Jonathan Wallington - Dog Trainer

10/06/2023

Very excited to be hosting a group class in Lowell at Holly's Critter Care off of M-21 with Hope Hindenach.

Message me if you'd like to sign up!

09/15/2023

Come visit me here this Saturday! Buy a dog toy or get some treats. 😁😁😁

Come join us Saturday 9/16 from 11am-2pm at Pet Supplies Plus! We will have adoptable dogs & puppies at the event! 😊

06/11/2023

If any of you are looking to donate to cancer research this year, here is a great opportunity that I will also be competing this coming weekend!

Help Me Tap Cancer Out!

06/01/2023

The Redirection Misconception:

The start of many novice puppy owners jouney begins roughly the same. The puppy starts off cute, and even when it's naughty, it's naughtiness is endearing.

A few weeks pass, and the biting and nipping starts to hurt more as the puppy gets bigger and their jaws can use those sharp puppy milk teeth more destructively. It's at this point most owners take to Google to figure out how to stop puppy biting or nipping.

After becoming a master of Google-fu these novice owners are taught that when a puppy bites or nips, offering a toy as a replacement will effectively redirect their attention away from inappropriate biting and to the human this makes sense, it reads something like:

"You are biting me, but I want you to chew on this toy instead, so heres the toy chew on it instead."

But lets take a moment and read play by play of what the dog experiences.

1. I wanted to engage with Mom/Dad.

2. I play bit them.

3. They gave me a toy and played with me.

What has the dog learned?

"If I want to play with mom and dad, I bite them to start it."

🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ Shoot!

Unfortunately, this approach can unintentionally reinforce the behavior. Puppies may likely perceive the toy as a reward for biting, leading them to repeat the behavior in search of more toys and attention. It's important to understand that dogs learn through associations and consequences. By offering a toy as a replacement for inappropriate biting, we inadvertently reinforce the idea that biting leads to playtime and interaction.

"Okay, that makes sense, but what now? How do I fix it?"

I will give you one method I use to begin extinguishing this behavior. Please note, not every strategy works with every dog, each puppy is an individual with individual motivations and desires.

Deliberate Miscommunication

First ask yourself: "Who taught my puppy to bite and why?"

Likely, you'll realize they taught it to themself through spontaneous experimentation and they do it because they are trying to tell you something.

But what if you played the role of the "Dumb Human"? What if puppy nipping meant "I want crate time?"

Let's set this up:

Step 1. Play with your puppy. Get them rough housing until they attempt to use your hands as chew toys.

Step 2. Immediately say "Okay" and place them into the crate for 30 seconds to 2 minutes.

Step 3. Let them out with an option to play with a toy, or to chew on your hand - if they pick toy play for a while with them. If they pick hand, repeat step 2.

Goal: Get them to puppy play bite you 20 times. What you may find is they begin to reject your hand. "No way, that ends the fun."

Have questions about training? I'd love to help!
Share, like, and comment to get this post some attention! It is much appreciated!

05/04/2023

An idea that may help you overcome public reactivity.

Don't create "Significant Moments" unintentionally.

Recently I was walking through the Ionia State Park with friends. This is a large enough park that you could go through it without seeing another person. There was another couple with a clearly reactive dog on leash we happened to run into and their dog began to fire off.

Now, I don't blame them for stopping, pulling their dog back and letting us pass - thats how most people handle reactivity. Almost like they are just trying to get past the conflict. However, it dawned on me that because they stopped, made a show of watching my group, becoming rigid (in order to have the strength to hold back their dog), and justifiably getting nervous (because who wants to deal with a dog acting like that) that this moment suddenly became VERY important to the dog. Good, bad, or otherwise it was important.

Like a child who falls at the park and has a parent remark "Oh No!" before crying. Reactive dogs take tons of cues from their owners, and now another file is put away in this dogs mind that reads "When I see someone in public, it is something very important." problem is, with reactive animals whenever they face novelty their reaction isnt "oh interesting, let me see what this is." Their reaction is "DANGER!".

As an owner of a reactive animal, you necessarily need to set the "energy" and if you know your dog reacts to newness with fear or aggression, that behavior needs to be confronted - not simply placated. You're not trying to reward them for not reacting*, you just simply and casually continue the walk. (Then because you're like me and love giving treats you find some reason to tell your dog they are doing great.)

