Training

Every so often, at a training demonstration or event promoting positive training methods, a skeptical spectator will ask me whether positive training methods can be used for preparing dogs for all types of careers. I know where they are usually going with this question. Their real question is, “I know you can teach dogs to do cute little tricks with treats and stuff, but what about when you want a reliable dog, like an obedience competitor, a protection dog, or a police dog?” Their assumption is that in order to teach a dog to respond without fail, to sharply execute the handler’s every command, you will have to use force- and fear-based methods at some point in the dog’s education.

Does your dog respond reliably to you at home, but starts ignoring you and focusing on distractions the moment you step out the door? Getting your dog to listen when distracted starts with training in a distraction free environment and slowly adding distractions.

A whole lot of dog owners are working from home now, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. Lots of dogs are loving it – and...

All dogs have noses – and they all know how to use them. Our awareness of our dog’s nose capabilities is nothing new. We...

All dogs love a gentle pat on the shoulder or the rump. To them it can be a signal of a job well done or simply an indication of our affection. Touch strengthens the bond between dog and owner and is a basic building block of the canine-human relationship. We have already considered effleurage, the open-hand technique that resembles smooth petting strokes yet does so much for the dog’s circulation, relaxation, and balance. Compression, another open-hand technique, also affords enjoyable physical contact between you and your dog while providing important health benefits to your canine friend.

and leave him alone when he has a high-value resource. If you do need to take something away from him

Shaking hands – offering a polite paw – is one of the most popular and endearing tricks in the dog world. And it’s easy to teach your dog!

Training a deaf dog requires patience and consistency, just as training a dog who can hear does. While replacing the verbal “sit” with a...

reward her

give the cue

and then it means leash jerk! The dog's not learning to walk close to me because he wants to, he's learning to walk close to me because he fears what's going to happen to him if he doesn't. I have to say this was a long, long, time ago. I thought, This is bizarre

which includes social facilitation, mimicking, and trial-and-error learning.üFollowing the dog who responds properly to the Come!" cue helps the newcomer learn it