Guter Hund Training

13/07/2023

Practicing off leash skills while disc golfing…this was day 4 on the Ecollar so her recall isn’t perfect but she’s making nice progress!

09/07/2023

When searching for trainers for their German shepherd and Great Dane, these owners were told by a “positive only” trainer that it would take 6 weeks to get their dogs walking nicely on a leash. This video was after one one-hour session learning how to use a prong collar (but before I had a chance to fit it to the dog- the one in the video is too low and loose). Training tools aren’t the enemy- they often make training much less stressful for dog and owner!

08/07/2023

Training doesn’t need to look fancy. Real life rarely is! And there’s no better teacher for impulse control than long, boring sessions while doing everyday things.

30/06/2023

Does your dog pass the one finger leash test?

Bailey is a 3 year old Portuguese water dog with some serious energy and drive. He easily overwhelms his owners and they’ve never been able to walk him without a gentle leader (and even then he still pulls).

Gentle leaders and easy walk harnesses are a bandaid fix; they reduce pulling because they’re uncomfortable for the dog. They do NOT teach a dog what leash pressure actually means or fix underlying obedience issues.

This is a quick walk we did after our first one hour session introducing the Ecollar. He has it on here but I never actually used it on this walk. Because we helped him to understand leash pressure and tune up his manners BEFORE the walk, his walk was much more pleasant!

22/06/2023

Otter’s going home video! In addition to his basic obedience shown in this video (come, heel, place, sit, down all with implied stays), we also worked on staying calm when greeting people, not torturing the cat, jumping in/out of the car, and going into the crate nicely. He was a star student and we’re going to miss him!

Otter was trained on an Ecollar as that is what his owner is familiar with. The Ecollar actually wasn’t used a single time in this video, but he’s been conditioned to it positively so that off leash training will be a breeze for him in the future!

19/06/2023

Sometimes grizzly the assistant can’t resist getting involved in training 😂

19/06/2023

We’re just over 24 hours into Otter’s board and train and he’s a star student! This 100 pound golden doodle needed some help with his manners and minding his large size. Luckily he’s the smartest, sweetest boy and his obedience is already looking much sharper. Ecollar training will give his owner much better control over his large size and personality and allow him lots of freedom and fun in life.

07/11/2022

Safe play: what does it look like? My dogs look and sound like they want to kill each other, is this normal?

Dogs playing can look a lot like dogs fighting, so here are 3 easy things to watch for when supervising play:

1. Relaxed body language
Both dogs should have loose body language. Play bows (butt in the air), whole body shaking, and extra sneezing are all signals of happy dogs that want to play. Rigid tails, side eye, and snarling are things to watch out for.

2. Equal submission
It’s natural for one dog to end up “on top” physically when playing, but if one is always on top, always the one to initiate, always the one to take the other one down…this can be a sign that the play isn’t wanted by both parties and one dog is bullying the other. It’s important that bigger dogs always adjust their roughness to the smaller dog, and both dogs should initiate play equally. Both dogs rolling on their backs at some point during play is a great sign.

3. Corrections are always taken
Whether from the other dog or the human supervising, dogs ALWAYS need to stop play when told. Every now and then a dog will bite too hard or clamp for too long; if the other dog yelps or wimpers it’s important that the dog in the wrong stops immediately and waits for the other dog to re-initiate. Same goes for a human stopping play. If your dogs recall isn’t good enough to stop mid play, then your dog hasn’t earned enough freedom to play unattended yet!

20/10/2022

Bruce’s going home video! Sweet Bruce is 50 pounds of pure wiggle and muscle. He just about pulled my arms off on our first walk and is the silliest boy you will ever meet. I’m so proud of the progress he has made not only with his obedience, but also with his confidence! He was very nervous about certain surfaces/places and now follows whoever is leading him confidently!

27/09/2022

Elsa’s going home video! By the end of a basic obedience board and train your dog will know sit, down, come, place, and heel, all with implied stays built in. I’ll also work through any behavioral issues they are dealing with. Elsa’s owner is a also a great student and will continue to work with her as she gets older to make these commands even more solid in the real world!

23/09/2022

We’ve been working on Elsa’s reactivity to new people/dogs/things. Here she is on an outing to a busy disc golf course!

09/09/2022

First session with sweet Elsa on her 10 day basic obedience board and train!