Be mindful of what you pay attention to on walks. Because what is significant to you will be significant to them, and confront their behavior head on** when they are treating unimportant things as important - or worse as dangerous, do this until they are looking to cooperate rather than to pacify you long enough to reinitiate with the thing they are reacting to.

Have questions about training? I'd love to help!
Share, like, and comment to get this post some attention! I appreciate it!

*exceptions apply here, such as marking unsolicted check-ins.
**do not do this if your dog redirects aggression towards you.

03/25/2023

Come visit me at the Lowell Expo today!

06/09/2022

My frustration with modern training rhetoric.

"If your dog jumps on you, just turn your back to them!"

Somewhere along the last few years we got wrapped up in anti-engagement as a means to apply enough social pressure on your dog to encourage them to experiment with new behavior. I've seen this successfully work maybe 10% of the time - if I'm being generous.

As a trainer who works heavily in the homes of my clients, I frequently run into dogs that become territoral or reactive towards me. (Being a man, having facial hair, wearing a hat, etc.) The general response from the owners is halfway between exasperation and indifference. These parents are scared their dog will decide to take a bite out of my round steak. Outside of that however, their behavior changes little.

NOTE: There is absolutely no shame in this, as many of my clients started here. Simply that I see this as a component of the poor training contagion that has infected many dog owners, and the only way out is to address the chaos.

Here are a few truth that get avoided by the modern dog training blog:

Reactivity and Rudeness will not spontaneously go away, and nobody else owes your dog understanding for inappropriate behavior.

Politeness is largely ignored by dogs.

Focusing on your dogs short term happiness and comfort often comes at the expense of it's lifetime standard of living.

I say all this to prime you for two major takeaways when you are working on behavioral issues with you dog.

1) You cannot be scared of being the bad guy.

2) In order to have the level of patience necessary to deal with a struggling, frustrated or reacting dog, you cannot allow your emotions to interfere.

Interested in training? I would love to help!

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05/09/2022

Confidence, Consistency, and Control.

These are the three big C's necessary for a handler to have to have a dog under obedience. Simultaneously, these are the things I chronically find myself directing and correcting my clients for.

Here are a few good questions you can ask yourself to see where your handling is weakest.

Confidence:

When you give a command, are you actually giving a command or are you asking your dog a question?

Do you find yourself repeating commands back to back with little/no response from your dog?

(For those of you with reactive dogs) Do you find yourself unprepared when your dog "fires off"?

Consistency:

Does your patience wear out quickly when your dog "just isn't getting it."

Do you get embarrassed when you are reining in your dog when in public?

Control:

Can you generally predict what your dog will do before they do it? Or are they a mystery?

When you are assertive, does your dog frequently disengage from you?

Would you describe your dog as "perfect when I have a treat in my hand"?

Do you have to aggressively raise your voice to get a modicum of obedience from your dog?

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Handling a dog can be difficult, especially if they are tougher skinned or have a mind of their own. Please message me if you would like help!

Which of these do you find yourself falling into?

(Also it is a huge help if you like, comment and share these posts! Thank you!)

04/13/2022

Let's talk socialization!

As someone who spends a lot of time around groups of dogs, this is definitely a concept that people struggle to understand.

So first let's give it a working definition:

Socialization is the SKILL of being able to interpret another dog's communicators accurately, and for that same dog to be able to communicate appropriately it's own desire for interaction.

What can a poorly socialized dog look like?

a) A dog that treats other dogs as threats or dangerous without the other dog giving off aggressive signals. This will likely become reactivity.

b) A dog that is too excited or happy to play and doesn't pick up on signals of disinterest from the other dog. This is a dog that will get into fights or get itself into trouble.

What does a well socialized dog look like?

a) A playful dog that approaches another mindfully, playbows, and waits for a response from it's friend.

b) A dog that shows teeth or growls without snapping and goes to it's human after the other dog backs off.

What you will notice is that "B" for both groups is backwards from what one would traditionally think. Here is the concept you need to understand to handle dogs appropriately: Dogs can be introverted and serious, and trying to push them to behave outside of their innate traits is likely to make them make mistakes. Just because they are serious or low in playfulness doesn't mean they are poorly socialized. Just because they are playful, doesn't mean they are well socialized!

Early on as puppies it is extremely beneficial to give dogs lots of feedback, both positive "Yes I like this type of play!" and negative "No, I don't like this type of play." So that when they begin to play with their friends, they already have those concepts down!

Have questions? Connect with me! I'd love to help.

(Video example of me and my dog playing rough. Notice he stops mouth playing but is still trying to solicit play from me.)

