can see how to teach and correct for proper behavior. Member Video Lesson Step 1: Be sure your dog knows the basics of the RETRIEVE & HOLD. I've covered that in previous lessons. Here, I want to focus more on problem solving that you might encounter with your dog. As with anything, seeing it just once, usually isn't enough. Step 2: Chattery HOLDS can be fixed by getting the dog to be more relaxed. This can be accomplished by NOT rewarding with food or toys, because those rewards are essential in creating excitement from our dogs. Here we want to focus on praise and calm praise at that. Step 3: Proper pick ups are important. Teach your dog to pick up the object the way it is meant to be picked up. This means picking up the barbell by the bar, not the bell. Lay the object down so that the bar is clear to the dog. Step 4: Using a long line or leash will prevent your dog from playing around, playing keep away or lying down and holding the dumbbell. Essentially the control of a leash will ensure that you are in control of the dog. Step 5: Ensure the dog doesn't go get the object BEFORE you release him or command him. It's not his decision to get it, it's your command that drives his. desire to BRING IT! Teach your dog that not every throw means a retrieve. Takeaways from RETRIEVE with Corrections: We want a calm hold on the object. Stay calm and correct for chattery holds. Be sure the dog picks up the object and brings it straight back. Use a leash / line to correct this. Don't let the dog get the object before you command him to do so! Going to retrieve and actually retrieving to hand are very different things to the dog. Be clear on what you want and teach your dog the benefit of doing so. Don't use toys or treats before the dog has the skill. You need your dog to remain calm and clear headed. This is a more advanced lesson, be sure to complete the other lessons on retrieve and hold before attempting this one. This is geared toward dogs who have gone through the other stages.
We could spend a year and 50 lessons on building a perfect focused heel... and it would all be time well spent. After the lesson I posted a few weeks ago on focused heeling, a few of you reached out and asked about my "secret." I've never done a lesson or even a youtube video on this tool, but in this lesson I will expose it. I literally just went to the park this afternoon to shoot it with Maya, Duane and Janet. I really want you to have this info. The secret tool I use is a magnetic ball and you can get one from amazon, but they are not in big supply. I'll post a link to the ball in the next day or two. to be honest, I need Alin to do it for me. However, using this tool, I've developed an awesome heel on Goofy, Maya and Duane. I used the same methodology with all of them, so I KNOW it works! This online dog training lesson will teach you several different methodologies to using it and how I apply them. The way you position the ball makes all the difference in the world - as does how you reward your dog. I shot anther part to this video, but will post it in the future, since this lesson will be enough to digest in one sitting. I will also make a video on how you can make your own magnetic ball system. But for now, follow the lesson to see what I'm doing and what makes it work! Member Video Lesson Steps to Use the Magnetic Ball: Start by positioning the ball on your left shoulder. This will get your dog's head straight up in a perfect focused heel position. Be sure the dog will be excited enough for the toy to pay attention, but not jumping up trying to grab it off of you before you release them. This will require some control. Watch your dog's habits: If your dog wraps in front, lags, pushes, etc. You can adjust your reward / release with the ball to compensate. For dogs that wrap around and push, reward the dog to the left / outside / away from you. The only time to release the dog forward would be a dog that lags behind you. If the dog is. well mannered, you can allow the dog to jump up and grab the ball or just release and drop it into your dog's mouth. For a lower drive dog, I'll tease the dog with the ball before attaching it to the magnet to build some drive. Once the dog learns the position and "get's it," it's time to move the ball to your back. See my explanation in the video lesson. This will help the dog to focus without the lure of the toy. Takeaways for the Magnet Ball: Build drive for the toy, but control to keep the dog from stealing it! Release the toy for the dog only into the positions that will help the dog to attain proper form. You can tug with the ball on string, but don't let the dog control this toy or any toy, its a reward not a gift! Release left to avoid crowding or wrapping around Release forward for very slow dogs. Release straight down or allow the dog to grab it for calm well behaved dogs.
There are three basic “positions” we expect a dog to know. SIT DOWN STAND. Each of these has their own importance. Most every dog knows sit and most dogs can do a down, either by verbal command or by luring them. However, there are very few dogs that can STAND on command. Why is this important? Simple, if a dog is lying down and you want them to get up without “releasing” the dog, what can you do? Teaching your dog to STAND gives them the ability to go from one position to another seamlessly. Look at my videos of Goofy going from STAND to SIT to STAND to DOWN – over and over. In this online dog training lesson I teach you how to introduce your dog to the STAND and how to perfect it, both from luring with treats to toys. I show you the right position(s), the angles you’ll need to know and some exercises that will speed it up at the end. STAND is not an easy thing to teach and you MUST be patient. It’s a fun challenge, but not one everyone will be able to master. I hope with this lesson you’ll give it a try. Go slow and be patient… Member Video Lesson Step One From a kneeling position, lure the dog from a DOWN to a STAND by using a treat. You’ll need to move the treat from between the dog’s feet (for down) to up and away from the dog (for stand). Repeating this movement over and over will teach your dog a solid mechanical movement to go from one position to another. Use a high value treat to encourage him or her, but not too high value so the dog will become a bit crazy. Step Two Progressing to your standing in front of or slightly next to the dog, you will need to use your foot to tap the dog’s flank or tummy to encourage him to get up. I link this to my hand giving a signal. The dog hears the command, sees the hand signal and then feels the tap which moves them into the right position. Step Three Using a piece of PVC on the floor will give your dog a visual to stay in place and not travel too far forward. This will help you immensely later on. Start by teaching the dog to stay in a place and FOLD and STAND from DOWN to STAND. This forms a solid habit for the dog. Step Four If you have a hard time using your foot to correctly tap your dog you can use a thin rod to tap the dog into position. The rod I use is made of a resin, but it can be anything. I prefer something small and thin so as not to be a big visual for the dog. Remember, we want the dog to feel it, not see it! Step Five PLEASE only do the initial phases of this exercise with treats, not toys. Using toys too early on can put your dog into a higher drive that will make it harder for your dog to think clearly. *Notice near the end of the video how Maya gets confused from a bit of over-training and hyper focus on the toy. This is a long lesson and a tough one to teach. Go slow, limit your training to 15 minutes and repeat it a few times. This will get you a lot further than one long session. Takeaways Always start teaching the lesson using treats and luring the behavior. Guide your dog’s positions by luring them forward and up into the stand. Teach your dog the connection between stand and down. Once your dog learns this from your kneeling position, progress to standing. Keep your sessions short. Put slight pressure on the dog’s back to reinforce the stand.
Getting your dog to stay under distractions is a very powerful lesson. It’s not easy and it is something that you will be continuing to train forever. We are always perfecting it and as you will see in this video, we haven’t done it in a while. During the best of Goofy’s training he could hold a down under anything I could throw at him. That could be other dog, cats, birds, people, tennis balls – anything. I discuss this in this lesson and also give you all the foundations to teach it to your dog. See: online dog training Member Video Lesson Find Something Your Dog “kinda” likes: Even though I start out this video lesson with Goofy’s highest distraction, don’t do this to your dog. I did it in an effort to save time. So if your dog is so so about a particular toy, use that to start out…. Then work up to the bigger distractions. Help Your Dog SUCCEED: The key to this training being effective is to make sure your dog doesn’t fail. Protect the training by using a long line or a flexi, as you see me doing in this video. Preventing failure is my #1 goal in training! Verbal then Physical: Your corrections must have meaning. That means they follow a succession. The start with a verbal correction which is followed by a physical correction. This will help your dog learn to correct themselves from your voice, because they won’t want the physical correction. This gives you much better control over your dog. No Leash: When you step into part 2, doing this with no leash, you will need to make sure you have solid control over your dog or it will be a nightmare. If your dog learns NOT to listen to you, he will have a field day taunting you and you won’t fix it. I would suggest spending a lot of time with a flexi before ever taking it off... And I mean a few weeks. Just because I show new lessons weekly, in no way means that you will complete a lesson every week or even every month. I keep adding more info so you can attain. Greater goals with your dog. Takeaways Start with LOW LEVEL distractions. ALWAYS use a long line or flexi to prevent failure. Teach your dog a verbal correction means a physical correction is coming. Help your dog succeed – don’t make a big deal out of mistakes in training early on. After a serious session like this, make sure to infuse some fun…. Watch the end of the video.
I've been thinking so much about heeling lately and focusing on how important it is that I thought I'd add some more content on the topic. There are many weeks that I spend a majority of my time on training Schmoo's heeling better. In fact, I often spend more time on that than anything else. This is a super short video and it's one I shot just a few months ago, but I think it's really good and it gives you a couple of great secrets that I've never taught before. Can you find them? Would love to hear from you guys if this was as big a game changer as I think it will be. Let me know in the community section!
This session is a bit longer than the others, mainly because I wanted to work some more things into the training. In fact there's a little bit of everything including: Using treats vs toysPositionsFrontsHeelingHOLDDown at a DistanceIntro to the Long Down... and more. No matter where you are in your training, this lesson will have something for you. Whether it's something you want to learn or something you want to work on. Usually my sessions aren't this long, but for some reason I went a little longer, I think it's because I saw that Schmoo was enjoying it and progressing. I always try to keep the training session around 12 minutes or so... then I usually put him up for a while and then take him out again or do something else. Notice also that after the training I took him for a walk around the park. That is a great thing to do afterwards and I've begun incorporating it into my tracking as well as OB. It's non-training time, just walking and playing. Whether it's that or putting the dog back in the crate in the car, I think a lot of latent learning goes on AFTER training, so use it wisely. I'm putting two lessons up this week. This one is exclusive to the member section, the other one will be available in a shorter version on YouTube to everyone. When I do that, I'll include the link to the YouTube video for you to share with your friends. The lesson may or may not be the same (as far as length and information) but it will be something you can share. Of course the version for members is available right from your member section and is also free from commercials. ENJOY!
This lesson may seem a bit repetitive, but it's the repetition that you need to see. I know many of the other lessons in the member section really get to it. I focussed on that throughout. "Here's what you have to do, now go do it!" What's so different about this section is that I'm walking you through it as I go through it. It takes time. I know with Goofy it was a year before he had a good focus heel. With Schmoo I'm spending even more time. I'm not alone, as more people that I talk to (in the higher competition side) told me, it can take till the dog is over 2 to get a good focus heel. There are other things that go on in this session as well. It's the entire session, basically un-edited. We focus on some SIT and STAND in motion as well as some games... including a little look into the ARTICLE GAME that my friend Frank taught me. It's where you throw a treat and when the dog comes back you have one of your tracking articles out and point to it and tell your dog to PLATZ or DOWN on it. This teaches the dog when they see the article they must down. Not sure if I'll add any tracking video instruction here, since I'm no expert, but I certainly love it. But this is a great way to introduce the dog to the concept of "DOWN ON THE ARTICLE." Enjoy the session and then go train your dog!!!
Heeling can be a boring task, but it shouldn't be. There are several reasons I like to teach my dog to be comfortable on both sides. One primary reason is "just because." I think it's fun for the dog to be able to walk on either side as well as between your legs. Even if it doesn't serve any purpose in competitive sports, I believe the dog has fun and that bonds you more in training. Another reason is that I read that heeling on one side can lead to physiological issues in the dog's neck and spine, so there's that! I would rather just be safe and do it. In either case, this who session we worked on teaching the position of HEEL on left right and center and MOST IMPORTANTLY how to switch between the sides. The benefit for all of you in these Schmuley Journal posts is that you see me teaching it. When I started my online teaching Goofy was already pretty close to perfect, but Schmoo is on the road, so it's a great opportunity to tag along. You'll see the mistakes and how we resolve them - one of the most fun parts of training. Enjoy this lesson... See you soon!
This video was shot when Schmoo was 9 month old and shows a lot of things coming together and other things that still need work. Take a look at the focus he has in his heeling, that looks great, but introducing a distraction like the pillow becomes a little confusing. This is totally normal. So we work through it. This video was shot over two days in a row, but I wanted to incorporate it into one lesson because you can see the change in the two days. If I'm teaching my dog something new, repeating it the next day or even in a session later in the day often times shows a big change. Try it! There are several things covered in this session, as well as all the other Journals I'm posting! These are my sessions with Schmoo, exactly as I do them almost every day! This gives you an idea of what we do. I want to get back to basics here and that's just what I'm doing. II will be doing some "mini-courses" soon. I'll include several topics that I think you all can use. But first I still need to finish my 1st 30 days with Schmoo... that is taking a lot longer than I thought it would. Enjoy this lesson and I'll see you soon! Happy Training!
This is Episode 3 with me and Schmoo. From the feedback I've received from members, you are really loving this series. It is completely different, as I've previously said. This is really the very first time I'm taking you guys with me during my day to day training - and I LOVE sharing it with you all! As I said previously, the lessons on how to do most everything I'm doing in these sessions is here in a step by step process, but what I never did before was show you how to employ it in your training routine. THIS IS MY ROUTINE. What you're watching is what we do from the minute we hit the training field, till we're done. This session incorporates a lot of topics including: FOCUS HEEL, HOLD with a correction, OUTING on a toy, also a short piece on some questions I've received about Schmoo holding my leg during tug play and a short little piece on how I end my session. That is possibly my favorite part... because as you'll see, it's fun even when it's over! Training emphasizes achieving a calm state before engaging in play. Techniques include teaching spins and ensuring proper positioning during exercises. The dynamics of tug play highlight allowing the dog to win and reinforcing positive behavior. Continuous engagement in play is crucial, keeping the dog happy and involved even after the formal training session ends.
This is Episode 4 with me and Schmoo and today it's all about FOCUS HEELING. I think the focussed heel is so important for many reasons. To start with it is the most important thing in obedience, it's used in so many phases. It is a total connection between you and your dog and I think it's like a dance that you can do from puppyhood till their last days. I remember heeling with Goofy during his last days... and he LOVED IT. The FOCUS HEEL is also one of the hardest exercises undoubtedly. There is so much that goes into it and when you see a master do it, it is AWESOME. It's not just about the dog being next to you and looking up at you. It is about so much more. Where is the dog's position? How are his motions and movements? How fast does he sit when you stop? Does he look away or stay focussed on you the whole time? What is the expression of his face, ears and body? I LOVE IT! I spend so much time on heeling with my dogs and you'll see that in this series with Schmoo. It's not uncommon for me to spend an entire training session perfecting the heel. I LOVE heeling. I want it perfect and I want my dog to LOVE it. Schmoo loves to heel and it's been a journey. At some point I will create the entire journey from day 1 and you'll see how much work it can be. Anyone who tells you that it's easy... is lying! Enjoy this session with me and Schmoo!
So here's volume 2 of me and Schmoo. We've been training almost a year at this point, all the basic foundations have been laid and it's time to put them to use in a training. I think this is one aspect of the member's section that I haven't really focussed on too much - so here's a great opportunity! You've done all the lessons on teaching pretty much everything I do in this training... but putting it into a routine is critical. How do I move from exercise to exercise? What am I looking for in each exercise? All of the little pieces are things that I'll cover in this series. I am planning on a few other courses in the future (hopefully this year) that will start from step one on all of these exercises, but it's all already here in the other lessons. Look at the videos on focus heeling, tug, fronts and more. As I said, this series is about having those basics and then putting them into a training routine / session. If you need the basics, this might not be the place to start.... This IS THE PLACE to look for putting pieces together... ENJOY!!!
As I mentioned in my live last week, I would like to share some of my training with Schmoo with all of you. This is a very different concept, as I'm not instructing on any one technique or skill. Instead, I'm training Schmoo in our daily training routine. Sometimes we work on a couple of things, sometimes a lot more. So in this series you'll be able to tag along and see what I do, how I do it and how long the training lasts... I think you may also be surprised at the progress and the duration we train. I try to keep it short! There are minimal edits in this, I'm filming it with a mini drone so you'll see just about everything. Remember, the individual skills I'm doing are already available in the members section. As well I will be creating short "mini-courses" on many of the skills. I hope you'll enjoy this insight and private experience with me and Schmoo!
If you've been following along on my journey with Schmoo, you'll really enjoy seeing it coming together a bit here. As with all of my training for sport, I like to go slow. I introduce everything early on and then take quite some time to put the pieces together. As you can see here, Schmoo is over a year old and I'm only now starting to fade lures on the heeling. I want my dog to have all the confidence in the world before I start to make him doubt that there is a reward there. In this session we touch on a lot of stuff, so it will be a good video lesson for you to see where you might be with your dog / puppy. We'll touch on the FRONT, the HEELING, HOLD (in preparation for retrieving), speeding up our DOWN / PLATZ and also emphasizing the clean out that we teach without pressure. I will probably end up making a mini-course on teaching the dog to out from puppy on. Stay tuned for that. I hope you're enjoying my journey with Schmoo as much as I am! I'm just loving it! So happy to be able to share it with you!
