Dog Dynamix

06/21/2024

Life is all about finding solutions.

06/21/2024

Attention! Summer boarding and board and train slots are filling FAST. We only have a few days open in July and August is filling quickly! If you’re planning a trip this Summer, get your boarding stay on the books today to not risk us being full. Request your dates via email or the portal/app today!

06/18/2024

Puppy Preschool board and train for intro to: leash manners, crate training, socialization, polite greetings, sit, down and recall. Good job, Pickles!🥒 👏

06/09/2024

Be proactive!

05/27/2024

NEW CLASS ANNOUNCEMENTS!

Greeting Dog Dynamix Family,

We are switching our Group Class Practice Session to WEEKDAY EVENINGS, beginning next week (first week of June).

Adult Group Class - Tuesday at 6:00pm
Rally Group Class - Mondays at 6:00pm
Puppy Group Class - Thursdays at 5:30pm

Please log in to the app, or email to register!

05/21/2024

One thing I know for sure, is that zealotry is not helpful for your dog. A trainer with diverse education and an open mind has more tools at their disposal to offer you and your dog.

I recently had an experience in my private life that reminded me that a sign of having true expertise means you are not threatened by outside ideas. Discussion and offering corroborating evidence to support your position (if you are in disagreement) with the idea presented is the most professional response.

Ivan Balabanov is one of the big influences in my training education. Other greats include Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers, NePoPo and Bart Bellon, and Bill Koehler. Michael Shikashio and Grisha Stewart, the Late Sophia Yin.... All have offered valuable tools to use in the complex journey of the thing we call Dog Training.

Welcome to another episode of TWC podcast where we explore diverse perspectives and challenge the status quo. Today, I have a brave guest who steps outside the lines of her community's ideology to share her strong opinions on a topic she's passionate about. It's not easy to question deeply held beliefs, especially when they are influenced by powerful propaganda.

Our conversation highlights the difficulty many people face in changing their opinions once they're anchored in a position. As Patrice O'Neil wisely said, "You can hold your opinions, but don't let your opinions hold you." It's crucial not to be "married" to your ideas. They are just ideas, and clinging to a false belief out of fear of being wrong is far weaker than admitting the mistake. But is it at all possible?!

Join us as we delve into the importance of keeping an open mind, embracing change, and the courage it takes to break free from ideological constraints. Let's dive in!

05/17/2024

Adorable little Lucy was NOT so cute when in came time to take inappropriate items from her. This is our approach to working on resource guarding. Of course, the priority should be management focused; Meaning the owners don't allow Lucy the opportunity to practice resource guarding of food, toys, or people by putting food away, having high value chews be a part of crate time only, and monitoring her body language closely. Meanwhile, practicing these structured exercises, and taking the right course of action will mitigate the 'oh shoot life happens' moments.

05/11/2024

This is an interesting perspective on dog behavior, but here’s my hot take:

1. I don’t want my dogs policing each other. That’s my job. I’m the head honcho, the main mamacita, the Boss Apple Sauce.

2. Should this escalate, I may not physically be able to stop the outcome, and may be injured in the attempt. Allowing dogs to boss each other around will get someone hurt or worse.

3. The one take away that resonates with me is the difference between a correction and retaliation. If you are correcting your dog with a lot of emotion, you’re doing it wrong. corrections should be short, swift, and over without resentment; UNLESS I’m delivering a social correction, which is exactly what I would dole out if my dogs did this to each other. In that case they would be ‘in trouble’ for a while.

05/10/2024

Big Dog Ranch is accepting new board and train clients, as well as graduates of our off leash dog training programs for refresher camps.

05/07/2024

Genetics 🧬 play a role AS MUCH AND SOMETIMES MORESO than environment. It’s NOT all in how you raise them. 😉

If you want a well behaved dog:
1. Figure out what they were meant to do, and try to find a biologically appropriate outlet for that trait. Terriers - barn hunt perhaps? Herders - well herding obviously, but may trieball, or cross country joring? Hunting dogs - another vote for barn hunt, or nose work games, or cross-country? Retrievers - throw the damn ball, already! 😂

2. Respect their lineage, and don’t expect your Rottweiler (or insert guarding breed here) to immediately befriend strangers. Take proper precautions and contain dogs who are uncomfortable in human social settings

3. Make sure they have rock solid obedience training, so that you can effectively interrupt dog-decisions that don’t benefit them or others.

