Prepare yourself. Here are all twenty:
You have been the provider, the spoiler, the mommy, the daddy, the buddy, the observer or just the nagger, but definitely NOT the enforcer. You usually come up with an excuse to skip making your dog do something against his will or obey you when it matters the most. So now your dog’s testing you to see whether you are going to follow through on what you just said or not. If we could read your dog’s thoughts in a bubble above his head, it would read, “Oh, come on. Who gave you the idea that I should listen to YOU now? Sit down, shut up and give me that belly-rub and that pig’s ear to chew on or else I’ll pee or poo on your couch tonight. Take that! You dog trainer wannabe!”
“As long as you keep those treats coming, I’ll do whatever you ask.” Is what will be crossing your dog’s mind as you keep shoving goodies down his throat and calling it training. This topic has already been discussed earlier in much detail in the chapter Busting the Biggest Scam in the Dog Training Industry. If you haven’t read it, I strongly advise you to do so. Otherwise, it’s like watching a movie halfway through. You can’t always guess what happened earlier on. Consistency is the key in getting concrete results and most important, you need to be consistent by doing everything correctly. Many owners and even some trainers train their dogs day and night but still end up with a dog that performs weak and sloppy. This is strong indicator of a wrong technique or poor communication skills They were definitely consistent, but did it all “incorrectly!” They hoped to get somewhere even by doing it the wrong way. Does this remind you of anyone? Did you know that over eighty percent of trainers in the U.S., and probably around the world, are women? So if you’re a female reading this, don’t worry. You don’t need to have your husband, boyfriend, son or your brother’s tone of voice in order to get your dog’s attention. However, if your command sounds something like: “Siiiiiiiiiit,” “Noooooo,” or “Dowwwwn,” you are asking or singing to your dog, not telling him. Your command shouldn’t have any melody in it and if it sounds like a request, a nag, or a drill sergeant, you obviousely have been misled. I always tell my clients, “Don’t shout it, and don’t drag it. Just say it.” The idea is to meet somewhere in between. Some owners mimic Mickey Mouse when they are supposed to sound firm, and some growl like The Hulk when they need to sound friendly or non-threatening. Even some trainers make the mistake of barking out the commands, which isn’t always necessary, especially when dogs can hear three to four times better than we can. So why yell at any living thing that can hear better than both of us combined? Unless it is a real emergency, save those lungs for a rainy day, pal. It makes me laugh every time I see a guy yell out a command
and the walls in the room start to shake. All because the dog
refused to sit or stay, for crying out loud. Hey, nobody is getting
killed. Trust me. You'll impress people far more when your dog
responds to you with your normal tone of voice. Any body can scream.
You probably read about this in my Spoiled Dog Test, but it’s definitely worth mentioning again: Spoiled dogs, just like spoiled kids, rarely listen to you or anyone else. These dogs have you wrapped around their paw and they know it. All it takes is a temper-tantrum of barking, whining, scratching, jumping or bouncing back and forth and you get hypnotized and find yourself doing things against your will. Perhaps the reason you let your dog run the show is because he happens to be too old, too young, too small, too handicapped or just too cute. Or maybe your dog had a rough life, so now he has a free pass to be a jerk wherever and whenever he pleases. Whether your dog’s missing a leg, an eye, or even worse, has a few months to live, you still should try to correct his bad habits and make him meet your expectations. Cesar Millan said it best: “Dogs don’t live in the past, but live in the moment.” Amazingly, dogs are known to adapt to any circumstances. Let’s face it, you know that your dog is very smart. In fact, he knows “exactly” what works on you and what doesn’t. Now, if you pamper your dog on a daily basis, you better be prepared for him to totally ignore you and even embarrass you in front of your guests or out in public. From past experience, your dog firgured that you rarely follow through on what you say. Sometimes the dog knows very well that someone else who spoils her on a regular basis will come to her rescue. And you gessed it. That someone could very well be your spouse, your kids, your relatives or even the grandparents. These dogs get away with peeing and pooping everywhere, barking constantly, begging, whining, destroying furniture, stealing food off counters and even marking whatever they please. Some even snap, attack other dogs or even bite. In a way, they are a lot like spoiled kids. Well, hopefully your kids don’t bite! Regardless of method or philosophy, I think all dog trainer agree:
The more you spoil a dog, the more he will ignore, challenge and
even turn on you, your loved ones or other dogs. I’m pretty sure you’ve heard the saying, “Practice makes perfect.” Well, if you really think about it, it is not just practice that makes perfect. It is “correct” practice that ultimately will get you much more efficient results. When you study topnotch trainers, you’ll notice that they don’t really care about how much they train their dogs. It is more how well they train that makes all the difference! Think of it as dancing. Anybody can hit the dance floor and
shake their booty and call it dancing. You see the same boring
moves over and over again. What's worse is, you see no skill,
no technique, no flow, no originality, and yet this person breaks
a sweat honestly believing that they are one of the best dancers
in town. Now, please don’t contact me for dancing lessons. I love to watch others dance, but I don’t dance, run or jog. Besides, I’ve watched enough Law & Order to know that joggers are the ones who always find dead bodies or become the victim of an assault themselves. That’s why I’m safe and sound leaving my butt print on my couch, watching Criminal Minds. In fact, if you ever see me running, it probably means a careless client’s aggressive dog managed to slip out of its collar. You can never refer to your dog as a truly “trained dog” if you always have to depend on him being leashed. No matter how careful you are, your dog will get loose someday and play the “catch me if you can" game. Maybe you are the careful one in your family, you can’t always depend on your spouse, your kids, your guests, your roommate, your neighbors or even your gardener to close the gate behind them. So when your dog bolts out, she better be totally off-leash trained or else you’ll pay the consequences the hard way. Maybe you fall under the category of those careless or cocky owners who prefer to walk their “unruly” or “unpredictable” dogs without a leash. Ask yourself: are you confident enough in your dog’s training response that you really are in complete control – even when your dog is not within your reach? How about when another dog appears out of nowhere? What if a kid runs up to you, and your dog jumps up on him to show his affection or, worse, tries to bite the poor kid? And don't forget cats, squirrels or, if you live in the country or up in the mountains, chickens, sheep, deer, skunks and bears. What the heck, let's throw in coyotes and mountain lions while we're at it too. Let's face it. Even Mommy or Daddy can’t do much in these situations. You may yell out, “NO,” “HEY,” or “Get over here,” but you can almost hear your dog laughing at you, saying, “Yeah right, lady. You honestly expect me to listen to you even when I’m not attached to that annoying leash? Suuuuuuuure. I don’t always