So, I see everyone is loving tagging along on my journey with Schmoo. I have a bunch more of these videos that I'm going to fast track for you into the members' section. In this one I talk a lot about corrections. I posted a very short version of this on social, but for some reason didn't post it here. This video lesson is a lot more in detail about the concept. Bottom line is, we want everything to be positive with our dogs / puppies, but MUST understand that there is nothing wrong with correcting them. They learn when we help them learn. There is ZERO training without corrections and you'll see what I mean by "correcting" in the first few minutes of this lesson. Correcting can be as simple as a verbal NO, to tell the dog; "that was wrong." It can be withholding the reward, it can be a leash pop, it can be anything that helps the dog understand that he needs to try something different. We can also take it to a higher level if we want to compete, for example in a focus heel. I don't really cover that "detail aspect" too much in this (I will in a future video) - but the bottom line is, it's up to you what level you want to achieve with your dog. Even when I start to get picky on obedience or other skills, my goal is always to be fair to my dog. Does he understand what I'm asking? If not, we go back to that lesson... then when I'm sure, I can add a correction. How do I know? I learn to read my dog. Watch these journal lessons, I think they are great and I wish I had done them with Goofy, but I think this is Schmoo's special feature here on the site. Many more to come!!! ENJOY!
This is a super fun lesson and it's also very useful. I will caution you though, if you have a very high intensity dog, don't overdo this one. It could bite you in the butt. I'll talk more about this in the future, but the more drive you create, the more you'll be managing. I believe in letting a puppy be a puppy and trying not to squash puppy energy, so these kind of rewards are a great way to reward a dog from a very static or boring exercise such as basic position, heel, or others and make them more exciting. I'll walk you through step by step how I do it and how to make it work. We work through some mistakes, hurdles and obstacles... and as you know I like to leave them in because you learn a lot from watching how to work through mistakes. Few things are as frustrating as showing something PERFECT and then you have no idea how to fix the mistakes. Training Schmoo is the most fun thing in my life. I love it and live for it. I always want to do more and the only thing that prevents me from doing more is that I know it's not in his best interest to overtrain. Enjoy this lesson. It's awesome! I welcome your thoughts and feedback!
So, this session is from earlier this year.. I swear I'm trying to catch up. Here Schmoo is about 14 months old, I tell you that to give you some perspective on his maturity and where he is as far as learning. I really like to take it slow and make the actual journey fun and enjoyable. It's never my idea to rush through training just to get it done. For me the most enjoyable part is this - and if I had it my way, I'd do this forever. You can see he's still very "puppy-ish" and I love that. He has a strong desire to play and play and never stop. He still treat corrections like they are play, which is great. He bounces back after mistakes and tries again. you can't ask for a better dog than that! In this session we cover a lot... We always start out with FOCUS and HEEL. We work through DOWN, STAND as well as the HOLD exercise, walking BACK, RECALL, FRONTS, SIT IN MOTION as well as TUG and control and a few other things. Now in this session I do it all with Schmoo... almost everything he knows. There's a time to do that and there's a time to just focus on one or two things. I like doing a collective training with my dog to make it fun and connect with him, it's basically a review and play session. If I have something specific I'm working on, then I will take that and focus on that and THEN play.... or even PLAY and then focus on that ONE THING... I don't like to mix too much new stuff in with stuff he's having fun with - it kinda puts a damper on things. That's not to say I NEVER do that, I never use the term NEVER as it relates to training. You have to learn your dog and see how he or she best learns and make your decisions from there. I hope you're enjoying this Journal Sessions as much as I am enjoying making them!
This is a great lesson for anyone who wants to really form a solid communication through training. All too often we are very vague with our dogs. We tell them when things are wrong, by correction, but when the dog is doing something right, they receive no information. Think about that.... The dog is heeling perfectly and you say nothing until you finally reward the dog! So what part of what he is doing is he getting rewarded for? It can be confusing to him. In this lesson, a two-parter, we cover the importance of reinforcing good behavior and how to properly reward the dog and make communication clear and fair to your dog. This is a very important part of training that is often overlooked. You'll see the entire training with all the mistakes left in. That is the beauty of the journal series, you see it all. I wish that something like this existed when I started training! With all the other training I see online, I don't find the real nuts and bolts like what I show you here. it seems the other people are concerned with their egos, instead of the dog's wellbeing. These lessons are not professionally shot, it's just me and my dog. That is where the real learning is. Over editing and over producing educational videos is a detriment to the core principles.. I hope you enjoy these lessons as much as I enjoy training! In part one of this session I talk about the TONE of your communication, REINFORCING the OUT, FOCUS HEEL, FRONTS, and BARKING. All really good solid basic things... Then in part two we touch on TUG PLAY, CONTROL, TEACHING OUT, SWITCH on toys and very importantly, HOW TO END YOUR SESSION. I think this one lesson contains SOO MUCH important information that it could be a game changer!
I will admit this video is from a while ago and I'm really trying to catch up. Schmoo is about 15 months or so old here and you can see where we are in our training. The heeling is coming along as well as teaching the new command TARGET. This is a good command for many sports and obedience things. Target means look at whatever is in front of you. It can be a toy, an obstacle, a person, anything. The only caveat is that you can't get it until I tell you. You'll see in this training that I work with distractions and even calling him off of the toy. This is a great drill to teach a dog and a super impressive one once they get it. Just take your time. You can see from the first part of this video how the heeling is coming along. I believe in taking a long time to make sure things work as they should. I don't like using things or rushing a dog to get where I want him to be. As you know, the training process is extremely enjoyable... I savor it and I think my dogs personality shows that! Take your time, enjoy the process... There will be quite a few more of these journals coming in the next couple of months as I try to catch up. Enjoy!
I'm posting two separate lessons in this Member Lesson. First off I want to introduce you to a tool that I've been using for a while and I really love it. Janet introduced me to it a few years back. What's great about it is it takes the rewards off of you and allows you to send your dog to a place to be rewarded, but more importantly it allows you to control if the dog gets rewarded and if not. So if your dog breaks and just heads over there, there's no treat / no reward until you push the button. If you're using the Martin System Ecollar, you can use the remote CTT4 and program one button to the treat and train. If you want to get a treat and train I posted the link to my amazon store on the shop page. Be sure to get the one I suggest, there are a lot of cheap knockoffs.Here's the direct link to the Treat and Train model that I'm using! CLICK HERE! Part 2 of this lesson is a short tug session with young Schmoo. This is a great insight into how tug play should work. It should not be a struggle, there should be no conflict - it should flow. At some point I'll make a masterclass or mini course on tug and the clean out command. But if you go through my lessons here in the member section, you can get a pretty good idea on how I handle it. Enjoy the lesson and take your time with your dog. It's a journey every day!
This is Siggy's 11th lesson and that puts him at about 20 weeks old or so. You can see he's doing amazing, and at this phase I like to introduce dogs in a safe and social way. You all know I don't advocate or even like dog parks. THIS is the way for dogs to meet. They can see each other, smell each other and be around each other without playing. My dogs only play with my dogs and dogs I know very well. I do this in an effort to achieve two things: 1. safety and 2. a desire to be with me over other dogs! This lesson incorporates a lot of information. The beginning part you'll see Yossi working on basics with Siggy including healing and positions. These are great things to always brush up on. Then in part 2 we really break down the "manners" portion of being around other dogs... and as a special treat, I bring Goofy in to show off and more importantly be a role mode for how it's done. You'll see NOTHING distracts Goofy. He does what I say and LOVES every minute of it. I miss him every day and am so happy to have so many great memories to share with you!
So this is Siggy's 7th lesson and he's about 16 weeks old here. I like to tell you this so you can see about what is fair to expect from your puppies. All too often people expect way too much from puppies and this is unfair and damaging to the dog's training as well as your relationship. At this point we're building some duration in positions such as down, sit and stand and I'm having Yossi move a little to get the dog used to staying. We always want to do this with the dog on a platform, and you'll see why in this lesson. It really helps the dog learn. You can do it with a simple apple box, a table or a platform like I use here, check the Shop Page for this Klimb platform. Once Siggy gets comfortable with this, we go to part 2 of the lesson. That is getting the Siggy to focus on his dad and his work, with a distraction like Goofy. You'll see that I can only do this with a dog like Goofy who I can trust. Building safety for the puppy is critical, especially during this important phase. NEVER EVER introduce your puppy to a dog that isn't safe! Enjoy this lesson!
Here we are at Lesson 10 with Siggy and you can see so much progress. We still have quite a ways to go, but you can see things coming alone. And if you are around the 10th or so week with your puppy, you may be facing some similar problems. I think that's the important thing in training -addressing the issues. There are a few here such as the DOWN COMMAND, perfecting the RECALL, Heeling (and that's always a work in progress - for everyone! Plus we address simple things throughout the class and even re-introduce Duane as a distraction. This ONE lesson is over 45 Minutes long and there is so much to be learned from it. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed teaching it. Be sure to check out all of this series, you'll get something out of every lesson there!
Welcome to day 5 with Siggy. As we continue on with the basics, we start to bring things together to keep Siggy interested and motivated. You'll see we shape the heel and leg weaving together and put some motion exercises like DOWN into the game. I also introduce a spin off of the heel which can keep the dog really engaged to the handler. Lots of fun. I also work on the GO TO command with a remote sit. It's important that your dog know how to listen when they are away from you. For example, you want to be able to tell your dog to GO TO a place and then SIT on that place. We start to work on that today. VERY INTERESTING with Siggy was that he had an issue playing tug with other people, not with Yossi, but with others. So we started, in this session, to break that down. The way to do that is by treating distance and more drive. I like using a flirt pole to do that. Luckily we had one around the house with a squeaky toy on it. Siggy really took to that. At some point I will do a complete video on Siggy's tug evolution. It will be very interesting for everyone, especially people who have dogs with issues tugging. I like to include in almost all of me sessions with Siggy and Max, some time around other dogs. I end today's session with that as well. *** REMEMBER, it's not my goal to have a dog play with another dog, but rather to use self control and be responsive to their owners.
As we progress along, you'll see I add more and more into each lesson. This is our 8th session / week together, so you can see the progress that Siggy and Yossi have made. He understands the basics and is eager to learn more. So there are three components to this video / lesson. I start with the flirt pole because Siggy has had some issues with confidence in biting, so getting him excited and adding some prey drive to the game makes it more palatable for him. This is where genetics come in and aggression / confidence is not his strong side, so we make it a game. We've worked on his bite / grip for some time and I will make a complete video on his development at some point. Once we have Siggy engaged with move into heeling and front positions. This entails moving into he heel position as well as following along in the HEEL. This will help you a lot if you are struggling here. Retrieving is one thing that so many people struggle with. So I thought to add it to this lesson because Yossi was having some questions on this as well. You'll see that I break this into two parts, one with my favorite game 2 BALL and then I switch it over to a retrieve with a trade at the end. This lesson gives you an idea on the kind of things you can be working on with your young puppy. He's just around 6 months old here and about 8 weeks in to training. Enjoy this phase of your puppies life, because it doesn't last long enough :(
Siggy's lessons continue and start to get a little more intensive. This is our 6th lesson over 6 weeks and Siggy's wheels are starting to really turn. He's loving the training and learning a lot. As you know, these lessons cover every part of the lessons. The YouTube versions are edited very short, so if you came here after seeing the YouTube version, you've got a lot more to learn. In today's lesson we really try to get Yossi's energy up to keep Siggy more engaged in the training. One of the biggest mistakes handlers make is lacking the enthusiasm it takes to train a dog. And that will squish your dog's spirit and desire to train. This lesson is in 3 parts. 1. engagement and heeling as well as downs. 2. place with the distraction of Duane. and ...3. the basic positions of STAND, DOWN and SIT I think you'll love this lesson and will learn a lot from it!
As we continue on with our Ultimate Puppy Series with Siggy and Max, I'm excited for this lesson. Here you'll see how I may add a bunch of different stuff into one training session. This keeps training exciting for a young puppy and gets their paws wet. I like to introduce young puppies to many things early on and then start to focus on specifics. This keeps the puppy more engaged than just focussing on one thing that might get boring for the puppy. In today's session you'll see me introduce Siggy to so many things, and please not that I take breaks between every one. O the puppy is not training for more than 10 minutes at a time. In between you can take a break, check your email, train your other dog, etc. Even Goofy, Maya and Duane rarely if ever train for more than 20 minutes without a break and they are quite advanced. I think your biggest take-away from this puppy series will be the week to week - lesson to lesson change in each of the puppies. I intentionally left the tug issue in this lesson. When I first started with Siggy, I thought he would never TUG. I questioned his ability, but stayed true to my way. We would constantly re-introduce tug in short periods in each session. You'll see soon, how it did work. Take a lesson from that with your dog / puppy. Each week there's more being brought into the puppies training and staying the course with your dog will help them succeed. If you have not seen day 1-3, PLEASE watch them first. This series will be most beneficial if you watch it in order.
This is another lesson in the Puppy Series. In this lesson I introduce you to Siggy, a young Belgian Malinois puppy that is quite different than Max, the Akita that you met in the previous lesson. I thought the dynamic between these two would give EVERY single member something to draw from. Max is stubborn and low energy, Siggy is playful, high drive and go-go-go. Everyone will be able to get something out of one of these puppies that will apply to your puppy / dog. This is my very first time meeting Siggy and I thought it important to show you this before the first formal lesson. Here's a dog I've never met or touched... so what do I do? In this lesson you'll see how I start, how I engage, what I teach, what I look for, how I encourage, motivate, guide and correct a young puppy. One of the most common question sis, "When do I start training my puppy?" The answer... NOW! This is a very visual lesson. Watching will give you more than anything I could write... But there are a few simple things to remember: Encourage the puppy with your movement. Use food to lure and shape the behaviors you want. There's no need to say commands, since the puppy won't yet know them. Lure the movements until the puppy knows. If the puppy tunes out, be more interesting than the distractions. YOU need to turn your puppy on! ALWAYS - ALWAYS - ALWAYS use a long line to protect your puppy. Keep your sessions short and ALWAYS end on a good note!
We've been following Siggy (and Max) along for quite some time and I'm so pleased with the progress both of these awesome dogs have made. I'm jumping ahead here because we still have some videos to post of Siggy's basic training. However, I thought that you all might benefit from seeing how I try to get dogs out and about in town to get them socialized. This video is from last year, but it is quite relevant. Siggy has done great with his training at the park, and Yossi has taken him around his house for walks and such. BUT... you'll see Siggy a little nervous in a strange environment. This is often times the case. So in this session you'll see how I like to expose the dog to new experiences, how much ocrrection I use and how Ihande the situation when the dog gets scared or confused. This is a very valuable lesson for anyone with a young dog that needs to be socialized. Some things I don't do are: Over correct dogs during this phase. Don't let people meet the dog. Don't let other dogs meet my dog. Don't stress the dog on the walk by working for perfect obedience. Things I like to do during these trainings are: Let the dog be calm and enjoy the time. Try to keep the leash as lose as I can. Talk calmly to the dog when he Neds me, disconnect the other times. Keep the session relatively short. Always end on a good note. I think this lesson is critical for anyone wanting to know the proper way to socialize a dog and do it fairly for the dog. It's a simple process, but it does take some conscious effort and patience.
This lesson is about as real world as it can get. Max is my good buddy, Joey's Akita. We've been working together since he was a few months old, but socialization has been a challenge for him. Those who know the breed, know this is almost always an issue with Akitas. They are dominant and don't tolerate much. Joey has done a great job training Max, but there are some issues we're working through. This lesson comes out of order from the Ultimate Puppy Series we're doing, but I want to get important, impactful lessons out there for people who need them. It seems lessons on reactive dogs, aggressive dogs, unsocialized dogs and such are very important and that is what I want to deliver. In this session we take Max to town for some real world engagement, walking, socializing and structure. You'll see there are times when I correct and times when I don't. You'll see in the video lesson my logic. You must correct whenever you can, but safety of your dog, the other dog as well as people is a. top concern. Also, critical for your dog's learning are: A good experience Don't take the lesson too long Don't put your stress or any stress onto the dog Corrections are fair, firm and unemotional Keep the session short and end on a good note! That's about it. There's a lot of information in this one session. Watch it a few times and take it in. The information in this lesson may not fit you or your dog, but it's good to know. I've worked with countless aggressive, dangerous and reactive dogs, dominant and fearful - The very very few could not be helped. All others were helped with fair, balanced training and structure. There will be more lessons like this coming. I've been happy to help several members and clients that were kind enough to share their learning experience with you and our member section.
