Moore Family Dog Training

07/04/2022

Happy Independence Day 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

04/28/2022

01/13/2022

"To crate or not to crate" is how I started all my dog training sessions. Many owners would say they thought it was "cruel" to put their dog in a cage or they wanted their dog to have free roam of the house or they just didn't believe in them in general. The 1st thing you have to do is remove the negative stereotypes. It's not "cruel." Think of it as your dog's bedroom. Your children have a bedroom, now your dog does too. The crate needs to be made a nice place, a comfortable place, a safe place. No barking, whining or shenanigans are allowed in the crate because this will make it a stressful place. Give them a "crate" command so they'll go inside, lay down, be quiet and go to sleep. Why do I bring this up you ask? Because California is burning and Louisiana and other parts of the South are flooding and or evacuating due to the hurricane. If you have to evacuate and stay at a shelter or hotel, your dog will need to be crated and if your dog is not crate trained and freaks out because of being inside a crate, you won't be allowed to stay. Most animals are not sheltered with humans so your dog is going to already be stressed with the natural disaster. Not being in it's home or with it's family. If it sees the crate and is crate trained I guarantee you your dog will go "oh yay, a safe space." Even if you never have to deal with a natural disaster, if you travel with your dog & stay in a hotel, you can crate your dog, go to dinner, know your dog is safe, not destroying your hotel room or wiggin out disturbing other guests. There's also a high probability they may have to spend a night on occasion at the vet, or they'll be crated if they go to the groomer or if you have to board them. Do yourself and your dog a favor, crate train your dog and lower their stress and anxiety over the whole situation. 🐶

12/21/2021

Too funny & true. Not a big fan of retractable leashes. I have used them instead of a long line when training recalls though so they can serve a positive purpose. 💙

07/23/2021

Thank you, Ted. Well said.

Will using correction result in a negative association or fear? It makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? Of course, using any type of corrective training tool can be nothing but develop fear. Right? Well not exactly.
Whenever using any form of correction, it’s essential that the handler (you) shows your dog what I call the 3 pillars of correction;
1-How to turn on the uncomfortable feeling
(doing something that you don’t want them to do)
2-How to turn off the uncomfortable feeling
(stopping the amove behaviour)
3-How to avoid the feeling altogether
(not doing the above behaviour at all)
When a dog has been shown these key pieces of information, the handler can safely layer in correction even if the dog is around other dogs or people, without creating a negative association.
So how is that possible? State of mind corrections.
After the dog has learned the 3 pillars of correction, the handler can use correction to stop specific behaviours and specific states of mind. I always start with simple things like recall so that the dog learns that the pressure starts when they ignore my command to come. The pressure stops when they start walking towards me, and the pressure never happens if they come my way as I asked. Then I can layer correction over to boundary commands which means, I can use correction to reinforce a command-like place. (go to your bed and stay) After that, I start to use correction around other dogs if the dog is dog aggressive and people if they are human aggressive.
If the dog is dog aggressive and lunging at other dogs, I first start to correct what I call egregious behaviors. For example, when a dog lunges at one of my dogs, I call that an egregious behavior. When the dog is no longer doing that (that typically only takes about one-three short sessions) then I can move on to the finer details.
All the while I would be using food and praise when the dog is not lunging at my dog. So, the dog learns that lunging = not fun. But they are 100% safe when they don’t lunge at other dogs and they even get food and praise when they are acting well. The key to doing this is CONSISTENCY. Without consistency, it’s hard for the dog to learn that they are the ones in the driver’s seat.
After a week of focusing on the lunging, I will then start to focus on more of the process, the state of mind, and dirty looks. Now that we have a dog who is not lunging at other dogs we shift our focus to correcting specific states of mind. In dog training, we often call these (hardness and softness) Softness is essentially when a dog looks submissive or open to feedback in the presence of another dog. Hardness is just that. Ears forward, chest out, fixated, etc.
So now we start to correct hardness and reward softness. This process can take weeks to do properly and can be done with human aggressive dogs too. Lastly, we spend time on catching any potential duuuuurty thoughts or actions that the dog might be subtly trying to send towards another dog without being noticed. It’s most often seen in the subtle corner of the eye glances.
Now, at what point does the dog start hating other dogs? Never if done correctly. They are taught that specific behaviors will illicit specific consequences. I’m not afraid of police officers. I know what the laws are, and I don’t break them. But I could learn to fear them if the local police randomly started kicking down my front door, or randomly grabbed me at the mall and put me in jail without cause. It’s the randomness that creates fear, not the punishment. If you show the dog what the crime is, and give them the time, they will not develop fear, they will develop impulse control. In essence, we are teaching the dog that their behaviors are what cause them discomfort, not the other dog.
I wanted to address this issue because it’s probably the most common question I get about dog training.
Ted Efthymiadis

03/04/2021

Many times people say the dog just snapped with no warning. Some of the warnings are very subtle. You have to be in tune with your dog's body language.