comply that well across the room or in our front yard. Keep dreaming!” Unfortunately, this is what you get when you feel sorry for your dog and let him have fun by running loose to get some exercise. Folks, your dog should be able to respond to you from a distance, across the room, across the yard, in your neighborhood park, and eventually off-leash, anywhere and at any time. Most of you are completely helpless when your pooch is not within their reach, and that is sad and embarrassing. This simply means you have to master the art of off-leash training. Remember, off-leash means TOTAL VERBAL CONTROL of your dog under ANY circumstances. I am not just referring to obedience commands like Sit, Stay, Down, Heel or Come. This also applies when you reprimand your dog from a distance with, "NO," "Leave it," "Off," "Drop it," "Shush," "Be Nice," or any other command or correction you choose to give your dog. Besides, you’ll probably agree that even "inside your home or in your yard," 99.9% of the time your dog is hanging around without a leash and may not be within your reach. So it’s best to be ready for the what-if factor. In this case: “What if my dog gets loose? How would I be able to control him without that leash?” I used to, and still do, drive other trainers crazy with my "what-if" scenarios. Here’s one of my philosophies: .................................................................................................. This obviously indicates the lack of experience or lack of ability on the trainer’s part in preparing the pet owner for real-life off-leash situations. What’s worse is I’ve witnessed even trainers’ dogs act clueless and embarrass their handlers when they got loose or found themselves away off-leash. How embarrassing is that? Keep in mind that most cities and towns these days enforce strict leash laws. Trainers who advertise advanced off-leash training, and can actually back up their claim with their own dogs or even better—with their clients’ dogs are extremely rare to come by. After all, they should practice what they preach. Talk is cheap. I’ve seen and heard of horrible stories of a trainer’s dog attacking a client’s dog. Yes, the trainer’s dog did this! So you can imagine what kind of a so-called “dog expert” we are talking about. Not much different from a mechanic who push-starts his own car to work every day.
Be honest. You have little or absolutely no control over your dog when she gets excited or agitated around your visitors, other dogs, or around your family cat. Life is full of unexpected distractions. Your ultimate goal should be to have complete control of your dog wherever you are. You can’t pull this off unless you are able to control your dog inside your home, in your front yard, and in your neighborhood first. Only after you have mastered these locations should you start exposing your dog to more tempting distractions. Basically, you and your dog need to become street-smart. There are many unexpected distractions surrounding us and it’s best to be prepared for ANYTHING! For example, your dog should never break a “stay" command. I don’t care if dinosaurs walked down the street, stay means stay. No matter what, your dog shouldn’t move. Prior to hiring me, most of my clients had dogs that would only stay for a few seconds. What’s even sadder is that the majority of these dogs would only stay for the cookie, not for the owner. Reminds me of a typical dog trainer who advocates bribery, show confirmation, or even worse, both. How bizarre that most of these trainers don’t realize what they're doing. They are just advocating these requirements based on what their mentor taught them. Folks, always aim for practicality and a real-life approach! You’ll want to be so prepared, that virtually nothing can catch you two off guard. Again, that’s real life. I am not talking about shows, agility, flyball, or even obedience trials. Besides, how many of you really care about “showing” your dog? Good luck competing at the next Westminster Dog Show with your fixed, mixed or shelter dog. Some of you might own a champion pedigree with show confirmation potential, but from experience, I’ve noticed the majority of pet owners get their dogs spayed or neutered as soon as they are old enough. A-ha! You and the Trainer Aren't Really on the Same Page! In my years of helping thousands of dog owners from all walks of life, I’ve noticed something very interesting: Most prefer a “well-behaved pet” rather than a super-trained dog. That’s right. People don’t always care if their dog wins all these titles, ribbons, trophies, etc. Sure, they might enroll their dogs in “The Cutest Dog Contest,” but that’s about it. Don’t get me wrong, I have lots of respect for obedience competitions. They are amazing to watch. Just like the Olympics, this is where you should see “perfection.” But not everyone is or can be a perfectionist. Most dog owners would rather have a well-mannered pet than a super-trained soldier. Now that’s just a fact. If you pay close attention to obedience trials, you’ll notice that all those dogs perform the same “robotic drills.” Be honest. Do you really care if your dog can jump over some obstacles? How about sniffing the dumbbell and then dropping it by your feet? I seriously doubt it. Your dog is already hyper enough as it is. So the last thing you need is for her to master jumping over your couch, the baby gate, your coffee table or the kitchen counters. How about sniffing out objects with your scent on it? Give me a break! Did you honestly forget your visitors’ crotches and butts? How about your shoes, your cell phone, the remote, your wallet, and even your lovely underpants? And lastly, I don’t think you really care much if your dog walks perfectly next to you. Walking consistently on a loose leash alone is enough for most of you to throw a party. Besides, not all owners are crazy about teaching their dogs to come to them with their nose perfectly aligned to their master’s groin area. Folks, what I just described are all the requirements for obedience competitions. When you are able to have your pooch to come to you every single time, that is a wonderful thing! I think I’ve made my point. The Canine Good Citizen Test is what I recommend and offer in our school. This test prepares you and your dog for the real world. There are no dumbbells, no hoops to jump through and no need to have your dog constantly looking at you or at your cool hand signal. Even this test will challenge your training foundation. This simply means: If you are struggling to get your dog’s full attention around minor distractions in your home, why make a fool of yourself in front of ten more dogs and ten more owners? Dogs and even their owners learn much better and faster in a one-on-one setting rather than in groups. I’m not going to lie to you, private lessons with a reputable trainer ill cost you more. But just like most things in life, you do get what you pay for. In conclusion, you should always look for different ways to get your dog to listen to you in real-world situations. You need to accomplish this without yelling, hitting or relying heavily on bribe. This is where dog owners desperately seek my help. They say, “Kevin, everything stops working when my dog _______.” You fill in the blank! Every one of them needed the skill and knowledge of how to properly distraction-proof their dog. Here’s a concept that most of you can relate to: Why should
you even bother asking your dog to stay for you in front of another
dog, in front of your cat or your visitors… when you can’t
even get her to stay in one spot in your yard, living room or
in your kitchen for at least ten or fifteen minutes? Can you honestly
get your dog to “stay” ten feet away from you with
your front door/gate wide open? How about unhooking or letting
go of that leash? !!! How Pros Distraction-Proof Their Own Dogs !!!
