The Well Heeled Way

04/29/2024

My first training exercise with every dog I work with. The goal is to mark with a click every time Murphy operantly makes eye contact with me and reinforce with a high value treat.
Enjoy this beautiful active boy.

04/18/2024

Meet Bart and Gabe, four-month-old mini Australian Shepherd littermates. I recently worked with these pups on training them to walk side by side. This can be extremely helpful when you have two dogs that are similar in size because it only requires one person to do the walking.

Using “The Well Heeled Way® Calming Cord®”, I establish proper individual leash behavior, then we begin to work as a team. Practice, be consistent, and reinforce, and you will be walking your dogs side by side in no time!

Learn more helpful tips and tricks from Jerry Barnes and The Well Heeled Way!

08/11/2023

08/11/2023

Meet Riekee, a one-year-old rescue German Shepherd who was struggling with leash behavior. She was very reactive and especially triggered by other dogs and people.

With every iteration of our training, I could feel Riekee relaxing into the exercise and the Calming Cord™. By the end of the session, not only had Riekee developed a keen eye for walking with her owner, but Josee was like a whole new person herself!

Leash behavior like Riekee’s is a common issue for many families. It’s one of the reasons I began offering private training sessions to assist my clients in significantly improving their dog’s undesirable behaviors.

If you want to learn more about my one-on-one sessions, dog training, dog blog, and so much more, be sure to check out my website at https://www.thewellheeledway.com/.

07/16/2023

Almost Heaven at West Bay
Kelley’s Island for the next 5 days
Happy 37 to us. The best is yet to come!

05/25/2023

Meet Enzo, a very excitable 10-month-old Lab whose owners wondered, could he go from rowdy to relaxed?

"Jerry was a huge help with our 10-month-old Labrador, Enzo. Enzo would pull on his leash so badly that HE would take YOU for a walk. Jerry’s harness is life-changing. We are now able to walk Enzo on his leash without him walking us."

You can always find the good in your dog; it takes patience and practice so that what you are training becomes part of his muscle memory. Setbacks happen; calmly reset—and don't forget to find your next thank you!

If you enjoyed viewing the awesome progress Enzo made, be sure to check out my website for information about dog training, my dog blog, and so much more at https://www.thewellheeledway.com/

03/30/2023

For once we get to watch Jerry work with HIS OWN DOG, an adorable 5-year-old Golden Retriever, Calvin. Watch as Jerry takes Calvin to a few different locations working on the "place" command – beginning in a very familiar setting and moving on to new and exciting locations. He calmly demonstrates methods to encourage Calvin to go to his "place" upon request.

It literally only takes a few short 5- to 10-minute fun sessions with your dog to teach the "place" command!

If you enjoyed watching this video featuring my five-year-old Golden Retriever, Calvin, check out my website for information about dog training, my dog blog, and so much more at https://www.thewellheeledway.com/

02/15/2023

Kennel time will expose your dog to positive influences — from The Well Heeled Way® dog training method AND "mentor" dogs.

Watch as Jerry uses kennel time to teach your dog behaviors that help them to go home better than they came. Kennel time is a great way to socialize your dog, reinforce positive behaviors such as "come," and to learn by example from "mentor" dogs.

Another valuable aspect of kennel time is getting your dog comfortable with grooming practices. This creates bonding time with your dog, and also helps your dog be more relaxed when they have to be on a table — for instance, while visiting the vet.

The Well Heeled Way® uses passive leadership and a stimulating environment that dogs thrive in. "We are honored to be trusted with the care and welfare of our clients very best friends."

01/19/2023

This stare and paw from Medical Alert Assistance Dog, Frankie, means 'Mum, your odour has changed and you need to take action because you're about to become really poorly.'

Our client, Barbara, has and Frankie alerts her when her blood sugar levels became dangerously low.

Barbara then checks her levels, and if she is low or dropping fast, she drinks some juice or eats a sugary snack. She tells Frankie he's a clever boy and gives him a special treat.

Barbara says: "The paw and the eye contact together says it all. I know I need to do something."

https://www.medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/maad-information/

People's Postcode Lottery

01/17/2023

We often hear stories of Jerry training other people’s dogs. This month, we have the privilege to read about how 6-year-old Jerry first came to love dogs and later how he has trained one of his own dogs, a German shepherd named Vista. Read about how Vista became part of his family and how Jerry turned the most challenging, high-energy dog into his calm and loyal companion by finding and reinforcing “the gold” inside her.

I remember when I was 6 years old in 1960 asking my parents if we could get a dog. I didn’t hear a thing from them until about a week later when my Dad returned home with a full grown male German shepherd named Duke. Now that was a strong move to the hoop when you’re 6!

01/08/2023

Proactively conditioning an exceptional food drive.
Why?
- Dogs we’re born eaters not grazers
- At some point in almost every dogs’ life they will convalesce at a Vet office or an emergency clinic or maybe even go to a kennel where there’s many more dogs than you’ll see in this video. Any of those circumstances could be stressful for your dog in those unfamiliar environments where they don’t know the people, don’t recognize the sounds, and smell. Any radical environmental change can knock your dog off of their normal eating behavior.
- Watch this video of a kennel of World Class eaters.