This is the 3rd of a three part series I did with Sonny and Ben. Ben contacted me because Sonny had some severe issues with Ben: lunging, barking and acting out of control. We worked though this in the past two sessions and a little more in this session. This whole training took place back in 2021, just finishing the series today. As you can see this takes time and you make even regress a little bit in each session. However, and this is the big piece, I checked in with Ben yesterday and Sonny is doing great. He's actually training in Mondio Ring Sport now. I will post a follow up video in the community section soon. Thank you Ben for giving Sonny the structure he needed. He could easily have ended up given up on and in a shelter or worse! He's a happy, thriving dog now thanks to Ben's work!
I've covered leash walking on different occasions, but I think this lesson will be more fitting to most everyone. In this lesson I take leash walking away from obedience and put the focus on just walking with your dog. In other words, this is just a walk. There's no obedience, no focused heel, just a stroll. It's important for people to very aware of the difference. When I walk my dogs, they are not on perfect heel, I don't expect it and I don't want it. Putting too much structure on the "walk" will do you no good in the relationship with your dog. It will also do you no good to let your dog sniff everywhere and drag you around.
Which Toy is the Better Reward? I’ve said it before, and I’ll always say it: Dogs work better when they are presented with the promise of a reward. They WILL perform if they MUST, but their performance will appear as such. In other words, if you want your dog to look happy doing a job… make sure he thinks there’s a reward involved. For people who say, “I don’t always want to have to have a treat to lure my dog into doing what I ask – you’re kinda right! Your dog will form associated patterns if he thinks there’s always gonna be a reward there. You’re making him think that there will always be a ball, tug or treat – doesn’t mean it always has to be there. Done properly, reward-based training builds a stronger and better bond than aversives. I do leave the door open for aversives. If a dog does NOT comply when I know he knows what I want, he will get corrected, but that comes a bit later. Right now, let’s focus on rewards. Member Video Lesson Tug vs Ball Although both toys / tools rely on the dog’s prey drive, they manifest a bit differently. The ball lets the dog chase the object and bring it back (or not), but the drive is satisfied when the chase is over. The tug relies on a dog’s fight drive, so the drive is manifested during the entire play session – and beyond! Simply put, balls reward the dog with a nice game of chase the ball, the tug rewards the dog in “dancing” with the handler. Will All Dogs TUG? In short, the answer is NO. There are many dogs who won’t tug and some dogs shouldn’t tug. Dogs who have severe dominance issues or nervous biting may be dogs that would do better to avoid the game of tug because it could create more biting habits. This isn’t necessarily based on breed (although breed could have something to do with it) it is based on the dog. Other dogs who won’t tug are those that don’t have a solid fight drive. These are dogs that are very soft or reluctant to engage. Material of the TUG One of the most common questions I get is “What kind of tug do you use?” There are countless tugs, but I prefer the linen tugs that are made by abc Klin among other companies, Julius K9 also makes a nice one. The reason I prefer these is because they are easy on the dog’s teeth and are easy to handle. They are also machine washable and easy to care for. Pick what works for you and your dog, but don’t pick anything too hard and don’t use ROPE tugs because you might pull a tooth out. Balls If you must use a ball, that is if your dog won’t tug, get a ball with a string on it. Search out a good German made hard rubber ball with a string. Don’t opt for a tennis ball for a host of reasons… Balls with a string will start to let you engage in a little tug action and maybe at some point graduate your dog into tug-play. I would also suggest you have two identical balls to get your dog to let go of the first one. Go SLOW Don’t’ expect your dog to just understand the game – very few dogs do. It took Goofy a long time to understand the game of tug and I had to be patient. I’d say at least a few weeks. Watch my other tug toy videos to get more information. There are several on youtube. If you have a good working line dog and want to really teach him tug, I suggest using an agitation harness and tying the dog back and teasing and tugging. You must build that frustration to get the dog to bite and fight. But remember, there’s a risk of getting bit if you do that. I would HIGHLY recommend joining a good working sport club such as IPO or a Ring Sport like Mondio or French Ring. Takeaways Take your time to determine if your dog has the fight drive to tug. Never “shove” the toy in your dog’s mouth. He should jump for it. When you tug, make sure your dog can win. Possessiveness builds the dog’s drive to keep playing.
This weeks online dog training lesson is something just for fun. With all of this stress everyone is going through, here’s something that you and your dog can do, just to break the monotony. I hope you like it. It’s a fun exercise to teach your dog to break some steam and just MOVE. Spin Left and Spin Right…. You can use it before doing some formal obedience to connect you and your dog in a fun way, or you can use it to show off to your friends. Remember to always have some fun with your dog – it makes life more fun! Member Video Lesson Step One Start with your dog on your left side, that is the formal heel position. Take a treat in your left hand and allow your dog to follow it. Move your hand, just slightly above your dog’s nose counter-clockwise. Your dog will follow it and will naturally turn in that direction. That will be the left spin. Step Two Once your dog is familiar with that, place your dog on your right side. Now, place a treat in your right hand and, in the same manner as above, move your hand in a clockwise direction. Keep the treat just out of reach, but within sniffing distance. It’s fun and simple. Step Three As your dog begins following the movement, add the words SPIN RIGHT or SPIN LEFT. Step Four As your dog gets more and more comfortable, add the verbal before moving your hand and see if your dog will start. You can fade the lure (treat) very slowly. It’s bad to try to remove it too soon, because then your dog will become very dependent upon the treat. You’re better off keeping the treat in the picture longer. Step Five Use your finger to point in the direction and have the treat inside your closed hand. This will help some dogs along before fading the treat and the hand signal. Go slow, it’s meant to be fun! Takeaways from Spin Right and Left! Use a lure of food to teach this. Get your dog to follow the treat in the direction you want him to spin, left or right. Don’t let him get the treat, keep it just out of reach! Reward when the dog completes the VERY FIRST spin! Don’t go for multiple spins until he understands he must complete the first one! Use your finger to point with the treat inside your closed hand as a second step. Once the dog can follow the finger, you can try just using the verbal. If the dog seems confused, add the physical cue.
I'm sharing my e-collar modification because I think it is superior. You can use the standard strap that comes with your e-collar either in place of the modification or until you make the modification. The modification may not be easy, but I think it's worthwhile. You might be able to have your local shoe repair shop make this for you! To Make the Collar Modification, you'll need the following items: Two (2) small d-rings to fit the width of your collar (check local hardware store) - sized according to the width of your collar strap Two (2) Chicago screws or rivets may work as well (check local hardware store) - I use 1/4" About 24" of shock cord (mountain climbing supply) - I use 1/8" One (1) spring loaded cord stopper (mountain climbing supply)- you'll get the stopper based on the size of the shock cord. Please watch the lesson / videos carefully several times and practice on yourself before you EVER put the collar on your dog.
Member Video Lesson People have asked for my e-collar online dog training more than any other request. I've waited for good reason. I want my students to have a good understanding of dogs and dog training before using an e-collar. The e-collar is a great tool when used properly, but it is a disaster when used incorrectly. Over the last 10+ years I've used the e-collar effectively in various training methodologies including: Competitive Obedience Counter Conditioning Aggression Avoidance Training (rattlesnake avoidance) Protection Training Pet Dog Training The e-collar is also called the SHOCK COLLAR, REMOTE COLLAR, ELECTRONIC COLLAR and a host of other names. They are hated by many and misunderstood by most. This intro lesson to e-collars is one of the longest lessons I've ever posted because I wanted to include as much information as possible to hopefully avoid confusion with the tool. There are many modifications I do to my collars and I share all of my secrets here. Nothing held back in the first lesson. I also give my recommendation on which collars I use, which I prefer and why. This one lesson is worth more than the price of a yearly membership. I will be adding more lessons on using the e-collar effectively and humanely to enhance your relationship with your dog and keep him or her safe. This lesson should take at least a week or two to digest. Please use the links below if you want to get the same collars I'm recommending. Also, see below for the gear you need to modify your collar. BTW - you can use your own e-collar and follow my system. I only suggest that you understand the collar thoroughly.
Not every lesson will be something to teach your particular dog, but each lesson contains important aspects that will be very useful to your dog, the relationship with your dog and your overall skill as a dog owner, handler and trainer. This week’s lesson is the GO OUT. It is one of the hardest things to teach a dog. Think about it, all we ever teach our dogs is COME, STAY and such. When do we ever ask our dog to RUN AWAY from us? Well if you do any competitive obedience sport such as AKC, IPO or RING you will be required to send your dog AWAY from you. And you better know how to do it. I remember teaching Goofy this many years ago. I struggled with different methods until I finally found one that worked – and that is the one that I’m teaching you here. This week’s video is quite long and detailed and includes both Goofy doing it perfectly and Jimi is our teachers’ helper. I think you’ll really LOVE the way Goofy and Jimi differ in their styles. Remember, the useful part of teaching this to even your pet dog is “Go to Your Bed,” “Go to the Car,” and a host of other things you may think of. BE PATIENT... this is a very hard thing to teach. You’ll see, Goofy makes it look easy, but to perfect this one skill can take months. Member Video Lesson THE TARGET The most important thing to teaching a GO OUT is to have your dog see something that he is going to. This will be critical in the early phases and less so in the later phases. But I can tell you a little secret... There’s always something that Goofy is targeting when I ask him to GO OUT. It could be anything, but no dog just blindly runs away from you in a straight line. I start with a small carpet square and load it with treats. I don’t use a toy early on because I need repetition. It’s the repetition that makes it work. Watch Goofy and then look at how I demonstrate teaching it to Jimi. When I post the puppy version, you’ll see Duane catch on really quickly. Show your dog something on the TARGET, then take him away... He’ll be fighting to get to it! DO NOT PUT OBEDIENCE WHEN TAKING THE DOG AWAY Once you show the dog the loaded target, be sure he doesn’t get the treat as you usher him away. He has to think, “I want to get to that target!” When he is fighting to get there, you link a word to it. So simply put, I do this. Load the target Show the dog the loaded target Ask him, “Where’s your GO OUT? Where’s your GO OUT?” (you can call it whatever you want, TOUCH, HIT, BANG, VORAUS…) The entire time I’m moving him away, I repeat, “Where’s Your _______?” When I get him a few feet away, I point to it and send him with the command, “GO OUT or GO TOUCH, or VORAUS!” I repeat this often before I ask for any behaviors at the target. DON’T MOVE TOO FAST. You want to teach the position (DOWN, SIT, STAND) separately from the SEND AWAY. **** Do NOT use obedience to pull the dog away from the target. NEVER SAY… HEEL or NO or WATCH ME…. In this phase you want to drag your dog away from the target. LOADING ASSISTANT If you’re lucky enough to have a training partner, you can have them load the target when the dog doesn’t see it. This should come after the dog clearly knows what the target is and that there’s a reward there – he’s seen you load it each time. But now you’ll send him, and he DID NOT see you load it. That will start to teach him that there’s always a prize. THE BLOW OFF Some dogs will blow you off when you release the collar. To prevent this, use the loaded plastic container. Make sure your dog doesn’t pry the top off, but he can’t get the prize until you reward him. ALWAYS use a long line in the beginning. At some point I may confess to the insane amounts of money I spent on gadgets to teach this perfectly. It will become critical, in order to perfect this, that you can point your dog in a direction, initiate his drive and then wait before you send him. As you see with Goofy, I do just that. Then I can ask him to TOUCH the item numerous times, I can add positions into the game as well. Remember, Goofy has been doing this almost 9 years, do don’t complain if your dog doesn’t get it this week! DISTANCE Start at very close distances, I mean like 3 feet. Slowly add distance – SLOWLY. If you go too fast your dog will veer off the path and it will be harder to fix. Takeaways The dog must see the TARGET loaded.. that means watching you load it! You have to reinforce the words / COMMAND as he’s thinking about it. REPEAT, “WHERE’S YOUR TOUCH or WHERE’S YOUR BED”… whatever you will call that – repeat it to him. When you send him you say, GO TOUCH, GO TO YOUR BED or whatever the command is. Short distances are the secret sauce... Slowly add distance. This is a very complicated exercise done in the performance ring. Be very patient with your dog... You will NOT teach this in a day!
There are various thoughts out there on making magnetic toys for your dogs. Some are good, but some could potentially be dangerous for your dog. In this video I give you my secret to making the magnetic balls you see me use. Here's a link to the magnets and toys you'll need: Rare Earth Magnets 1" x .25" you'll need a set of 6 (see below) : https://ebay.to/3pNdKjB *** the newer vests are reenforced under the arm, so you will need two extra magnets for the underarm pockets, so you'll need a set of 6! Training Fetch Balls - https://amzn.to/31UIGG8 You'll also need 2 - 15mm square magnets to go INSIDE the balls (one for each ball you make: https://ebay.to/3dGOgPh
In this lesson I discuss how to use the various pockets on the vest to lure, shape behaviors and reward your dog. This video will give you some great tips that will make a lot of sense and help you get the most out of your vest. It's not only a cool looking vest, it really will help you train your dog better than most any other training aid.
Today's lessons deal with using the TEAM CABRAL training vest. You'll be able to extrapolate information for training out of these lessons even if you don't have the vest, but I wanted to put the info out there for those of you who purchased the vest. If you haven't yet gotten yours and would like to, use the shop link above or click here: https://robertcabral.com/shop This first lesson gives you the basics, what the vest is, how it works and what makes it so great. Be sure to check the other video lessons that go along with this lesson, there are 3 videos in total. Here's a link to the magnets you'll need:Rare Earth Magnets 1" x .25" you'll need a set of 6 (see below): https://ebay.to/3pNdKjB *** the newer vests are reenforced under the arm, so you will need two extra magnets for the underarm pockets, so you'll need a set of 6!
Great Obedience Training Tool It is important that your dog fit comfortably into the box, but making it too large will be a big mistake as it will create the exact issue you are trying to correct / prevent. If you have a puppy now, you may end up building a few boxes until the puppy becomes a dog. I did! See: online dog training The width of the box should be just a small amount wider than your dog as you can see in the diagram below. Member Video Lesson It is important that your dog fit comfortably into the box, but making it too large will be a big mistake as it will create the exact issue you are trying to correct / prevent. If you have a puppy now, you may end up building a few boxes until the puppy becomes a dog. I did! The width of the box should be just a small amount wider than your dog as you can see in the diagram below. PVC Box Diagram PARTS NEEDED: You’ll see on the diagram exactly what parts are needed. They are Elbow Joints, T- joints, end caps, and your PVC. Smaller dogs will be fine with ¼” or ½” but for the bigger dogs I prefer to use a larger diameter. MEASURE TWICE CUT ONCE: That is an old saying that I learned as a young boy from a builder. Take your time and measure your dog and then build your box. ONE OF MY FAVORITE TOOLS: When it comes to training precise techniques, the box is one of my very favorite dog training tools. I know you’ll love it. It will be so useful for numerous purposes.
CONDITIONING YOUR DOG TO THE BOX As you will see in the video with Maya, she’s totally unaware of the box and what it means. Goofy did this same thing early on and I got him to LOVE the box. It takes time and patience. It was actually harder with Goofy because he was young, immature and FULL of DRIVE! STEP 1: Get the dog used to the presence of the box. Get her close to it, let her sniff it and be comfortable. Keep this and all sessions short and positive. STEP 2: Start by luring the dog into the box and then out. I always start by teaching the dog to exit the box from the back. The idea to the box is to keep the dog from traveling forward, so keep that in mind. STEP 3: Don’t make a big deal if the dog is bumping the box, sitting on the box or is freaked out by the box. It’s NO BIG DEAL! STEP 4: Lure the dog in and out of the box multiple times before asking for obedience in the box. Then start to ask for a sit or down. Your goal is to make the box a fun place. Your dog will correct themselves in the box. STEP 5: Don’t allow your dog to play with, chew on or paw at the box. This is a training tool and should be treated as such. Takeaways Make sure your box is the right size for your dog. See video #1 of this week’s lesson. Use a long line or flexi to teach this no matter how good you think your dog is! Get your dog to accept the presence of the box before attempting training. Slowly introduce obedience in the box. Always exit your dog from the box via the back. Don’t let him step over the front… yet. Keep your session short and fun.