And never forget people of different ethnicity and gender. Otherwise,
any of these might set your dog off and cause him to bark, growl,
lunge, or get very scared just because they happen to be different! It’s not uncommon for people to confuse a stubborn dog with a dominant or aggressive dog. Where I’m from, we had a saying, “A lion at home, but a fox out in public.” We used this to describe people who can be very controlling at home and around family, but act more like a doormat out in public. Many dogs act the same way. They may be the king or queen of your castle, but act shy, timid and submissive around other dogs out in public. I find that fascinating. We all know that any breed, any age and certainly any size dog can run your life for you. What amazes me though, is when people hear the word “dominant,” they automatically picture a Rottweiler that has a forty-inch thick neck. On the contrary, I could be referring to a Chihuahua or a fluffy Pomeranian. I’ve dealt with a Golden Retriever which had more alpha personality than a Bulldog. But, just because a dog is stubborn doesn’t always mean he will turn out to be dominant or aggressive. Some of these behaviors will become even more obvious once you totally STOP using treats altogether. You’ll notice that getting your dog to obey commands without any goodies isn’t as easy. You don’t believe me? Let’s see whether you can make your dog mind you without showing the treat or even holding your fingers together. These are the dogs that, if they could talk or if we could hear their thoughts, would be saying, “I know what sit means. I just don’t want to sit right now.” Or, “I know sit, you know that I know it and I know that I know it. But I never ever sit when I see a cat! Don’t you remember? I chase cats whenever I spot them. Plain and simple! So keep your stupid treat. I can get it later when I do that stupid rollover trick.” I see that your dog likes to talk a lot.
YSome of you fall under the category of those
owners who know exactly what to do, how to do it, and why you
should do it. You’re even aware of which training tools
work best on your dog, and which do not. When clients send their dogs to me for boot camp, I explain to them as best as I can that their dogs won’t stay trained for life without “their” consistent reinforcement. This is the case regardless of whether you are dealing with a private trainer or trying the board and train option. Now, unless you hire a full-time trainer for your dogs or are willing to adopt me, the maintenance is still up to “you.” When you procrastinate or become inconsistent, your dog will rapidly become testy and sloppy in his training response. Take this example: If you have been inconsistent in your training, then out of the blue, you ask your dog to stay or come to you, your dog will most likely play dumb and deaf. Here’s why: your dog is thinking, “Oh, not that nonsense again. It’s been months or even years since you’ve asked me to do jack. So why NOW? Showing off again? Hey, I can give a paw? Look, right paw, left paw, kisses and even rollover. I can try to grab a treat from midair without letting it touch the ground. There, now leave me alone. That proves that I am smart, trained AND cute." ”
Your dog is never too young or too old to learn what’s right and what’s wrong. What is acceptable and what is unacceptable. It amazes me when I see some owners who don’t even bother to correct their dog’s bad habits just because their dog is too old. I seriously doubt that you’d want people to remember your dog’s last years or even last few months, as the dog that nobody could stand. No Dog is Ever too Young or too Old For Training! Studies have proven that a dog’s ability to be trained does NOT depend on whether he is a nine-week-old pup or a nine-year-old adult dog. With proper training and following dog psychology, any dog can be taught right from wrong. For instance, you can easily teach your dog the rules of your house and exactly how you want it to behave. It doesn’t really matter what age, breed, size or even what happened in your dog’s past. If your dog has been abused, neglected, or maybe even had the pleasure of getting away with murder with everyone all this time , with proper guidance and persistence, he will soon realize that was then and this is NOW. Don’t forget, dogs live in the moment and not in the past. If your dog is NOT fully house-broken, lunges, pulls on the leash, gets aggressive towards other dogs or acts overprotective around your guests, I’m sure you’ll agree that all these traits fall under unacceptable behavior. These types of behavior need to be corrected—immediately! Why would you want to put up with such bad habits any longer than you have to? If a trainer made you feel hopeless just because your dog was too young or too old, you have been misled or are dealing with a trainer that lacks problem-solving skills. A qualified trainer can plan out a program to reduce or eliminate your dog’s embarrassing or unacceptable behavior once and for all. I do it all the time. ....................................................................................................................................... Let me give you an example. Imagine that you have a seven-year-old dog that is in desperate need of training or behavior modification. The lifespan of most breeds is getting longer every year. Now, unless you own a Bernese mountain dog, a wonderful breed which sadly only has a life span of six to eight years, I’m sure you’ll agree that your dog could easily live another four to five years or more of its natural life. Now, ask yourself — do I really want to put up with my dog’s annoying bad habits for a few more month or even years? Are you one of those optimistic owners that hope your dog will somehow magically turn into Lassie as he gets older? If so, please wake up and smell the coffee! It’s more likely that your dog will get even worse as he ages.
