Empower Dog Training

26/08/2021

Veterans are a step closer to receiving the mental health/medical care they deserve!

Rory Diamond, CEO of K9s for Warriors, says for the first time in American history, the VA can pay for service dogs for veterans with PTSD.

05/05/2021

Have you ever described your dog as hypervigilant? If so, give this podcast a listen! It happens to be by two of my favorite trainers, Hannah Branigan and Leslie McDevitt.

https://hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/135/?fbclid=IwAR3r2wpL-R4t0l4hjsZA1eMazBkCailD64MNbGYDXW7iVCPBA9sIy_I5cn0

Podcast #135: Helping Hypervigilant Dogs with Leslie McDevitt Drinking from the Toilet: Real Dogs, Real Training · #135: Helping Hypervigilant Dogs with Leslie McDevitt Guest: Leslie McDevitt Leslie McDevitt, MLA, CDBC, CPDT-KA, is the author of the internationally popular Control Unleashed series ...

04/05/2021

Unfortunately, it's not just "all about how you raise them". Breed sure isn't everything but it does matter. Did you know the corgis have been bred to herd cattle? That means they are meant to spend the day working physically and mentally. No wonder they get bored and destructive after a day home alone!

https://www.facebook.com/RotNDogTraining/photos/a.779707338747034/4185842564800144/

I cannot stress enough about researching a breed before you acquire the dog. Knowing WHY a certain breed was created in the first place can help you understand and prepare for specific behavior challenges that you may face in the future.

For example, this is Appa, a young Central Asian Shepherd (aka CAS). The CAS is a livestock guardian dog. They were bred for generations to protect livestock, such as sheep and goats, from predators. This means that they were selectively bred to accept “their circle” and nothing or no one else. In order to perform their job, they have to be observant of the environment and notice even the slightest of changes. Any CAS who failed at their job, would not be bred. Any CAS who succeeded at their job was bred to pass those genetic traits down. It is literally in their DNA - especially from breeding lines where the focus is still for working lines. You cannot remove or change genetics in a dog!

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What does this mean for a CAS who is purchased solely as a pet? They will likely become protective of their home and yard, they will likely be wary or untrusting to strangers and other dogs, they may be hyper vigilant, and they may be more prone to resource guarding. Getting a CAS and expecting them to act like a golden retriever is a grave mistake. Early training and socialization is imperative, especially since they are usually 100lbs plus. Yet sometimes, you can do a ton of socialization as a puppy, and still end up with these genetic traits once they hit adulthood - around 3 years of age.

If you’d like to learn more about your chosen breed, or future breed, including what they were bred for and what behavior challenges you may face, I highly recommend the book “Meet Your Dog” by Kim Brophy.

Knowing your breed is the first step in responsible ownership.

03/05/2021

ALL DOGS ARE GOOD DOGS

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialShoebox/photos/a.85326341565/10154340332216566/

Guess that answers that question.

03/05/2021

⚠️⚠️NEW CLASS ALERT⚠️⚠️

Does your dog lunge and bark when he sees other dogs on walks? What about squirrels, bikes, or children playing? If so, this 10-week hybrid course might be perfect for you!

The course is a combination of private training (three hours of one-on-one instruction, customized training plans, and access to the trainer and exclusive content) and group classes (two mini-class sessions with only two dog-handler teams & four full-group class sessions with six teams) for real-world practice.

The course is $350. All sessions will be individually scheduled aside from the four full-group class sessions in Ferndale, MI on Thursdays at 7:30pm.

To learn more or sign up, click here: https://www.empowerdogtraining.com/hybrid-group-class

If you are interested in the course but are unable to register at this time, please click here to take a survey so I can best accommodate you: https://forms.gle/44ZNEz2zXZmiu2BB8

Photo of Mr. Darcy on his perch for tax:

01/05/2021

And finally, part 3! If dog breeds were people:

jonny devaney () has created a short video on TikTok with music original sound. | If dog breeds were people part 3! | German Shepherd | If dog breeds were people pt 3 | Bernese Mountain Dog | ...

29/04/2021

YES PLEASE

28/04/2021

There's a part two! If dog breeds were people:

jonny devaney () has created a short video on TikTok with music original sound. | Reply to | Samoyed | If dog breeds were people pt 2 | Great Dane | ...

27/04/2021

It pays to be to be patient, structured, and positive with your training. Just look at how much progress was made here!

https://fb.watch/55PnU1F8V9/

26/04/2021

If dog breeds were people - part 1