MD K-9 Dog Training

07/04/2021

03/25/2021

Orli working hard on her Canine Conditioning.

02/11/2021

Great article. Improper socialization is one of the biggest reasons behavioral problems are created.

Poor socialization can be just as bad if not worse than limited socialization.

02/11/2021

Congratulations to Tommy and Gretchen for earning their AKC and DMWYD Novice Trick Dog Titles. They make a great team.

02/08/2021

If you do nothing else today, please read this.
Then ask yourself how is your relationship with your dog?
If you are having problems reach out to someone to help learn how to understand why your dog is behaving the way they do.
Dogs are emotional creatures in need of relationship, and if you pay close attention you can learn a lot from your dog about yourself.

A dog trainer/behaviour specialist cannot "fix" your dog.

I like to simplify as much as possible when I am with clients to help them understand their dog better. One of the major hurdles most dog owners come across when I am assisting them to work through modifying their dogs behaviour is breaking free of their own overly emotional view of their relationship with their dog, and then remaining consistent with this new way of relating to their dog.

When working on modifying a dogs behaviour, it's never just about the dog. A dogs relationship with its owner cannot change unless the owner changes their relationship with their dog. Too many dog owners that have dogs that are misbehaving are too focused on blaming the dog, and not looking at themselves and how they are relating to their dog. Too many are more concerned about their own emotional needs than for their dogs environmental, instinctive and social needs. What makes us feel good emotionally, is not always what's best for our dog.

My job as a dog behaviour specialist is about understanding the human and dog bond/relationship, and passing this information on to my clients. I spend more time explaining to my client their role in maintaining a balanced relationship with their dog, than actually focusing on trying to so-called 'fix' their dog. Its not the dog that needs to be fixed, in most cases its the dog owners relationship with their dog that needs fixing/adjusting.

Those that cannot let go of their own deep seated emotional needs tend to blame the trainer/behaviour specialist for not fixing their dog, and therefore feel they have wasted their money. This is why I will never offer a 'guarantee' that I will fix your dog, as I can't. In most cases, its the relationship between the dog and dogs owner that is broken, and only one person can fix this... the dog's owner. All I can do as a trainer/behaviour specialist is guide the dog's owner, by explaining why their dog is behaving the way it is, and explain and demonstrate how to get their relationship back on track. It's the dog owners responsibility to follow through with this advice, its not the trainers role to fix the clients dog for them.

Dogs are situational learners, and this is why its important for the dogs owner/s to be involved in their dog's rehabilitation. I have lost count how many clients homes I have attended and within a few minutes of interacting with an unruly dog its attitude and lack of respect for me changed. So many dog owners are amazed at the effect I have on their dog, and how it can happen so quickly. It's not magic, its no more than understanding the dog's needs, and not being overly emotionally attached to the process. This is one reason I don't offer board and train, as its more likely than not, that no matter how much work is put in by another trainer to modify a dogs behaviour, the dog already has strong learnt behaviours that are triggered by just being back with its owners and in its familiar environment. The trainer sends the dog back home, and in most cases, if the dogs owner does not change their relationship with their dog, because they fully expected the dog trainer to 'fix' their dogs problems, and the dog reverts back to its old behaviours once home, the dog trainer is usually blamed for not fixing their dog. Board and train can only work, if once again, the owner is willing to take responsibility for their relationship with their dog when it returns home. So many dog owners have trouble understanding or accepting this and therefore want the work done for them. They see modifying their dogs behaviour as no different to sending a car to a mechanic to fix it. Its the trainers job to service and fix their dog (and it should be covered by warranty). Even some parents are now too busy blaming the teachers, government or society for their misbehaving children, and not taking on the role of being a responsible parent them self. Somebody else should do the work for them.

I am not for one moment suggesting not to try board and train, just remember though, your responsibility for your dog does not stop with the trainer. Just as a child's behaviour does not stop with the teacher.

Taking on the role of being a dog owner means taking on the responsibility of understanding your dog. It's not your dogs role to try and understand you. It's not your dogs role to fill an emotional void or need. Certainly love your dog, but not to the detriment of its instinctive needs. I can honestly say, even with all the love and affection in the world, but without consistent rules and boundaries, you will never guarantee a well balanced and well behaved dog, and certainly not a respectful relationship with your dog.

