Recall Command

Come When Called Checklist

Saturday morning I was at Buttonwood Park in New Bedford, MA. A local rescue, Odie’s Place, was holding their annual benefit to raise money for animals. I had been asked to do a demonstration at 3:00 PM on teaching your dog to come when called. I wasn’t sure if the organizers knew what they were getting into, having The Amazing Dog Training Man offer training advice and demonstrate with dogs from the audience. Did they know what the response would be? Did they hire extra police for traffic and crowd control? Did they have mics and speakers set up for… Read the rest

Does Your Dog Ignore You? Do This To Get Attention

My daughter Scarlett is 3 going on 13. I’ll say her name, I’ll call her, I raise my voice and she ignores me. She chooses when to listen to me. It is funny and frustrating at the same time. She has learned if she does not make eye contact she does not have to listen to me. Smart kid. This is a good lesson to remember with dog training. If your dog ignores your command, there is a good chance your dog is not paying attention to you. Dog owners give their dogs commands when they are focused on something… Read the rest

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

The Power Of Teaching NO!

Answer this question: Your dog bolts through the front door and takes off. How do you get your dog to come back to you. Most people would take off after their dogs and yell “COME” and have some kind of treat ready. If only it were that easy. If all you had to do was offer food and your dog would come back to you. A lot of trainers will tell you that is all you need to do. But I am here to give it to you straight. You know that your dog often ignores your treat. That they… Read the rest

Emergency Recall (Come When Called) Techniques…And Apology

In yesterday’s email I mentioned the little drama going on over at Amazon.com. One person wrote a review about an emergency recall (come when called) technique that could possibly save your dog’s life. She was very angry with the technique that I shared. I also told everyone that you could get a free copy of the book on Amazon and asked if you could leave a review. I should have been a little more clear with my instructions. I should have made it very clear that you could get the Kindle version for free. I apologize for any misunderstanding. You… Read the rest

Three Secrets That Will Improve Your Dog’s Recall (Come When Called)

The one command everyone wants their dog to do well is the recall command. As the weather gets nicer we want to be able to go places with our dogs and know that they will come back when we call. Here are four secrets that will improve your dog’s recall immediately. Avoid Unintentional Punishment – This is a biggie. I see this happen with puppies all the time. Puppy is at the beach for the first time. The owner lets puppy off leash and lets him run around for a while. It’s time to go and owner calls puppy to… Read the rest

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

This Is Wooba Gooba With The Green Teeth – Let Me In!

More snow this morning here in Sunny Southeastern MA. Some people would get depressed. I think one of the best ways to overcome feeling down is to listen to music. Not the depressing Kurt Cobain 90’s stuff. You need to listen to the 80’s stuff. Music with lyrics like: “Open up the door b!T(# this is wooba gooba with the green teeth – let me in.” In case you don’t recognize the line it is from J. Geils Band’s greatest song: “Musta Got Lost.” Even though many parts of the country are under a blanket of the white stuff, Spring… Read the rest

How To Catch An Escaped Akita

I used to own and operate a boarding kennel. One day a nice couple come by to take a look at my facility. We were by the front door talking when all of a sudden an Akita walked by us. I knew the Akita because he was boarding in my kennel at the time. The couple looked at me, I looked at the Akita and calmly said, “Excuse me,” and took off the dog. I found out later that the Akita had scaled the fence. He then took his front paws and started pushing at the air conditioner that was… Read the rest

This Con Man Can Help You Have A Better 2015

The sign on the pool hall wall said: “$200 to Any Man Who Jumps Over My New Pool Table.” $200 in 1931 was a lot of cash and Alvin was determined to get it. A poor kid born in the Ozarks he would go on to cheat Al Capone for $500, cross paths with Harry Houdini, Babe Ruth, Minnesota Fats and even have Damon Runyon write a character based on him in his book, “Guys And Dolls.” Alvin looked at the pool table and immediately went across the street to a cheap hotel. He grabbed a mattress out of a… Read the rest
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