Eric Letendre

How I Taught A 4 Month Old Great Dane To Pee Outside

Hope everyone had a great Christmas, or Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa or whatever you do or don’t celebrate. Little Scarlett got some great gifts but the best one was a chalk board. I immediately sat down with her after breakfast to teach her the four behavior quadrants. I showed her Positive Reinforcement, Negative Reinforcement, Positive Punishment and Negative Punishment. I then explained how each one is used to teach our dogs how to do obedience. She looked bored and started to play with her wooden pizza. Two years old and she didn’t want to sit and listen to me explain behavior.… Read the rest

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Would You Give Your Kid Veal For A Christmas Present?

One of my favorite Christmas movies is “Scrooged” with Bill Murray. It’s a fairly dark, updated version of The Christmas Carol, but no where near as dark as Bad Santa, which I recommend only watching when the kids are sleeping over the grandparent’s house. The ghost of Christmas past brings the main character, Bill Murray, back to his childhood home on Christmas Eve and shows his father giving him veal for a present. When he whines that he wanted a choo choo train his father angrily states: “Well then go get a job and buy one.” Anyway, this got me… Read the rest

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It’s Not Scrooge’s Fault

So everyone knows the story of Ebenezer Scrooge from The Christmas Carol. We all know that before he was visited by the four ghosts he was a mean, cheap, angry man. I think it is a great story because it reveals why he became what he was. The story shows how his unloving father sent him to boarding school and had never forgiven him for his mother’s death during his birth. How his fiance dumps him like a bag of coal and marries some other dude. How he focused all of his energy and emotion on money instead of relationships.… Read the rest

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My Present To You That Could Prevent A Holiday Disaster

By now you know that I like to keep things light and fun. My opinion is that there are a lot of dog trainers that are way too serious and a lot of them need to lighten up a little and smile more. But today I have to take a different tack. Today I want to talk about avoiding a holiday disaster. It has been my experience that a lot of dogs are experts at one behavior. Dogs love to steal off the counter, jump on guests and bark at the door. But if you were to ask me the… Read the rest

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Is Your Dog Leading Your Down The Primrose Path?

Did you ever see the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off? If you grew up in the 80’s, it was required viewing. It’s a great movie about kids skipping school and making a complete fool out of the principal. At one point the principal is talking to Ferris Bueller’s mother and states: “That’s probably because he wasn’t sick. He was skipping school. Wake up and smell the coffee, Mrs. Bueller. It’s a fool’s paradise. He is just leading you down the primrose path.” Did you ever wonder what a primrose path was? I did and here is what trusty old Wikipedia… Read the rest

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Does Your Dog Ignore The Come When Called Command?

Quiz time: The best way to teach your dog to come when called is to use? Everyone that said “Positive Reinforcement” can come to the front of the class and get a gold star. You correctly answered the question. You need to reinforce and reward your dog for coming to you. BUT,,, …. the overwhelming majority of people that I work with use punishment and there is a good chance you are (GASP) doing the same thing. There is a strong chance that you are punishing your dog for coming to you and you don’t even know it. Let me… Read the rest

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This May Shock You

Here is a great question from J.R. “I know that your are against choke collars, prong collars, shock collars, etc. What are your opinions on using an invisible fence that first warns with a tone, then a mild shock if necessary with increasing strength if needed? Thanks for your time and all of your wonderful training advice.” Well J.R. compliments always move you to the front of the line so let’s clear up some confusion. First: Let me point out yesterday’s quote from our old friend Kierkegaard: “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t… Read the rest

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Dog Training Advice From Man That Mysteriously Met God

Was bouncing around Facebook yesterday and came across an interesting quote. The quote was written by a guy that believes God comes to each individual mysteriously which may have led to his book, Fear and Trembling. Anyway Danish philosopher, theologian, poet, social critic and religious author Soren Kierkegaard stated: “There are two ways to be fooled: One is to believe what isn’t true. The other is to refuse to accept what is true.” Which is great dog training advice because many people are led to believe what isn’t true and often refuse to accept what is true. Dogs should never… Read the rest

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Why You Should Question Everyone – Including (GASP) Me

My good friend, Gena, just got a puppy. She just brought home a Brittany Spaniel and her first call was to me for some advice. She’s a very smart women. And I am all about giving new puppy advice because….. …..much of what I advise flies in the face of conventional wisdom. Start training early. Socialize like crazy. Play tug and…. ….and….and….and… …..let the puppy (GASP) sleep in the bed with you. This is where some people lose it with me so before you decide to tune me out let me state my case. FIRST: In my informal survey that… Read the rest

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Just Say NO!

Pet photos with Santa was a lot of fun yesterday. We raised some cash for a great shelter, had some fun and I met some great dogs and people. One dog, a beautiful Black Lab, came and made his appearance known to everyone as he walked in. He barked and then charged in like Julian Edelman making a 69 yard touchdown pass. After his picture was taken I sat down with his owners. The women that owned him had done a great job training him. She had clicker trained him and he was excellent with his obedience but she thought… Read the rest

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