Spartan K9

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15/04/2024

So what you’re seeing here is two dogs who are conditioned to look to me for guidance while we are off leash outside. It all started with f***y pack, a long line and my movement.

These two really wouldn’t take any food rewards when they were young and it took impeccable consistency on leash pressure, which I’ve talked a lot about here, and my body language to create behaviors that the girls know I need them to follow.

With the leash I could always get what I wanted using movement to guide them but another big thing with them was not coming down with a bunch of technical obedience all the time. If I rushed this too early they could easily have been squashed because I didn’t have great motivation.

We’ve worked together since August with our unlimited program and they’ve had great skills for a while but we’re really seeing the dogs totally accept all these things, and be happy about it as they’re growing up. A happy dog that KNOWS what I want through clarity is what I want. This will get you a dog that intrinsically listens to what you want anywhere.

24/02/2024

This is a follow up to the last video where I talk about how creating engagement with yourself, around the things that trigger reactiveness from the dogs, is key.

The only reason she is taking food from me is because she knows she has to give into the leash. I’m pressuring her into motivation. We start small and build up. These barking dogs were right in the sweet spot of what she could handle.

A simplified outlook is get the distractions you want to work on just far enough away that your dog can be successful and then stair step that up. But remember, if it’s not perfect in the classroom with just you and the dog before working on distractions then you’re setting yourself and your dog up for failure.

31/01/2024

To anyone who is seeing my content and wishing to get involved with my training programs but not located in my area, I have a way for you to do so!

I’m now offering a FaceTime overview session that goes into all the details of what I do from start to finish! It is especially beneficial with puppies because you’re starting with a blank slate. This being said I also go over any issues or training goals for dogs of all ages! Any dog can start their training journeys at any point! Dogs are individuals and we train them as such.

Message me here or by phone at (586) 336 9458 and start your training today!

17/01/2024

Here at Spartan K9 I offer RESULTS based IN HOME dog training. It’s like door dash delivery but for your dogs well being

I genuinely want to help all dog owners, so contact me here for training and at the very least vent to me about the issues your having or maybe the optimistic goals you are looking forward too and I’ll tell you whatever you want! There’s no secrets in dog training!

Spartan K9 offers the Most personable dog training all the way from Wilmington to Jacksonville with GUARANTEED results!
17/01/2024

Spartan K9 offers the Most personable dog training all the way from Wilmington to Jacksonville with GUARANTEED results!

05/11/2023

ENGAGEMENT is everything! A dog that is choosing to interact with you over their environment is going to be perfectly obedient and happy to be.

I want to take out any friction between any commands I give my dogs, especially when I’m out in the world. There’s a process to build this engagement and I’ve had quite a few videos on this, start with FOCUS.

Dogs will not be able to take rewards if they’re stressed and over stimulated so when you see a dog that does have good engagement that means they are genuinely stress free and I often say that anxiety is the number one killer or obedience. This is because natural feelings of stress can hijack the decision making process and not allow them to “trust” me and my commands.

A dog that’s having fun that’s centered around you will make for good time.

If this sounds like something you want for then contact me here or at (586) 336 9458 and unlock the potential of a life full of freedom for your dog!

31/10/2023

The tool for teaching a dog OBLIGATION or “you have to respond to my command” is a leash.
First we teach what the leash means, then we pair the sensation of slight leash pressure to turning on when I give a command and turning off when the dogs completed the command. If there’s still slight tension, the dog knows they still have something to do.
This is all done in an environment where the leash pressure has nothing to do with “making” them do it. I’ve already trained it and I know the dog will do it.
What this does is allow me to increase the pressure of the leash, like an attention getting pop, and the dogs equate that to a specific task. Your dog HAS to have done this hundreds, or better yet, thousands of times on a daily basis before we start to hold them accountable in more distracting environments.
Remember to make this fair, I make sure the dog listens to the leash EVERY-TIME by using it with intention and in environments the dog CAN be successful in. Motivation via food and toys is the key to this and unlocking your dogs motivation in stimulating environments is the puzzle. We have the answers to that puzzle.
Reach out for in person with me or inquire about my online services!

30/10/2023

Why won’t my dog walk nicely on a leash like they usually do when we see another dog?!!

Because your dog DOESN’T KNOW they can’t! Dogs learn they have to respond to the leash by ALWAYS responding to it. Sounds simple, and impossible right? No, it just means YOU have to be intentional when you use a leash. Start small, and start with a long line. If your dog pulls, even slightly with any consistency when they’re on their normal leash you are training them, very specifically, that they CAN ignore the leash whenever they want.