05/01/2024

Louder! For the people in the back!

05/01/2024

This definitely true for Malinois, but it also applies to any high energy dog!

1720 likes, 27 comments. “🤣 Those who have a Malinois know!!!”

04/25/2024

Humans have a built in survival mechanism called negativity bias. It means you look for the bad stuff (because bad stuff can hurt you), instead of the good stuff in life. This affects the way we train and interact with our dogs because we tend to focus on the behaviors we don’t like.

Train YOURSELF, to focus on rewarding the behavior you do like, and I promise you will see results, fast!

Want even FASTER progress? Make sure you aren’t expecting too much by putting your dogs in situations they are likely to fail. If you build their confidence in you and your expectations, the sky’s the limit!

One of the differences between an average and excellent trainers

04/12/2024

Rescue dogs are great, and so are well bred dogs! We appreciate the reasons why someone would rescue or purchase the right dog for their lifestyle and family, and support either choice.

04/05/2024

Great advice from our friends in California!

3289 likes, 247 comments. “Please contact a professional if you are experiencing aggression of any kind with you pet!”

04/03/2024

Training Tip Tuesday: Socialization!
Another fun collaboration we did with Doggie Drawings by Lili Chin! Socialization is one of the best investments we can make to help our puppies grow into resilient adult dogs. Remember that exposure alone isn't socialization, puppies should be having positive experiences with new things!

If you need help socializing your puppy, Paws Abilities has lots of opportunities to meet the needs of different schedules and budgets!

🐶 Puppy Class: For puppies 7-20 weeks of age. At only $40 for 4 weeks, puppy class is a steal of a deal. Puppies get to play, explore new surfaces, make friends, and get a head start on training. Each week has a different theme: at home, at the vet, at the groomer, at the pet store, etc.
💙 Oronoco: https://paws4u.dogbizpro.com/public/registration/index.aspx?cls=103
💛 Inver Grove Heights: https://paws4u.dogbizpro.com/public/registration/index.aspx?cls=104

⭐ AKC STAR Puppy: For puppies under 1 year of age. This 6 week class is more in depth at covering the basics of puppy ownership. Puppies still get playtime, with more structured training. It's the perfect step between Puppy Class and Beginning Obedience.
💛 Inver Grove Heights: https://paws4u.dogbizpro.com/public/registration/index.aspx?cls=329

🐢 Teenage Transformations: For 5-24 month old puppies. This class is for puppies who missed out on important socialization and are timid or overly excited in new places
💙 Oronoco: https://paws4u.dogbizpro.com/public/registration/index.aspx?cls=348
💛 Inver Grove Heights: https://paws4u.dogbizpro.com/public/registration/index.aspx?cls=275

⛺Puppy Camp: For puppies under 6 months old. Puppies are dropped off once a week to work with a professional trainer. The trainer socializes them to various surfaces, sounds, objects, and handling. The trainer also takes them on field trips and supervises puppy play time
https://pawsabilitiesmn.com/puppy-camp/

💼 Canine to Five: Open to all ages. 3 times a week, a professional trainer comes to your home to work with your puppy 1:1. The trainer will also work with the family once a week to make sure they understand how to maintain the training. We offer specific packages for socialization as well as obedience and specialty behavior packages.
https://pawsabilitiesmn.com/canine-to-five/

04/03/2024

This is an emotional one for us!

Charlie came to us from out of state to do a five week board and train program. His past training experience (board and train with another company) caused a lot of conflict and emotional trauma, which led to more behavioral concerns at home. We have spent a lot of time addressing past negative associations; even just putting a leash on him required a lot of thoughtful handling and counter-conditioning. This was a sad reminder that not all training is thoughtful, skillful and with the dogs’ needs at the forefront of the process.

After a lot of hard work, Charlie graduates from his bootcamp program today, and we are so proud of him.

Deaf dogs need training in order to thrive. Add in behavioral concerns such as reactivity, aggression, and redirection, and the importance of training skyrockets.

With the use of positive reinforcement, clear communication, and fair consequences, Charlie now has the skills needed to better navigate the world, but the training journey doesn’t end here. His owner will need to dedicate herself to learning how to live with Charlie using his new skills, and make sure she’s keeping him safe and on track. We have a lot of faith in both of them!