I get lots of puppy owners who drop off or even
ship their dogs directly from the breeder to me. Surprisingly,
I am one of the few experts in the U.S. who will even talk
to you if your puppy happens to be younger than four months
old. Unfortunately, the majority of trainers aren’t
knowledgeable in puppy management. This is because
their whole focus and specialty rely on the “obedience”
aspect of training. These trainers assume that
your dog should housebreak itself, should stop mouthing on
its own. And some even believe that your dog will stop
jumping on you and your guests. I think they are actually
referring to when your dog gets arthritis or when he hits
the two digit age, whichever comes first. Most people think you must have your puppy current
on all of his vaccinations in order for him to start any form
of training. This is simply not true. You can have the trainer
come to your home, as long as you don’t expose your puppy
to the outdoors until he’s at least 4 months old, due
to the risks of Parvo or other deadly viruses. Don’t forget that just because
a trainer said that you can’t teach a young puppy anything,
doesn’t mean it’s the truth. Remember, your puppy—whether
you do anything or not—is constantly learning. You definitely
don’t want that learning to include getting away with
even more bad habits or finding ways to cause you more headaches
and frustrations. I’ve been to thousands of families’
homes and noticed something very interesting. I found that
the man of the house was in charge in about two or three out
of every twenty families. In the other seventeen or eighteen
homes the woman was always in charge of making that final
decision. Think about it. These women may not be taller or
physically stronger than their husbands, yet all it takes
is one dirty look and the rest is history. A few even curled
up their lip and growled, and that’s when the poor husband
looked down immediately while tucking his tail between his
legs.
You try to move your dog off your lap or push
him off the couch and suddenly he growls at you and shows
you a nice set of canines. He may even lunge at you with a
vengeance! You jump back as fast as you can and think to yourself,
“HOLY COW! I guess I’ll leave you alone, you brat!”
Let’s think doggie logic for a moment. Your dog is thinking,
“I will move whenever “I” darn well feel
like it, woman. You got that? GRRRRRRRR.” This is a very dangerous behavior that if left alone not only stays the same, but in most cases gets even worse. I doubt that you want your dog’s bad behavior to go from worse to worst! These are the dogs that need the help of an expert who specializes in dealing with dominant and aggressive tendencies. An average trainer, with average skills, average experience, and working with average dogs, doesn’t stand an average chance. Many trainers who prefer to teach only the obedience component, refer these dogs to me. This is because they are not as experienced in dealing with aggressive dogs, or they simply don’t want to deal with such cases. They only deal and play with cute puppies and deal with teaching commands and run lots of socialization classes. Besides, pet store trainers seldom accept aggressive dogs for liability reasons. In contrast, I love the challenge and have dealt with hundreds of these cases. The reality is, just about anybody can tell you to get rid of your poor dog. We need to get rid of the problem and save your dog. (Be sure to read chapter on Red Zone Dogs for more on this topic right here on our site.)
When training your dog, you really need to know
when to push and when to back off! Some dogs act as if you are
killing them. Some have even managed to fool me for a second
or two. I’ve had dogs that were sent to me for Boarding
& Training that screamed and howled in their kennel as if
their paw was stuck or something. As I rushed to see what’s
going on, all I found was a dog standing, panting, and looking
with those big googly eyes. I always nickname the males “Oscar,”
as in an Oscar Winning performance. And the females, “Emmy”
as in an Emmy Award nominee. So if you have a dog with Oscar
and Emmy award potential, you’ll need to learn how to
tell if your pet is just acting or not. In most cases, it truly
takes a “Trained Eye” with years of experience.
Average owners often get tricked and manipulated by their smart
dogs.
Words can be deceiving and commands can get mixed up, but body language, yes… body language NEVER lies. You can often get the truth from body language. In fact, it’s very hard to fake it. For example, you can tell a lot by the way someone walks, stands, or even sits. How they shake your hand, whether they lean back, forward, cross their legs, or whether they fidget repeatedly. How about the way someone stands? Pay attention to whether they have their arms crossed, resting on their hips or if they are holding their arms in back. How someone looks at you or tries to avoid making eye contact says a lot about them too. Sometimes you don’t even have to hear what a person is saying. We men do this to women all the time. You could
say that we are good observers, but poor listeners. The truth
is we are very good at PRETENDING that we heard you loud and
clear. Our secret is to keep on saying, “Hmm,” “WOW,”
“Is that right?” “NO, she didn’t”
and my favorite of all, “You’ll figure it out honey.
Just go with your intuition.” And you are good to go and
won’t end up on the Dr. Phil Show. (Too bad most
book readers are women and only a few of us will get this advice.) It makes me laugh every time I see owners AND
even some trainers get on their knees and slap the ground in
an attempt to get the dog to lie down. Hello? The dog already
knows where the floor is and what you’re talking about.
He’s just playing dumb. And you certainly don’t
need to have her follow your finger all the way to the ground
either. This is tricking your dog into thinking that you are
holding some kind of treat. When you really think about it,
it isn’t fair at all. When your dog lies down
for you without any yelling, hitting, or bribery, this shows
that he has accepted you as the one in charge and submits to
you out of respect. The only time you should break
your back is while patting or praising your dog, or if you happen
to be dealing with an extremely fearful dog. Another factor most owners overlook with long-haired dogs is eye contact. If your dog’s hair is covering its eyes, you probably won’t be able to properly communicate with it. Your dog could have difficulty reading your body language, your hand signals, body language, facial expressions or even worse miss other dogs’ body language and behavior. The rule of thumb should be: If you can’t see your dog’s eyes, he can’t see yours either. This is especially important if your dog happens to suffer from hearing loss or has gone completely deaf due to old age or an illness.
This isn’t necessarily the same as your
dog being shy, scared, nervous or even sensitive. Your dog is
just not certain whether to submit, fight, flee or make friends
with you or others. She is still not sure about you and she’s
trying to carefully observe you. Are you loud, friendly, mean,
strong, consistent, psycho or just dumb? How is your training
technique? If your training skills are not the real
deal, your dog will see your weaknesses and take advantage of
you.