16/08/2022

Congrats Trigger on passing your AKC Canine Good Citizen test! He’s off to 7th grade English to be a therapy dog with mom.

29/05/2021

I will shout this from the rooftops until every dog owner hears it: off leash training is a GAME. CHANGER. Having off leash training doesn’t mean Lincoln will never be on a leash again (especially in public places) but it DOES give him the freedom to learn how to be a dog.

I could do hours of training with just me and Lincoln and he will never learn as much as he does 20 minutes running around with an older dog who can teach him manners. With reactive dogs if you just correct them all the time it takes much longer for them to learn than throwing them in with a well balanced dog who will give them pointed corrections when they’re playing too rough.

So sad we say goodbye to Lincoln tomorrow and SO proud of the progress he’s made!

26/05/2021

It’s the second full day of Lincoln’s week long board and train and he has been a star student! His owners have done an awesome job on his basic obedience over the past couple months, but he has some behavioral issues that are easier for a trainer to handle. This week we’re jumping straight into off leash ecollar training so the owners have more control inside, as well as tackling behavioral concerns like leash reactivity, fear of other dogs, resource guarding, and overall building confidence. Lincoln is a VERY sensitive dog both emotionally and physically, so I’m just using a flat collar and a 2 out of 7 on the ecollar (too light for most people to even feel). It’s important to be firm with a dog like this but also give lots of praise so they don’t shut down.

16/05/2021

Abby is a 4 year old Great Pyrenees mix. She’s the sweetest dog once she warms up to you, but her owner sought out training due to her skittish nature; new people and things were very scary for her. Today we took a field trip and I’m so proud of the progress she’s made! Her owner has put in lots of work to make her obedience really solid and it has lead to her making great strides.

20/04/2021

When people start dog obedience they always start with sit. But what you should really be starting with is leash pressure! Dogs have a natural opposition reflex; when they feel pressure they want to push back against it. Set your dog up for success at a young age by teaching them what leash pressure means so they will be more successful with all their other training. Not teaching leash pressure is why so many dogs pull on the leash as they get older!

19/04/2021

Looking to get an AKC evaluation for your dog? I’m an official AKC evaluator and can administer the CGC, CGC Urban, CGC Community, trick dog, and home manners tests. I also offer the CGC STAR Puppy class, find a few friends with dogs under 1 year and contact me to set up a weekly time.

06/04/2021

I’m currently at Tarheel K9 in NC to receive my certification in professional dog obedience. During the day I’ve mostly been working with pet dogs, but I also have chances to sneak over to the working K9s and experience what they do. Police K9s are BEASTS and I was honored to take my first bite from one in training!

13/03/2021

“Aggression” is a word that is way overused in the dog training world to describe unwanted behaviors towards people and dogs. The fact is that it’s very rare for aggressive behavior to actually have malicious intent. Unfortunately, many dog owners don’t know the difference between true aggression (dog wants to kill/harm another dog/human) and other unwanted behavior (fear, reactivity, dominance).
When Grizzly gets “aggressive” he pins the other dog with his front paws and barks VICIOUSLY. It sounds terrifying, but he doesn’t actually physically harm the other dog (except for the occasional scratch on the forehead). And as soon as I touch him he immediately shuts off without any redirection. Is this behavior okay? Definitely not. But is he a malicious dog? No, he’s just a jerk sometimes and needs reminders to behave himself.
I worked with a puppy this morning who was attacked at a young age and has pretty serious fear-reactivity around dogs. After working around grizzly and getting him more comfortable, he was still barking a lot. But his body language was relaxed and his bark was high-pitched, telling me that he had gone from fearful to curious and really just wanted to play. The dogs were able to meet several times without any issues.
All of this to say, if you’re not sure if “aggressive” behavior is a serious issue, a good sign is the amount of noise. A loud, noisy dog can be a jerk, but they aren’t likely to do much harm (why would they waste their time talking when they could be biting?). This video is a great example of true, malicious aggression. What you’ll notice is that besides some low growling right before, the dogs are pretty much silent while fighting. THAT is when you really are dealing with dangerous behavior. And as a result, both dogs had pretty serious bites. Another thing that Cesar does really well in this video is how he separates them safely (pull UP on the leash or OUT by the back legs) and then reintroduces the dogs almost immediately.
https://youtu.be/urcwhdqOulQ

Cesar Millan calls for medical attention. A pitbull and German Shepherd get into a violent fight after blood is spilled left and right. Veterinarians rush to...