Go look at some of my leash pressure videos to find out how to train this! Reach out if you want my help in person, or online!

29/10/2023

DURATION is a pillar of obedience. If I tell my dog to down, I want them to intrinsically stay there. I don’t have to tag the word stay to let my dog know they have to stay in a behavior. Consistency does that.

A good way to start this is by having good engagement and making the “STAY” the fun part. Making it about the release will be the fastest way to have a dog that is all amped up in a stay. I see it all the time and that’s the last thing you want.

We are reinforcing a state of mind as well as training our formal rules. Nice and simply, with fun.

27/10/2023

Here is a good look at how initial training starts. I want to build engagement through food and movement. Remember that a dog that’s paying attention to you because they want to has 100% obedience.

We always start in an environment with no distractions when the dogs want food. Hand feeding a dog most of their food, or all of it, is a huge benefit because it creates tangible value in you.

Yes you love your dog but they will ditch you for deer p**p in a heart beat so think of yourself as a vending machine when starting. Teaching them they have to listen comes when they are trained. Food, movement and fun are you best friends. Condition those markers too and don’t forget that it’s verbal queue, pause, then extending the hand or they’ll never learn the word!

17/10/2023

This is very important, but small and easy to skip over.

To teach a command word we have to ALREADY have a dog trained on the behavior fully.

The saying goes “Name it when you love it”.
Dogs are brilliant because they have a very strong sense of pattern prediction.

Here’s the process as simply as I can put it.
1. Build the mechanics of the behavior, mostly by using your food lure and movements to get the dogs to heel, down, sit ect. Create muscle memory
2. Fade out the amount of physical guidance they need, using their motivation for the food to learn to figure it out
3. Break it down to the most simple physical queue (^lure hand on the hip is all she gets)
4. Add your word, pause, give her the queue

When the dog does enough reps, they will hear the word and predict your physical gesture and therefore do the behavior. MAKING THE DOGS WANT TO IS KEY.

There your dog knows the word!

16/08/2023

Here I’m working a brand new puppy on our basic luring skills! This is her first day out with me and you can see her desire for food is carrying her a long way.

She doesn’t know the rules of the game yet, she’s just following her instincts to follow movement and eat food. Duration on focus is what I want to build first.

You see she checks out a lot. I make some silly noise and move quicker and that draws her back in. IT IS MY JOB to create that duration, that’s how we teach. Im using both my hands to keep her engaged reward after reward. It’s like laying a track. You can see it’s also my job to do most of the movement for her too. We are building muscle memory, nothing more in this session. That comes later.

Shout out to Honey for being such a cute helper!

09/08/2023

DRIVE CONTROL

This right here is the key to elevating your obedience with your dogs at home. Now we know all dogs won’t play like this but if you develop this early then that’s always best.

We teach 2-6+ year old dogs to do this all the time but the dogs have to want it.

Drive capping is when we can put our dogs into obedience while they are stimulated. What we are doing here is MOTIVATING this. I always teach a dog what I expect out of them in a fun way way before I hold them to that standard. How does the dog know what I want if they haven’t done it???

This is key! With this dog, it took some time investment to get him to do it outside around distractions like you’re seeing here. It HAS to come from the dog, you can not force a dog to take a reward.

As Tyrion gets older we will have great, motivated, obedience around all the things that most dogs fail around. It’s a process and you can’t skip steps and rush this.

That’s why I’m so passionate about puppy training. So many training places treat them like fully trained adult dogs and correct them like they’ve done all the work prior, just to get them done and sent home. We don’t do that here.

If you’d like to develop the best relationship with your dog and unlock all the freedoms that come with that, for you AND your dog, then contact me here or via phone @ (586) 336 9458

24/07/2023

Hey everyone! Chopper and I are back visiting Michigan for a bit and are available next week if anyone wants to get some sessions in! Once choppers done sleeping in the clover fields….

If you’ve not worked with me yet and want to accomplish the things you’ve seen here at Spartan K9, I have a very comprehensive crash course visit that I offer where I evaluate the dog’s individually and lay out a personal training program for you to follow. With hands explanation of any and all issues or wishes you may have with your pet. We take as much time as needed to help you start off your dog training journey and follow up with as much support as you’d like!

Text me, Steve, @ (586) 336 9458 to set up your sessions!

05/07/2023

Are you going to see fireworks tonight?

