You probably know it’s generally not great for your dog to be pulling you.
But it is probably way more important than you think it is! Yes it’s lovely to enjoy a walk with your dog not ripping your arm off. However, I am way more concerned about the state of mind a dog is in when I’m handling them and getting them out in the world. Loose leash walking creates a dog that has to practice some basic impulse control on the leash. It creates dogs that have to actually pay attention to their handler and not just default to becoming an arousal junkie on their environment.
Think of the leash as your communication system with your dog on a walk. Your dog should feel that leash pressure and understand you are telling them something: “We are going this way now”
This gets your dog’s brain in a place where they are actively paying attention to you, looking to you for direction and not getting hyper aroused while they on the leash, because they have to practice some basic impulse control to not yank you around. A dog in this headspace is going to be able to handle a whole lot more than a puller. They have some rules and structure to fall back on in stressful moments, or moments where their natural impulses could get them in trouble, like retaliating to a reactive dog or chasing a running child.
Try to think of it this way, if your dog will pull you to go sniff a garbage can, or pee on a post, what in the hell is going to be stopping them pulling or lunging when the stakes are higher?
This is why we take loose leash walking so seriously. If your dog is pulling you, you’ve got problems coming your way! The beauty of making the rules so clear (“just don’t pull me”), is the dog still has freedom on leash to be a dog and it’s very easily transferable to other handlers. This is my first time walking Bunker. Our junior trainer here did all the work, I’m just holding him accountable!
🐺 Bark Brigade Dog Training
📞 250.588.6941
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Bagel wraps up his 5 week board and train today!
Bagel came to us with pretty intense reactivity and stranger danger. He couldn’t be walked without lunging and snapping, people couldn’t come over to the house and his intense fear and anxiety made it possible for him to take direction from his handler.
After finishing our 5 week program, we’ve not only trained him up with the functional obedience all the dogs learn, but we’ve gotten him to face his fears, learn to trust his handler and built his confidence up enough to to be trusted on and off leash in public and the home.
We’re going to miss Bagel when he goes home today, but we can’t wait to see how he does with all his new found confidence!
🐺 Bark Brigade Dog Training
📞 250.588.6941
📧 [email protected]
💻 barkbrigade.ca
📍 Calgary, AB
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Everything we cover in 3 vs 4 weeks at board and train here at Bark Brigade ✅
Board and train is tailored to each dogs individual needs, but there are some obedience bench marks we hit with all the dogs that come through for 3 and 4 weeks, and we make sure they can take it out into the real world before they go home!
In 3 weeks, we are aiming for absolute stability and control on leash as well as off leash recall. We only do recall with a 3 week minimum stay so we have time to condition that e collar fairly and effectively for the dog!
4 weeks is our advanced off leash option. This is for anyone who wants to have absolute control of their dog on and off leash anywhere and anytime. We take these dogs out and have them off leash heeling just about anywhere by the time they head home!
These are the results we strive to hit for every dog that comes through our program. Severe behavioral cases aside, the vast majority of dogs are capable of this level of obedience and stability anywhere, you just need the right foundation in place.
This is a shortlist of the obedience we go over during your dog’s stay, but there is a ton more behind the scenes going on. Confidence building, socialization, reconditioning behavioral responses, crate training, and so much more are all part of the process, but that’s what creates the mindset in the dogs to be able to perform to this level!
🐺 Bark Brigade Dog Training
📞 250.588.6941
📧 [email protected]
💻 barkbrigade.ca
📍 Calgary, AB
#barkbrigade #reactivedogtraining #yycdogtrainer
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Simba and his family wrapped up their 10 sessions of private training today and we couldn’t be more proud of the progress they’ve made!
This team was extremely dedicated to making it work with Simba, who was a bite risk in the early stages of training and weighing over 120lbs to boot! The difference we’ve seen him over the the past few months has been mind blowing, the owners really stepped up, committed to the program and came out the other end with a dog they can really be proud of ❤️
People aren’t scared of Simba’s huge presence in the house anymore, he can be off leash, and he can just tag along for a little shopping trip no problem!
Great work team Simba!
🐺 Bark Brigade Dog Training
📞 250.588.6941
📧 [email protected]
💻 barkbrigade.ca
📍 Calgary, AB
#barkbrigade #reactivedogtraining #yycdogtrainer
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Another reactive dog turned off leash reliable!
Rocky wraps up his four week board and train tomorrow so we took him out on the town to put his training to the test. The goal with off leash outings is a dog that follows direction and obedience commands without issue, but also knows how to just exist and make good decisions on their own!
Rocky’s owners brought him to us for reactivity to pretty much everything, problems with inconsistent obedience and the goal of off leash reliability. Being almost 4 years old, Rocky had some practice rehearsing these behaviors and needed some serious rehab to get him to this point. Just like all the dogs that come through here, we made the expectations clear, took them through the functional obedience, found what motivates him, and he’s finally showing us the dog he’s capable of being!
🐺 Bark Brigade Dog Training
📞 250.588.6941
📧 [email protected]
💻 barkbrigade.ca
📍 Calgary, AB
#barkbrigade #reactivedogtraining #yycdogtrainer
#yycdogtraining #calgarydogtraining #calgarydogtrainer
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Winston only has a week and half left in his board and train so we are getting out on the town generalizing his training as much as we can!
Winston is a pretty nervous guy, so we like to bring his ball and keep the obedience training fun the first couple times. This way we can keep it light and have him having all the same fun he has in the training room out in the real world.
There will be times we just need him to follow instruction, but it helps to get the nerves out with a little play and show him that outings don’t have to be super stressful!