Getting a dog from the position sitting in front of you, which is called a “FRONT,” into the HEEL position is called “the FINISH.” That is what I want to spend this week’s lesson covering. It’s imperative to know this drill for competitive dog sports, but it’s also very nice to know how to do with your pet dog. I see people jerking their dogs around trying to get them to “go around” and get into that “heel position,” and that’s unnecessary. Teaching your dog a solid FINISH looks great and is just another fun thing to that will bond the two of you. Please remember, these exercises take a long time to perfect, so be patient with your dog. There are two different “FINISH”es… the go around and the J finish. You can choose whichever one you want, or you can really push your luck and try both. I highly recommend that you pick and master one first and then move on. You can test them both and see which one fits better to you and your dog and then choose. I prefer the J finish, which can be developed into what is called a flip finish depending on how your dog does it, and their speed. Member Video Lesson The Difference Between the J and Flip Finish: As you’ll see in my video both of these finishes involve the dog getting into position on your left side and turning into you. If you have an energetic dog, such as a Malinois or a border collie or Aussie… you can work into the flip finish, because it looks cool. I may do another video on that, but starting with the J finish will set you up. The J finish really just keeps the dog’s feet on the ground and has them cover more ground to get into the position. The FLIP is usually taught by having the dog “jump” into the position. I give an example in the video, but it’s not a finish I do – I prefer the J finish. Following Your LEG: The easiest way I’ve found to teach all finishes is through motivational luring. I use a treat or toy and have the dog follow the toy into the position. This works well in the J finish and to help the dog even more I will drag my left leg back and then forward into position. Following the leg helps the dog see more movement that he will follow. Slowly you can start fading that leg and your dog should continue the movement, as you see Goofy doing. If your dog starts to get sloppy, then add the leg back in to help him pick up the forgotten movement. GO Around: I believe the Go-Around is the most common way that people will get a dog into position. It’s easy and a big movement that the dog will enjoy following. You can do it with a treat or a toy. The idea is that the dog will go around you, from your right – behind you – and finish in heel position on your left side. Where is HE??? The one concern to have when using the go around finish is that there is a certain amount of time when you don’t really see your dog – when he’s directly behind you! So, if there is a distraction behind you, your dog may wander off behind you instead of arriving at your left side. You can decide if your dog is a wanderer and which finish better suits him or her! Watch Your Shoulder Position: I talk about this in the intro to the video because it is so important. Watch Your Shoulders…. Your chest and shoulders must face directly forward. If you turn to look at your dog on your left, your shoulders move, and your dog will follow that pressure and sit crooked. The very best way to do this properly is to use a mirror. Seriously I’ve done it. It works. Stop at HEEL: It’s not uncommon for the dog to continue the movement after arriving at your left side because he wants to play or get the toy or treat. You must use a leash to get the dog to STOP and SIT in heel position before rewarding. It may require a correction, but get it down to teach the dog the proper position. You can even add the SIT command when he arrives at position! Takeaways Be sure your dog knows the HEEL position before teaching the go around. Play around with both finishes and see which one suits you and your dog best. If you have a fast, hyper dog, try the flip finish. The GO AROUND finish is better for slower dogs. Go Slow... this will take time. Watch your shoulder position to avoid a crooked sit!
Undoubtedly the most popular question I get from new dog owner is “What do I do or teach first?” Although I thought I mentioned this many times, it seems it’s still unclear, so I want this lesson to be for those members who just got a new dog or puppy and are wondering what to do. Those of you who are well underway can use this as a refresher or tell a friend to join so that they can have this valuable information. First Things First The very most important thing to consider is not to put too much pressure on your dog right at the beginning. This can destroy your relationship with your dog or overwhelm a new puppy. That’s why I give my new dog(s) a break. I set up a crate or two in the house and make sure they know their place. YES, a crate is that important. You want your new dog to understand that he can look at and enjoy people and things without direct engagement. This will come into play significantly during his development. The problem that people make is often giving their dogs way too much freedom early on. For people who have two floors or a larger house, I’d recommend getting two crates. Crates are inexpensive enough to get and use and then donate to a local shelter. I do prefer to use all wire crates in the house because it gives the dog the ability to see everything without engaging with anything. Member Video Lesson Hand Feeding Building that initial relationship with your dog though hand-feeding will go a long way to establish a fair and hierarchical relationship with your dog. This relationship sets you up for training long term. I try to hand-feed as much as possible, but realize that people have busy lives, so try to feed at least one meal a day. Watch the video and see how I do it. I use small amounts of food to drag the experience out longer. Luring and Shaping While you’re at it, hand feeding, start to put some behaviors into the mix. You can lure the come, the sit, the down and so much more. In the video I show many of the things you can do. This exercise teaches your dog that there’s no such thing as a free lunch and the joys of working with you for rewards. Again this will set your dog up to learn how to learn. Expect Little - Be Patient New owners always wonder how long it will take for their dogs to learn new things. The answer to that question is, “It depends on the dog.” Some dogs learn very quickly, some dogs take a bit longer. The greatest mistake is giving up or being impatient. Patience is the greatest gift a dog owner or dog trainer possesses. ALL dogs learn eventually. It may take a few minutes, a few days or a few weeks - don’t give up. Keep your relationship fun. Before you train, build a relationship. Takeaways Give your dog a chance to settle in before expecting anything. Hand feed to build a fair and solid relationship. Don’t name commands at this point. Just lure the dog to the desired positions. Keep it light and fun. Always use a crate to teach your dog boundaries. Be fair in all training and interactions.
The nitty gritty... Yesterday I was training a client’s dog at the park and we were dealing with a small dog that would get so irate at other dogs walking by that she could hardly contain herself – the dog that is. We repeated some basic obedience exercises over and over for a period of 90 minutes and the dog eventually was able to accept the presence of the other dog(s). The reason I bring this up is because no matter how often I tell people that training must be patiently repeated over and over until the dog understands, people usually give up. Recently we started teaching Duane the HOLD. This process can easily be covered in one video and that would lead people to believe that it can be done in one session, one day or one week. Well that’s not the case. But, because I post a new lesson every week, I’m afraid that many of you will fall into that trap. There are enough lessons on this member section now to train your dog for 2 years, but how many will use the lessons that way? I’m hoping you will. Because this will help you better understand dog training and what it really takes. Forget the 5-minute YouTube lessons… that crap doesn’t work. Everything has to be repeated until the habit is formed in the dog’s mind. We’re going on 5 weeks with Duane’s HOLD and retrieve training. Sure, he could fetch a tug or ball, but did he bring it back to me 100% of the time and 100% reliably? NO! How can I fix that? WITH A LOT OF FOCUSSED WORK. Like what I’m teaching in this lesson. Goofy will fetch and bring whatever I tell him. Doesn’t matter the material or object. He knows what it means, and he was taught exactly like I’m showing here. This is part 2 and I will post part 3 very soon, so be patient. We live in a society where we wanna get get get everything as fast as possible…. But dogs don’t work like that. So, these lessons will teach you the finer points, the things that people on YouTube don’t have the patience to watch and follow. I hope you’ll gain that extra insight by being my members. The complete HOLD lesson might be about 90 minutes of video, but it’s probably gonna be about 10-15 hours of practice… and that practice is just HOLDing. There is no retrieve games during this training period. Are you serious enough to train your dog like this? If you are, you’ll succeed at teaching your dog most anything. If not, you can skim through the lessons here and just have fun. But remember, when it comes to solving a problem, the answer probably will be pretty simple – repeat and be patient. That will be the big take-away from this weeks lesson. Member Video Lesson Takeaways NO FETCH or retrieving while you’re teaching the HOLD. Do the same routine, on a table with the same object for 15 minutes at a time. Be patient and repeat over and over – don’t let the dog drop or play with the object. Once the dog understands the HOLD, then introduce other objects – slowly. You will succeed if you try hard enough. We’ll move to the ground in part 3!
The HOLD is one of the major components in the retrieve. It is a simple thing to teach a dog but making it proper and perfect which means the dog should bring the object to me, HOLD it and then release it only when I ask, is a little more work. See: online dog training I want to address this, but it literally could take several hours’ worth of video to teach and explain. So, to address it, I’ll break it down into a few sessions so that you can easily grasp it and teach it fairly to your dog. Member Video Lesson The PREY Drive: If you’ve watched my previous lessons on the two-ball game, you and your dog should understand the basic prey element. I like to make this part fun and use the dog’s natural drive to have fun doing this. It can be done separately, and I advise it is. STOP RETRIEVING TODAY: If you really want to do this properly, do not do any fetching or retrieving for the next few weeks until you get the hold down. I know you’ll want to, but DON’T! It will make this process harder. Basics: I like to put my dog on a table. The ideal height is a picnic / park table. This puts the dog at a different level, closer to our eyes and it makes it easier to place the object into your dog’s mouth. This is tough, because your dog will try to jump off of the table, so spend a few days just getting your dog used to being up high. ALWAYS keep him on a long line and don’t let the dog or puppy jump off, either lift them off or walk them on and off using the bench. Don’t Use a Dumbbell…: I use an inanimate object because I don’t want a negative association to the object that the dog will eventually retrieve. I like using a dowel cut about 12” long and about 1” in diameter. I use thicker dowels and sometimes a piece of PVC. Some gun-dog trainers will also teach the dog to hold a paint roller to simulate a bird. Do not do it with a toy such as a tug or squeaky toy. Avoid the Lips: Move the dog’s lips away from the teeth so the dog will not accidentally get their lips caught, which could make it a negative association. Watch how I demonstrate it in the video and follow the exact method I show. Placement: The object must be placed behind the canines and in front of the molars. This is important for a proper hold. It’s critical that the object be placed exactly as I show for a proper retrieve. Support the Lower Jaw: Keeping the lower jaw from moving will make the hold easier for your dog. Stay calm to keep your dog calm. I place my hand under the jaw and cup it to prevent the dog from dropping his lower jaw. Sometimes I’ll even hold the dog’s mouth closed softly to show him what I want. Correction: You will need to correct your dog for dropping the object and the corrections will be necessary. Most people will give up because they don’t want to correct their dog. There will be no other way to teach your dog this properly. Your dog will naturally try to spit the object out or chomp on it. This is critical. The correction can be a pop under the jaw with your thumb, or you can just grab his cheek and tell him HEYYYYY or NOOOOO. Immediately start again and put the object back in his mouth. *** the important thing is that you reward the dog when he does it properly. It takes time. It wasn’t pretty early on with the Duane O Mator, but the process taught him the right way and now he LOVES it! *** Decide if you really want to do this with your dog. If you don’t want to do the corrections and go through the phases, don’t start. It takes time, requires correction and you must not get emotional or yell at the dog. The correction is matter of fact! Look at how calm Duane does the hold after a few trials… Watch for the other parts coming in the next few weeks. It’s a super important lesson for obedience dogs and wanting to prevent the dog from grabbing the object and NOT bringing it to you. This is the best way to fix it. Takeaways STOP retrieving today. No more fetch till he’s got the hold. Do NOT teach this with a dumbbell. Basically, I only teach it with a dowel. Move your dog’s lips out of the way so he doesn’t accidentally bite them. It’s 100x easier to teach this with your dog on a table. Go Slow... this will take time. Corrections will be necessary, you want to be clear to your dog what you want.
part 3 - the bonus Well, it’s been a few weeks since we first touched on the HOLD as taught as part of the RETRIEVE training. The hold is perhaps the most important part because it cements what we want the dog to do. We want the dog to bring something to us, but he HOLDS it in front of us until we take it. As I showed in lesson 1, we focused with Duane on just holding an object in front of me and get rewarded for holding and releasing. This taught a nice solid hold. We transitioned into part 2 and now we are ready for some of the finishing touches that will make it fun, useful and also help you begin trouble shooting the HOLD. If several members have issues with the hold, I’ll do a troubleshooting the hold video! But this last video should show some very important aspects. See: online dog training Member Video Lesson Consider the Drive of the Dog: As you’ll see with Jimi in the later part of this video, his drives are low and getting him to do something involves building that drive. With Duane and Goofy we have to channel those drives to keep them from going crazy. Paint a Clear Picture: Now that we are adding more and more excitement / movement into the exercise, keep your dog focused, keep your movements and voice to a minimum. The less you can talk and move, the more the dog will have a clear picture on what you want. Less movement from you means less confusion for your dog. Don’t Let Your Dog Fail: If your dog is unclear and runs past you, stops halfway or drops the dumbbell…. Start again! Don’t try to over-explain. Simply say NO, bring (or fetch or whatever your command is). Expect the HOLD: You’ve worked on this for a few weeks, your dog MUST know the HOLD. If your dog is not holding the object, DO NOT DO THESE 2nd 2 parts. Stay on lesson 1. Takeaways Be sure your dog knows parts 1 and 2 If your dog is low drive, use something to get his drives up to help the retrieve. DO NOT start this lesson until your dog knows part 1 and 2. The HOLD must be solid before moving on. You will succeed if you try hard enough. If your dog drops the object, do NOT pick it up. Kick it and ask your dog to BRING or FETCH one more time.
I’ve posted a lot of lessons that are long and detailed and some that are fun, but THIS online dog training lesson is critical. In this short lesson, I want to tell you the critical importance of being tactile with your dog. Touching them, looking at them, examining them.. BEING AWARE. Grooming your dog gives you the time and opportunity to touch your dog and get. closer look. Your dog can’t tell you when there’s something wrong, YOU have to find it. Touch your dog, palpate, examine every inch. Look for little bumps and abnormalities. If you find something, be your dog’s advocate. I’m telling you this because I was just dealt one of the most devastating blows of my life today. I can’t really talk about it yet, but I will tell you, my members first. In the meantime, check this video lesson and take it to heart. Watch it twice and look at your dog, touch them and make notes. Ask a vet if you have a question, and if that vet doesn’t make you feel better, ask another vet! Step One Brush your dog regularly. This gives you the chance to touch and feel all over their body. Feel behind their legs, their necks, their legs all the way to their feet. Pay attention to your dogs lips, mouth, and nose. If you notice something suspicious, 1. take note 2. re-examine 3. see a vet. Step Two When brushing your dog's teeth, look inside their mouths, look under their tongues and check their teeth. Small dogs can have tooth disease and it can get serious, even deadly. Good oral hygiene is critical to overall health. Step Three Ear infections are easy to prevent, but almost impossible to get rid of once a dog has them. Pay particular attention to your dog's ears if they have floppy ears, like labs, goldens, etc. Dog's with pricked ears get better ventilation, but should still be kept clean and dry. *** Never use q-tips or stick anything into your dog's ears.
I think getting your dog or puppy to look at you, and I mean really LOOK at you, is one of the most important things you will ever do with your dog. My dogs ALL look at me and they do so for the right reason - because they love me. In this lesson I want to teach you how to do this with your dog. Step 1 Get your dog to sit or stand in front of you and have some treats in your hands. Make a slight noise with your mouth and when your dog glances at your face, mark that behavior with a YES and give him a treat from either hand. Remember, you have treats in both hands, you’ll have to switch which hand gives the treats. If you always give treats from one hand, your dog will learn to look only at that hand. Step 2 Now that your dog has looked up at you a few times, take your hands out to your side, both hands extended. Your dog will now look at your hands. He may even look from the left hand to the right hand, and back again. At this point it will take more work to get the dog to look at your face, but be patient and be resilient. You’re only gonna get a ½ second look - but mark that and reward it. Remember to always vary which hand gives your dog the treat. If your dog becomes confused, move a little and “reset” the dog. Step 3 Start to move your hands to distract the dog. He will fall for it, but not for long. Each time he looks at your face, you mark the behavior with an excited YES and deliver a treat to his mouth. The fascinating thing your dog is now learning is “He can turn on the light bulb, but only by going through the switch.” He can look at your hands all he wants, but nothing happens until he looks at your face. Your face is the light switch, your hands are the bulb. Member Video Lesson Adding a Command Now that your dog is looking at your face you can add the word LOOK (some people use EYES). Each time your dog looks at you for a short duration, say LOOK pause then YES and give the dog the treat. Don’t expect too long of a look right now, just a second or two. If you focus on building incrementally you’ll have better luck than to try to get too much at once. Now that you have the dog looking at your eyes, start to move your hands and then even walk in place a little bit. If the dog looks away, you can add a negative marker, NO or nope and repeat the command LOOK. Every so often I get the question, “Why is it so important for your dog to look at you?” The question seems strange to me. I wonder how often you talk to your friends or family and they stare off into the distance and don’t look at you. Wouldn't you find that weird? I would! I expect someone to pay attention to me and that means looking at me. Furthermore, my dog looking at me keeps him from getting into any trouble. He CAN’T get into trouble when he’s looking at me. Chasing is not as common when a dog is focussed on you. His focus on my makes lunging at other dogs less likely. Getting your dog to look at you builds a solid relationship and definitely keeps your dog safer than a dog who has no connection to you. Takeaways Reward the dog immediately for even the shortest glance. If the dog gets confused, move and reset your dog. Once the dog is getting the LOOK, add the word. Put some hot dogs or cheese in your mouth and see if you can teach your dog to catch the treat from your mouth. *** Do NOT allow your dog to jump at your face to get the treats. He has to wait for you to spit them or deliver them.