04/01/2024

Welcome to preschool Ellie, Sky, and Lola! It’s these girls first day of school and we can’t wait to watch them blossom 🌸

Our puppy preschool is daycare with training, focusing on the specific needs of young puppies. We start leash skills, socialization, crate training, name recognition, and building confidence. It’s the perfect first step for training a new puppy! Learn more at the link below.

03/29/2024

03/27/2024

The SECRET TO DOG TRAINING......

It's so easy, anyone can do it........

The secret to a stress-free dog life is.......

BE PROACTIVE.

Dog Training does not teach your dog to make good choices on their own. If someone tells you that they can 'fix' your dog problems and you don't have to do or change anything, they're lying to you, and trying to swindle you out of your hard earned money.

Simply address issues with the following process: IIPA

1. Identify the problem behavior

2. Identify the Command that in incompatible with the problem behavior

3.Proactively use the Command

4. Apply the consequence for following (or not following) the command.

Example: Do you know what to do if your dog pulls on the leash to visit another dog on a trail?

1. Pulls on leash near other dogs
2. HEEL: Walk next to my left/right leg on a loose leash = NO pulling
3. Ask your dog to heel long before the dog approaches
4. Reward the heel position as the dog approaches, passes, and leaves OR;
Correct the disobedience to the command.

That's right. We are not correcting because the dog is barking.
We are not correcting because the dog looking. We are not correcting for any reason unless the dog fails to be in HEEL POSITION.

Of course, the qualifier is that your dog KNOWS what heel position is, and has practiced it with success multiple times before. This is where PROFESSIONAL DOG TRAINING can help you! Our Board and Train Programs and our Daycare Training Programs get those reps in for you, so you can apply IIPA sooner than later, and fairly.

Now, let's apply IIPA to some other scenarios:

What if they jump on a visitor? If they chase a rabbit that is about to run across the street? Using the above process you can easily identify the course of action!

THIS IS THE DOG TRAINING SECRET TO A HAPPY LIFE WITH YOUR DOG!

03/22/2024

It happens SO OFTEN, it’s really upsetting.

Many dogs that come to us for problem solving behavioral issues have an underlying medical condition that causes them pain, or compromises them in some way. If your dog is acting out, please do not underestimate the possibility that it can be a physical issue. Even dogs who have been cleared by the vet initially; you may need to seek a second opinion and dig a little deeper.

Knowing where to start:
Dogs who are being spicy with people usually have a front end lameness (neck, shoulders, elbows, feet, thoracic region).

Dogs who are being spicy with other dogs usually have a rear end lameness (low back, psoas, stifle, hips, etc)

Getting a full medical work up, including imaging and bloodwork can save you a lot of grief, bad training experiences, and help determine the right course of action and how best to invest your $$$$$ in a solution.

YOU CANNOT TRAIN AWAY PAIN

‘My dog is naughty/bad/untrainable/dominant/stupid’

I hear this most weeks on intake forms. Usually I get pretty excited to see these cos I know I’m gonna get to change a dog and owners life!

So often we write our dogs off as any adjective that fits the above and honestly, I’m yet to meet a dog who fits any of those adjectives (and I have worked with 10k plus dogs over the ten years I’ve been doing this!). I do however week in week out meet dogs with health issues that contribute to their slow progress in terms of training. Did you know dogs don’t show pain or discomfort how we do? We often think ‘oh he isn’t limping or yelping so he is fine’.

Please read the examples below ⬇️

🐾 A huntaway cross who I work with who bit his owner. Reluctant to have his feet cleaned, got spicy over any intense handling, had periods of seeming insanity and relentless barking and being unable to calm down. Huntaways are vocal dogs… but…

Turns out he had hip dysplasia. This dog didn’t limp. He wasn’t lame in any way. He chased his ball and sprinted and jumped and had no issues physically on the surface however under that behaviour was pain.

🐾 A French bulldog. Resource guarding to the extreme. Bit his owners while resource guarding the knot pattern in their wooden floor. Also bombed around without a worry in the world and had no outward signs of pain.

Turns out he had a severe spinal condition causing intermittent excruciating pain.

🐾 A young spaniel owned by a very good friend who was having confidence issues. She would ‘tap out’ of training on the regular and my friend went from ‘this is my ticket dog who will represent my country’ to ‘is this even possible?’

Dog had hormonal issues and likely spikes of hormones left right and centre. A carefully timed spay and she is now grade 6 in agility.