Chopper and I enjoyed some last night with our loved ones in Surf City at the Independence Day Festival. fireworks were a new experience for him.

What can we do to help our dogs work through new experiences? Keep them ENGAGED.

I had confidence in him to work through it on the spot. Chopper initial reaction was “What the heck is going on dad?” with wide eyes 👀

I was on the look out for this type of reaction so we immediately popped up and I started engaging with Chopper. When he focused on me, he got a reward (treats!). This is how we reinforce the behaviors we want and this case, it was calmness.

When do we start preparing for this situation? July 5th (we’re starting prep for 2024 folks!) If your dog has an adverse reaction to fire works we have to go through a process called “counter conditioning”. We have to supersede our dogs negative reaction to fireworks (or any other phobia) for a positive one.

The amount of time it takes a dog to work through this is based on them as individuals. It’s what I call dog therapy which means the dog being helped truly has to feel totally different than they did before and you can’t make them do that.

There’s a process and it works. We will hit it on another post.

If you guys need help with your dogs phobias and build the best relationship with your dogs, then let’s get in touch. Message me here or contact me at (586) 336-9458.

Happy 4th everyone 🇺🇸

23/06/2023

ENGAGEMENT IS EVERYTHING

So I preach this a lot. If your dog WANTS to do what you tell them to do, even when out in public around distractions, then you have a completely obedient dog. Simple. Why not use this??

There’s is a lot that goes into this. Explaining to dogs that they can’t just disengage when they’d like to is actually a huge part of building this drive, with all dogs.

It’s like this.

If my dog wants to see the other dog more than the reward I have, then they will go reward themselves with the other dog.

Salwa here would do this. HOWEVER, Salwa knows that I’ve told her not to do this and she accepts it because she understands what obligation is. (You can watch my video on Pressure in dog training for more) Now since she can’t go up to the dog she may as well take the reward I have EVEN if it’s less valuable. Now you show this to a dog consistently and all the sudden they could care less about the dogs close to them because they haven’t been rewarded by them and are happy to take what you have.

Some dogs have higher drive and it makes it easier but there is a system to do this with ALL dogs. It comes from understanding, like every thing else.

As always, if you’d like build the best possible relationship between you and your dog that gives you the freedom to live an awesome life together, then contact me here or via the phone @ (586) 336 9458

Go have fun with your dogs!

19/06/2023

Here’s a glimpse and me and Tinsel having some fun together. She’s a young puppy that loves to get distracted. When we are working however, she fundamentally UNDERSTANDS that she can’t just blow it off and go do other things.

The key is knowledge here. You have to break down obligation to a dog. Why would an animal think they have to sit when you tell them too? If you have a reward, of course, but what about when they want something else?

In the pet dog training world, this is the key. The working dogs have enough desire to cruise through most things when done right. You’re still teaching them obligation but you have their drive on your side.

Getting a pet dog that has lived a life of no real obligation, who may or may not take treats from you, is a whole other thing entirely.

As far as Tinsel here, I can have her off a leash because she’s reliable. If there’s a dog, a person, or a car, I know that when I tell her to come to me and Heel she will. This makes my dogs life exponentially better. I can’t imagine having a dog not doing this as a base line. Having that allows them and I SO much freedom to enjoy everyday. It allows the dogs to be dogs!

If you’re looking for this, then you’ve found the place to get it. When I work with clients I make sure they get results. We don’t do cookie clutter training and we don’t just do one or two in home visits to “pass off” training. Our training is in home and you’re part of it.

Message here or via phone @ (586) 336 9458

22/05/2023

Harnessing a dog’s drive is paramount in bite sports as well as with our pet dogs at home. Every dog has drive and having a dog that does the things they want WITH us is better then with out.

Here we are teaching Selwa that her favorite past time of biting, is turned on and off through her handler.

You can see her out is super quick. That’s all because she wants to spit it out as soon as she possibly can, because that’s how the fun begins again. This is a happy dog that is in control because it’s the most fun way of doing things.

Scotty Red

10/03/2023

Selwa started on her bite as soon as she got home. To her, it’s all a game. Being able to channel all of her drive into a controllable routine gives me the ability to get awesome obedience in highly distracting environments as she gets older.

She’s learning that wherever we are, her and I are on our own little island and all she has to do is focus on me and play.

There’s 3 rules to using toys with obedience.