I consider the DOWN command the most important of the 3 positions. The positions are DOWN, SIT and STAND. In basic obedience a dog is required to know two, SIT and DOWN, but if we take it further, we teach the dog the STAND. The DOWN command is critical because it is a completely “disabling” command. In other words, the dog is out of the range of movement, unlike in SIT and STAND where the dog is ready to move much more quickly. That is why I opt for a down when I want a dog in total control. See: online dog training Member Video Lesson BIOMECHANICS FIRST: Before you EVER teach the dog the DOWN command, teach him or her the movement that makes the down happen. Sound strange? It’s not! Getting the dog to just understand the biomechanics of moving into the DOWN helps the muscle memory before we ever involve the mind having to think about performing the task. DOWN FROM STAND: To get the dog to understand the movement clearly, take the sit out of the picture. In its purest sense, the movement from STAND to DOWN should be effortless. A simple fold into a down. FOLDING DOWN: Done properly, the dog will fold from the STAND to the down like a folding chair. By guiding the dog’s nose down and back toward the front paws, the movement is like poetry in motion. TABLE TABLE TABLE: I cannot stress the importance of teaching your dog these exercises on a table enough. It is a game changer. DON’T FORCE: The most common thing people try to do is put pressure on the dog’s back to press them down. This will not work and only will create an opposition reflex. I’ll talk about this in another lesson when we get to problem solving the DOWN. For now, try to simply get the dog to (effortlessly) fold into the down by following the video. ALWAYS PERFECT: Most people will think once the technique is taught the dog should know it, but that is not true. I believe in always perfecting the dog’s skills. I practice clean downs, stands and sits as well as every other exercise with my dog weekly. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that training ends! Takeaways Teach muscle memory before ever adding a word to the exercise. All foundational positions should be taught on a table. Use treats to lure the dog over and over, then add the command. The order of the exercise to fade treats is Command, pause, LURE. Always teach the DOWN from a STAND, not from a SIT.
The Complete Lesson Every dog knows how to sit, but how they sit can be an issue. Some people believe that a crooked sit can lead to spinal and hip issues. I’m not sure if I buy that, but I like my dogs to have a perfect sit. This, PERFECT SIT, means more than just sitting when I tell the dog, it also means sitting in a particular way that looks powerful. See: online dog training I remember my mom telling me when I was young, “Sit straight!” I never forgot that! And when I started in dog obedience, I remember one of my first coaches telling me about this “TUCK SIT.” I never forgot it and have seen lots of competitors loose points for crooked sits and overall, the dog just looks sloppy. Member Video Lesson The Platform KLIMB Check the link for the correct platform here. This is the platform I use. It’s great, lightweight and I’ve used it and recommended it for years. Placing your dog on a platform makes the learning / teaching process so much easier for everyone. It keeps the dog in a solid position, minimizes movement and keeps the dog positioned to teach the proper form. Please try to use a platform of some sort. Alternately I also use a picnic table. Works almost as well! Step 1 The first phase is getting the dog to understand the basic movement of the SIT. That is lift the treat above the dog’s nose and push it slightly back. This isn’t addressed in the video, since it focusses on the more technical side, but I thought I’d mention it here. Some dogs will need to have their butt pushed down, but try to avoid that method if possible, as well as the method of yanking on the leash. The dog will learn it my way better! Step 2 You may need to push the dog’s butt in and forward to teach the movement of the TUCK. This is ok. Your goal is to get the dog to understand that moving his back feet forward in order to sit is a good thing. AVOID One thing I strongly suggest is to avoid standing in front of the dog and putting spatial pressure, forward on the dog as this will tend to make them rock back into the sit and that will not be desirable. Proofing Phase Once the dog learns the movement well, you can proof it by putting some pulling tension on the line. Remember, put the leash on the dead ring or one of the links of the collar. Don’t choke your dog when you pull on the line. SPEED In order to build speed into the sit, you’ll have to release fast! Try to do the two exercises separately. Don’t try to get a perfect tuck sit and do it fast. They can be taught separately and later you can put more focus on the style and the speed will stay. This is a long lesson, and it will take time for your dog to get this. Reflect back on this lesson occasionally to see if you’re still on top of your game! Takeaways Go SLOW… teach your dog one step at a time. Use treats to keep the dog calm and engaged! Help your dog by pushing his hind end forward (toward his front legs). Use a platform or table and be sure your dog doesn’t jump off. Always keep a long line on your dog during training. Separate the SPEED from the STYLE. They will come together. This lesson (like many others) will take time. Don’t rush!
This lesson is a great study in how dogs should get and how they shouldn't. You might remember RED, the Malinois mix that is owned by Will. Will has done an awesome job with Red, who had some issues with other dogs. I see Will and Red in the neighborhood and am so impressed by their progress. In today's session Will asked that we look at how Red and Nitro meet and play. I asked them to meet as they normally would and ignore the fact that I'm there. What you see is what you see. This is exactly how I would NOT do it. Tough to say, since these two know each other and have met and played before. It's important to note that dogs can play fine many times and then suddenly have an issue and not play fine any more. This is almost always caused by a bad experience... which can be the result of excessive drive, frustration and more. This lesson will give you some valuable insight!
The single most important thing to develop a solid relationship in dog training is the ability to read a dog. The next, and almost equally important thing is to be able to communicate with your dog. This is done by timing rewards and corrections. I believe that most people who struggle in training their dogs, or clients dogs, are people who are just slightly off on their timing. I remember years ago, I had a conversation with a friend of mine who plays in a famous rock band. He said when it comes to music, there are only a few places when you're off key. There are actually more places to be on, than off. But when you're off, you're really off! Dog training is quite similar, if your timing is only a tiny bit off, your timing is WAY off. And, if it's off, you're not communicating with your dog. In this weeks lesson, I address this timing issue. This lesson will be a staple to anyone who wants to understand the very fine points in timing and rewards. Timing is everything. I learned and practiced this in my past careers as a martial artist and photographer. If you're off, you either get hit or miss the shot! Dog training has a lot of similarities. I think this will be one of the most valuable lessons.... please take this seriously! Steps to Timing Corrections and Rewards: You only have a second or two to correct or reward a dog. After that he has moved on from what he did and the reward or correction will mean nothing. Dogs can only associate things that happen immediately before or immediately following a behavior because of our lack of inter-species language. We are (at this phase) teaching our dogs how to learn. If you correct too late, the dog will not associate it with the incorrect behavior and may chain it to something completely different. This will lead to confusion or frustration. Correction and reward work hand in hand. Without correcting the dog, you will never help him to learn right from wrong. Remember, corrections only come after the dog knows what he should be doing. Luring and shaping are mandatory steps before we enter corrections. The exception to this rule is aggression. Verbal correction / markers must be followed by a physical in order to solidify the communication. The dog learns that the NO means a physical correction his coming. His desire to avoid the physical teaches him to listen to the verbal! Takeaways from Timing Corrections and Rewards: The BIGGEST take-away on this lesson is that your reward or correction must immediately follow the dog's action. Dogs will not be able to comprehend a correction or reward that comes a few seconds after. Time your communication impeccably. In order for a dog to learn to respond to a verbal marker such as no, we insert a physical correction 1 second after the verbal. This teaches the dog that he has time to self-correct in order to avoid the physical.
The TOUCH COMMAND is one of the most useful things to teach your dog for several reasons. Let me start by saying, it gives your dog a job to do, which is always critical. We spend way too much time trying to get a dog NOT to do something, instead of giving them SOMETHING TO DO. Teaching your dog TOUCH engages him or her to you, and it can lead to a host of other things from there. Most importantly, if you're trying to train your dog for obedience, tricks or service dog work, the TOUCH is a critical element - perhaps the most critical. In this online dog training lesson I take you all the way through from foundation to advanced. This lesson is 30 minutes long. Setting the dog up to learn the crucial first steps all the way through to remote touching. I think you'll LOVE this lesson and it will come in so handy with your dog no matter what you're teaching him or her! Member Video Lesson Steps to Teaching TOUCH: Hold a treat in your hand and as your dog takes it mark the behavior with a marker word or sound. Get your dog excited to get the treat. Once he understands this, remove the treat and ask your dog to touch the area where the treat was. Reward with the other hand. Add a TARGET such as a post it note. Mark and reward. Place the target at a distance and send your dog to touch. Place the target in different locations so your dog won't get set into one place for the target. Takeaways to TOUCH COMMAND: Keep your training short and fun. Don't expect too much. Your dog may offer different behaviors if he's confused or may shut down. Get your dog excited to get a treat and use that to create the touch. Reward with excitement to keep the dog engaged. ALWAYS mark the right behavior immediately. Get the dog to understand that the touch can be anywhere by moving him off of your hand quickly. I use one command for touch, and one for HAND. This is explained in the video.
This is an AWESOME lesson. I decided to make some of my shelter dog training videos available here for those of you who want to be professional dog trainers and those that want to help shelter dogs. Of course you may have a dog with these issues as well, but I think that is a little less likely. This lesson contains a lot of information from engagement to basics to dog to dog intros, but the most important aspect in this video is a behavior that often costs shelter dogs their lives: hind end sensitivity. You'll see when I get into it in the lesson. I can promise you, you won't find these lessons anywhere else, because either people don't know how to deal with it, or they don't want to show it! This lesson was shot over two separate visits to the shelter. The pivotal part is when you see the volunteer work with Sully on my return visit. Sully learned so much from the first lesson, that lesson two was pretty simple. That is because I didn't give up, I never let her connect with the bite and I rewarded where the rewards needed to be and blocked the bad behavior. No corrections no punishment! I sincerely hope that these lessons will help dogs everywhere and I thank all of you for making this work possible!
Tug is one of the most engaging games to play with your dog. Done properly it's the most fun your dog will have, but it must be structured and it must be taught. In this lesson I work with Harold and Rio. You may remember them from previous "Join the Lesson" videos. Harold has been doing a great job with Rio as you can see in the beginning part of this video. I was really impressed how far he's brought Rio along and the game of tug is something that has helped motivate Rio to do more. In this lesson we talk about basic obedience, corrections, structure, dealing with a high drive dog and correcting some of the issues Harold was having with Rio's tug game. Simple fixes, as you will see. If you want to play tug with your dog, there are a couple of important things to know: your dog must have the prey and fight drive to play tug and you must know the proper dance to do it! I address the latter in this lesson. Steps Minimize the mistakes your dog makes by offering clear communication. Your dog relies on you for what you want, show it, reward it and then expect it! In the first part of this lesson I clear up some issues of Rio being a little too pushy. I don't want someone to CRUSH a young dog's spirit, but I also don't want a young dog learning they can walk all over their people. If a dog is getting too high into drive, it will be up to you to be able to manage that drive. I'm not saying SHUT IT DOWN, I'm saying manage it. That means understand it, and be able to give the dog clear direction on what he or she should do when the drive exceeds the situation. Tug is a game that is a dance between the man and the dog. (or the woman). It is controlled by the human. I always bring the dog's drive up to the level I want, then I play with the dog in that drive. I push the dog within his comfort zone. I may touch the surface of bringing it further, but I don't go crazy. Keeping the game within the zone, keeps it fun and balanced. In tug you need the dog to have some frustration and build some confidence. You'll see that at this point, in this lesson, Rio doesn't have the confidence he really needs - but the lesson is designed to build that. Harold's homework was to do that with Rio and he did. This lesson will give you the information to help your dog (and yourself) better learn the game of tug! Takeaways Building your dog's confidence is one of the most important things you'll do. It's way too easy to crush a young dog's spirit. Don't do it! Corrections and structure are a very important part of training and your relationship. Give your dog the confidence to win, but the understanding that you are in charge. Tug is a dance where sometimes you pull and sometimes the dog pulls. It's not a one way game! Misses build frustration, frustration builds a better bite.
Those of you who know me, know I'm always trying to build a better mousetrap. It's no exception when it comes to dog training gear. Over the years, I've modified equipment to make it work better for me and for those of my friends who have also used it. I think the ecollar is the single most effective, humane and fair tool we can use for training. AND... I like to make it better. In my other e-collar videos I showed you the basic modification. but in this video I am releasing my long coveted secret for the Ultimate E-Collar Hack. For those of you who are not using ecollars for any reason; maybe its not right for your dog or you just don't want to - I support you 100%. But just back and let this lesson be something special for the advanced people who really can benefit from this amazing piece of information. It's been a secret of mine for over 10 years, and as you can see by the inserted video that I shot about 6 years ago... it is quite cool. The idea to this is to help you develop a better piece of equipment for your dog. Why don't manufacturers make this collar, not sure, except that I think it's such a small group of people that would appreciate it, they wouldn't have too many sales. And, as you'll see after watching these simple hacks, you really can do it yourself quite simply! There's no Take Aways or Steps in this lesson, just the video. Enjoy! Member Video Lesson
The Secret to Off Leash Heeling I have used a pull-tab in training almost every dog I’ve ever trained. So, sharing this with you here gives you a great piece of the puzzle that I use to transitioning a dog to off leash. In this video I give you a big secret that will help you form a bond through training your dog and communicating better with him or her. Knowing how to properly use the pull-tab is imperative to making the communication clear with your dog. I cover all of the steps in the video as well as this lesson. See: online dog training Member Video Lesson The Material(s) Pull-tabs are made of just about as many materials as collars and leashes. They can be leather, bio thane, rope, nylon…. Just about anything. I like to start off with something sturdy and then transition to something very thin and almost invisible. Your best option will be to transition from a heavy weight material to a light weight one, NOT the other way around. The Length I almost always make my own pull tabs because I want a specific length. Take a look at the video where I describe the ideal length… you want to be able to grab it easily, but it should NOT drag on the floor. It should hang down to about the middle of the front legs of your dog. Learning Process Just like using a long-line, the pull-tab will take some getting used to. Don’t get frustrated and give up, be patient. It’s a very valuable tool and worth the effort. Attachment Point You will have two different attachment points depending on what collar you’re using on your dog. Basically, a prong collar will allow you to attach the tab to the back and top of the collar and it will stay there. If you’re using a choke collar, then it will almost always travel to the bottom of the collar and be under the dog’s chin. Don’t be discouraged, it will still work. It is the ideal tool to be used with a prong, but its also very useful with a choke chain or martingale. Takeaways Pull-tabs are the last line of the long-line training lengths. Do NOT start a green dog on a pull-tab if you haven’t conditioned him to a line first. Adjust the length of the pull-tab to the height of your dog. It should NEVER drag. Don’t leave it on the dog if the dog is a chewer, use it and then take it off. Start with a heavier weight and transition to the lightweight parachute cord.
There are many subtleties to training a dog. Sometimes the simplest little adjustment or insight can be a game changer for a specific situation. I love finding these little gems, and have found so many in my quest to develop the best way to train a multitude of dogs. Over the years I’ve stumbled on so many things, and I’m happy to always share more of them with you. Using a table to train basic positions is no secret to competitive trainers, but I’m often surprised by how few pet dog trainers know about it and even less pet dog owners have thought of it. So, this week, I want to share this online dog training tip with you. Member Video Lesson Step One The VERY MOST IMPORTANT part of this is to safely get your dog onto a table. Be very careful, because you don't want your puppy or dog getting injured by either getting up on, or jumping off of the table. I suggest using a good session or two to just acclimate your dog to getting up onto the table and rewarding that action. Lure the dog up and reward the dog for just being up there. Once your dog "gets it" that he's supposed to stay up on the table, you can begin your training! Step Two Lure your dog through your positions. Remember, always go from STAND to DOWN, back to STAND then to SIT. I try to avoid going from SIT to DOWN because I think it forms a sloppy habit and I don't like dogs flopping into the dog or having to SIT before a DOWN. Merely a pet peeve of mine, up to you what you want to do. Step Three Begin to back away from your dog while maintaining some spacial pressure to keep your dog from lunging forward. IF your dog should jump off of the table, DON'T get upset! Just put them back onto the table. You want the dog to figure out that everything GOOD happens on the table. Abundant treats on the table.... NOTHING off of the table. Your dog will slowly learn to wait for your return for reward and release. This will help you teach the STAY without too much work. It also develops a nice form because the dog is constricted by the table and can't CRAWL forward. One of the biggest issues in obedience is a dog that constantly "closes the distance" between you and him. Eventually the dog will be in front of you even if they started back 10 meters. Takeaways from Using a Table to Train Positions! Spend a good amount of time acclimating your dog to learning to get up on, and off of the table. Reward your dog for getting onto the table and waiting there until you call him off. The table is good for most any size dog or puppy. Keep the dog facing you and engaged. Keep the first few sessions short to avoid a negative experience. If your dog jumps off of the table, don't YELL.. just put them back up and keep going. The excitement only comes from positive.