Don’t believe me? Try this: Tell your dog to sit for you twenty times in a row. You’ll see that the more you make him do it, the slower and less responsive he’ll become. Don’t be surprised if you notice him giving you a dirty look. He may just walk away or lie down and refuse to get back up to the point of playing “the dead fish game.” He might even snaps back at you. If your dog could talk, he’d be yelling, “Oh come on now! I already did it fifteen times, didn’t I? Where’s the cookie? You know that I don’t work for FREE! Leave me alone. Don’t you get it? I am done, FINITO!” For some strange reason, they always say that last part in Italian. Challenge your dog and yourself. Get creative and outgoing in your routine. Don't be predictable. Start training your dog in different parts of your house. Once he responds well every time and anywhere in your home, only then, move on to outdoor settings. Don't leave out the front yard, the back yard, by the fence, in your neighborhood, a local park, and around kids play grounds. This is how you'll be able to improve on your dog's command response. You'll soon notice this keeps the training fresh and exciting, and puts you ahead of the average dog owner. Don't forget that for any extra effort you put into your dog's training, you'll get extra results.
This can be caused by something as minor as a
weather that is too hot, too cold, or even too windy. That’s
right, windy. For some reason, dogs act very agitated when it’s
too windy. And of course there will be times when your dog is
truly sick. Maybe he had to have surgery, needed to get a few
stitches or caught some sort of virus. If you know your dog’s
going to be in heat, you better believe your training will NOT
go smoothly. When you have a bitch in heat, she will act more
moody, feisty or try to chew her way out of your yard. This
may come as a shock to most of you, but many breeders believe
that dogs can smell a dog in heat up to three miles away. This
often results in agitating the male and female dogs in that
vicinity. I’ll never forget a day, years ago, when I noticed a little blood in the stool of one of my Shepherds. At the time, I didn’t think much of it and found out the hard way that he definitely wasn’t himself that day. I took him to his protection training class and, without any warning, he snapped at one of the instructors. Obviously it was a big deal then and I should not have ignored it. Poor dog clearly did not feel well and took his discomfort out on the trainer. I learned my lesson and this has never happened since. It’s amazing how well dogs read our body
language, observe our behavior and, of course, pick up from
our energy. If you or anyone else in your household is not feeling
well, your dog can always sense it. So whether it is you or
your dog that is feeling sick or perhaps you are having a bad
day, it’s best to skip the training for the day. Get some
rest or do something fun or weird instead, like jumping naked
on a trampoline around two in the morning. That’s what
works for me! Just kidding, I don’t even have a trampoline.
I do it without it. You wanna supersize that? Go king? Jumbo? Add sour cream? Bacon? I say, “I want all that with a small diet Coke.” At least I always carry my own side of organic Ranch dressing for my fries. Those darn fast food places never carry anything organic. Now that I've made you hungry or grossed out, back to the dogs. So it’s a no-brainer that our doggies definitely have an upperhand over our fat a**es. How can we increase the odds to our favor? By using a training tool that gets your dog’s attention even around the most tempting distractions you can imagine. ………………....................................……………..…………… Some of These Tools Include: * A proper leash
(not retractable, knotted or a chain leash) Not to forget the lovely lectures from those who
know nothing about you, your dog, or how your dog actually behaves
without that tool. (Hey, they are bunch of tree-huggers.
These guys don't even want you to poop, so the earth stays nice
and clean. Just give them a bear hug and tell them that you
too love the dog and let's save the planet. GO GREEN!) You’d be amazed how much the tools I mentioned above can make a difference in your results and the peace of mind that you'll gain after putting them to use. For example, the electric wirless fence is designed to keep dogs contained in your front or back yard. They are especially useful if you live where traditional fencing is not allowed. These devices are also used to keep your dog away from your pool, spa, plants or garden. Some of you probably have seen some dogs that
no matter what, they didn’t leave their front yard. These
doggies aren’t necessarily that impressively trained or
on a “stay" command per se. It’s one of these
devices. Just look for a little black box attached to the dog’s
collar. So as you can see, technology definitely has its advantages
and it’s no different when it comes to the world of dog
training. The Worst Training Tools on the Market Today: The most useless and annoying
training tool in pet stores have to be
the retractable leash, the harness and
the clicker. What’s funny is almost
all dog owners either currently use
one of these tools or have used them in
the past. Both of these tools offer no control whatsoever to stop your dog’s pulling or lunging when he gets distracted or agitated by people, other dogs, cats, or friendly kids. Things usually get even worse when you two are faced with dogs that act aggressive toward your dog. So my point is that certain
tools work, and certain ones do not. Some
work for a while and some, especially
when you “really” need them
to work, won’t even faze your dog.
And of course there is also
the use and misuse of certain training
tools that are more popular among trainers.
I am talking about: the choke collar,
pinch collar, electronic collar, Gentle
Leader, Halti, Martingale, Easy Walk Harness,
or, once again, that nonsense clicker. Serious Flaws About Harnesses, Gentle Leaders and Haltis: Let me ask you this: Would you rather “train” your dog or restrain it? Just about any moron can restrain a dog. It doesn’t require much skill or technique. Also, harnesses are designed for dogs to lead and pull. If you still doubt this, just research weight-pulling competition, search and rescue, and even dogs for the blind. When you see these dogs in action, you can’t help it but notice that they are all wearing something very similar to a harness. Some trainers even recommend the use of a harness with attack-trained dogs. Now, head halters, which are known as the Gentle Leader or the Halti, are not much different from harnesses. It is the same “restraining” concept as the head halter for horses, goats and Alpacas. Folks, it’s a dog that we’re dealing with for crying out loud--not an Alpaca! Besides, the Gentle Leader isn’t as “gentle” as they claim to be after all. As your dog pulls and you keep on yanking on that leash to control him, this repetitive action causes a dent or a bald spot on his snout. I see this scar mostly on Labs, Goldens, German Shepherds, Dobermans, Pit Bulls and Dalmations. There also have been reports of dogs with neck and spine injuries due to the use of this tool. This is because the dog’s neck is designed to take a lot of pressure and even a bit of abuse from other dogs, but not in the spine. Another downside in using head halters is that dogs never seem to get used to wearing them. They always scratch their snout, shake their head side to side as if they are fighting demons, and rub their nose on the grass desperately trying to take it off. By training your dog with
a head halter, you will have an extremely
tough time getting it reliably off-leash
trained. This is because your dog will
always know when he has it on or off.