Dogs instinctively seek consistent guidance, they thrive on rules and boundaries. Dogs feel more secure when they know and understand their boundaries. The bond between owner and dog is strengthened when the dog is looking for and receiving consistent guidance from its owner. So please, never expect a dog trainer to fix your dog, their role is to guide you on how to have the best and most fulfilling relationship with your dog. Don't expect any dog trainer to put all the work into your dog, and then expect your dog to be fixed "for" you; Its up to you.

"Give your dog, companionship, love AND (consistent) leadership, and your dog WILL reward you with total loyalty."

02/06/2021

Pyxis my first Russain Toy obtained her Novice though Advanced Trick Titles through DMWYD. She is the first Russian Toy to accomplish this. I am super proud of her especially since she is only 4 months old.
Trick training is a great way to build relationship and have fun with your dog. Reach out to find out more about this program and what you can achieve with your dog. I am a Certified Trick Dog Instructor, Canine Conditioning Coach and AKC Evaluator.
We welcome you to come have some fun with us.

01/04/2021

Congratulations Sierra and Kaja on earning your Advanced Trick Dog Title (TKA)

11/29/2020

Our own Libena z Rodina Straze earned her AKC Novice, Intermediate and Advanced Trick Dog Titles today.
Thank you Carol for coming over and witnessing my tricks.
Tricks are a fun way to build your relationship with your puppy or dog.

11/24/2020

Its a puppy pyramid 🐾
Making training fun for puppies.

11/10/2020

Congratulations to Jager and his owners for earning his AKC Novice Trick Dog Title at only 18 weeks old. Make sure to check out his video of one of his tricks in the post below this one.

11/10/2020

Jager earned his AKC Star puppy and his AKC Novcie Trick Dog Title today. Super proud of Jager and his owners for doing such a great job training.

10/19/2020

10/01/2020

Happy National Black Dog Day!
October 1st is National Black Dog Day! Did you know that black dogs get passed over for adoption in favor for light colored dogs? Black dogs will actually sit in a shelter 4x longer than their light colored counterparts. This day is dedicated to bringing awareness to Black Dog Syndrome.

Adia z Rodina Straze TC, CGC, CGCA, CGCU, SPOT, TKA, RATI, RATN, BCAT is our black dog. She is the comic of the household always making you laugh with her little antics. Her personality exudes happiness and she just loves everyone she meets. Life with Adia is never boring.
Would love to see and get to know a little about your black dogs. Black dogs are the best!

Happy National Black Dog Day!
October 1st is National Black Dog Day! Did you know that black dogs get passed over for adoption in favor for light colored dogs? Black dogs will actually sit in a shelter 4x longer than their light colored counterparts. This day is dedicated to bringing awareness to Black Dog Syndrome.

Adia z Rodina Straze TC, CGC, CGCA, SPOT, TKA, RATI, RATN, BCAT is our black dog. She is the comic of the household always making you laugh with her little antics. Her personality exudes happiness and she just loves everyone she meets. Life with Adia is never boring.
Would love to see and get to know a little about your black dogs. Black dogs are the best!

08/21/2020

Meet Max. Such a smart little dog showing off his skateboarding skills.

08/01/2020

This says it perfectly. This is not a breed that needs nor wants doggie friends. If thats what you're wanting in a dog, then please look else where there are many other breeds. Remember when looking for a dog educate yourself about what they were bred for its not just about looks nor training. Your not going to make a GSD a Golden or Lab no matter how much training they have. These dogs are amazing, they're just not amazing for everyone. Think of them as a lifestyle, not a back yard pet.

Education Time!

Guys, I'm about to burst a big ol' bubble.

I'm very sorry, but...German Shepherd Dogs are not dog park dogs. They are not meant for dog parks, they are not meant for "fun get togethers".

In the picture I provided for this post, you see GCH Soul Eater, Mikasa, and GCH Wesson all running together. They can do this because I understand the personalities of the dogs involved, the dynamic they share, and because...they are not strangers to each other.

GSDs, generally speaking, are not a dog social breed. They tolerate, but they do not seek out friendships. They have no use for strange dogs, especially when it comes to playing. They will play with housemates, but even then there is a lot of tolerating going on versus tight knit canine friendships.