There are many places where having a dog know a "BACK" command can be very important, particularly in obedience. I've done a video on teaching your dog the skill, but several people have the same hurdle when teaching it - the dog lies down instead of walking backwards. So, this video will address some of the issues to either prevent that from happening or fix it! See: online dog training It's important to be patient when teaching new skills to dogs, in particular ones that are not natural for a dog such as the WALK BACKWARDS. Since the dog doesn't naturally know how to do this, we teach them the behavior and must address the muscle memory that it takes. Being patient when teaching it will make the experience a good one and help the dog learn it faster and with less mistakes. Member Video Lesson Step One The dog should be relatively clear on his or her STAND Command. The reason I suggest this is that when and if he goes down, you can tell him to STAND without too much frustration. I have a video on STAND on YOUTUBE, but will be adding a new more detailed lesson here in the next week or two. Step Two You will lure the BACK through pressure both physical and spatial. This works best using treats because it keeps the dog’s head forward while he walks backwards. This is much harder with toys. Step Three You can move the dog by turning their head. The key is to keep the dog moving backwards as straight as possible. Most IMPORTANT I think the biggest mistake that people make when teaching this is to bring their hands too low. This forces the dog into the DOWN position instead of going backwards. You’ll see this in the video lesson. Keep the dog’s head straight will push him backwards without moving him into a DOWN. Takeaways Be clear the dog knows the STAND. Use rewards in both hands. Keep the dog’s head level to avoid false DOWNs! Keep sessions short and reward back towards you!
Impress Your Friends Whenever I do a demonstration with Goofy we almost always do the leg-weaving, and people LOVE it. It takes a little while to teach, but it’s sure to impress. For a dog to understand it and want to do it they have to be very comfortable with you and around you. They’ll be squeezing in-between your legs while your moving and turning. See: online dog training I’ve seen dogs do it for years and always loved watching it. I taught it to Goofy many years ago and didn’t really have a reference on how to teach it, so I figured it out. I got a few requests to teach it, so HERE IT IS! Member Video Lesson First Things First Learn your dog. High drive dogs will be more fun to teach, but you gotta watch that you don’t confuse the dog. NO matter if the dog is high drive or low drive – USE FOOD! Step 1 Teach the dog to go around you using a piece of treat in each hand. The dog should be comfortable going in both directions; clockwise and counter-clockwise. The detail here will be getting the hands as close together as possible to get the dog to follow all the way around. Teach Turns Get your dog comfortable turning in front of you. Get his or her turns clockwise and counter-clockwise. This will feel very different from turning around you which we covered in the previous step. Through the Legs In this phase you need to get the dog comfortable going through your legs. Here you’re using the turns you taught in the previous lessons, but you’re adding the component of the dog moving through your legs. Follow the LEG I teach my dogs to follow my left leg for a solid heel. Therefor when I add the WEAVE command and my other leg goes forward, he knows to go THROUGH the gap in my legs. Practice this on both sides of your body! Follow Through To be really clear to your dog, teach him to go THROUGH your legs and throw the treat out to the side so he knows to complete the movement and not stop in the middle. Three Positions Your dog should know 3 basic positions: Heel on left Heel on right Heel between your legs Finale Once your dog knows these basics, start by having a treat in both hands and lure your dog through your legs a couple of times. Keep your training short and positive. Don’t overdo your training. Takeaways Start by luring and shaping everything with treats first. Continue to use treats for several weeks to get the dog comfortable. Get your dog very comfortable going between your legs by teaching him to walk between your legs. High drive dogs will be bouncing all over the place – be patient and stay calm. Start by using treats so your dog is clear – toys will put the dog in much higher drive which will add to the confusion. If you can get one or two weaves after 10 days, you’re on a great path. This takes months and sometimes years to perfect. And, if you haven’t practiced it in a while, you need to go back to the basics. HAVE FUN!!!
There are so many option on leashes, lengths and styles that I thought I'd post a short video to make things a little easier. This will relate mainly to the type of leashes you'll want to use when training and how the difference will come in. In the various lessons on the site, you'll often see me using different length leashes, tabs, flexi-leads and more. This video will give you a short insight as to what I use and why! Pull Tabs can be made of most any material and oftentimes can just be cut from an old leash. I like my dog, even when off lead, to wear a pull tab because it's easier to grab and manipulate than trying to grab a collar Long Lines are my favorite go-to tool for dog training whether I'm starting a new dog, leash training or even working one of my dogs on a new skill. I like the Dynamic Lead (link on my shop page), as I find they are the best made, but you can also just use a long piece of tubular webbing with a good snap at the end. FlexiLeads are used only in training and once you understand one SIMPLE RULE: Don't pull on the line, always use the button on the handle. Flexis can be a great tool for training and finishing a dog. You'll often see high level competitors at an obedience trial practicing advanced skills with their dogs on a flex leash. Leash, this is the leash I use for everyday walking and hanging out with my dog. Mine is a 4foot braided leather leash and they last me over 10 years. I prefer the 4 foot leash because that is the length I find is ideal for giving the dog enough freedom, but not too much!
The Gear You'll Need 1. A long line for your dog. You can make your own using some hiking tubular webbing, that’s what I do. I use ⅝” tubular webbing that you can order in just about any color on the web. It should be 10-12’ long (about 4 meters) and I attach a simple snap, like this to the end. Alternately you can just go to amazon and buy yourself a long line. These lines come in various lengths, but I recommend a 10-15 foot line. That will suffice for almost every bit of training you will do with your dog. Here's a link on amazon to these lines. 2. A martingale collar fitted to your dog. A martingale collar is a great collar to start training with. It’s a safe alternative to people who oppose choke chains. I’ve used both choke chains and martingales as well as slip leads to train dogs, but to keep it simple here let’s stick with the martingale and the long line. I prefer the all nylon collars either with a buckle snap or the buckle adjustment as shown. I like the gogo pet martingale collars. You can get them on amazon - click here. 3. A zippered treat pouch to hold your treats. Some people like to use open pouches, but that only gives your dog the chance to stick his nose in there and get all the treats out too early or you may bend over and drop all the treats on the floor. So, I recommend a simple fanny bag with a zipper. Of course you’re gonna fill it with your favorite snacks (the ones your dog loves).
It all starts here! One of the biggest controversies in dog training is between positive only training and everyone else. I thought it would be important to address this in a lesson since we all want to train our dogs “positively.” After all, who would want to be negative to their dog? Balance is Everything We must realize that everything in life is balanced somewhere between negative and positive. In the Chinese book the TAO it talks about balance in life. So avoid the black and white, the hot and cold and see the middle. I have stressed this balance in my martial art instruction as well as my theory of dog training. Dogs look to avoid pain and pursue pleasure -we all do. Of course, if you make a mistake in your life, you may find some discomfort - and that won’t kill you. Your dog will not be permanently scarred by receiving a correction. However, the risk of him having issues later on will be greater if he is never told right from wrong. Member Video Lesson YES is the Positive The first thing I teach every do is “how to please me.” Remember, dogs were bred to desire a connection with us and in that connection, they strive to make us happy. Just as you want to please those you love, so your dog also wants to please you. Teach him how to do that and he will! First you have to teach him that YES is the word that means he did it right. I do that by feeding him a small piece of treat and praising him for little steps. Not so much as to train him, but to show him that YES means he is getting a reward. That is your “marker word.” You’ll use this to reward the dog for correct behaviors from now on. No is the CORRECTION Corrections are critical because it teaches right from wrong. You MUST teach your dog right from wrong. If you help him to understand it, you will help him succeed. NO is not a punishment, it’s rather more information, in other words: try again! There is no scolding in NO, rather “let’s try again!” Early on it can be NO, you don’t get the treat, then it can be a physical cue such as a pop on the leash or a mild correction that will move the dog to compliance. Good is the BRIDGE Just like a bridge unites two pieces of land across a body of water or other gap, so does the word GOOD connect the behavior the dog is doing to continue. I use the word, sometimes drawn out to GOOOOOOOOD to entice the dog to continue. This is an important aspect early on because saying nothing or doing nothing may confuse a dog and he may break his exercise. If this happens, it’s hard to correct a dog for it. Help your dog to continue the behavior by using the word good. Unlike STAY, GOOD can be faded and eventually completely abolished. Training is FUN Everything is as you make it for your dog. If training is a task and you hate it, chances are your dog is gonna hate it too. So, I make training fun. I get excited, my dog gets excited. Keep your energy up and keep it POSITIVE - even in correcting, keep it positive. If corrections are positive, then your dog will love being corrected. THEN, when he does it right, throw a party. Keeping your training positive is dependent upon your attitude, not the method of training you use. Be fair, be kind and be clear with your dog. He will appreciate it and you will love your dog more for it. Takeaways Your attitude determines the training session. Teach your dog what you want and reward him. Clearly teach your dog what YES and NO means. Strive for balance in training your dog. Correct your dog to teach him right from wrong.
Whenever we wish to start a new relationship off with someone, its best to do that in a friendly manner. If you get invited to someone's house for dinner, it's nice to bring a bottle of wine or some flowers. When we start our relationship off with a dog its best to do that though a method of reward - I use food. Some old school trainers believed that you simply slap a leash and collar around the dog and start dominating the dog. Although that may work, it’s archaic and there are better ways of doing it. Member Video Lesson Treats, broken into small pieces, dispensed during training puts the dog at ease and makes the training experience more fun for both of you. You’re putting the dog into a somewhat uncomfortable position, reward him! So you say, Uncomfortable? Yes, its something the dog is not used to doing, he’s not sure what you are doing or even asking, so breaking that barrier with a little food is a “peace offering” of sorts and one that will help the dog relate better to you. How Long Are We Gonna Use Treats Of course that is the first question the unknowing mind will ask, so let me address it here. We use food to BUILD a relationship and shape behaviors, it's not a bribe. Once we get the dog used to the behaviors and used to the idea that WE are the dogs reward, we can fade the treats. However, a dog will always need some sort of reward to know he did his job well. That can be a toy / play session, a pat on the head, a bowl of food or whatever. At the end of each week you receive a paycheck - don’t forget to pay your dog. Aren’t Treats a Sign of a Weak Trainer? Actually, NO! Treats and rewards are the sign of a fair trainer. And if people think you are weak for being fair, then they are wrong. My dogs will walk through fire for me because I have always been fair. I can correct my dogs firmly, yet they believe in me because of the way I have built our relationship. That's what I want you to do for your dog. Using Treats over ToysThe reason we start our training off with treats is very simple: Treats can be given repetitively and need no “reset.” All dogs will understand and enjoy treats. Treats keep the dog closer to me than toys. The most important thing will be to be sure the dog is hungry, not starving, but hungry enough to enjoy treats. I always try to schedule my client’s training before meals. Do the same with your dog. Train your dog before breakfast, lunch or dinner. And, don’t be cheap on the treats. Some dogs will work for kibble, some require a higher value food item. Start with the kibble and work your way up. I like a variety of treats that I’ve discussed in previous lessons. Try things like: String Cheese Hot Dogs Meat Jerky... and anything your dog likes! Raw Meat Kibble When using treats it’s important to keep your dog coming back. So, be sure to only dispense small amounts. I usually recommend a piece no bigger than your pinky nail. Small treats given over and over make the dog re-engage to you constantly. You can get 100 repetitions in one training session if you’re using small pieces of treat. Later you may want to switch to toys, but ALWAYS start with treats. When I introduce a new behavior to my dog or clients’ dogs, I always start with treats because it’s much much easier to do it that way. For now, use treats, use them abundantly to lure and shape what you want your dog to do. You’ll see me do it in the videos, and don’t worry about when to stop using rewards. I’ll address that in another lesson.Takeaways Treats build a fair relationship with a dog. Use small pieces of treats. Find what the dog loves and use that for treats… and always before meals!
The words we use to communicate with our dogs are CRITICAL. In the last couple of weeks I've done several "in-person" trainings for our Join the Lesson videos and have noticed a consistent lack of clear understanding how to deliver our commands and how the right words to choose. It's no secret, I've talked about it for years. The 3 words I use are YES NO GOOD And the delivery / intonation of those words is most important. So, I put the lesson I had planned for this week on hold and went and shot this lecture for all of you to watch and possibly review, if you believe you've heard it before. NOTHING will make sense to your dog if he isn't clear on your communication. Now, you can use three different words: Banana - Car and - Boogle... It doesn't matter, but it MUST be consistent. It's easiest to use the three I teach, because if you're watching my videos, you can directly apply it. that being said, do as you like, but BE CONSISTENT! This lesson will clearly spell out, the words, their intonation, their delivery... and as a bonus, I talk again about the delivery of the correction, NO and the physical cue and its timing. I know a lot of the lessons are important, but this is at the bedrock of communication, it's critical. PLEASE take this one to heart! Member Video Lesson Steps: Your command is directly spoken, you don't ask for it and you don't yell it. You command it! If your dog complies, you mark and release your dog with the word YES and the reward! If your dog does not comply, you say NO - then pause one beat and give a correction (leash pop, whatever), then repeat the command. You must say NO and pause and CORRECT. Remember, you will build duration into the command: i.e. SIT, DOWN, STAND, LOOK, anything, ONLY after you've gotten solid obedience and understanding. Start by releasing quickly, then... Build duration by adding the bridge word GOOD!
THE single MOST important thing to teach any or EVERY dog is a recall. It is for both safety and bonding. Every dog should have a solid recall and it should be motivational. In this video / lesson I show you all the successes and failures in teaching this lesson. The reason I leave the mistakes in the lesson is because I think that it makes the lesson more valuable for you. You will be able to see the possible pitfalls of training a dog. See: online dog training Member Video Lesson Long Line First: The biggest mistake people make is trying to get a dog the COME without using a backup such as a drag line or long line. Always make sure your dog is on some sort of a line to begin this training and prevent failure. NO WORDS: I never start out by saying the word COME or any other command. I will arouse the dog’s curiosity with noises or movements to get the dog to perform the action, then I’ll name it. In the video you see me making clicking and whistling noises to first gain the dog’s attention. Find Something the DOG LOVES: To reward the dog you’ll need to have something the dog desires. That can be treats, toys or just your praise. Remember, that if the dog likes praise, chances are he or she won’t leave in the first place. Hold Leash – then DROP: By dropping the leash and letting the dog drag it, you’ll see that I have the ability to re-enforce the command. Use mild corrections to guide the dog into the position. This is critical. Separate the NAME from the Command: Use the dog’s name to gain their attention, then add the command. The name should always be something positive. Prey Drive is Critical: Everything that makes the RECALL work, is prey drive. This will be true in most all dogs, in particular dogs with higher degrees of prey drive such as shepherds. MOST IMPORTANT: To me the RECALL or COME command is the VERY MOST IMPORTANT thing you will ever teach your dog or your client’s dogs. Perfect this all the time, it’s taught early and reinforced often! Takeaways Always have a dog on a long line to prevent failure. Don’t put commands onto the dog before they know what it means. Treats, toys or praise must follow the recall, do NOT tell the dog to SIT or DOWN. Even when you’re not holding the leash, leave it on for protection. Prey drive will help you and hurt you. Use it wisely. The RECALL / COME command is the most important thing you will ever teach a dog. Make it fun, keep it fun and keep it short!