1. The dog totally understands the command I’m using the toy to motivate and I’ve phased out my physical guidance for them to perform it. (Hold the toy, say the word and the dog does it. Little to no help)

2. The dog will enthusiastically hit the toy whenever I bring it out.

3. The dog will give me the toy willingly on queue.

All of this allows me to tell my dog what to do, reward them for doing it, and then put them right back into obedience.

Fun is the name of the game with any technical obedience!

24/02/2023

THE KEY TO A DOG THAT LISTENS WHEN THEY DON’T WANT TO

OK, so you guys may have seen that I’ve done other videos on leash pressure but I think Roxy here is a good showcase. Just a few sessions ago she was a TENACIOUS puller. She wouldn’t even look at me and she wouldn’t give up when she wanted to go sniff and p*e on everything.

So my goal with her was, like all the dogs, get her to focus on me because she wants too. Now she wouldn’t take any food when she was outside so what did I do? I pressured motivation.

Through LOTS of turns and movement, I calmly enforced leash pressure and reigned her in. Any time she would disengage to pull on the leash and not know where I was, I had already turned 180 and was on the move. This forced her to have an idea of where I was. She couldn’t pull the opposite way because I kept my pace and just took her with me.

I’ll cover exactly what that looks like in another video. Long story short I proved to her that if the leash was taught even slightly, she was coming with it no matter what.

This allowed her to accept this and because the whole world wasn’t at her finger tips, she thought she might as well take some treats. Now at the same time I gave her a lot of freedom on the leash. She could go in front, behind, to the side, she could sniff, AS LONG AS THE LEASH WAS COMPLETELY LOOSE.

Through time and repetition, she now accepts that and is happy about it. She gets the best of both worlds. She gets to be a dog, and she found out I’m a pretty fun friend to be with. Now I have a dog who is genuinely down for what we do on a leash.

UNDERSTANDING AND TEACHING achieved this, not forceful correction. Now you can correct dogs, technically any time the leash is not loose it’s a “correction”, but I mean deterrent level corrections. You can only do that when a dog is perfectly trained before hand.

Anyways, that’s Roxy’s story thus far. She is the type of dog that would run 5 miles away if she slipped out of the door. So check up on her and see her journey to becoming an off leash rockstar so that she can enjoy her dog life like only off leash dogs can.

10/01/2023

Learn how to communicate and start your dogs education

TEACHING MARKERS

So we all know that giving a dog food when they do something makes them do it again and therefore we think that they are learning what we want them to. Now that can be right, however, you have to capture the behavior the exact second that the desirable behavior is given. Now how can I feed my dog to reinforce a behavior from a distance? Markers.

For example, I am huge on teaching dogs to look at me from any distance when I make a sound. Now if the dog looks and but I don’t mark that at the exact second their head turns to me, then I’ve missed my opportunity to teach. Timing is easier said then done.

Now these markers have to specifically be learned through repetition first before they have any sort of value. I tend to use “Yes” as my terminal marker and “Good” for my duration marker. I also use “Nope” to mark an in correct behavior (not my conditioned punisher or “Correction word” like No) but we will talk about that another time.

So priming our markers. I tend to say do 500 Yes markers and your dog will have a strong attachment but you may see lots of progression in just the fist session. A key to this is separation. Alway say your verbal component then follow with your body movement. At first the dogs will only react to the physical movement of your hand and that’s totally ok. Do not wait for them to pop up out of a sit when you say yes, they don’t know it yet!

What happens is the dogs grasp the concept that every time I hear this Yes I anticipate being freed and getting a reward and they act on it. That’s what I absolutely need to see for me to expect my dog to listen to any of my words. It’s easy to think your dog know sit. To test this stand still, say the word potatoe, and the dog will sit because that’s typically what we do when we give them any type of food reward.

But anyways guys, make sure you do this because it is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY for your dogs to learn.

Go have fun with the dogs!

Contact Steve at (586) 336 9458 for personalized in home training or infer about online options

30/12/2022

OFF LEASH DECISION MAKING

Saftey is obviously of the utmost importance and it’s up to us to teach our dogs the things that will keep them safe.

In this example it’s don’t step onto the road with out a clear release.

It starts with us showing the dogs this. That’s why all the foundation work we do is important. What you are seeing here is the work of leash pressure being connected to my voice. My NO is the same thing as a leash and we alway listen to the leash.

You see I didn’t have to tell him the first time and that’s a big point. We’ve done this time and time again and he expects me to give him the signal to stop so he does it himself. That’s conditioning. Off leash control is all about our dogs making good decisions by themselves.