01/06/2023

About an hour and a half of good hard play inspires them all to hit the hay!

12/27/2022

Snug as a Bug….

12/21/2022

Training your dog to have a respectful & strong FOOD DRIVE is a foundational behavior EVERY dog owner should master.

The benefits of having a dog with respect around food and a high-food drive are many, but the primary topics include:
- Child safety
- Wellness indicator
- Well-nourished when away from home
- Great training tool
- Raise your leadership status (no grazing)

Watch as Jerry trains a 6-year-old silver lab, Remy, to have a respect around food. He works to discourage the harsh behaviors she has developed over the years and encourage her patience around food. She ends up RECEIVING the food respectfully, and does NOT TAKE IT aggressively. Remy does this beautifully after only a short while using The Well Heeled Way® dog training method. Watch Jerry and Remy in action!

12/18/2022

Listen live to 104.9 STEVE FM at stevefmvirginia.com/listen!

11/15/2022

Be proactive and develop your dog’s food drive. Your Vet staff and Kennel owner will really appreciate it!

11/14/2022

All very True

11/07/2022

Did you hear? Jerry Barnes is famous! Recently, friends and clients were excited to hear about his featuring on PBS WVIZ Making It series! This series takes a closer look at Northeast Ohioans who put their creativity into action. Watch to see what they are "making" in the community.

When business slowed down during the pandemic, Jerry Barnes developed a harness to calm dogs in response to owners' complaints about leash pulling.

10/07/2022

Are you knowledgeable and competent? Are you consistent and dependable?
Do you react or do you respond?
Do you struggle with frustration and temper issues?
Are you plagued by debilitating insecurities and anxieties?
Do you take responsibility or blame others?
Are you able to clearly set boundaries and communicate?
Do you own your beliefs or do you bow to outside pressures?
Are you as firm as you are loving?
Are you consumed by loneliness and disconnection?
Does resentment and jealousy drive or repel you?
Are you someone you’re proud of?

Of course these aren’t pass or fail questions. They’re questions to check in with and decide what needs attention and work. And take comfort, we all have plenty of work that needs to be done. But if we don’t honestly, and sometimes brutally assess where we are, we’ll never be able to make the necessary improvements.

Dog training is an easy one to get caught up with. Even the title suggests it’s all about the dog. Of course anyone who’s actually awake and aware and honest knows that this is a complex dance between two species—both with genetic and experiential “baggage” they bring to the table. And as much as many like to oversimplify and make it all about the dog, or conversely, all about the owner, neither of these overly simplistic views tells the whole story.

But, only one of us is capable of conscious, purposeful change. Only one of us can assess the personal and greater external landscape and determine what needs to be sorted in order to bring about the best, safest, and healthiest life together. Which means only one is capable of, and should be leading. And with that comes the responsibility of taking the responsibility.

The obvious conclusion is that as valuable as training is for our dogs, making sure we're becoming the very best versions of ourselves—doing our own work—is a critical component that is too often overlooked. Overlooked because it’s uncomfortable, involves enormous effort, and often is painful. But to eschew the foundation of where all the training comes from—you—and to underestimate the impact that that foundation has upon the training we share, and how we share it, is to overlook and misunderstand something deeply profound about our interactions with our dogs and with life.

Which brings us to a difficult, but much needed question. A question which doesn’t need, and shouldn’t have a final answer, but rather should be a constant check-in and a compass to guide and course correct when needed. The question…

Would you follow you?

09/15/2022

When business slowed down during the pandemic, Jerry Barnes developed a harness to calm dogs in response to owners' complaints about leash pulling.

09/15/2022

Too many times a family adapts to a new dog in their home rather than adapting the dog to the home. The family must take the leadership role to proactively shape the dog’s behavior to be an asset to their household. It quickly became obvious that my new friend Leo, an adolescent chocolate Labradoodle, is a product of such parental leadership!

Whether it be your children or your new dog, there are no parenting days off during their formative time. So what’s a good place to start? Attention behaviors. Consistently practice and reinforce attentiveness, willingness, calmness, and compliance, and you will see results.

When working with your dog remember to relax and find your next thank you—that’s the joy in training!

09/13/2022

09/09/2022

09/03/2022

Just sayin…..

08/17/2022

Calming a high energy dog can be as simple as riding a bike! You can teach your dog to match his gait to you as you ride, giving both of you the benefit of some quality exercise. Along with training and socialization, exercise is one of the most important things you can do for your furry friend.

Teaching your dog to walk or run next to you on a bike is easier than you might think. To begin, start your dog in a continuous left circle as you walk your bike. Once you have mastered walking the left circle, try it while riding the bike. Your dog should always stay beside you and yield to your command and the bike.

As always, make sure you reward your dog for a job well done with some heartfelt scratches behind the ears or a treat. It’s a great time to find your next thank you!

07/29/2022

Always back the Blue ~kb

07/25/2022

Sweet Zorba just joined a great kennel pack! A few more additions tomorrow.
Welcome to The Butt Sniff Buffet 🤣

07/13/2022

Perhaps the single most important command you will teach your dog is “COME.” This command is one you will use at home, outside, anywhere you take your dog. It is the basic foundation for your relationship with your dog.