You cannot leave it on to a point where
actually dog forgets about it. Many have
been known to chew them up from the corners
of their mouths and rip them off their
faces in a matter of seconds. This especially
happens the minute you run into another
dog, cat, squirrel or even a kid on a
bicycle. Let me give you another example
that, as some say, “would seal the
deal once and for all.” Are You Into Scaring People? If So, Then Go with a Head Halter! Here’s another undeniable
fact: Choke chains, pinch collars and
electronic collars make YOU look like
a wicked or inhumane dog owner. But head
halters make “your dog” look
mean and unpredictable! The general public
and even the majority of dog owners are
not really that familiar with head halters—so
they automatically assume that your dog’s
vicious or unpredictable. Why else would
you have it muzzled? Not all of us are willing to carry a sign or carry a flag that reads, “Don’t worry. My dog isn’t wearing a muzzle, it’s just a strap to stop him from pulling.” So which do you prefer?
Would you rather look like a cruel dog
owner, or would you rather have the whole
world think that you have a dangerous
dog? I rest my case! This may come as a surprise to you, but the most effective trainers' tool of choice are choke, pinch, or an e collar to train and rehabilitate dogs. Again, I'm not asking you to take my word for it. Research this for yourself. And I am clearly referring to those trainers that have a long list of impressively trained dogs of different breeds and mixtures. (Don't just fall for only one super-trained dog that is owned by the trainer and everyone else's dog is acting like an idiot.) Look, I've observed and attended many obedience competitions, different seminars, and seen amazing protection trained dogs in action. So unless you are another seasoned trainer, it's fair to assume that you don't know much about the world of dogs or dog trainers. These are the dogs that respond under ANY kind of pressure. And guess what? Every single one of them have been trained by the "proper and humane" use of choke, prong or remote collar. You should pull some of their handlers aside and ask them yourself. I guarantee you that you won't have to. Since you already will see these tools on these dogs as they "wow" you with their eyebrow-raising performance. The Gentle Leader is the only other tool that comes to mind that is commonly used to train dogs for the blind and for the handicapped. Most of these folks absolutely adore their dogs and would never do anything that would cause physical or psychological harm to them. Some love their dogs more than they love their spouses. Their whole life is about the dogs. Their dogs are groomed at their best and eat the best dog food money can buy. And of course they are trained with the best, or should I say, "The most effective training tools available today." Again, please research this
for yourself. These tools are rarely a
head halter, a harness, a retractable
leash, or even a clicker. Now, I want
you to answer this question: If the top
breeders and trainers in the industry
believe in the humane and nonviolent use
of these tools, shouldn't YOU? Again,
use whatever tool that gets your dog’s
attention and enables you to control him—under
any circumstance. That is just the smart
and diverse thing to do. Diverse Trainers' Mentality About Different Tools Trainers who advocate the “Diverse Method” are open-minded and actually encourage you to try different tools. You see, it is one thing for me to be able to control your dog with a particular tool, but it is a totally different story when you try to do it on your own. After all, it is your dog, and she should respond the same way to you as she responds to me or my trainers. HINT: You’ll know
you are using the right training tool when it gets your
dog’s attention anywhere, anytime and in front of
ANY distraction. If the tool you are currently using can
help you manage and get your dog’s attention around
other dogs, cats, visitors, joggers and cars --then that’s
the tool you really should depend on. You’ll soon
realize that the use of proper tools, combined with a
positive attitude and a strong technique, will get you
remarkable results. Think diverse, and you’ll be
flawless. Most diverse trainers will help you select the right training tool. They are usually well- educated, experienced and fully aware of the pros and cons of different tools. It is virtually impossible to get the exact same level of response from different dogs with just one training tool. In fact, every trainer will gladly admit to that. This is why it just makes sense to try them all before drawing your final conclusion on what really works and what doesn’t. And of crouse, make sure that you have been properly educated by a trainer who believes in that tool and uses it on a daily basis. Only then, you will know which tool is the real deal and which is a joke. Let’s face it, even the least effective
tools may work fine in a “distraction-free”
setting. Again, until you try everything that's available
out there and actually experience their effect in person
and in different situations, you will never really know
which tool is the best fit for you and your dog. 20. Your Attitude is What Really Makes or Breaks it All You need to have a winning attitude. I know this might remind you of your coach or some motivational speaker, but don’t automatically assume that your dog is un-trainable or perhaps even a bit slow. Let me reassure you that NO BREED of dog is un-trainable. I know some of you might feel like your dog was bred to be a “pain in the behind.” Sometimes you just can’t help but compare your dog to your friends’ dogs or maybe even one of your previous dogs. But every dog is different. Just as you don't deserve to be compared to your brothers and sisters, your dog doesn't deserve to be compared to other dogs. It doesn’t even matter what size of dog you have. If you happen to own one of those giant breeds, you still should be able to assert your leadership. I’ve known dog owners whose dogs outweigh them by twenty to forty pounds, yet they are still in complete control of their dog. What I find fascinating is it always starts with their positive attitude. It’s not about how tall, how short, or even how tough you really are; it’s all about how you think and act. I once saw a comedian on television who happened to be a short fella. He said, “Not everyone respects short people… Heck, even short people don’t always respect short people.” People always say, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but we do it all the time. You see, when you are only this strong, this tall, or this consistent, your dog will definitely try to challenge you. Dogs tend to do this more with those who lack authority or the ability to tower over them. And that’s where you have to rely on a strong will. You might have noticed that Tom Cruise is not very tall. Ask anyone who has met him in person or pay close attention next time you see him on the screen or in magazines. He may be short, but by the way he talks, walks, acts, and even fights in the