I always say, tell your dogs until you don’t have to anymore. However, you can see I immediately gave my dog my verbal input the second that I needed to and he responded instantly to it. Reps and reps of this is what makes your dog fundamentally understand our boundaries.

This works the same way with other things like seeing dogs, squirrels, people ect. Even if I don’t tell you no, you can’t disengage from me and go to any outside distractions with out a clear release first.

As the handler of our dogs it is OUR JOB to lead our dogs ALWAYS. If you want your dog to listen in all environments be consistent in all environments.

Go have fun with your dogs and be safe!

28/12/2022

LURE WORK: The key to teaching Technique

So this is part 2 of the last video. Here I demonstrate how I begin lure training with very young dogs. This also translates to dogs of all ages, the little puppies tend to be bit slower and less focused though.

What you are trying to accomplish is that your dog knows to follow your hand tightly so that we can begin to build muscle memory for our different obedience commands.

Luring changes from a “I see food I’m going to try and grab it from your hand as soon as I can” to “I follow your hand with my nose and that is what will make you give me the food.”

Always start by feeding them one by one in quick succession in the beginning so that when the dogs get a piece they immediately continue following for another instead of checking out instantly after one reward.

If the puppy is following your hand well then your making important progress.

26/12/2022

START THIS WITH YOUR PUPPY NOW

Back to Focus. I’ve already posted a video about this but it really is the foundation of EVERYTHING. At its core, telling a dog to do anything at all takes them actually receiving the information. Here is a look at a brand new puppy learning this.

The question of when to start training pops up all the time. I find that many people think that training a 2-3 month puppy isn’t important and that is nonsense! This is where we shape our dog’s perception of the world! We have a clean slate and we want to normalize the behaviors we want to see later on. As you can see they’re more then capable. At 4 months old we will have dogs flying around doing the same thing that our adult dogs do, however there’s very different parameters with a puppy vs a trained adult dog. Don’t treat them like they’re mature adults bc they aren’t.

At this age they are just babies and I don’t expect a whole lot from them. However when i expect a dog to do something, they have to do it. I don’t hold puppies to that but you’ll see most of the time they do do it! If you can create a habit of paying attention to you to get their daily food then you are setting yourself up for success. If I could only do one thing with a dog this would absolutely be it.

If you’ve just brought in a new member of the family or are looking to enrich the relationship with the dog you have now then reach out to Steve here or at
(586) 336 9458 and ask about our in home training or online training options!

Merry Christmas everyone!

26/12/2022

Merry Christmas everybody! 🎄

16/12/2022

I will be in Michigan through the new year so to all my former clients, contact me if you’d like to get together for some check in sessions!

To anyone else that is looking into dog training, I’m offering sessions where I go in depth on the entirety of my training process with the intent to set you up to train your dogs with my guidance and offer up follow on consultations through out your training journeys!

Text Steve at (586) 336 9458 or message me here!

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Videos

Off Leash Control with the Husky Twins
Off Leash Control with the Husky Twins

So what you’re seeing here is two dogs who are conditioned to look to me for guidance while we are off leash outside. It all started with fanny pack, a long line and my movement. These two really wouldn’t take any food rewards when they were young and it took impeccable consistency on leash pressure, which I’ve talked a lot about here, and my body language to create behaviors that the girls know I need them to follow. With the leash I could always get what I wanted using movement to guide them but another big thing with them was not coming down with a bunch of technical obedience all the time. If I rushed this too early they could easily have been squashed because I didn’t have great motivation. We’ve worked together since August with our unlimited program and they’ve had great skills for a while but we’re really seeing the dogs totally accept all these things, and be happy about it as they’re growing up. A happy dog that KNOWS what I want through clarity is what I want. This will get you a dog that intrinsically listens to what you want anywhere. #dog #dogtraining #dogtrainer #dogtrainingtips #k9 #k9training #k9trainer #puppy #puppytraining #puppytrainingtips #belgianmalinois #malinois #maligator #gsd #germanshepherd #germanshepherds #germanshepherdpuppy #dogeducation #rescuedog #behaviormodification #dogtherapy #spartank9