It’s true. Dogs are not beds.

01/01/2021

Happy New Year, everyone!

11/30/2020

Do your homework on the breed before getting a dog. Make sure you get a dog suitable to you and your lifestyle. Know all the pros and cons, and start training good manners early as most of the dogs in shelters are adolescents with absolutely no manners.

“I am a Dobermann, cataloged one of the most intelligent and most feared dogs, I have served the US Navy and I will not narrate my dark past on the German side. They called me the devil's dog, today they ask me to behave like a Poodle, they have gone so far as to wear clothes ...

I am a Malinois:
Gifted among dogs, I shine in all disciplines and I am always ready to work. Today they ask me to relax on the couch all day.

I am an Akita Inu:
My ancestors have been selected to fight with other dogs. Today they ask me to be tolerant of my peers, and they blame me for my reactivity when one of them approaches me.

I am a Beagle:
When I followed my prey, I gave a voice so that the hunters could follow me. I was leading the dance.
Today they put an electric collar on me to silence me, and they want me to return to the call in a snap of fingers.

I am a Yorkshire Terrier:
I was a rat catcher, fearsome in the English mines. Today they think that I can't use my legs and they always hold me in their arms.

I am a Labrador Retriever:
My vision of happiness is a dip in a pond to bring my master the duck he just shot. Today we forget that I am a sports dog, I am fat and I have to babysit the children.

I am a Jack Russell Terrier:
I am capable of facing a fox larger than me in its own den. Today they blame me for my damn character and want to turn me into a parlor dog.

I am a Siberian husky:
I got to know the great spaces of northern Russia, where I could pull sledges at impressive speed. Today I only have the walls of the garden on my horizon, and my only occupation is the holes I dig in the ground.

I am a Border Collie:
I am cut out to work eight hours a day, and I am an incomparable artist of herd labor. Today they blame me because in the absence of sheep, I try to control bicycles, cars, children from home, and everything that is in motion.

I am...
I'm a 19th century dog

I am handsome, I am alert, I am obedient, I can put up with being in a purse ... but I am also an individual who needs to express his instincts, and I am not suitable for the sedentary life that you want me to carry.

Spending eight hours a day alone on the patio, seeing you a little at night when you come back, and being entitled to any activity just a short walk to the bathroom will make me deeply unhappy.

I'll express it by barking all day, turning your garden into a minefield, relieving myself on the inside, being unmanageable the few times I'll find myself on the outside, and sometimes spending my days on my cushion, then you'll think I'm happy to To be able to enjoy all this comfort while you go to work: in reality I will be in full depression, because it is not the preference of the human, but also that of the dog of the XXI century.

If you like me, if you dream of me forever, if my beautiful blue eyes or my athlete look make you want to possess me, but you can't give me a real life of a full dog, a life that is really worth living, and if not you can offer me the job my genes claim ... then quit me.
If you like my rhythm but are not ready to accept my character traits from rigorous genetic selection, and you think you can change them with your only good will ... then quit me.

I'm a 19th century dog, yes. But, deep there, the one who fought, the one who hunted, the one who pulled sleds, the one who led a herd still sleeps. And sooner or later, you will wake up. For better or worse.”

Elsa Weiss Éducation Canine / Cynopolis
Translation edited by Razas Poderosas y de Trabajo.

05/11/2020

Socializing a puppy can be overwhelming so here's a list of a few things you can have your puppy experience. Remember that socializing doesn't always mean your puppy has to directly interact with a person or object. Having your pup observe from a distance works just as well. We also advise to maintain social distancing when out and about with your puppy.

01/01/2020

Happy New Years Eve! 🎉

12/15/2019

This goofy boy was my lunch date yesterday. He’s being silly in hopes that I’ll drop my sandwich. He finally figured out that if he just rolled his hips the other way, he could actually face me instead of cranking his neck back like that. Never a dull moment with Zito around!

11/30/2019

That doesn't mean let them run amok and destroy your house and yard. Start setting boundaries right away so they learn the rules of the house and begin training. Dogs thrive with structure and leadership. It makes them feel safe, secure and confident. Happy holidays everyone and if you do get a dog for the holidays I wish you all a lifetime of love and happy tail wags. There's nothing better than the love of a good dog.♥️

11/29/2019

11/02/2019

PR and FLORIDA FRIENDS STAY SAFE OUT THERE. GOOD REMINDER

11/02/2019

So true. I can’t take credit for this quote but whole heartily agree with it.

07/03/2019

Thought this was well worth sharing.