Pepper came for a training refresher due to her dog reactivity becoming severe. We ended her short stay with us on a fun note.
Recall. When it matters, it really matters.
Teaching any command is essentially just building muscle memory for an action or behavior, then putting it on cue.
Do it in that order and your dog will have a much more reliable command in the long run.
Working on duration commands around distractions with Gunner today
I've done this for a really long time now. Over a decade ago I learned a very valuable lesson. Dog training should be fun. If it's not, what's the point?
Yes, your dog needs to listen to you reliably. But what you'll find (if you care enough to try) is that when you put in the effort to have fun with your dog the reliability aspect of your training skyrockets in a way that's impossible to replicate if you are relying on corrections and punishment to get your dog to listen.
Learn to use playfulness as the foundation of your training and I can promise you that you'll get paid dividends.
When you give your trainer a new camera and she hasn't figured out how to work it lol
The obedience portion of dog training is meant to give you the tools to teach your dog how to live a free and happy life. People rely on it as a means to coerce control far too much. Sure, there are plenty of times where the need to exercise a high level of control are necessary. Walking near traffic, navigating through crowded areas with other people or other dogs, taking your dog to a restaurant patio etc.
If you want to see a truly happy dog though, you gotta let them run free and be a dog sometimes. Happy training guys.