This is a follow up to the last video where I talk about how creating engagement with yourself, around the things that trigger reactiveness from the dogs, is key. The only reason she is taking food from me is because she knows she has to give into the leash. I’m pressuring her into motivation. We start small and build up. These barking dogs were right in the sweet spot of what she could handle. A simplified outlook is get the distractions you want to work on just far enough away that your dog can be successful and then stair step that up. But remember, if it’s not perfect in the classroom with just you and the dog before working on distractions then you’re setting yourself and your dog up for failure. #dog #dogtraining #dogtrainer #dogtrainingtips #k9 #k9training #k9trainer #puppy #puppytraining #puppytrainingtips #belgianmalinois #malinois #maligator #gsd #germanshepherd #germanshepherds #germanshepherdpuppy #dogeducation #rescuedog #behaviormodification #dogtherapy #spartank9

I’ve worked with a lot of leash reactive dogs and I find to truly get rid of this behavior you need the dogs to feel totally comfortable and safe around the things they’re typically reactive to. Plain and simply, I want a dog that can do what we’re doing in this video while there trigger is in the picture. If the dogs isn’t comfortable this will fail, rather badly. So the key is to do this a lot and with consistency to build some conditioning and start where the dog CAN be successful. Maybe that’s just going from the living room to the backyard. Then it’s the front yard, to the street and then with a distant dog or other trigger. It’s all about stair stepping and just pushing the dog enough into getting over their obsession with the outside world. The leash is key because it makes them have to turn inward. But it should be smoothed. In the next video you’ll see this in action. #dog #dogtraining #dogtrainer #dogtrainingtips #k9 #k9training #k9trainer #puppy #puppytraining #puppytrainingtips #belgianmalinois #malinois #maligator #gsd #germanshepherd #germanshepherds #germanshepherdpuppy #dogeducation #rescuedog #behaviormodification #dogtherapy #spartank9

Now offering online sessions!
Now offering online sessions!

To anyone who is seeing my content and wishing to get involved with my training programs but not located in my area, I have a way for you to do so! I’m now offering a FaceTime overview session that goes into all the details of what I do from start to finish! It is especially beneficial with puppies because you’re starting with a blank slate. This being said I also go over any issues or training goals for dogs of all ages! Any dog can start their training journeys at any point! Dogs are individuals and we train them as such. Message me here or by phone at (586) 336 9458 and start your training today! #dog #dogtraining #dogtrainer #dogtrainingtips #k9 #k9training #k9trainer #puppy #puppytraining #puppytrainingtips #belgianmalinois #malinois #maligator #gsd #germanshepherd #germanshepherds #germanshepherdpuppy #dogeducation #rescuedog #behaviormodification #dogtherapy #spartank9

Here at Spartan K9 I offer RESULTS based IN HOME dog training. It’s like door dash delivery but for your dogs well being I genuinely want to help all dog owners, so contact me here for training and at the very least vent to me about the issues your having or maybe the optimistic goals you are looking forward too and I’ll tell you whatever you want! There’s no secrets in dog training! #dog #dogtraining #dogtrainer #dogtrainingtips #k9 #k9training #k9trainer #puppy #puppytraining #puppytrainingtips #belgianmalinois #malinois #maligator #gsd #germanshepherd #germanshepherds #germanshepherdpuppy #dogeducation #rescuedog #behaviormodification #dogtherapy #spartank9

ENGAGEMENT is everything! A dog that is choosing to interact with you over their environment is going to be perfectly obedient and happy to be. I want to take out any friction between any commands I give my dogs, especially when I’m out in the world. There’s a process to build this engagement and I’ve had quite a few videos on this, start with FOCUS. Dogs will not be able to take rewards if they’re stressed and over stimulated so when you see a dog that does have good engagement that means they are genuinely stress free and I often say that anxiety is the number one killer or obedience. This is because natural feelings of stress can hijack the decision making process and not allow them to “trust” me and my commands. A dog that’s having fun that’s centered around you will make for good time. If this sounds like something you want for then contact me here or at (586) 336 9458 and unlock the potential of a life full of freedom for your dog! #dog #dogtraining #dogtrainer #dogtrainingtips #k9 #k9training #k9trainer #puppy #puppytraining #puppytrainingtips #belgianmalinois #malinois #maligator #gsd #germanshepherd #germanshepherds #germanshepherdpuppy #dogeducation #rescuedog #behaviormodification #dogtherapy #spartank9

