“I want an obedient dog.”  I hear this statement 20 times a month. People come to me and want me to magically turn their dog into a super dog. But before I can do this I need to understand what they mean. I want an obedient dog: I want a dog who I can ignore all day but will still do what I say I want a dog that is invisible in my life until…   Continue

  There are several ways to teach heeling. Before choosing the right one for you it is important to define your objectives. Obedience Competition, Rally Obedience, Schutzhund and IPO Walking and control in public, especially in crowds Control when visiting, going to the vets, or walking to and from the car. Each of these methods require a different style of heeling. Looking to owner for cues. Happy demeanor. Fully following the owner’s lead. While this…   Continue

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

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

These are some brief crib notes that might help you understand some of the terminology used by today’s sport dog trainers. Dogs are motivated by the desire to acquire something. This can be used to train a dog. Classical conditioning works with your dog’s natural behavior to create responses that generates a specific behavior from a dog. This is an involuntary reaction. If a dog sees a competition ring, or rally signs, and has always…   Continue