03/24/2022

03/22/2022

On the topic of reactivity.

A number of my clients have recently asked me questions about managing their dogs reactivity. As I've said before, the opposite of fear is not happiness - it is boredom. But then the question becomes "Well how do I apply that?"

Prerequisites:

• Initial Obedience

• This does not apply to reactive dogs that are exclusively reactive to other dogs that are reactING or aggressive dogs.

• Understand the difference between "uncomfortable" and "reactive" you are not putting your dog into a situation with untenable reactivity. If you can block them and they CAN disengage from their target, this is the threshold between the two. This is an important threshold to identify.

1) Control the environment, this may likely require you to have two friends with you and may also require you to muzzle your dog. Your fail safes need fail safes.

2) Find the threshold between uncomfortable and reactive, make a mental note of the distance from the object of your dogs reactivity.

3) Sit/Stay at that mark until your dog moves from vigilant (not hypervigilant, your dog should not be targeting.) to bored. This may take a while. Once bored, reward your dog for self appeasing behaviors (without soliciting them) then move closer to the object. Repeat until at 25% of initial distance.

These are the first 3 steps to alleviating reactivity - and I would love to help you and your dog finish the process to managed reactivity.

Please like and share!

03/10/2022

Finding yourself having unsuccessful training sessions?

Here are a few pointers to consider before starting;

1) Tone - Pay attention to HOW you are saying what your are saying. Telling a dog "No" in a cutesy, high pitched, or exciting way will likely miscommunicate your point.

Dogs listen to tone and body language first, then the specific word or command second.

2) Excitability - If your dog is a nervous or neurotic dog, being especially exciting, whether it's positive or negative, will likely distract them from the actual command you are giving them.

3) Stop "Breath Holding" - If you find yourself constantly "Holding your breath" waiting for your dog to break off their stay, or anxiously awaiting your dog to react to the passerby, relax! Dogs are excellent body language readers, and your abnormal rigidity is likely a signal that will bolster them into acting out.

Struggling to help your dog stay under control? I'd love to help.
Message me to set up a lesson or ask a question!

02/11/2022

02/09/2022

If I could snap my fingers and change any three behaviors people have when handling and owning their dog with magic, I'd pick these three.

1) Fix their words and tone! No, I don't mean washing people's mouth's out with soap. I mean paying attention to how you say what you say.

So often I hear people use baby voice while telling their dog they don't like them jumping, biting, or barking incessantly at them or they are rewarding their pet with wild and bombastix energy that is making their already insane dog's brain fall out. They don't know why there is a party, but they are excited and ready to undo all the obedience work you just practiced!

2) Believe their dog is intelligent. Well, at least enough to choose to disengage from their owner, and for their owners to follow through on their commands.

I frequently see dogs give their owners the four-legged equivalent of the bird. Then say this in Dogonese "I don't have to listen to you, I can just leave and you're so lazy you won't follow me around and make me."

3) To let their dogs succeed - and more importantly to fail!
This is the one I want to use all my magic for if there could only be one. Owners, it is okay for your dog to mess up! Forcing them to the right answer doesn't help them develop the inhibition necessary to be obedient when they are existing outside the parameters of your training room!

What do you think? Comment below!

If you'd like training please message me, I'd love to help!

02/01/2022

Potty Training

Are you beginning to start potty training a puppy?

The most success I've had with potty training is by following a few key tips and tricks, and I'm happy to share them here!

1) It is very helpful to think about potty training as growing "Rolling Success". If we prevent your puppy from pottying inside on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday - we are very likely to get that same success on Friday!

2) Pay attention to how often they are eating or drinking!
If you are struggling with getting consistent success with potty training, giving unfettered access to food and water may be a roadblock to developing Rolling Success.

3) "Loaded Gun" approach. If you know your puppy has "one in the chamber" they should not be left out in the house! They either need to be safely in their gun case (Their crate) or in the range (Wherever you want them to go potty). Leaving puppy unattended when you know they likely need to go potty, like when they first wake up, after eating, or after intense play is opening you up to an accident!
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Comments or questions? Let's discuss them! What was your experience potty training your puppy like?

If you would like help with training please message me, I would love to help!

01/20/2022

Continuation from the other post.
. .

As we discussed some of the pitfalls of punitive training, I want to also shed some light on the challenges that you'll run into with reward focused training.

People on the opposite side of the coin from Monday's post (People who cannot give direction, mandatory boundaries, or negative tones etc.) run into a number of challenges. Today I'll go over just 2.