ENGAGEMENT = Obedient puppies
ENGAGEMENT = Obedient puppies

ENGAGEMENT is everything! A dog that is choosing to interact with you over their environment is going to be perfectly obedient and happy to be. I want to take out any friction between any commands I give my dogs, especially when I’m out in the world. There’s a process to build this engagement and I’ve had quite a few videos on this, start with FOCUS. Dogs will not be able to take rewards if they’re stressed and over stimulated so when you see a dog that does have good engagement that means they are genuinely stress free and I often say that anxiety is the number one killer or obedience. This is because natural feelings of stress can hijack the decision making process and not allow them to “trust” me and my commands. A dog that’s having fun that’s centered around you will make for good time. If this sounds like something you want for then contact me here or at (586) 336 9458 and unlock the potential of a life full of freedom for your dog! #dog #dogtraining #dogtrainer #dogtrainingtips #k9 #k9training #k9trainer #puppy #puppytraining #puppytrainingtips #belgianmalinois #malinois #maligator #gsd #germanshepherd #germanshepherds #germanshepherdpuppy #dogeducation #rescuedog #behaviormodification #dogtherapy #spartank9

Here’s a look at how I’m building confidence with a young dog. I already have a background in training that is letting me guide her through this environment. I want her to be confident enough in me to engage with me of her own free will and motivation. The more gains confidence, the more she will take rewards. I want her to have the same focus and fun training with me that we have in the living room alone, as she does anywhere else. THAT will get you a joyfully obedient dog and make both your lives better. #dog #dogtraining #dogtrainer #dogtrainingtips #k9 #k9training #k9trainer #puppy #puppytraining #puppytrainingtips #belgianmalinois #malinois #maligator #gsd #germanshepherd #germanshepherds #germanshepherdpuppy #dogeducation #rescuedog #behaviormodification #dogtherapy #spartank9

The tool for teaching a dog OBLIGATION or “you have to respond to my command” is a leash. First we teach what the leash means, then we pair the sensation of slight leash pressure to turning on when I give a command and turning off when the dogs completed the command. If there’s still slight tension, the dog knows they still have something to do. This is all done in an environment where the leash pressure has nothing to do with “making” them do it. I’ve already trained it and I know the dog will do it. What this does is allow me to increase the pressure of the leash, like an attention getting pop, and the dogs equate that to a specific task. Your dog HAS to have done this hundreds, or better yet, thousands of times on a daily basis before we start to hold them accountable in more distracting environments. Remember to make this fair, I make sure the dog listens to the leash EVERY-TIME by using it with intention and in environments the dog CAN be successful in. Motivation via food and toys is the key to this and unlocking your dogs motivation in stimulating environments is the puzzle. We have the answers to that puzzle. Reach out for in person with me or inquire about my online services! #dog #dogtraining #dogtrainer #dogtrainingtips #k9 #k9training #k9trainer #puppy #puppytraining #puppytrainingtips #belgianmalinois #malinois #maligator #gsd #germanshepherd #germanshepherds #germanshepherdpuppy #dogeducation #rescuedog #behaviormodification #dogtherapy #spartank9

Why doesn’t my dog listen to the leash around other dogs?!? Because they don’t know they have to!

Why doesn’t my dog listen to the leash when we see dogs?! They’re so good otherwise!
Why doesn’t my dog listen to the leash when we see dogs?! They’re so good otherwise!

Why won’t my dog walk nicely on a leash like they usually do when we see another dog?!! Because your dog DOESN’T KNOW they can’t! Dogs learn they have to respond to the leash by ALWAYS responding to it. Sounds simple, and impossible right? No, it just means YOU have to be intentional when you use a leash. Start small, and start with a long line. If your dog pulls, even slightly with any consistency when they’re on their normal leash you are training them, very specifically, that they CAN ignore the leash whenever they want. Go look at some of my leash pressure videos to find out how to train this! Reach out if you want my help in person, or online! #dogtraining #dog #puppies #puppytraining #k9 #k9training #malinois #belgianmalinois #workingdog #workingdogs #dogtrainer #k9behavior #spartank9

DURATION is a pillar of obedience. If I tell my dog to down, I want them to intrinsically stay there. I don’t have to tag the word stay to let my dog know they have to stay in a behavior. Consistency does that. A good way to start this is by having good engagement and making the “STAY” the fun part. Making it about the release will be the fastest way to have a dog that is all amped up in a stay. I see it all the time and that’s the last thing you want. We are reinforcing a state of mind as well as training our formal rules. Nice and simply, with fun. #dog #dogtraining #dogtrainer #puppy #puppytraining #puppytrainingtips #k9 #k9training #workingdog #gsd #gsdpuppy #germanshepherd

