Los Alamos Dog Obedience Club

06/28/2025

06/20/2025

Still room in Puppy Class. Sign up right away.

Summer school is almost here for your pooch!

Registration begins June 16th! Don't miss out!

06/16/2025

Summer classes starting soon at LADOC!
Check out oursummer offerings!

Registration begins June 16.

http://losalamosdogs.org/classes/

Summer school is almost here for your pooch!

Registration begins June 16th! Don't miss out!

06/05/2025

Summer school is almost here for your pooch!

Registration begins June 16th! Don't miss out!

05/11/2025

Great opportunity! Free online class with Michael Ellis.

Food Chase Games with Michael Ellis
This micro course focuses on teaching your puppy food chase games to use in pre-emptive management, recall, and rewards. These games are the foundations of training with food.

Enroll now for FREE lifetime access!

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1133109128859868&id=100064823734831&mibextid=wwXIfr

Food Chase Games with Michael Ellis
This micro course focuses on teaching your puppy food chase games to use in pre-emptive management, recall, and rewards. These games are the foundations of training with food.

Enroll now for FREE lifetime access!
https://university.leerburg.com/Catalog/viewCourse/cid/175

04/03/2025

Hey Los Alamos! We still have a few openings in our spring S.T.A.R. Puppy Kindergarten Class.

Get your puppy off to a great start! Class starts April 16th. Contact the LADOC registrar to enroll. [email protected]

03/31/2025

Registration is now LIVE!

Classes Spring 2025 Classes Registration is March 31- April 2, 2025 Classes begin the week of April 14th Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on announcements. Online Registration Registration is now closed! This link will become active March 31st --> Register Online

03/18/2025

Spring classes starting soon at LADOC!
Check out our spring offerings!

Registration begins March 31st.

http://losalamosdogs.org/classes/

01/30/2025

SETTING THE TONE
The tone of voice we use when speaking to a dog matters!

When someone is talking to us or asking us to do something, are we more likely to respond and want to connect with them if they’re using a specific type of tone than if their tone is harsh, shouting or domineering?

The more we use positive tones of voice with our dogs, the more they will want to connect with us and be more interested in doing what we are asking.

Some examples of why tone matters –

Calling your dog to come back to you in a happy, excited, high-pitched tone is far more likely to work than using a stern, loud, angry tone. Would you want to return to someone who sounds really angry?

Yanking on a leash and shouting at a dog for reacting to another dog or situation is far less likely to work than saying “lets go this way!” in a happy tone and creating distance to where a dog feels comfortable.

Saying “Yes!” when a dog has done what you ask will increase the behaviour you’re looking for instead of yelling “No!” in an angry tone when they don’t get it right.

Although these examples are based on positive reinforcement training, a study has also shown that dogs respond and pay more attention when we speak with a higher pitch and more variation, similar to how we would talk to a baby.

Given that a dog’s emotional capability is similar to that of a young child, this all makes sense and fits together, in my opinion.

Here’s a link to the study if you’d like more information -

https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-023-05217-y

01/15/2025

That pulling, chaotic, reactive walk that’s driving you crazy — it was created by way of countless moments of allowance of pushy, bratty, overly excited behavior that happened long before you ever hit the streets.

It’s like letting your kids be bratty, entitled monsters at home, because it’s not that big of a deal — and then heading out to a nice dinner and telling them they’d better behave.

Haha…

If you want a fighting chance at a nice, polite, enjoyable, and safe walk, it’s time to take a look at all the non-walk moments occurring between you and your dog and have an honest conversation with yourself about how it all looks.

While it’s possible, it’s wildly unlikely that you’ve got an amazingly well behaved dog in all other contexts, and yet your walk is a disaster. Everything matters, and everything is a conversation that either tells your dog there are rules and standards — and consequences for breaching them… or not.

If the walk is a mess, START with reversing/transforming the first 5 items on the above list — that’s a solid beginning. And then, when you’re ready to make some major positive changes, take a look at the final one, prepare yourself for a serious challenge, and then get to work.