Dog Training Tips & Tricks

Reward the GOOD STUFF!!

One very important piece when it comes to training a dog is remembering to reward the GOOD STUFF!! All too often, we hear about what dogs shouldn’t be doing… dogs shouldn’t jump on us, counter surf, pull n the leash… the list goes on. So often times the focus is on stopping those behaviors.

In the video above, Trainer Jamie is working with DJ on capturing and rewarding four paws on the floor and/or sit. Also, ignoring the jumping! At the end you will see a more finished result from the full session! Go DJ!

​Let me shout it from the roof tops… REWARD THE GOOD STUFF! And you won’t have to correct the bad stuff. I also recommend to change the language a bit too.. these behaviors aren’t necessarily bad from the dogs perspective. I rather like to name the behaviors either desirable or undesirable. In essence, reward desirable behaviors (behaviors you want to continue your dog to do) and ignore the undesirable (behaviors you don’t want your dog to do).

​For example, if you have a dog that jumps up on you, instead of working to stop the jumping, work on rewarding your dog for staying off or sitting BEFORE they jump. The more a behavior is rewarded, the more a dog will keep it up. So the more you give positive feedback (treats, praise, eye contact) for them sitting and staying four paws on the ground, the more they will do it! Sometimes we don’t even realize we are rewarding our dog for undesirable behaviors, too! Another example, if your dog barks at you while you are eating dinner and you turn to “shush” them. Your dog will simply take that as attention… not necessarily a reprimand. Better to completely ignore the barking and reward the quiet!

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Confidence building exercises with Jeff!​
Jeff is a sweet, eager and mildly insecure little dude. We are working on a lot of different aspects of training with Jeff including obedience, impulse control, confidence building and socialization. This is a super successful session where he goes from being terrified on the training apparatus to actually standing on it with two feet! Yay Jeff! Dogs are SO capable.. way more capable then we think they are. It is wonderful when we can teach them things that give them a purpose. It feeds the mind and soul!

Check out an updated video on how Jeff is doing! Below, we are practicing "down" with some chase breaks in between. Jeff is a super active boy and too much stationary obedience bores him. I like to take treat chasing breaks in between down's to keep his energy flowing and in control as to not disrupt our practice. He's a super star!!