Dog Training

My First Expereince WIth The World’s Oldest Profession

The vacant buildings and burned out cars did not help the way I was feeling. I was nervous and not sure how things were going to turn out. It was 7:00AM and I was in the North End of Hartford CT waiting to see what was going to happen next. Little did I know this would be my first official experience with the world’s oldest profession. It was a chilly October morning as I sat in car waiting. I was told her name was Diana and she was no nonsense. I had asked if I needed to bring anything. I… Read the rest

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The Time I Got Into A Fight On Talk Radio

They wanted me to fight. But I am a peaceful man. Here’s what happened… …years ago I was on a radio show that was carried by WBSM in New Bedford. The show’s host had invited on a cat behavior expert and me. It started out good and then the show host and cat person turned on me. They were cat lovers and wanted to debate why felines were better than canines. I must admit, it took a few minutes for me to figure out what was going on. The reason I didn’t catch on was simple. I could care less… Read the rest

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Does Your Dog Freak Out Around Dogs? Get Control Now!

I knew a guy who was very hot tempered. The slightest offense would set this guy off. I’m talking out of control, crazy, yelling and freaking out. The funny part is his anger was over nothing. He would lose it over the most trivial things. My point is, there was no reason for his anger. He worked himself up for no reason and lashed out at the world expending a lot of energy and emotion for no reason. So why am I sharing the story of this bonehead? I work with a lot of dogs every week. Some weeks I… Read the rest

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Do Wish Your Dog Would Listen Better? Here’s How

Fort Phoenix in Fairhaven, MA was swamped the other night. It is a great little park on the ocean. I was there to meet a client with their Doberman. Funny thing as I pulled in the parking lot. There were no spaces. After a few minutes I found a spot and parked. When I walked around the park I noticed there were people everywhere. In one section of the park there had to be 30 to 40 people. I thought maybe there was a fight or something and cautiously approached the large group of people. That’s when it hit me.… Read the rest

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How to get your dog under control in any situation

Russians can be very straightforward with advice. A few years back I had the chance to listen to a Russian ex-special forces instructor. His name was Pavel Tastloine. Very interesting guy. During his talk he used a term called forced relaxation. It was how he taught Russian Special Forces Spetsnaz stretching techniques. He would have them tense their muscles and then relax. I started using this term force relaxation and teach a different version for dogs. Forced relaxation will get your dog to calm down in any situation. Most people dread bringing their dogs anywhere like a vets office or… Read the rest

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I Was Attacked Yesterday

Aggression is a constant companion when you work with dogs like I do. Every week I get a new client with aggression problems. Doing this as long as I have, I’ve developed cat like reflexes and for the most part, avoid getting bit. And then yesterday I got attacked. It was a beautiful day and I had a few hours in between clients so being the good dad, I packed up the kids and brought them to the beach. We got to the beach and I waded into the water with little Scarlett. In three feet of water I stepped… Read the rest

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The Easiest (And Most Important) Command To Teach Your Dog

Years ago I did K-9 security for a large hospital in Hartford, CT. The only place we could go with our dogs to let them off leash was on the roof of the parking garage. We could secure the doors and let the dogs run and chase tennis balls. It was great until one knucklehead I worked with decided to throw the ball a little too hard. Like most parking garages, the walls were four feet high and then it was a straight drop to the pavement. Jocko was a beautiful German Shepherd and was going full speed towards the… Read the rest

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The time I was kicked out of two different shelters

Results are extremely important to me when it comes to dog training. Without results the dog often pays the price. Sometimes with his life so I don’t mess around. I want to the dog to learn. Sometimes this requires me to use a negative consequence to get the results needed. This is extremely practical and does not require inflicting pain or harsh methods. But many people, including very popular dog trainers and vet behaviorists, believe that a negative consequence can NEVER be used to train a dog, that ONLY positive reinforcement is to be used. This is a HUGE mistake… Read the rest

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This Common Mistake Could Kill Your Dog

Hartford CT in the early 90’s was not Miami Beach. People didn’t exactly flood there for vacation, sightseeing, top notch restaurants or much else. The north end was not a place that you would take a casual evening stroll with a loved one holding hands taking in the ambiance of the city. Unless you were into shootings, drug deals and possible stabbings. This is where I was working at the time. I was doing K9 Security and occasionally had run ins with the locals. A friend of mine who provided guard dogs for businesses in the area (junkyards, car dealerships,… Read the rest

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