Dog aggression exists in the breed (dog aggression in this context meaning actively seeking out a fight with others). Same s*x aggression is *common* in the breed. Males especially tend to hate each other (but bitch fights are *so* *much* *worse*).

I do not have any dog aggressive dogs in my crew, and I do not tolerate true dog aggression. I do have males in my house that absolutely *despise* each other and must be separated at all costs. However, these same males that hate each other can hang around a show ring surrounded by unknown boys and be completely fine. They are neutral towards strange animals. My bi***es are also neutral.

What they *don't* accept is strange dogs getting in their face. An invasive dog will receive fair and ample warning before they are snapped at, and my dogs are very judicious in telling another dog off (because that's a normal part of canine communication), but things can escalate fairly quickly.

I may have dog neutral dogs, but they are still not dog park safe. There are certainly GSDs out there who are more dog social, but they are outliers, not the norm.

I admittedly don't understand why people have such a strong desire for their dog to make friends with strange dogs. I'm really not inclined to make friends with a lot of strange people. I can be "friendly" (tolerant), but I am very quickly exhausted by interactions with strangers, and, unless there is an appointment set, I do not seek out such interaction.

I'm a lot like my breed in that regard.

My eighteen week old puppy had the opportunity to play with two similarly aged dogs yesterday. She made one brief attempt to join, stopped, went "Y'all are not worth the effort" and found herself a toy to play with by herself. The other two puppies zoomed around her like maniacs while she chewed on a little crinkle fox, one of them sailing right over her at one point, and she didn't even look up from what she was doing. At 18 weeks old she has no use for strange dogs. And it's normal.

If you are looking for a canine companion that can romp with any strange dog at any time in any place...a German Shepherd Dog probably isn't for you.

07/29/2020

One more reason we do not use or recommend the "gentle leader or other harnesses that come across the dogs face.

Here is the vascular system in a canine head. This highlights the enormous amount of blood flow in the dogs nose. This blood flow serves many purposes, fuels the scent chambers, aids in temperature regulation, allows dogs to effectively track, but this also makes the dogs nose incredibly sensitive to touch. This is the main reason you should not use face harnesses. There are plenty of tools designed to communicate with dogs that do not put pressure on one of their most sensitive features. I Credit this post to Grant Teeboon AKA the PawMan

06/30/2020

Understanding proper socialization is extremely important setting your puppy up for future success, instead of trained behavioral problems.

Socialization... it's probably not what you think it is.

Dogs go through a critical period of development that lasts roughly from 3 weeks-16 weeks of age. In this time, they're forming ideas and opinions about the world around them; good and bad. They're developing social bonds, and learning how their behaviour impacts other living creatures.

A dog that has a quality socialization program is one that will reach its fullest genetic potential.

Socialization is about giving them the tools and outlook on life to navigate through our society with minimal stress to themselves and others... now to my point.

If your entire plan for socializing your puppy is taking it to puppy classes, puppy play parties or the dog beach, you are GOING to have problems. Unfortunately, the idea that puppy-puppy or puppy-dog interactions constitute 'socialization' has been continually force fed to well-meaning, but misinformed pet professionals.

Either two things will come of such a plan...

1. Your puppy meets the wrong dog and has a bad experience. Bad experiences are just as bad as no experiences. A bad experience during the critical period can result in lasting negative impressions and behavioural problems; namely, fear and aggression.
2. Your dog has a positive experience. And that positive experience creates a positive value for other dogs. And their positive value out-competes the puppy's value in you. Doesn't sound that bad?

As it stands, the second problem is waaaay more common than the first. Right now, the issues associated with an extreme positive value in other dogs is taking up probably 70-80% of my workload. What issues are they, you ask?

- Inconsistent Recalls
- Poor Leash Walking Skills
- Reactivity (sometimes eventuating into aggression)
- What many refer to as 'selective deafness'; *Fido is perfect when it's just us, but as soon as he sees another dog...*

Just to name a few. And the thing is, most owners see all that 👆 as the problem. When in fact, it's just the various symptoms of the real problem; a poorly structured socialization program that's resulted in their dogs developing a TONNE of value in other dogs, and comparatively little in them. The owner. The one that feeds, walks, plays and loves them.

