You have been training religiously at home and your dog is a ‘pro’ at his basic obedience commands…now comes the test, FIELD TRIP!  It is important that your dog will behave under all conditions, in all settings and under stress but make sure you have matched the dog’s training level with the stress/distraction level.  With that said, it’s important that your dog knows what you want from him before you add distractions. I always suggest beginning with minor distractions and then work your way up.  If your dog is distracted by other dogs, don’t go to a dog park and expect him to be obedient, but you can train in front of…

I received two phone calls in two days about adult dogs suddenly becoming aggressive.  Unless your dog has a brain tumor, the aggression wasn’t sudden but subtle and built up over a period of time until it became something you couldn’t ignore.    Temperament or Environment  Some dogs are born to be Alpha, they are arrogant and demanding.  Some dogs are born to be followers and will never push your buttons.  First thing to realize is you can’t train/change temperament; that will never change but when you are raising your puppy you can teach him or her what is and is not acceptable behavior.  If you do not like something your…

Humans are the only species that refuses to use punishment as a means of correction.  All animals reprimand their young. Dogs bite each other, horses bite and kick each other, lions and tigers, bite and wrestle each other; humans just nag and “talk about it”.  When raising a dog, you must treat them the way their mother would.  Your dog’s mother would nip, bite and keep her puppy in a down/rolled over position for any indiscretion, no matter how small.  All misbehaviour is reprimanded with the same level of correction.  Most individuals are so averse to correction that they are creating monster canines who are dog aggressive, people aggressive and downright dangerous to have…

Since I am around so many dogs, I have noticed that most dogs have lost their natural ability to read each other’s body language and foremost they have lost their ability to know how to greet each other.  I see it while I am training with people entering class and I see it when I am training at the dog park.  Unless a young dog lives in a house with an adult dog, most do not know how to greet another dog whether on a walk or in a dog park.  For this reason, it is important that the owner be able to read dog language and be able to…

Dogs don’t talk, dogs communicate.  Whenever I say to a client that their dog will not talk they look at me quizzically. Yes, dogs communicate with each other and with other species that they come in contact with but they do not speak the way humans talk to each other.    Because of our ability to communicate with our mouths, humans have lost the ability to read and interpret body language, human or other.  It is amazing to see someone who has lost a sense (hearing, speech or sight) have heightened use of another sense; it is amazing the way nature takes over and assists this person in his or her…

For the last 9 months I have a very nice German shepherd in my Intermediate class.  A nice young couple that thinks the world of her owns this dog.  This dog does have a great temperament and is also class clown.  Typically, the wife handles the dog in class and puts her through her paces.  Everyone in class has passed her by and progressed at a nice pace. This dog is still having problems staying when commanded and breaks position in the heel much too often. She runs around class trying to antagonize everyone into a chase.    For 9 months I have instructed her owner to correct her for this behavior and…

Last night while I was teaching an Intermediate Training Class one of my clients’ just blurted out a question:  “How do you do that?”  I had no idea what he was referring to and looked at him quizzically.  I had been working a dog in class which was the same dog I had in class the week before.  My client continued, “That dog was a mess last week and this week he is calm and obedient”.    I never really answered the question but I pondered it throughout the night.  The next day I told my partner Lorry about the conversation and without thinking she answered the question, “You don’t confuse the dogs when…

 Many trainers, including myself, have a program in their school where a dog stays overnight for training for a period of two to three weeks.  During this time, the dog is taught all the basic commands and any minor behavior problems are corrected.  While this is a costly way to train your dog, it is exceedingly effective, especially if are away from home for long periods of time and do not have enough time to work with your dog on a daily basis to ensure he understands the basic commands.     We do the hard part of the training, the part that takes a lot of patience because it is the…

Since I am around so many dogs, I have noticed that most dogs have lost their natural ability to read each other’s body language and foremost they have lost their ability to know how to greet each other.  I see it while I am training with people entering class and I see it when I am training at the dog park.  Unless a young dog lives in a house with an adult dog, most do not know how to greet another dog whether on a walk or in a dog park.  For this reason, it is important that the owner be able to read dog language and be able to…