🐺 Bark Brigade Dog Training
📞 250.588.6941
📧 [email protected]
💻 barkbrigade.ca
📍 Serving Calgary and the surrounding area
#barkbrigade #reactivedogtraining #yycdogtrainer
#yycdogtraining #calgarydogtraining #calgarydogtrainer
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Training tools are misunderstood!
Many people against training tools would take the first clip of Jax on the prong collar and claim that the collar we chose to use has the dog in a perpetual start of fear. I see it all the time online and it’s just doesn’t tell the whole story.
In this case, Jax is very scared of cars and doesn’t do well with any new stimulus or environments at first. Before we put any obligation on the leash, Jax would be lunging, barking and choking himself out on the leash next to this street. Once we took away the ability to pull, and made him stay loose, we see what’s all underneath, which is a scared dog who doesn’t know how to handle what’s in front of him. The tool here just helps us get his arousal down and to a place where we can do the work, desensitizing him and creating better associations with what scares him. Without that first part, we would never be able to make any real progress!
The second clip is a few weeks later. Jax got better each day and we eventually graduated him to the flexi leash allowing him more freedom. He gets more freedom because we taught him how to make better choices and took the time to work him through his irrational fears.
Yes training tools create momentary discomfort, no correcting dogs isn’t fun and should be taken lightly, but when the end product is happier, confident dogs with freedom, that’s the route we are all always going to take!
🐺 Bark Brigade Dog Training
📞 250.588.6941
📧 [email protected]
💻 barkbrigade.ca
📍 Serving Calgary and the surrounding area
#barkbrigade #reactivedogtraining #yycdogtrainer
#yycdogtraining #calgarydogtraining #calgarydogtrainer
#calgaryboardandtrain #yycboardandtrain #albertadogtraining
#albertadogtrainer #albertaboardandtrain #reactivedog
#reactivedogs #reactivedogsuccess
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Bernie is in full swing off leash out and around Calgary!
He goes home this week and we are gonna miss him but we know he can’t wait to show off his new skills at home!
Bernie came to us with no real behavioral issues, just a young dog (about 8 months) that we wanted to set up for the best life possible!
🐺 Bark Brigade Dog Training
📞 250.588.6941
📧 [email protected]
💻 barkbrigade.ca
📍 Serving Calgary and the surrounding area
#barkbrigade #reactivedogtraining #yycdogtrainer
#yycdogtraining #calgarydogtraining #calgarydogtrainer
#calgaryboardandtrain #yycboardandtrain #albertadogtraining
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When a dog learns it can scream, bark and even physically break out of a crate, it can be incredibly dangerous and just mentally taxing on a dog’s life.
We want the crate to be a calm, safe neutral place. For some dogs it’s become a place that creates an intense anxiety, and for others it’s become a crutch they run to for safety and try to guard. We can create a lot more clarity around expectations in the crate by taking the obedience we use everywhere else and using it here, getting the dog in a calmer, compliant state of mind inside it.
For Rambo, we need to remove the thought in his head that he can throw tantrums and bust out of his crate. We do this by adding a lot of obligation around it. Dogs can puncture themselves trying to worm out of a wire crate or get out and eat something they shouldn’t while no one is around. It’s a life threatening behavior and once they learn they can do it, it can be tough for break. But with enough reps and consistency, we can get even the most stubborn dogs to at least accept the crate and usually come to actually really enjoy it.
🐺 Bark Brigade Dog Training
📞 250.588.6941
📧 [email protected]
💻 barkbrigade.ca
📍 Serving Calgary and the surrounding area
#barkbrigade #reactivedogtraining #yycdogtrainer
#yycdogtraining #calgarydogtraining #calgarydogtrainer
#calgaryboardandtrain #yycboardandtrain #albertadogtraining
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Obligation and accountability aren’t going to hurt your dog, they are going to build them 💪🏼
When people are dealing with dogs that are anxious and insecure, the default actions to take can be coddling and consoling the dog. All this so going to do is feed into the anxiety and leave you with a shell of a dog after it goes on for long enough.
Dogs thrive on black and white structure, and through centuries of selective breeding, most of them naturally look to humans for guidance.
Obligation and accountability is really simple in the beginning. You must not pull me on the leash, you must go to your crate and remain there until I release you, just basic stuff. It doesn’t mean we expect them to hold a down stay around distraction right out of the gates. But the simple stuff sets the tone for the relationship we are trying to build, trust, accountability, and acceptance are huge pillars of that.
🐺 Bark Brigade Dog Training
📞 250.588.6941
📧 [email protected]
💻 barkbrigade.ca
📍 Serving Calgary and the surrounding area
#barkbrigade #reactivedogtraining #yycdogtrainer
#yycdogtraining #calgarydogtraining #calgarydogtrainer
#calgaryboardandtrain #yycboardandtrain #albertadogtraining
#albertadogtrainer #albertaboardandtrain #reactivedog
#reactivedogs #reactivedogsuccess
#offleashdogtraining #offleashdogs #offleashdogtrainers
Trying to get in the habit of posting longer clips of training. Social media can be deceiving and the real process of training dogs with pre existing behavior and emotional issues is not always pretty.
For Moonshine, I’m not asking her for snappy 100 miles an hour obedience yet. 2 weeks ago she couldn’t be in a space like this without pulling, lunging, reacting and shaking from the environmental stress. Taking direction from her handler in basic obedience is a huge leap for her.
These reps aren’t going to turn heads yet, but having Moonshine willing to work and focus on me, understanding there is obligation without being scared is what we’ve been striving for, and she’s starting to figure it out.
Success for every dog is different, and while I always guarantee solutions for reactivity and a high level off functional off leash obedience from a board and train, my main priority is always for the dog and handler to be able to use me as a launch pad to keep progressing after they leave.
Moonshine is just over half way through here stay now, and she’s really starting to turn a corner in some of the busiest places around! 2 weeks to go gaining confidence in this girl each day.
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