Central Texas Dog Trainer

19/03/2025

Congratulations to Phoenix, who went home yesterday. Phoenix is a very enthusiastic and energetic golden retriever puppy who loves to play, but was also a disaster to walk on a leash. I’m happy to report she went home walking very nicely on a leash, and i received a nice message from her owner this morning (attached) they did their first walk today practicing all of the conditioning exercises we teach and it appears to have gone well.

23/02/2025

Is your pup stressing out when you leave? 🐶 Learn how to help your dog overcome separation anxiety with our expert tips and strategies! Read more here: https://wix.to/RixV4Q7

What is Separation Anxiety?Separation anxiety is not merely a case of your dog whining or whimpering when you leave the house. Dogs with separation anxiety have full-blown episodes of panic and distress when you leave your home – to the degree that they will do anything to get to you, including es...

13/01/2025

Posting an old video of a training session with Maggie, a lovely little GSP from a few years ago. (b/c I need to free up space on my computer.)

The following example video shows a training session with a nice little GSP named Maggie who was to become a GunDog. Maggie came in with a lot of energy and some anxiety but made great progress. The the video shows some on and off-leash skills and the remainder of the video shows what I call the inside board work skills portion of the training program. In this video, we are using Maggie's food to lure, position, and reward her. After she has the hang of it reliably and can do it all off-leash, we fade the food. Despite the fact that Maggie is going to be a working dog, I prefer my training to be as fun, low-stress, and positive as possible. Because she came in with some anxiety and training itself is stressful, we work hard on building skills and confidence simultaneously.

You will see in this video some basic conceptual awareness of Whoa and moving left and right (preparatory to her going on to do quartering-type training in the field.) We also demonstrate some basic steadiness in sustained sit and place.

I don't do the gundog portion so I cannot proof or fully advance the gundog skills as I live in the city (and those typically involve working with and even shooting live birds, something neighbors from NY and CA won't look too kindly on.) So, I only introduce the concepts that a future gundog trainer can pick up on and work with.

This video was not originally intended as a public demo video, but was instead for a customer update. It's also 4 years old now fyi.

https://youtu.be/EvmH_EnxMsg

The following example video shows a training session with a nice little GSP named Maggie who was to go on to become a GunDog. Maggie came in with a lot of en...

02/01/2025

It's that time of year! Puppies for Christmas! As a christmas gift, I've published large parts of our puppy manual on our website which you can find here:

https://www.centraltexasdogtrainer.com/post/so-you-have-a-new-puppy-this-is-what-you-need-to-know

Let me know if you have any questions below!

Congratulations on your new puppy!Having new puppy can be a challenging, but rewarding experience. I'm posting this guide to help both new and experienced dog owners get a good start on owning and raising a well adjusted dog. This article assumes that you have brought home an 8-week-old puppy, howev...

23/12/2024

Congratulations to Rio, who went home on Saturday. Rio came in with a large number of anxiety-driven behaviors. She went home much more comfortable, less nervous, and with a lot more confidence when working in different environments, not to mention obedience skills! Proud of this little monkey!

05/11/2024

Yes another note about Rusty, trained in 2023. Rusty’s owner wanted him to be a well-rounded dog who could point and fetch as he is hoping to make him his bird dog for hunting. He also specificed that place training, fetch, and loud sounds are things he'll need to be comfortable with. I also want him to know to stay close to my hip (right side) while walking so I know where he is while out hunting. I'm starting/planning to take him to/near capital city clays to give him exposure to shotgun noises (slowly get closer. I encouraged him not to do that). He wanted distance control and recall over him with an e-collar using tone and hand signals.

Some Behavioral problems were: digs in the yard, Doesn't come when called, Jumps on furniture, Nuisance barker / whiner, Pulls on the leash, Urinates when excited or afraid. Generally doesn’t listen.

We worked with Rusty on all of the obedience, sustained positioning, basic casting, basic introduction to whoa, introduction to whistle and hand signals, and started with basic hold conditioning and retrieving to hand (previously on a retrieve he would drop whatever was in his mouth.)

In a text message discussion about hunting training techniques his owner commented.

“He’s probably the best-behaved dog I’ve ever owned, and am hoping that trajectory will continue.”

05/11/2024

Another recent note I got regarding a previous GSP named MIla that I trained in 2022. Mila came in b/c she was “uncontrollable,” “didn’t listen,” Aggressive towards dogs, Bolts through open doors, Digs in the yard, Doesn't come when called, Jumps on furniture, Jumps on people, Pulls on the leash, Urinates when excited or afraid. All issues we resolved.

There is no better job satisfaction that getting messages like this.

"Btw, Mila, who you trained, is the greatest dog I’ve ever had"

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05/11/2024

I love getting progress notes from owners wrt their dogs after they have gone home. Here is one I received today.

Piper, a 6 month old Brittany came in to the B&T program in October. Piper came in because if let out off-leash she’d run away and not come back, she pulled on a leash, was biting and nipping the kids!

Here is what he sent, the picture below and the following note:

Took Piper out in the field yesterday. She did great. It was truly amazing to watch her roam. She naturally heeled until I released her to go find birds, and she always came back when I called her. She’s not biting the kids either. Thanks again for all your help with her.

30/10/2024

Rico is off leash and doing more than ever thought possible before!

18/10/2024

Rico Suave smoothly demonstrates why he's the sweetest bestest behaved dog 🥰

13/10/2024

Rico was a highly anxious and timid dog, so it's amazing to see him proud and unafraid here 📸

12/10/2024

Rico was a full package of do-whatever-I-want, but after a few days with my trainer Jarad, he's learned to accept guidance with some pressure without being easily overwhelmed. If you knew this dog before, you know his behavior here is pretty astounding. I'm proud of him, he's really trying!

02/10/2024

Hello Folks. I've recorded a version of my Send-Home lesson, with explanations and demonstrations of the conditioning exercises and proper leash handling techniques.

A nod and thanks to Harper's mom (They are on the thumbnail.) Let me know if y'all have any questions or if there was something you felt I forgot to cover. And, please like and subscribe to the YT channel :)

(Warning, There are some cheesy old hunting training videos on there where I was just having fun/goofing off with my dogs. Some may be cringy and overly dramatic! Just my old man sense of humor. Thanks!)

https://youtu.be/9swNTpEzDFo

01/10/2024

Please give a big Congratulations to Pepper and her Family. Pepper went home yesterday and did great. Super nice dog owned by super nice people.

04/09/2024

Please have a look at my most recent blog post that covers the Normalization and Desensitization process for Dogs

https://wix.to/nKXhlMR

Desensitization is the process of gradually exposing a dog to a trigger that causes a negative reaction, such as fear or anxiety, at a low level of intensity. The goal is to reduce the dog’s emotional response over time by making the trigger seem less threatening or important.Normalization refers ...

03/06/2024

Congratulations to Zepplin! Zepplin is a young, high energy working line German Shepherd that was rescued at a young age from an abusive situation. As a result, he had some particular needs, but he came through the program like a scamp... err I mean champ 🤣

03/06/2024

Congratulations to Dixie and her Huuuuman! Dixie is a very energetic lab from Austin who went home to an impressed papa.