🐾 A friends Border Collie. Owned by a very experienced and talented agility handler and trainer. Regularly ‘checked out’ of training sessions, seemed to not be able to learn things that were moderately straightforward. Described by other trainers as ‘oh she is just a border collie it’s what they are like’.

Turns out she is mostly deaf.

🐾 A black Labrador. Always social and friendly and attended brilliant puppy classes and adolescent classes. Had the best start training wise you can imagine. He started showing some intermittent aggression to his owners in the home and aggression to other dogs out and about.

Turns out he had bilateral elbow dysplasia.

🐾 Young German Shepherd. Always energetic and silly in her behaviour but suddenly got worse. Excessive zoomies, inability to settle, increased reactivity to other dogs, reluctant to get in the car, obsessive destruction at home.

Turns out she had an infection in her va**na that was causing discomfort and exacerbating all those teenage behaviours to the point of being unmanageable.

🐾 My own dog! My NSDTR started missing his dog walk contact early last year. I was tearing my hair out trying to fix it.

Turns out he had a minor iliopsoas strain and some physio fixed the issue for us.

———————————

All these dogs have one thing in common. They are not stupid or untrainable or naughty or dominant. They are uncomfortable and that is triggering extreme behaviour fallout.

None of the above issues would be resolveable with training. All of the issues will be resolveable with training ONLY when the pain is resolved. Some of them will have drastic improvement from the moment the pain or discomfort is managed!

If your behaviourist or trainer doesn’t immediately advise a veterinary visit if any aggression, excessive ‘naughtiness’ or strange behaviour is present, walk away immediately. Even if you think your dog is fine, visit the vets. Ask for a thorough examination and push for a proper evaluation of your dog from nose to tail and potentially blood tests too. If you’re still not sure, get a second opinion.

You cannot train the pain or discomfort out of your dog. Address THIS first and foremost.

03/16/2024

Leerburg carries some of our favorite dog swag!

Free Shipping Starting Now! No Minimum order. Must choose shipping option in cart. Valid in the contiguous US only. Some exclusions apply. Valid through Monday, March 18th, 2024 at 11:59 PM CT.

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03/16/2024

We get a lot of questions regarding positive reinforcement dog training. There is a lot of misinformation out there! Here's the scoop..... the SCIENCE of it. We are a balanced training facility for good reason. We want to help dog owners make the right training decisions based on facts, even if it's not with our company. PLEASE SHARE!

Positive reinforcement is a powerful tool, but should it be the only quadrant of learning we work in? Learn more here from our Dog Trainers.

03/14/2024

Twirl found her home, thank you!

03/11/2024

Accurate.

🤭

03/10/2024

Oye…. Running a small business is tough, amiright? Let’s support each other! If any of our clients have a small business and would be interested in a link share, please give us a shout! [email protected]

03/10/2024

How does training dog basic obedience help fix reactivity? Well, it doesn’t….. Exactly….

If you have ever heard the phrase, “Dog aggression is managed and never cured…” You may have been frustrated or even saddened because it feels like help is not available. But, that’s not true.

What is factual, is that depending on the amount of time that the dog has lived with the problem, there are limits to what can be accomplished. Training is nothing more than repeating behaviors over and over, until they become natural to the dog. So if a dog is allowed to bark and lunge at other dogs and people, or worse, a dog that has multiple bites or attacks under it’s belt, for an extended period of time, then they have essentially been trained (unintentionally, of course) to be aggressive.

The first step in fixing aggressive dog behavior is to BLOCK IT. You must control the dog’s environment in a way that doesn’t allow them to rehearse the behavior; Simple to understand, but HARD to do. That means you can’t allow your dog to run the fence line in the backyard, or to perch on the couch and bark out the window. You have to scan the horizon while on walks and make sure your dog can’t be surprised by a person or dog from behind a fence or car. Micromanaging our dogs is one task, but controlling the outside world is nearly impossible. You must accept that your dog’s world is going to be very small until the next steps can be implemented.

Teaching your dog to reliably respond to obedience commands is imperative to addressing dog reactivity. Sometimes dogs are simply overstimulated, and not truly aggressive. Other dogs are fearful and respond in a way that keeps other dogs or people away (barking and lunging is a rewarding behavior in this case). Regardless of the nature of the reactive dog behavior, obedience is the key to addressing the problem. It allows us and our dog focus on a new and productive task. In dog trainer terms, we need to teach an alternative incompatible behavior to barking and lunging, regardless of ‘why’ they’re doing it.

