Eric Letendre

Inside The Mind Of A Dog Trainer

I know this going to be hard to believe but…. …..it is 100% true. Here goes. I was not a very good dog trainer. I know, I know. Hard to believe, you’re thinking there is no way I ever stunk at dog training, that I was probably born with a leash and clicker in my hand. I wasn’t very good because I was a little bit of a hothead. Not with the dogs, the owners. I would often meet a dog owner and if they were not 100% in sync with what I was saying and if they weren’t doing… Read the rest

Inside The Mind Of A Dog Trainer Read More »

To Click Or Not To Click – That Is A Question I Often Get

One question that I get on a regular basis is if I use clickers. My answer is yes and no. To me it really depends on the person I am working with. Some people love them and get great results with them. Others, like an old grizzled wrestler I’m working with and has had dogs since before I was born, would never use a clicker. So if you’re wondering about clickers, let me break it down for you. Clickers are a great training tool. They help you communicate and pinpoint which behavior is being rewarded. They really can speed up… Read the rest

To Click Or Not To Click – That Is A Question I Often Get Read More »

How To Save Your Pup’s Life

This is some truly shocking news. Did you know that 8 out of 10 dogs will never make it to their first birthday? It’s true. Dogs end up in shelters and are eventually euthanized within the first 12 months. Very sad and the main reason dogs die in this country is….. ……behavior problems. I’ve taught for a long time that dogs really do not have behavior problems. The behaviors we classify as problems are all normal, natural behaviors. We just don’t like the time and location that these behaviors occur. We have no problem with a dog chewing on a… Read the rest

How To Save Your Pup’s Life Read More »

Is Your Dog Easily Distracted? Here’s What To Do

Once a month I hold a free seminar for a local shelter. I don’t just teach the attendees how to understand and train their dogs. I put on a show. I dazzle them with canine knowledge, I illuminate them with stories of my long and adventurous career in dog training. I share stories of danger and excitement. And the audience sits there spellbound hanging on each word until….. …..they get an update on their cell phone. I was sharing a story of a full scale riot I was involved in years ago and the role the dogs played in it.… Read the rest

Is Your Dog Easily Distracted? Here’s What To Do Read More »

Drunk Lady Blames Me For Her Dog’s Aggression

Back in 1995 was when I decided to start a dog training business. I had worked as a K9 handler for seven years and then did a short stint as the lead trainer for a large facility in Connecticut. When I started I had a problem. In fact it was a big problem. This problem kept me up nights and turned my stomach into a fire breathing dragon that required wheelbarrow amounts of Tums and Rolaids to bring it under control. The problem was….. …..I had no customers. Luckily I had extremely helpful parents. I also was lucky enough to… Read the rest

Drunk Lady Blames Me For Her Dog’s Aggression Read More »

Can A Man That Sticks Needle In His Eye Offer Good Advice?

My friend Marie had this quote on her Facebook page this morning: “TACT – The Art Of Making A Point Without Making An Enemy” Isaac Newton Brilliant but strange dude Isaac Newton was. He suffered two nervous breakdowns, survived the bubonic plague, invented calculus and once stuck a needle in his eye to study optics. Anyway…. ….his quote is great but very difficult to do in some situations. Recently I started working with a family that has a very nice, smart cute puppy. The family surprises me by how much research they have done on dog training. They have even… Read the rest

Can A Man That Sticks Needle In His Eye Offer Good Advice? Read More »

I Felt Really Bad About This….

I wasn’t proud of my behavior. In fact, I felt awful after it happened. Let me back up and splain what happened. Sunday afternoon we decided to pack up the van and take little Scarlett for a hike along the beach in Middletown, RI. When we got there we decided to drive into Newport and grab a quick lunch. As we were trying to decide where to go for some chow I took a wrong turn and had to keep driving. We decided to go to a different restaurant. We got there and it was closed so we decided to… Read the rest

I Felt Really Bad About This…. Read More »

Why Mother In Laws Get Mad At Me

It’s funny how any dog in my universe is supposed to be 100% completely trained. My sister used to always have Thanksgiving dinner at her house and she would invite her husband’s parents over. My sister had two dogs at the time and they would bark and jump on people as they came in the house. My sister’s mother in law would always look at me and raise her eyebrows. She would sometimes say, “Can’t you do anything about this?” I would always politely nod my head and reply. “Yes, of course I can. I can stop jumping in three… Read the rest

Why Mother In Laws Get Mad At Me Read More »

My Addiction That Has My Wife Concered

So I have this addiction that I don’t talk about often. I’ve wrestled with it for years and recently my wife has become concerned with this addiction. She’s known about it since we got together and has learned to live with it but lately it has been causing some problems between us and I think it’s time I got some help. Especially since she now thinks it is starting to affect our daughter Scarlett. The addiction……? ………Seinfeld. I never, ever get tired of watching the show and if you were to pull up a chair and watch a few episodes… Read the rest

My Addiction That Has My Wife Concered Read More »

The ONLY Way To Get Results With Your Dog

How do you write everyday? I get asked that question more than any other. Even though I make my living as a dog trainer, most people ask me about writing. Do you have some kind of system you follow? Where do you get your ideas? How do write so much? The answer is really simple. The way to write every day is to….. ……write. I know, a simple answer but that’s me….a simple guy. If you think about it, that is the way to accomplish anything. If you want a trained dog you have to work at it. You have… Read the rest

The ONLY Way To Get Results With Your Dog Read More »

Scroll to Top