09/03/2021

The weather is too beautiful not to train! Right now I’m focusing on getting grizzly to follow commands the first time they’re given at any distance. This sit-down motion is sometimes referred to as dog pushups. Try it with you dog to see if they really understand sit and can go from a down to a sit! Give the command clearly one time and then use body pressure to help them figure it out. After this exercise we worked on heeling with verbal commands only, no ecollar.

05/02/2021

This week I’ve been hanging out with Louise and Quincy, two very sweet, BIG golden retrievers. They just moved to the city after living on two acres, and have been having some pretty serious reactivity issues. Here’s what their owner said: “As for our walks they have been awful around people/dogs acting like fierce mean dogs. Good luck.”

Here’s a step by step of how I dealt with their reactivity:
1. Change to proper equipment. They were both on back clipping harnesses; this might help slightly with pulling but it umtimately gives you no control over their head and the rest of their body. I switched them to plastic pinch collars which evenly distributed pressure around the whole neck rather than all on the trachea.
2. Walk them separately to evaluate reactivity. Quincy was reactive towards dogs and Louise was a very strong puller.
3. Teach leash pressure and introduce corrections for reactivity.

Today I was able to take them both on a 40 minute walk. They certainly weren’t perfect but they were very manageable (even passing lots of dogs and people). I’m so proud of the progress they’ve made!

05/02/2021

Having a working dog who hasn’t been working has been such a good reminder that all dogs need mental and physical exercise every single day!

Amid statewide lockdowns, their daily activities have been put on hold – and their owners fear they won’t recover from it

02/02/2021

Is ANYTHING better than a good snow frolicking?!

15/11/2019

I’ve had a lot of interesting conversations lately with other dog owners about “bully breeds” (pit bulls, staffies, German shepherds, etc.). Let’s try to clear some things up.

1. ANY dog breed can be aggressive. Dogs are animals. Period. If they have traumatic experiences/injuries or are not properly trained, any dog, even a fluffy golden retriever, can be aggressive. That being said, certain breeds are absolutely more prone to aggression. Grizzlys aggression comes out in dominance stand offs- this comes from him being half coonhound (a hunting breed). Dogs like German shepherds are VERY loyal but that can also make them VERY protective of their owner, for better or for worse. The point is every breed has some quirk that could be a problem for them, it’s your job as the owner to research what breed you have and what problems could arise BEFORE they come up.

2. “All the pitties I’ve seen are such cuddly sweethearts! Why are there so many bans on them?” The problem is not pit bulls. The problem is owners who don’t know how to properly handle pit bulls. (Read those last two sentences until they sink in). An apartment complex that is concerned for the safety of their residents can’t make a rule that says “no irresponsible owners of bully breeds who don’t know how to handle their dog”. How on earth would they enforce that? So instead they ban the dog instead of the owner.
Again, this isn’t because the dogs are inherently aggressive. It’s because when one IS aggressive, these dogs are MUCH more dangerous than most other breeds. Is an aggressive chihuahua the most annoying thing you’ve ever seen? Absolutely. But is this annoying chihuahua going to put someone in the hospital with a serious injury if it does lash out? Very unlikely. This distinction is where people get confused. Because of how strong these breeds are (and they’re large size), they become dangerous much more quickly than a lot of other breeds that just aren’t as strong and can be physically overpowered by most humans.

3. One of the most frustrating things about this topic is that people who mean well for these dogs are often the ones causing the problems. People see a super cute staffie puppy at the pound and think they’re doing a great service to the world by adopting it. If you have experience with these breeds and are willing to put the time/money into proper training, awesome. You’ll be a great match and will probably help that puppy to be an awesome dog. If you’re a first time dog owner who’s only getting that German Shepherd because of its cute floppy ears and aren’t going to have the time to properly train it, you’re doing a huge disservice to yourself and the dog.
These breeds can be some of the best trained dogs out there; there’s a reason most police dogs are Shepherds/malinois. With the proper training, and arguably more important, the proper handling, they are incredibly intelligent and loyal breeds. Without these things, they are destructive and dangerous to those around them.

TLDR: Certain dog breeds aren’t the problem, people are. Don’t adopt one without doing you’re research first (no matter what the breed), and never judge a dog by its appearance.