Most dogs (but not all) have a very difficult time multi-tasking. We teach heel using very specific criteria. The dog must walk next to me, with their collar in line with my leg, on a loose leash. Most dogs with leash reactivity are out in front of their owners, pulling on the leash, building energy and allowed to fixate on other dogs. Teaching the heel command removes the tension from the leash, and teaches the dog to pay attention to their position in relation to their handler, so they have to pay more attention to what the human is doing, rather than focusing on what’s in the environment around them. We use a combination of positive reinforcement for maintaining the heel position, and punishment (collar correction) if the dog leaves the heel position. We do not correct the dog for barking and lunging, rather we correct the dog for leaving the heel position!

Why corrections for barking and lunging DON’T work: Simply put, from the dog’s perspective, every time a dog appears, they are made uncomfortable by the human and/or the leash. The dog is trapped, and the human grips the leash tightly, further restricting the possibility of escape. The human is stressed, and the dog is stressed, and the energy is synergistic, and feeding into the outburst. The dog gets a collar or leash correction on top of that. In short, other dogs/strangers = discomfort. It’s a vicious cycle.

However, if the dog has been taught how to heel, really well, in a controlled environment, AND feel really good about maintaining the position because it has been heavily rewarded, we have a known, well-rehearsed behavior we can work with. The dogs already view heeling as heel = feel good, before we challenge them with dog or human distractions. Additionally, when we introduce distractions the dog has already been taught to avoid the correction in conjunction with seeking the reward. Leading up to this moment, as dog trainers we have controlled the environment so that the dog hasn’t had the opportunity to practice the reactive behavior, while we worked to replace it with obedience behaviors.

If you have tried to use food in your reactive dog training in the past without success, it’s most likely because your dog was too stressed to be able to learn in the environment you were attempting the training in. If you are struggling with dog reactivity, boarding and training can be a very good dog training option because we have the facilities and experience to best control the environment, and introduce triggers in a controlled and systematic way. Mac is one of our Bootcamp Graduates, and here he is demonstrating how focusing on obedience has become not only more important than focusing on distractions but more rewarding!

03/08/2024

Troubleshooting behavioral problems in dogs can sometimes feel like an uphill battle. Despite all of our best efforts, there will be dogs that have a hard time adapting to the world in the way we'd like them to. This is especially true with reactivity cases where the reactive behavior stems from fear and insecurity -- no matter how much training, structure, and consistency we provide for them. While these issues can be difficult, there are things we can do to make it easier on ourselves and our dogs.

Reactive behavior is often an emotional response that becomes deep-rooted in our dogs personality over time. There are many cases where by the time professional help is involved, the dog has lost trust in their handler, strangers, other dogs, and the environment to the point that they are essentially living with a form of PTSD. In these situations, just the thought of a trigger appearing can send them into a full-blown panic. The response they have is not rational, but it can be nearly impossible for them to control themselves. When we are dealing with these types of cases it is CRITICAL to look at the entire picture of the dog. We need to make sure the dog understands what we are asking of them, and that we have properly prepared them to handle that environment. If the reactive dog cannot maintain heel position when nobody is around (with minimal interference), for example, they will likely fail around triggers. Taking it slow and steady and making sure all of the skills are muscle memory BEFORE taking the show on the road helps set the dog for success. They should also be well-exercised BEFORE any public training outings (treadmill training can be a great tool for this), so they are of clearer mind and body before training begins.

Many dog trainers preach about "relationship" and how it influences reactivity. Perhaps your dog does fantastic when your spouse, or dog trainer, or dog walker takes them out, but is extremely reactive when you are holding the leash. Relationship is a big part of dog training, and we obviously need to address any holes there as a part of our training plan. Too much affection without enough structure, an unwillingness to reward good behavior and correct bad behavior, or allowing pushy/inappropriate behavior day-to-day can all absolutely fuel reactive behavior. Dogs like working with clear, consistent handlers who they know will keep them safe. Being a leader for your dog is being a role model who will advocate for them, not for someone who is unpredictable, nervous, and unclear. As your dogs handler, you should be 100% confident in your handling skills and expectations. You should ALSO be focusing on making yourself the most interesting thing in the room via engagement skills, long-line training (where your dog is able to make the correct decision -- in a safe space -- without constant leash tension and tugging), and you should be giving lots of rewards for good behavior. Some dogs, however, are just more reactive by nature. We see it often in herding breeds, and in dogs who are shy/nervous/anxious. These dogs would likely always exhibit reactivity to some degree due to their genetics, no matter how early we began training. Those cases likely won't be immediately cured by a good relationship and obedience training alone, but they should show major improvements over time if we stick to a productive, well-thought-out training plan.