movies, you actually start to believe that he could kick anybody’s butt in a matter of seconds. People always guess me older, taller and sometimes even lighter than my actual weight. Or maybe they are just being nice. I honestly do think of myself taller than my actual height and I see myself older and hopefully wiser than my real age. I’m sure you’ll agree that most of these judgments are based on how you talk, walk, think, and even who you hang out with. I always say, “Show me your friends and I’ll predict your future. And if you have no friends whatsoever, that’s not a good future either.” In conclusion, most women are already “in charge.” They naturally have a leader mindset. But, if you are a female reading this and you let your dog push you around, don’t feel bad. You are definitely not alone. After all, you are in charge of your household, in charge of your man, but not in charge of your dog. Isn’t that frustrating? I am not being sexist here; this is the case the majority of the time. One interesting pattern I’ve noticed over the years of working with males and females is that women are usually the ones who actually admit that they need help training their dogs. Ask any dog expert. If it weren’t for the ladies, we would have been out of business a long time ago! Unlike men, women actually ADMIT that they don’t know what they are doing and that’s one of the things I truly admire about them. Now men, on the other hand… men, men, men. Love them or hate them, we are definitely wired differently. Why do you think we never ask for directions? It’s because we would have to admit that we are lost. The fact is, we were never lost in the first place. We just wanted to “explore” a different route. Is it wrong to be curious and try a new route in the middle of nowhere? Who cares if we are tired, hungry and nearly out of gas? Why do you think most GPS systems use a woman's voice? Speaking of traveling, those of you who haven’t
traveled much outside the U.S., you just don’t know how
great a country we’re living in. The more you travel outside
the U.S. the more you’ll appreciate it. In my opinion,
America, hands down, is the best country in the world. It may
not have the best-trained dogs, but don’t worry, we’ll
get there. So next time your neighbors complain about your barking
dogs or the economy being bad. Just say, “Hey, pal, this
is America. Love it or leave it!” Have I Missed Something
You're Struggling With? If So, Please Let Me Know! You see, the term “trained” could mean different things to different people. It could mean housetrained, leash trained, obedience trained, off-leash trained, trained to have good manners, trained to know which room or which part of your house your dog is allowed in and, of course, trained to be friendly with other dogs and with your guests. If you believe your dog is stupid, you are most likely wrong. It could be that your dog is just a bit more stubborn than you anticipated. Dog owners confuse these two all the time. In fact, I rarely run into dumb dogs. I am not saying this just to make you feel better. I know this from training thousands of dogs IMPORTANT: Treat Trainers are highly skilled in coming up with different excuses why your dog failed their bribery method. They will try to convince you that it is either your fault or your dog’s fault for not getting any noticeable results. Don’t fall for it. You know your dog better than anyone else does. And I have no doubt in my mind that you can tell the difference from when your dog’s playing dumb and when she’s just being stubborn. When the yummy treats and timeouts stop working, “positive trainers” come up with ridiculous excuses. Some of them act like a veterinarian or a behaviorist and swear that your dog suffers from some sort of chemical imbalance, early malnourishment or poor breeding. You may even hear some recommend drugs for your dog. Folks, everybody knows that drugs come with their wonderful side effects and aren’t a natural alternative. We humans deal with the side effects of drugs all the time. Besides, drugs often mask many symptoms, covering up the “root cause” of the problem. To solve diarrhea, the drug may also cause dizziness and vomiting. What a solution! So once I am dizzy, light-headed and vomiting left and right, who cares if I can’t make it to the bathroom in time? I won’t even comprehend that I pooped my pants. Each year millions experience negative side effects from their medications and wonder if they were better off before downing all those pills. Just pay close attention to the disclaimers on commercials and read the fine print in magazine ads. The blue pill Viagra might help you down below, but did you know that many of its possible side effects include: hearing loss, sudden blindness, stroke or even a heart attack? Now, do you honestly think your dog will be able to tell you what else is wrong with him after being on doggy Prozac? So be sure that you do your homework before you start relying on drugs. I’ve turned around many cases that other experts labeled as un-trainable, untrustworthy, or even hopeless. Some of these trainers told the owners that their dog would either need to be muzzled for the rest of his life or put to “sleep.” Wait a minute! This is killing the dog, not putting him to sleep. Am I missing something here? Let’s not sugarcoat it. We are not talking about a fight where someone drops the other guy like a bad transmission and he goes nighty-night. I am sick of hearing these terms. Now if your dog is too old, too injured or too sick to be saved, please feel free to use these humane terms. But if you are just giving up on your dog and deciding his fate, please don’t say that you had to put him down or to sleep! I am proud of being the very “last hope” for hundreds of dogs. To some of these owners, the dogs were clearly a part of the family. And to some, they were just a dog. For most of my clients, giving up on their dog is NOT an option. One of my clients called the ASPCA to ask for suggestions on what to do with her dog’s aggression toward other dogs. She told me she didn’t even get a chance to finish her sentence when the woman cut her off, saying, “Sure. Just bring him by and we’ll put him down for you.” My client was heartbroken. She told me, “Kevin, it sounded as if she was eating her lunch and sipping on her soda.” And here you thought they are supposed to love dogs and educate people on different alternatives. Sadly, this isn’t always the case. Just imagine if numerous doctors diagnosed you or any of your loved ones with an incurable disease. But there was just one expert who, despite others’ skepticism, promised to cure you. Only one. Would you still doubt him? It’s hard not to. But would you give him an honest chance? Probably. This is no different from the majority of owners who seek my help with their dogs. What If “"Everyone"” Tells You to Give Up on Your Dog? Dog owners are always telling me things like, “Every trainer that I’ve worked with told me that my dog will never be able to __________.” (You fill in the blank.) Or they say, “All dog schools I tried up to this point ignored