Training at the Shelter Everyone always talks about the difficulty teaching dogs. Well, some of the toughest dogs to teach are at the shelter, and this week I’m bringing the shelter to you. I always say the 3 Most Important Things to teach every dog are: Leave it Recall STAY LEAVE IT can save a dog’s life. See: online dog training I teach the leave it differently than I’ve seen many other trainers teach it and there is a reason. I believe that if you say LEAVE IT, it should mean LEAVE IT! Other trainer will eventually let the dog have the LEAVE IT and that makes no sense to me or to the dog. I use large pieces of treat to clearly show the dog that there is something there. I think this will be a very valuable lesson for you and your dog. I’m also including footage of the students doing the same command so you can see some common mistakes. Member Video Lesson Start From SIT It makes it a little easier to teach the command for both you and the dog to start the dog in a sit, after the dog gets it you can be moving with the dog. You show the dog the treat and say LEAVE IT as you drop it. Correct Immediately As soon as the dog makes a move toward the treat, say NO, and correct the dog on the leash. You’ll need to have some basic leash skills. You don’t want the dog to get the leave it – that will make this training troublesome. START with the Basics To make it a little easier on yourself, throw the treat a little further way to give yourself a chance if the dog is faster than you. It is your job to prevent failure… You’ll see that I struggle with this dog in the beginning, but I take it seriously and you must too. The early struggle is worth the success that you will see afterwards and the LEAVE IT command will save a dog’s life! NEVER REWARD to the LEAVE IT This is the most critical piece of the puzzle. Other trainers teach to cover the treat and when the dog complies with leave it, to give the dog the treat… This is wrong. NEVER give the dog what you asked them to LEAVE. You must be lear with your dog. If it’s leave it now, it’s leave it later too. Takeaways Don’t ever let the dog get the LEAVE IT object. Keep the leash loose until you correct the dog. Reward the dog from your hand in the opposite direction once they comply!
A friend and client of mine called me the other day and asked for some input to help his female German Shepherd learn not to rush up to guests. I told him to teach her the PLACE command. I looked online and noticed that although I had taught it in pieces in various lessons, I never dedicated a whole lesson to this important skill. So I promised him I would do a complete and updated lesson. In this weeks online dog training lesson I’ll show you all the basics to getting your dog to understand the skill. If your dog doesn’t work for food, you can simply use spacial pressure to get your dog to the bed and then use praise as a reward. Next week I’ll post the second part to this with 2 dogs, Maya will join the lesson. The reason I didn’t want to add it to this weeks lesson is because this is not an easy skill and I feel that people jump ahead because of the amount of content here. Please go slow and be fair to your dog. This lesson is easy to teach, but will take a long time to master (especially when we add distractions). Member Video Lesson Step One Begin by luring your dog onto the bed. I use treats for food motivated dogs, or simply spacial pressure for dogs that are not food driven. Reward the dog with praise or a treat when the dog gets onto the bed. The idea is to make "being on the bed" the happiest time, and getting off NEUTRAL. Step Two Don't show any excitement when you release the dog from the PLACE. Simple give the release word: FREE, OK, YES or whatever and start again. Your dog will learn to LOVE going to the bed because that's where the praise happens. Step Three If the dog "breaks" and gets off of the bed, don't get upset, just mark the negative as I show in the video and get them right back onto the PLACE. Never use a treat to get them back onto the place. The reward comes from compliance once we know the dog understands the game. Step Four Use a longline to correct the dog. Grabbing the dog will make the correction too personal. Step Five Don't add distractions like dropping treats or another dog until your dog understands the finer points of the exercise. You'll see in part 2 (next week) that you need to be pretty quick when the mistakes happen. Takeaways from the PLACE command Get your dog to want to go to the PLACE. Use a treat if possible. Be sure your dog is rewarded each and every time you send him to the place. Add rewards to keep the dog on the PLACE. Add a slight distraction like a slight pressure on the long line. Always use a long line! Keep the session short and always end on a good note. You want your dog to want to keep training even if you decide to STOP!
The PLACE command is a very valuable asset in your dog training repertoire. It’s not a difficult thing to teach, but adding a second dog makes it much harder. Last week’s online dog training lesson showed you the finer points of the PLACE command with Duane and some good techniques to teaching it to your dog. I’ve taught the place command to almost every dog I’ve trained including many shelter dogs. I have a couple of videos out that touch on it, but in these 2 videos (last weeks and this weeks) we really delve into it. This weeks lesson really adds much more details than last week’s. This lesson adds the ultimate distraction, a second dog. Now, neither of these two are perfect in their obedience, so they are the best for you to watch. In this lesson you’ll see all the mistakes and issues that are bound to arise when teaching this. If you don’t have two dogs, maybe you can borrow one from a friend ???? Working with multiple dogs really ups your game and I rarely show these lessons, because my goal is to help you get one of your dogs trained at a time. But with the Safer at Home orders here in the US as well as for many of you around the world, I thought it would be fun to up the game a little. Member Video Lesson Step One MOST IMPORTANTLY, be sure at least one of your dogs has a basic understanding of the STAY command. It will be a circus show if you're chasing 2 dogs around your house or yard. Step Two Use a long line or at least a pull tab on both dogs to maintain control over your dogs. DO NOT do this without a collar or leash - it's senseless. Step Three Your goal will be to get one of your dogs to STAY on the place while you work with the other one. THAT is the distraction. Step Four Once you can get one to stay while the other one is working, create more excitement with the dog you're working with while the other stays in place. Then send your dog to the place and call the other one to you. You can take this as far as you like, it's a fun game and a great control exercise for your dog(s). Takeaways from PLACE Training with 2 Dogs! Be sure one of the dogs knows how to STAY. Be very vigilant and correct as soon as the dog makes a mistake. Stay calm during corrections, getting upset only confuses the dog. Repeat this until the dogs understand what you are asking for, Be patient with your dogs, more than likely they are only trying to have fun. Controlling your dog's impulses can save their lives.
Teaching your dog STAY should be a natural part of the DOWN, SIT or STAND... but often it's not. If you don't teach your dog clearly what STAY means, your dog will more than likely break. This will be the case whether you say STAY or not. In this lesson I address the root cause of this in a concept I refer to as Active STAY. That means you're teaching the dog to be attentive and pay attention while they are staying. Keeping the dog engaged is the secret to getting your dog to stay in the STAY. I've covered this before, but I think this lesson will really clear it up even more and make teaching the STAY a simpler task. Steps: The most important part of getting your dog to STAY with you is being more interesting or engaging than what is distracting. Engage your dog and make it fun before you ever try to get your dog to stay, teach them to follow you. Make the STAY and active exercise. Talk to your dog, watch to see if he's drifting off and correct for that infraction. Tell your dog stay and add a distraction such as a gentle pull on the collar, walk around your dog, etc. Anything that YOU can add to distract the dog will "proof" the obedience you're trying to attain. Keep the first few STAYs short. Break your dog, don't let the dog break themselves. You release the dog before they release themselves. Build on success. Adding too much time too quickly will be a recipe for failure. Your dog will learn through success. HELP YOUR DOG SUCCEED! Takeaways: Short durations to start... Build over time! If you're interesting, your dog will be more interested in you. Correct immediately - IMMEDIATELY. The sooner you correct, the clearer it is for the dog. ALWAYS use a long line!
The very most important skill a dog must posses is his or her ability to be social. Sadly this is completely misunderstood by most people. They think that being social means saying hi to everyone and meeting and playing with every dog! THAT IS NOT SOCIALIZATION. What you see in this video is! A dog that is able to function around other dogs, other people and other places than their home. THAT is a primary skill that we want dogs to have. That is what I stress in this video lesson. There are very different dogs in this class, from a Labrador to a Spanish Mastiff to a Malinois and more. Each dog learns to focus on their owner and remain neutral to others. You can see that I focus on solid control and engagement with the dogs and their owners. Loose leash, calm energy and consistent information. Before you teach your dog fancy obedience or anything else, be sure they can handle a social environment. This skill alone is a lifesaver! In this video lesson we focus on the following: Proper social skills, recall with distractions, focus on owner with distractions, group obedience and meeting a stranger. Many of these skills are required for a simple behavior evaluation like a BH or a AKC Canine Good Citizen... more importantly, they are lifeskills that keep dogs out of shelters!
Structure is perhaps THE MOST IMPORTANT thing in dog training. It is also, the most overlooked aspect. People let their dogs get away with little things, and before they know it, their dog is making bigger and bigger mistakes. This can happen in an average pet dog as well as a competitive dog. The commonality in top dog handlers and trainers is they pay attention to the details, and the details are all about structure. This lesson is all about STRUCTURE. What is structure? What do I mean when I refer to structure (and I do refer to it all the time) and how can you apply it to your dog?. This is a video lesson every single dog owner should listen to, embrace and live with their dog - whether their dog is having issues or not. Structure is fair, it's not complicated and it will prevent problems as well as solve them. Takeaways from Structure: As you can see from this lecture, structure is at the heart and soul of, not only dog training, but relating and communicating with your dog. if everyone would understand the need for structure and how to impose it through fair interactions, more dogs would live a happy life... AND more people would live happier lives with their dogs. I can tell you that without a doubt, the thousands of dogs I've worked with and helped save in my work at Bound Angels, all have benefitted from structure - ALL OF THEM. Most dogs are given up because their lives weren't structured and without a person to give structure, dogs will never figure it out themselves. If you do NOTHING else for you dog, give them structure!
Teach Your Dog to Retrieve You’ve seen it on TV and in the movies, the dog that just brings you your slippers, the newspaper and just about everything else. In fact, I taught Goofy to bring me a beer from the fridge and close the door when he’s done. But how do we do it? How is it taught? What are the basics? That is what we’re gonna cover in this lesson. I’m going to break this into two lessons because it really is an in-depth thing. You don’t want to overwhelm your dog and I don’t want to overwhelm you. So, be patient, this takes time. You’ll see in this first video with Duane, that there are a lot of things that can go wrong. I left the mistakes and issues in on the member’s video so that you can learn better from it. Member Video Lesson The Basics – phase 1 In order to get a dog to retrieve something, we need to ignite the dog’s prey drive. So, just pointing to something and saying BRING or FETCH does NOTHING. Dogs have little to no desire to pick up some inanimate object and bring it to you just cause you said so. So, to get them motivated we throw the object – we infuse it with prey and therefor make it interesting to the dog. He chases after it and grabs it in his mouth. Then what? He takes it and runs away with it. Why would he want to bring it to you? He caught it, he chased it. That is the dilemma. This is where it all goes downhill. But not for you... cause I’m gonna teach you the big secret. Swap one for another IDENTICAL one! The first basic I teach the dog is that if he brings it back, the game continues. The easiest way to teach that is by having another toy that is exactly the same: ball, tug, frisbee anything. When he gets the first one, call him and show him YOU have another one. He doesn’t have the choice to like his better because yours is the same – and yours is better because he doesn’t have it. Make your toy interesting by waving it and playing with it. When he brings his, and gives it, you throw the other one. Remember, like all good training, we teach the retrieve with the dog wearing a long line. I show you this method first in the event that the dog you may be training has a lower prey drive. This step is necessary to get the dog interested in a toy by igniting his prey drive. If your dog already has a great drive, you can teach the hold and phase 2 first. But remember, you must get your dog to understand that he MUST give up his toy – that is the magic to phase 1! Phase #2 – The Delivery What good is a retrieve if the dog won’t give up the item? NONE. That is why I use phase one to teach the dog that the game goes on and one and I do this in the dog’s natural excited drive. No squashing the drive. We want that drive... We want to train in that drive. I want to teach the dog, at this phase, the delivery of the object. I hand him the object and when he holds it in his mouth, I say HOLD. I take a step back and when he closes that gap (he brings it) I say BRING. Then I swap him a treat for the object and say OUT. ONE-TWO-THREE. Simple. Watch the video and go S L O W…. Problems with the Retrieve The biggest mistake that people make at this phase is moving too fast or taking steps out. I go super slow and make sure the dog thinks 100% that the game will go on and on. NEVER let the dog think that you’re going to end this game when he brings the toy back. This is a sure-fire way to get the dog to NOT want to bring the object back. Go Slow... build the hold with a calm attitude. Some dogs I will teach a hold while they are on a platform or on a table. I like the hold taught like this. I taught it to Goofy both ways and you’ll see in part two, his hold is pretty darn good. You need to be able to switch between excitement, to get the dog to retrieve, and calm to get the dog to hold. Switching these drives makes for a sloppy retrieve. This method is used for foundation whether you want your dog to bring a dumbbell for competition or just to go get your slippers. Good basics. Get your dog to understand that you control the game. You have the toy and make it fun. Takeaways Always start with two identical toys… IDENTICAL in every way, including age. Excitement makes the retrieve faster. Be happy and let your dog be happy. ALWAYS use a long-line. This protects YOU from the keep-away game. Be sure your dog knows he must BRING. That means deliver to your hand, not drop it. At the end of the game, tease the dog a few times with the toy and put it away. This will get him excited to start again for the next session.
Teach Your Dog to Retrieve -advanced I hope you have completed part 1 of this lesson before you progress to this phase. The basics of the retrieve are critical to have in place before moving on to these exercises. The Basics – lesson 2 The retrieve requires a good degree of drive, which is what you will see in this lesson. Goofy is super excited and even leaking a little (the whining noise) while waiting. When he sees the article that he will need to retrieve. Your dog must know to hold the item in his mouth calmly. He must also OUT it calmly without a struggle. You will have taught this if you did the work in the previous lesson. It’s critical that you don’t get into a tug of war with the item. When you reach for the item, the dog should begin loosening his grip on it. Be sure that your dog is clear on this. Teach your dog to sit calmly, place the object into his mouth and tell him HOLD. Then move your hands away. Wait a second and bring your hand to the dog’s mouth and say OUT. Then you can add in the step backwards with the BRING command. Go SLOW and STEADY... this takes time! Now that your dog is calm add some different things into the repertoire... namely his ability to hold different things in his mouth. Here are some examples: A fork A pen A sock A shoe A brush Be creative and think of different things you might want your dog to fetch. Remember, the idea is that the dog does NOT chew the object. Member Video Lesson Phase #2 – Direction Changes As you’ll see about 5 minutes into the video, I teach Goofy to bring the object from it being in front of him or behind him. This is very tricky for the dog to understand. The dog must also know to WAIT before going to get the item. At this point you might still consider using a long line until you are 100% certain that the dog will comply. Teach your dog to WAIT while you are throwing the item. I show this numerous times in the video. He must wait while I throw and go get the item myself. This is a critical point in this lesson. Forced Retrieves I’ve seen numerous problems with people using a forced retrieve. Forced retrieve uses a lot of pressure to get the dog to increase his drive to the object. The most common issue dogs will face through being taught a forced retrieve is they won’t OUT the object at times… like when you are in a trial. This should never be the situation. Make training fun and if it can’t be fun, do something different that both you and the dog enjoy! Takeaways Teach the dog to WAIT before taking off to retrieve. Teach the dog to hold different items of different textures. Teach your dog to bring items from different directions and bring them straight to you. You should be able to point to an object and say BRING. He should bring it to you.
Issues and solutions in the field Getting a dog to bring something back is a fun exercise for both you and your dog. It is also a strong bonding exercise that can cement the relationship between man and dog. It's one thing to teach your dog to bring something back in your house or in your yard, but when you're talking about outside in an open field or park, it's a whole different story. In this week's lesson I address many points that can fall apart when you get into the field. Please be sure to watch my HOLD video lesson first, as you must have that skill under your belt before you progress to this lesson. See: online dog training PLEASE NOTE - even though this is an advanced lesson, trainers of all levels should see it and understand the theories... Member Video Lesson Step One Your dog must have a relationship and desire to be with you, engage you and trade you one object for another. I’ve covered this in previous retrieve lessons. This is about a relationship that must be harnessed before you get to a big field. Even though your dog is running free, I still suggest using a long line until the dog is proofed. BTW- he’s proofed when he does the exercise 100% of the time wearing the long line ???? Step Two Be sure the dog will HOLD the object under distractions such as the presence of other toys, people and environments. The object in his mouth is the most important thing at that moment. Step Three: A solid hold and a clean out are a must for a dog who will retrieve. No fighting should take place to get the object. Vary the Positions: Once your dog knows the BRING, work with him on his pick up positions. I vary this from the object in front of him and behind him. He MUST pick it up and bring it to me! Limit the amount of treats / toys you use in this phase to prevent the dog’s drive (excitability) from making him sloppy. Takeaways Work on your hold and 2 ball before starting this lesson. Be sure the dog has a calm hold and work to enforce that. Use calm tones to get the dog to release, don’t fight with the dog! If the dog refuses to let go, use the technique in the video to release the object. Use less prey drive rewards to keep the dog from getting sloppy on the HOLD!