Sometimes, physical and emotional maturity can help decrease reactive behavior (if maturity happens in conjunction with solid obedience, confidence building, and engagement with the handler). "Picking the scab" by repeatedly putting the dog in situations where they feel overwhelmed and reactive in the name of exposure can easily push a dog to the point of no return. With a young, maturing dog, sometimes the best thing we can do is take a step back from training in busy spaces all together, and focus on slow-and-steady confidence building in environments we know the dog will be successful. This doesn't mean hiding behind trees and only taking the dog out at 3AM, but it does mean they should only go places they feel confident and safe (large open spaces away from other dogs and people, their dog training center where they feel secure and have fun, Day Training programs where they can be around other dogs under the guidance of a trainer, and the like) while avoiding places such as parks with no easy escape route, dog-friendly stores, patios, and, yes, neighborhood walks where they have had repeated bad experiences, until they are older. This may mean loading your dog up to a quiet neighborhood to do your training walk so they don't encounter "that house with a dog who always charges them from behind the fence/front door/etc" for the foreseeable future, as those types of repeated encounters cause some dogs to go on the defensive well before the trigger appears.

Reactivity is tough. It can be frustrating, and hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We have to go into these cases understanding that while training can massively improve our lives with our dogs, each dog is an individual who will move at a different pace. Every dog with advanced training and dedicated owners should eventually be able to calmly navigate situations where there are other dogs/people/bikes/etc, IF we commit to taking it slow and being realistic about the dog in front of us. If you're struggling with reactivity, you are absolutely not alone. Find help, and get your dog the training they need to begin to see the world as a less threatening place to be.

"Dog training is a journey, not a destination."

03/05/2024

PRO TIPS:

If you are struggling with dog that pulls like they are trying out for the Iditarod, or leash reactivity, it might surprise you to know that you need to LOOSEN YOUR LEASH. Whoa, what?!? Give them more leash? BuT i Can'T cOnTroL Them wIThOut a tiGHt lEAsh....

The way you hold and control your leash effects your dog's behavior. Having a tight leash makes YOU feel like you have more control, but it makes the dog feel trapped and defensive. Tension on the leash creates tension in the dog, creates tension in the handler! Having a loose leash is the most important factor in making sure your dog-
*Can go for walks without pulling
*Pass by other dogs and people without barking and lunging
*Promotes a dog that LISTENS to your commands instead of reacting to physical cues (leash pulls or pops).

In our videos you will notice we use a long line most of the time. We use a long leash so that we can obey leash laws, and make sure our dog is performing their obedience on a loose leash to prevent reactivity and create a dog who listens to our commands.

Whether we let the leash drag or gather the leash depends on the environment and the level of training the dog we are working with has. So with that, you need to evaluate, are you working with your dog in a place where you feel like you need a TIGHT GRIP?

If the answer is YES, then get the heck out of there! Pick a quieter training space. If you're at a busy park and your dog is struggling to pass other dogs or people (or whatever) on the path, move off to the grassy space where people are not passing your dog within inches.

Dog training is progressive. If you can't crawl - you can't walk - you can't run..... Trying to work through a problem, by putting your dog in the problamatic situation, won't help you fix it. For a period of time we have to step away from the situation that our dog struggles with, to teach the new behavior.

Try this exercise and let us know how it goes! You will need a long leash, a martingale or slip collar, high value food rewards, and a quiet training space where you can walk at least 50 steps in any direction. We recommend the grassy spaces of quite neighborhood parks. Here's the kicker.... DON'T WALK YOUR DOG TO TRAINING. You are training whether you are making a contious effort to do so or not. Don't allow your dog to practice the stuff you don't like, and drive to your training space if you have to.

Trouble shooting -
Dog is pulling? Walk the opposite direction and reward when the dog catches up to you.
Dog is sniffing? Walk the opposite direction and reward when the dog catches up to you.
Dog is barking at another dog in the distance? Walk the opposite direction and reward when the dog catches up to you.

JUST KEEP WALKING. Don't pause. Don't Stop. Keep on keepin' on!