King among them are:

# 1. Over Reliance on Treats/Creating "Training Environments"

If your dog is obedient only when you have rewards, your dog isn't obedient to you. They are obedient to their stomachs. Likewise, if your dog can recognize a pattern that precedes their obedience (Leashing, wearing the treat pouch, vesting, moving furniture around in the living room etc.) then their obedience may likely become conditional.

Training needs to simulate your natural lifestyle as closely as possible. Fortunately dogs cannot distinguish between simulations and real life interactions. If you can authentically get obedience in a controlled scenario, you can likely get that same obedience when the same distractors occur.

Treats are good for teaching, and for rewarding. But undermine training if they are mandatory for the completion of a command.

# 2. Misusing Redirections.

When I first start working with clients who have nipping or playful biting dogs, they'll inevitably tell me "We tried redirecting to a toy." (Yes, this may be some of you! No shame in it, everyone got this messed up!)

I'd ask them "What does that mean/look like?" Then they'd walk me through their process.

Step 1. Puppy is biting/teething on you playfully.

Step 2. Get a toy for puppy to play with instead.

Step 3. Put toy in puppy's mouth and play excitedly to teach puppy toys are more fun then biting.

And hey, that makes sense to me! But I'm not a dog, so let's observe what a dog sees.

Step 1. I bite Mom/Dad.

Step 2. They give me a toy and play with me.

Uh-oh. Puppy just learned they can nip or bite to get play out of mom or dad!

Dog's are fully capable of learning cause and effect, to get puppies to stop biting they need to see what the outcome of biting/mouthing on a human vs. a toy is. Low excitement crating is a viable option to help teach dogs human mouthing is inappropriate while building desire and drive for toy-play.

Comments or questions? Let's discuss them! What challenges did you run into when you first started working with your puppy/adult dog?

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If you would like help with training please message me, I would love to help!

01/17/2022

Happy Monday!

Let's chat about the pitfalls as humans we run into when training dogs.

As a trainer I've seen the gamut of people's private practice of training their pets, and I understand that telling people "do this or do that" rarely changes their approach. So here are some things to be conscientious of regardless of your training practice.

If you have a habit of training punitively, understand that while dogs do understand cause and effect, because we cannot guarantee they make the logical jumps that we as humans can, we have to be very aware of how strong those "punishment" are.

Here's an example: A client I worked with trained their dog with a high degree of punishment and excitability during potty training (yelling and disproportionate physical consequences) - to a degree most people would be uncomfortable. Regardless of my preferred method, I can cognitively understand 'why' they thought it would work:

• Dog p**ps inside.
• Dog is punished.
• Dog thinks "I am being punished for p**ping inside."
• Dog stops p**ping inside.

I get this pattern of thought, the issue is - it wasn't making sense to the dog. As a matter of fact, based on the dogs new behavior it was almost as if the dog now thought "I am not allowed to p**p in front of dad." As even outside on leash the dog would not go to the bathroom if he was around. It would run inside and potty behind the couch or in the back room. Worse yet, it was too scared to reexperiment with it's behaviors.

What is the answer?

IF you are going to be using these practices, understand that punitive training has to be done gently enough that the dog feels comfortable reexperimenting with inappropriate behavior so that it can figure out the parameters of your expectations. This has to be done within the context of the individual dog. Some have more emotional durability than others, and applying a cookie-cutter method fails to recognize that dogs are still animals prone to over excitement, impulsiveness, fear, anger and other decision impairing emotional factors.

(I will make a post later this week discuss the pitfalls of the opposite end of the spectrum.)

Have questions? Ask below! Let's start a conversation.

If you are looking for training or know someone who is, please send me a message, I would love to help!

01/09/2022

Happy Sunday, quick advice on practicing "Stay" as a command.

The biggest challenge I've seen my clients run into when teaching this command is:

Behaving abnormally when backing up while dog is in stay. (Picture as example)

Though our commands may be verbal, dogs watch our body language closely. When you tell a dog to stay, then behave out of accordance with your normal daily life you are creating a signal that casual body language means the end of the command.

This is why your dog breaks the moment you stand up casually - their command is contingent on your awkward posture, NOT your release word/hand signal!

When you tell your dog sit/stay, you will need to make a deliberate choice to act casual, so that their obedience isn't disturbed by normal life happenstances!

Got questions? Ask below!

12/01/2021

This is a big mood this morning.