Leash Walking

My Dog Won’t Listen to Me

“Do you think she has hearing problems?” asked my mother-in-law. She was asking about Scarlett. She thought that maybe she had a hearing problem because she didn’t always respond to her name. My wife laughed and said: “She hears just fine. She is choosing to ignore you.” Funny how kids can be a lot like dogs. I see it all the time when I am helping someone train their dog. The dog will be on leash and they say the dog’s name…..nothing. No response, no attention, no engagement. Which is why you need to make sure you are always working… Read the rest

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Using A Negative To Get A Positive Result

Here’s an email that rolled in yesterday. It’s from longtime subscriber and friend Michael Y. Here is his question: “Where do you stand on the gentle leader?  Older couple has Irish Setter and is hard to control.  Obedience class told him to go with gentle leads which works but the dog HATES it.   What say ye ?” Good question. I use gentle leaders a lot. I like them more than the harnesses and in the early stages of training, it is not a good idea to use any strong adversives. So a gentle leader works out great. But gentle leaders… Read the rest

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Does Your Dog Do The Opposite Of What You Ask?

So my little daughter Scarlett is very interesting to watch. As she approaches her second birthday, she has decided to do the opposite of everything that I ask her not to. “Please don’t take those batteries.” She grabs them and makes a dash for the other room. “Please don’t climb on the table during dinner.” She gets on the table and starts dancing. “Please put down that cup of coffee.” She turns the cup upside down and heads for the door. I don’t get upset and actually think its very interesting to observe. Funny thing is how she laughs as… 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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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

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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

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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

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If Dogs Could Vote – They’d All Vote For ME!

It’s election day here in America. And I will do my civic duty and vote today. I would never make a very good politician. Mostly because I always try to apply some of Napoleon Hill’s best advice. If you read Nap Hill’s stuff you quickly learn that he teaches “accurate thinking.” A skill that is difficult to develop. The main reason is that we make decisions based on emotions. Once you pair a belief backed by strong emotions, look out. Normal, rational people become insane and all reason goes out the window. Years ago I saw firsthand the harm choke… Read the rest

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What A Skinny,Crying California Native Can Teach You About Leash Walking

Hello sports fans! Okay, this is not a sports newsletter and I know that many of you don’t like when I talk about sports. You come here for hard hitting dog training advice from the Bruce Lee of the dog training world – me (hehe). BUT – hang with me for a second because you sometimes find the best advice from outside the subject you’re studying. Take the great Tom Brady and last night’s sizzling game against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. It was a perfect football day in Massachusetts yesterday. Cold, wind blowing, and even a little snow.… Read the rest

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Automobile Mogul Reveals Secret To Making The Right Decisions For Your Dog

I’m not sure if this story is true but it makes a great point. I once heard that Henry Ford would always take a potential key employee out for dinner to observe him during the meal. He was looking for one move. One move that would determine if he was going to hire the guy or not. The move? SALT! He didn’t mind if the chap used salt what he wanted to know was…. …..did he taste the food before adding the salt. Imagine that! I guess ole Henry wanted to know if the dude was going to make a… Read the rest

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