my dog and forgot about me in the corner of the class." Some have told me, “I’ve consulted with all these experts and every one of them told me that there is just no hope!” How and why can I offer a different outcome? My reply is always the same: “That is THEIR opinion and it shows the so-called expert’s expertise in dealing with that particular problem or issue.” In most cases, this is only their assumption. You see, you can’t call it a fact unless you’ve tried everything within your power with little or absolutely no success to change your dog’s behavior. Then and only then can you call it a fact, and even then, there still might be something else you could have tried if you had known about it. I usually end up telling these owners, “Either you can give me and your dog another chance or accept what everyone else tells you. The choice is yours.” ......................................................................................................... Let’s not forget that, according to these reputable “experts,” most of these dogs were hopeless. So I guess that makes me some kind of miracle worker. Or maybe I just got lucky. Folks, it is rarely luck. I know this may sound like bragging, but it is also a fact. Mohammad Ali said it best, “It's not bragging if you can back it up.” As you can probably tell by now, one of my favorite TV shows is Dr. Phil. In one episode, he featured deaf-blind triplets. You read correctly. Triplets who are both deaf and blind. But the most amazing part of their story to me is the dedication and the love they get from their mom and her boyfriend. Imagine taking care of someone who is deaf and blind? Now try taking care of not one, not two, but THREE of these precious babies all at the same time. They are the world’s first deaf and blind triplets. Why did I bring this up, you ask? My point is simple: when people are that dedicated, they will go through hell to make things work. You need to be committed to your dog and believe in him. Giving up is easy. I’ve also known of parents who got rid of their kids. I’m hoping that’s rare too. Now, whether your dog is bright or slow, cute
or ugly, bald or fluffy, big or small, friendly or vicious,
you can still stop or at least reduce all of these bad habits: If your dog acts out of control, most likely it
is because you let it behave that way. And if your dog is well-mannered
and sets a great role model for other dogs, it’s also
because you put in hours of training and behavior modification
to make it happen. Dog owners rarely “get lucky”
with a well-mannered dog. Just as polite kids don’t just
fall out of the sky, neither do well-behaved dogs.
Written by International Trainer and Dog Psychologist, Kevin "The Dog Prodigy" Taken from Kevin's Book, "Hidden Secrets Behind Dog Training" We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.” --Chuck Palahniuk
This Book Gives You a Totally New Perspective About: 1. Yourself - Your thoughts, beliefs and perception
of your current and previous dogs. Book's Description: This book takes a deeper look at modern dog training and canine psychology while it also introduces you to the next level and the future of training and canine behavior modification—“The Diverse Method.” Think about it. If there are more than four hundred different breeds of dogs in this world, how can they possibly all respond to only one way of training? Have you ever considered that fact? You see, every dog was bred specifically for a purpose. So for any expert to argue that you can train EACH AND EVERY ONE with just Positive Reinforcement or Negative Reinforcement show their arrogance, lack of experience and diversity. The secret is to follow a "Diverse Reinforcement" because, just as with humans, dogs don't always respond to a strictly positive or negative approach. Here's where it gets more interesting. All dog trainers know this, but don't or can't teach it in their training method. !!! Now Did I Get Your Attention??? !!! Look, you are definitely NOT going to be safe, smart or successful if you rely on just one way of training as a crutch. The key to greatness is to arm yourself with different training techniques that will prepare you for ANY dog, despite their age, size, strengths, intelligence, past history or personality. Again, I am talking about being "Diverse" because no method and no training tool is guaranteed to work in every situation and on every dog. That's just a fact! This is one of those rare books that will make you smile, make you laugh, make you think and even challenge you to push yourself far beyond your leash or your bag of treats. It is filled with life lessons along with my incredible journey with dogs from all walks of life. If you are the sensitive type, you may get a few lumps in your throat. I've spent a decade writing this book, which inspired me to learn something new from every dog, every owner and every trainer I've encountered. So, in a way, the book has grown with me. My hope is that when you finish it, both you and your dog will be able to communicate with one another much more effectively. --Kevin "The Dog Prodigy"
Ever since he was young, Kevin has been able to relate and communicate with dogs in a very special way. You know when you meet a natural. We’ve all seen one. These individuals are rarely taught, but rather born. In over two decades of working with different breeds, he has successfully trained well over 10,000 dogs worldwide, earning him the nickname,“The Dog Prodigy.” He is one of those rare experts in his field who has the knowledge and the expertise to accept challenging cases that the majority of dog schools simply don’t want to deal with. We are referring to “red zone dogs,” and those already given up on by many trainers, veterinarians and even animal behaviorists. He is proud of saving hundreds of these dogs from abandonment, shelters, or worse, euthanasia. Kevin gained his experience from studying and practicing different methods of training. To expand his knowledge even further, he also compared the strengths and weaknesses of different theories from more than a hundred books on dog training, dog behavior, and canine psychology. Mr. Salem currently operates his school, Dog Secrets, where
he offers house calls not only throughout the US, but globally.
You may also send your dog to his most popular program, the
Doggie Boot Camp.
!!! More Extremely Thought-Provoking Articles Worth Reading !!! What Most Trainers Ignore or Even Hide From You!
Why Can't You Get Your Dog to Respond Around "Other"
Dogs? Using
Treats? Are You Really Being Rational, Practical and Natural? 99%
Sweet - 1% Cujo!!! When Nice, Smart Dogs Get Down Vicious!
When and Why You Should Doubt Your Technique or Your Trainer!
Inside the Mind of Veterinarians and Their Staff (Dog Etiquettes!)
Turning
a Childhood Tragedy into Triumph! - Kevin's Sad Story!! Have you noticed that the very best things in life are rarely "things". They are your loved ones, your happiness, your passion, your health, your attitude, your love, and your accomplishment. --Kevin "The Dog Prodigy"
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