Scent training, or nose-work, as it's called in the dog sports is a super fun activity for any dog of any age. Laying the foundations to this skill takes a little dedication, but it's a pretty easy skill for any dog that loves something... like food or toys. The key is to associate the smell with the object the dog likes. I want to be clear, I don't do nosework, so what you're learning here is my methodology to teaching scents. This is more in line with what a k9 would do to detect explosives or drugs. It can be modified for any scent detection including nosework, mondio ring - little woods, akc articles or anything else. Easy change over, just learn the basics. The easiest way for you to understand your dog's sense of smell is to imagine that your dog smells like you see. So, for example, I rub a little scent (say my hand, olive oil, oregano...anything) onto the object, your dog will "see" that scent with his nose. In fact his nose is MUCH more powerful than your eyes. But think about it, if I rubbed a little bit of red paint on a white napkin and put it in a pile with other white napkins, how hard would it be for you to pick out the right one? Pretty easy, right? That's what I want you to think about... Now, let's get started with our dogs. The key thing to this task will be teaching our dogs how to "tell us" that they've found the right object.
Trick training is perhaps one of the most fun things to do with your dog.... and Roll Over has got to. be on the list of the most popular tricks to teach your dog. In this short video lesson I give you the basic steps to teaching this to your dog... most any dog. Remember, Goofy is over 10 years old and I just recently started teaching him some tricks... which goes to show, an old dog can learn new tricks! Takeaways for Roll Over: Be sure your dog has a solid DOWN command. Lure the position using a treat, making a circle with your hand in the direction you want the dog to roll. Some dogs are more likely to go to one side, than another. Be very careful that your dog doesn't think that every time you ask him or her to DOWN that they should ROLL OVER.
I think one of the very first tricks most any dog learns is PLAY DEAD... that and ROLL OVER. Play Dead or BANG BANG is a little harder for some dogs because it requires the dog to lay STILL. It's a super fun thing to teach your dog and I truly believe that dogs that know tricks are happier... Mainly because they bring so much joy to the people watching them perform. Make your dog a superstar, teach them a few Trick Dog Tricks and put a smile on everyone's face! Takeaways from Play Dead: Be sure your dog has a solid DOWN command. Lure the position using a treat, making a circle with your hand in the direction you want the dog to roll. When the dog gets onto his or her side, praise and allow the dog to nibble the treat. If the dog tries to continue, correct and start again. It's not a great idea to teach ROLL OVER and PLAY DEAD in the same session. Your foundation of DOWN will help you to manipulate your dog into the right position. I advise against using toys because it will often spike a dog's drive and prevent him or her from absorbing the lesson.
Undoubtedly, this is a super fun thing to teach your dog. Especially if you can get your dog to do both directions on either side of your body. I started teaching Goofy this when I made this video, Last Month. We worked on it a few times and he understood it. But it took about a month for him to really get it. So be patient and let your dog learn at his or her pace! The key points to remember with Spin Left and Right are: Be very consistent in your luring. Don't go too wide or too narrow. ALWAYS use food to lure the dog - use food for longer than you think you should! Add your verbal cue SPIN LEFT or SPIN RIGHT after the dog has done it a few times. Start with standing, then progress to moving. After a while your dog should be able to walk and spin in position!
Although I covered this in another lesson, I wanted to cover it again because so many of you have asked. There are several ways to teach your dog to walk backwards or "back up." Some work better for some dogs. As a trainer, you really need to figure out what works for the dog you're working with and go from there. There are a few important things to remember when teaching the back command: Make sure you keep your hands (when using food) straight onto your dog's neck. I demonstrate this in the video. If you go too high or low, your dog will SIT or DOWN. Only ask your dog for a few steps when you start. Asking for too much will overwhelm the dog. Reward the dog towards you to break the walking backward pattern. And, MOST IMPORTANTLY - be patient and make it fun!
This really is one of my very very favorite tricks I taught Goofy. I've kept it secret for all this time, but want to share it with you. There are a couple of pieces that you'll have to put together to make it perfect: HOLD RETRIEVE TUG / CONTROLLED I like to teach it in pieces. And not necessarily in order. Make sure your dog understands the HOLD first. Then the delivery to hand. It helps tremendously for your dog to have a "soft mouth." Goofy has popped many beer cans. This is why I STRESS!!!!! DO NOT EVER DO THIS WITH A GLASS BOTTLE! Be sure your dog. knows how to tug and let go on his own, and use the treat in the fridge to set the stage to open the door and take a treat. Otherwise the dog will just pull the door off of your fridge (and you're gonna hate that)! The rest is pretty simple. Have fun and post a video of your dog doing it!
This is a great lesson and a great time to post it. With all of the content that I've been posting of Schmuley, this lesson will give you a great perspective on 3 different Malinois. All Mals, but very different. You've seen a lot of Schmoo and here we're getting back to Siggy. Look at how much softer and easier going Siggy is compared to Schmoo and then look at Goofy. Every dog is different and seeing this series as well as the other mals I've shown, you can certainly see where your dog is fitting in. That's what makes these lessons so valuable. Seeing the same training concepts applied to different temperaments of dogs, even within the same breed. That's what helps people apply training correctly! In this lesson we cover some of the basics as we work on really trying to perfect them. Including the FRONT, the HEEL position, as well as some POSITION work on the table... Which I love to do. Also, you'll see some great social work with Duane and Goofy entering the lesson... and look at all the social distractions we work around. At a public park with kids, people other dogs and cars. Getting your dog used to this type of training is a game changer. Yeah some dogs can do things in their living room or back yards, but do it in public, in a distracting environment and see what happens. I hope you'll enjoy this lesson and all of the lessons and that you are - MOST IMPORTANTLY - making great progress with your dogs!!!
In this lesson I want to touch on something that is often overlooked by dog trainers as well as dog owners, that is Warm Up Routines. Our dogs need to have their muscles warmed up and require some stretching before they exercise. We need it and our dogs need it. There are two important parts to this: 1. it warms up the dog's muscles and gets them ready, but equally as important is #2 the connection it builds between our dogs and us. We connect and begin a cohesive training routine that will be much better than if we didn't. You can adapt things into and out of a warm up routine as you see fit. I change mine regularly, but I always do something to warm up my dog and connect them to me before the actual training begins. Hope you enjoy this lesson and I hope it helps you in your training.
I always believe in teaching my dogs to use a ramp/. I prefer to do this at a very early age even though they may not yet need it.... they will need it when they get older. That being said, I don't let any of my dogs jump out of the crate. Jumpin In is ok, but out and down can lead to shoulder injuries. Call me a stickler, but I want to prevent as many injuries as I can. When they're young, I'll intermittently use a ramp for them, but most-often I lift my dogs out of the car and let them jump in. But a heavy dog can be a lot of work to lift out of the car, so the ramp will save you. Believe me, I've been there a few times. Make this ramp training fun. You can pick up one of these ramps pretty cheap on amazon, check my shop page for the one I'm currently using. I break down the steps to using the ramp the same for every dog. EVERY DOG! Don't use short cuts. I want my dogs bulletproof on the ramp. There's another ramp video I did years ago, but maybe seeing it again will help you see it differently. In this video I give you every step you need to teach this to ANY DOG! Sadly our dogs get older and need help, maybe it's not sad becuase the alternative is worse... We want to do all we can for our dogs and the ramp is a great thing. I hope this lesson will come in handy for you.
I teach the place command as a standard protocol to almost every dog. I think it's valuable for a few reasons: 1. It can be used to send a dog to a bed or crate... or most any place later. 2. It can be used as a target for a dog to focus on, a skill very different than the standard COME, STAY, LEAVE it. In other words, it opens a dog's mind to a different skillset; moving AWAY from us! But I do like to challenge students to do more with their dogs. In this lesson we started with the basic PLACE command, but quickly moved into a deeper skill. We focused on staying on the place, holding the place and adding distractions. Those distractions are multiple. There are other dogs, other smells, sights and sounds and more. So practice this skill at home, then if you can find a safe environment, challenge your dog to do more. Please notice that I focus on the dog's safety first and foremost. I hope you'll enjoy this lesson.
My continuing lessons on Canine Good Citizen. CGC is a test that anyone can participate in. It is provided by the AKC so a dog can demonstrate Good Manners in public. There's a similar test in IGP / IPO / SCHUTZHUND called the BH. These lessons, more to come, will cover the basics in these tests. This lesson covers quite a lot. It's part of my ongoing group training at the park. What we focus on in today's session is: Group Obedience Training Skills, basics and social skillsHow to Play for Motivation and focusUsing Toys to build speed and driveThe Down in Motion Exercise ... and Recall. These are all important skills and not so easy when they're done at the park with other dogs and people running around. You'll see a couple of off-leash dogs during our training, but that is just par for the course if you're training at a public park. It's something to work around and as long as there are no fights or aggression, it can be a great learning distraction. The main focus of this session is the DOWN in Motion. We expect our dogs to stop and down when we say so, even though we continue moving away from the dog. We also use this skill to teach them to DOWN as they come toward us. These exercises are used in several sports, but cna also have very practical / real world applications. Another great part of this lesson is using a toy to build drive and speed. I show a couple of demonstrations of it with Duane and Siggy. I really love to use toys to motivate a dog to want to do something faster. To me it's not about getting the dog to do something faster, it's more about making THEM want to do it faster... Make training fun and your dog will learn much better and much faster!
I know I’ve covered the RECALL many times here in the member section, but this video shows you a little different side. The key thing is the major distraction of the kids playing in the background and the dog that ran up on us. You can see even a dominant dog like Schmoo who is committed to the training, his trainer and the game will be safe when there are other dogs running up on him. I shot this lesson before the fire, but just found it and wanted to post it for you all to see. Another important thing I show in this video, and it’s one that people ask me about all the time, is “How do you end your training?” In fact, if you watch this lesson for no other reason, let it be for you to see how much fun I make the actual ending of the training. It’s super important to learn this especially with a dog that is full of drive and LOVES to play! Enjoy the lesson and happy training!
Schmoo is really coming along... and it's a super fun ride. As you can see, if you're following along, Schmoo is more and more connected which is saying a lot based on his age. Here he is about 18 months old. This journal shows his focus and power! I take a long time in training, partially because I love training and partially because I think it's critical to imprint these things solidly in the dogs mind and muscle memory. So I focus on making training fun and clear. You'll see a few corrections for being distracted and how I reward compliance instantly and powerfully. The reward, in my opinion, should outweigh the correction! If you haven't seen the other journal entries yet, I encourage you to go check them out. Looking back at this video, it reminds me how fast the time flies... I can't believe how much time has passed since I shot this lesson.
This is lesson 3 in my Canine Good Citizen series. The first two touched on the basics, but in this class we focus a little bit more on the other exercises including: STAY COMMANDAPPEARANCE & GROOMINGSUPERVISED SEPARATIONREACTION TO DISTRACTION / startle responseCOME WHEN CALLED / recall All of these skills are greta to know even if you never do a AKC CGC test with your dog. They are also great skills that you will need if you are considering a BH. I love teaching these skills to dogs because it helps them to survive in society. I teach them in a social setting so there are other things the dog learns such as the environment and being around other dogs and people.
So this lesson will give you lots of great information on working around other dogs. Some of the skills will help you immensely if you're interested in a Canine Good Citizen or BH, but a lot of this lesson is beyond the scope of that. That's why I'm thinking this more of an intermediate lesson. In this lesson you'll see a lot of awesome drills such as: 1. Meeting a stranger with another dog2. Leaving your dog in a DOWN and calling the dog with the distraction of another dog3. Teaching your dog to focus on you in the presence of other dogs and people These are all skills that I think a dog should have to function in society. Not flashy obedience, but life skills. Both are nice, but the life-skills are critical. In part two of the lesson we focus on some more advanced obedience skills such as focus heeling. Focus Heeling is one of my all-time favorite things to do with my dog because it develops and showcases your relationship with your dog. It really is a skill that you can do with your dog till their last days. I talk a lot about the motivation and attitude you need to have to make this work. I hope you'll enjoy this lesson, as well as all the other. Happy training!!!
This is a GREAT lesson because it shows you the process with multiple failures. This session was the first time Schmoo and I approached this technique. It was frustrating, but I kept the camera rolling. To be honest, I don't even know why I had the camera turned on, I usually like to make sure we have the exercise down a little bit more, but lucky for all of us this was a great mistake. So, you'll see there are a few other lessons in here that cover place work, but differently. My goal in this PLACE WORK was to get Schmoo to go to a place, hold strict criteria: Front feet on place and focus on the Manners Minder. (There's a link to the manners minder on the shop page): https://robertcabral.com/shop I love mine, actually have 2. So with multiple things going on, there are a host of things that can go wrong, and they do. The first 1/2 of this video shows them. But the turnaround is awesome. This is why I want you guys to see this. It doesn't ever work on the first try, or the second try. It's about consistency. You'll see there are no heavy corrections, other than my NO Marker. And that's all it took. Consistency and patience. I had the criteria I wanted, and with patience we got there. If you watch this lesson with the intent of seeing that it's not always easy even for a pro, you may get more out of this than any other lesson. Besides learning the PLACE command, this is a lesson in teaching and patience! Enjoy!
This really is the best lesson in the CGC / Canine Good Citizen series. I believe it is the last one or at least one of the last. The skills in this lesson are a bit more advanced. You'll also notice the correction I had to give Red when he went after Pluto. This could be a potentially dangerous situation, so I take it quite seriously. You'll see the correction and the result of the correction in the video very quickly. The dog makes the mistake, he's corrected and we move on. The correction and the outcome is clear and fair. There are many components to the lesson including: Obedience in a Distracted EnvironmentObedience with Other DogsFocus on the HandlerAbility to Perform a Task with Confusion... The key here is that I want a dog to be able to listen when there are competing motivators.. such as a little dog in their presence. Most of the people in the class have trained with me for a little while and know some of the dogs, so be patient if you're trying this for the first time with your dogs.
I'm doing something a little different in this lesson. I thought I'd narrate it to help you see what I'm doing all along in the lesson. Would love your thoughts if you find this more helpful! So here we're kind of taking off the training wheels. The heeling is now without a leash. We've had the leash to help us get our dogs into position, in particular when they are pushing forward. So to help with this, I use a stick or (as here) a horse riding crop. It feels comfortable in your hand and can help tap your dog on the chest to move him back. You want to be certain that the dog understands the position before you do this. It's not fair top use the crop to "teach" the position, it should be used to correct or remind the dog. Along with this, I'm adding a few other things you'll need / want to train and that includes STAND and DOWN - in motion. Although this lesson is short, it contains a ton of information to help you in your training journey. This was shot last year, and I'm intentionally staying a little behind in the content because I think putting too much information out too fast will end up confusing people. That being said, there are already almost 250 full video lessons.
In this lesson Iw ant to focus on something that not everyone will encounter.. A VERY excited dog that is hard to control. If you do have a dog like this, then you will appreciate some of these warm up routines that I show, if not... I think you will still benefit. I made some mistakes early on with Schmoo, in that I took him from the car and let him play play play and then trained. Eventually this led to a dog that had a hard time focusing. So we took a couple of steps back and regrouped. Our training routine hasn't changed too much, but the routine leading up to it has. I spend a lot more time on working to keep him in check with me. Some people will (either) tell you to correct the dog for being too excited, or they will actually CORRECT the dog for being overly excited. This has a terrible outcome. In fact, I saw it with Schmoo. An excited dog can't be corrected out of his excitement, just like a scared dog can't be corrected out of his fear. So, take it from me, these routines will be gold for you. I will spend more time on this in the coming year... My goal is absolute focus and connection. I'm posting this video which is from about a year ago, and we're still working on it with much better results and no fallout today! We went through the fallout from doing it wrong, and have righted many wrongs. I hope you'll learn from my lessons. The steps are simple: 1. Take your dog from the car, crate, house...2. Walk with them calmly and keep them engaged3. Give them a minute to potty... then4. Give them a place to be calm. Currently we're using a table / place board to REST. After that, do a small warmup routine, like I show here and then move into your training. This will serve you will on a few fronts. 1. Your dog will be more focussed2. Your dog's body will be warmed up and you'll have less risk of injury. Enjoy the lesson!
So this lesson is a little different. As you've seen, we are building a relationship in training and making it fun... sometimes too much fun. So we will get some disobedience... and it's all in fun. But we need to correct it. In this lesson you'll see a couple of different ways we correct Schmoo for stepping out of line, but first! This lesson is broken up into two part - Part 1 we focus on getting a calm mindset for Schmoo, we focus on Heeling, nice Fronts, we touch on our motion exercises: SIT, STAND and DOWN. On of the biggest things you should take away from this lesson is KEEP YOUR SESSIONS SHORT... and when things aren't working out as you wish, it's not the worst idea to TAKE A BREAK! Part 2 we start to bring in some BIGTIME Distractions, namely the bite pillow. So this section will be a big lesson in CONTROL, CORRECTIONS and Clear Communication. PLEASE - if you have not watched the previous journals, do so before watching this one. The info contained here needs a bit of training before you try to execute it!
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