The Proper Way to Use Food as a Training Tool There are many misconceptions associated with using food as the reward. When used right food is a strong motivator. Food is not a replacement for relationship Food is not a replacement for play You must work to wean your dog off food. (Would you work for no paycheck?) Food is not a substitute for training and practice Food is not a replacement for spending time…   Continue

Socialization is one of the most misunderstood aspects of dog training. Almost everyone knows puppies need to be exposed to as many situations as possible so they will grow up to be confident, well behaved dogs. Wrong This is possibly one of the main reasons why the number of reactive dogs in urban centers is high. It is also possibly one of the main reasons why small dogs are most likely to drop out of…   Continue

A Walk A Day Keeps Problems Away – There is a lot of truth in this.  Does your dog have behavioral problems? Can You fix them? The truth is no. Dogs are living animals who have emotional responses to stress – like humans. You cannot promise that ‘any dog’ will never react. What you can do is ‘stack the deck’ in your favor and teach a dog coping skills so that it can manage stress….   Continue

The term reactive dog is a recent term in the dog world. Older terms included nervous, fearful, aggressive, leash aggression, or dog aggressive. Reactive dogs were ‘washed out’ of training programs, and very often were rehomed, or worse. Trainers didn’t understand the problem, and were unable to create a solution. Positive reinforcement trainers are making strong progress creating solutions for reactive problems, but there is still room for improvement. Some positive trends fail to address…   Continue

The crib note series are designed to help you understand the basic terms and offer explanations designed to help dog owners understand the theories and practices behind positive dog training. Hopefully these quick reference words will help explain some of the more indepth information available to pet owners and novice sport dog trainers. It is important to understand that everything you do reinforces a dog’s behavior, good or bad. Even when you are watching TV, and ignoring…   Continue