And the thing is, it's not the owner's fault. It's my own industry's. Other trainers. Well-known, well-read sciency-folk. And I don't know why other people aren't seeing the correlation. I very rarely see behavioural cases that stem from a LACK of experience, but that overwhelming stem from an extremely skewed socialization picture.

I'm sure the word 'socialization' is the problem too. It implies *social* experiences and interactions. When really we can broadly divide 'socialization' into social and environmental experiences. And of the 'social' experiences, MOST should entail NO direct interaction.

While a lot is missing from most owner's socialization programs, that's probably the biggest thing; they've never given value to themselves, particularly in the presence of other dogs. A huge part of what I do with my personal dogs is to take them around other controlled dogs, and pay them for looking at me. In their head, they're learning that other dogs are good (socialization), and that when they're around, I'm going to pay them really good stuff. Here, I'm giving myself value. I'm building the puppy's engagement in me.

Thus, what often becomes a distraction and a constant thorn in the side of obedience and manners, now becomes a cue to focus on me.

The graph below is an example of a (not very detailed) socialization plan. The exact percentages will differ between puppies a great deal, but the main point to note is that MEETING OTHER DOGS and MEETING PEOPLE constitute a tiny fraction of the whole shebang. And that ratio will stay relatively consistent across the board.

I'm not offering nor recommending any puppy classes anymore, with the exception of . I'm now offering private lesson programs which I've found to be infinitely more successful in preparing puppies for life. If you're after a class environment, I'd also recommend you check out . And for online training purposes (for my remote followers) check out by

05/30/2020

"Can he say hello?" - random passer-by with a small, excitable puppy straining at its leash and lunging at other passers-by, to me and my client with her high prey-drive adolescent dog, this morning.
Me: "No ma'am, sorry; we are training."

I always try to give people the benefit of the doubt. This lady was probably told, when she got her puppy, that she should socialize him as much as possible, and she probably wasn't told what real socialization is.

Socialization (or, as I prefer to call it, "exposure") is not *actually* socializing with a dog. It's one of the biggest misnomers in dog training.

Socializing your dog, in simple terms, merely means exposing them to as many stimuli as possible at a young age and teaching him/her to ignore those stimuli and focus on you, so that you have a relaxed dog who will be unfazed by pretty much anything or anyone. It's what we do when raising working dogs for high-stress situations (military deployment, scent detection work, protection work) so that they will not be distracted. A distracted dog is a danger to itself, its handler, and others. A dog that is socially neutral and focuses only on its handler and the task at hand, is a safe dog. And that applies to *any* dog, pet or working.

Dogs do not need to greet one another, or get in one another's faces. Dogs are not human children who need to play. Advocate for your dog by not overloading him/her with unnecessary interactions or situations. This includes telling people no, they may not pet your dog - and not feeling guilty about doing so :-)

05/27/2020

**** Graphic Content****
I've shared this video from another trainer where these brave owners allowed others to learn from their situation.
Many times I hear people ‘brush off’ possessive behavior whether its over food, toys, space or people, as funny or no big deal. Resource guarding is always a serious issue no matter how small it may seem. This is a visual example of what can quickly happen when behavior goes un-corrected, just imagine if this was a child. My heart goes out to this couple and I wish them the very best.

04/29/2020

03/29/2020

The German Shepherd Book I was privileged to contribute in, has been published. If you would like a copy it can be ordered through this link. There will also be a full color copy of the book coming out in a few weeks.

New for 2020! The German Shepherd Handbook is packed full of the latest training techniques & insider tips for raising a happy, well-adjusted German Shepherd.WARNING: This is a big book! 234 pages written by experts with 100s of years of combined experience with German Shepherds. Only buy it if y...

02/14/2020

When dogs have no defined consistent rules and boundaries, have no understanding of respecting perso...

02/08/2020

Applying discomfort, why is it considered such an evil concept by positive only and force free extre...

02/07/2020

4 1/2 month old puppies doing a great job on holding stays and learning emotional control around each other. Building solid engagement and relationship with their handlers is the most important lessons to learn. These puppies are doing a great job!