DURATION
DURATION

DURATION is a pillar of obedience. If I tell my dog to down, I want them to intrinsically stay there. I don’t have to tag the word stay to let my dog know they have to stay in a behavior. Consistency does that. A good way to start this is by having good engagement and making the “STAY” the fun part. Making it about the release will be the fastest way to have a dog that is all amped up in a stay. I see it all the time and that’s the last thing you want. We are reinforcing a state of mind as well as training our formal rules. Nice and simply, with fun. #dog #dogtraining #dogtrainer #puppy #puppytraining #puppytrainingtips #k9 #k9training #workingdog #gsd #gsdpuppy #germanshepherd

Here is a good look at how initial training starts. I want to build engagement through food and movement. Remember that a dog that’s paying attention to you because they want to has 100% obedience. We always start in an environment with no distractions when the dogs want food. Hand feeding a dog most of their food, or all of it, is a huge benefit because it creates tangible value in you. Yes you love your dog but they will ditch you for deer poop in a heart beat so think of yourself as a vending machine when starting. Teaching them they have to listen comes when they are trained. Food, movement and fun are you best friends. Condition those markers too and don’t forget that it’s verbal queue, pause, then extending the hand or they’ll never learn the word! #dog #dogtraining #dogtrainer #dogtrainingtips #puppy #puppytraining #k9 #k9training #workingdog #gsd #gsdpuppy #germanshepherd

IMPORTANT TRAINING TIP
IMPORTANT TRAINING TIP

This is very important, but small and easy to skip over. To teach a command word we have to ALREADY have a dog trained on the behavior fully. The saying goes “Name it when you love it”. Dogs are brilliant because they have a very strong sense of pattern prediction. Here’s the process as simply as I can put it. 1. Build the mechanics of the behavior, mostly by using your food lure and movements to get the dogs to heel, down, sit ect. Create muscle memory 2. Fade out the amount of physical guidance they need, using their motivation for the food to learn to figure it out 3. Break it down to the most simple physical queue (^lure hand on the hip is all she gets) 4. Add your word, pause, give her the queue When the dog does enough reps, they will hear the word and predict your physical gesture and therefore do the behavior. MAKING THE DOGS WANT TO IS KEY. There your dog knows the word!

Words in Dog training Part 1 THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT Like I say in this video, a dogs most natural form of communication is visual. We have to be VERY particular in training if we want a dog to truly understand the exact sound (that’s all it is to a dog) that we want to attach to an obedience command. Now dogs are very heads up to sounds as well and I use them all the time. However the sounds are more so attention grabbers that make a dog notice my physical signals. I use this in so many ways to work with untrained dogs, really the entire time. Here’s a huge key. Dogs have to be so fluent on a behavior to the point where I barley give them a signal and they do all the work themselves. For instance in the video, I just tap my leg and Mowgli flips her self into the heel. I didn’t have to use a lure to guide her. That is achieved with hundreds of reps before I ever say the word heel once. If you’re helping your dog, how can they attach the sound to the desired behavior? Heel just is as random as the word potato, I’m just chasing the food in your hand. This is so important because dogs are getting corrected with higher and higher force on “words” they have no idea mean to do anything. Know that it is very easy to THINK a dog understands a word when in reality, you can’t say SIT while the dog is in the living room and can’t see you and have them sit. We have to be fair to the dogs, and that mean putting in the work! And make it fun! #petdogtraining #puppytrainingtips #k9training #dogtraining #malinois #puppies #dogs #dogtrainer #puppytraining #k9 #labradorretriever

Here I’m working a brand new puppy on our basic luring skills! This is her first day out with me and you can see her desire for food is carrying her a long way. She doesn’t know the rules of the game yet, she’s just following her instincts to follow movement and eat food. Duration on focus is what I want to build first. You see she checks out a lot. I make some silly noise and move quicker and that draws her back in. IT IS MY JOB to create that duration, that’s how we teach. Im using both my hands to keep her engaged reward after reward. It’s like laying a track. You can see it’s also my job to do most of the movement for her too. We are building muscle memory, nothing more in this session. That comes later. Shout out to Honey for being such a cute helper! #petdogtraining #puppytrainingtips #k9training #dogtraining #malinois #puppies #dogs #k9 #dogtrainer #puppytraining

DRIVE CONTROL This right here is the key to elevating your obedience with your dogs at home. Now we know all dogs won’t play like this but if you develop this early then that’s always best. We teach 2-6+ year old dogs to do this all the time but the dogs have to want it. Drive capping is when we can put our dogs into obedience while they are stimulated. What we are doing here is MOTIVATING this. I always teach a dog what I expect out of them in a fun way way before I hold them to that standard. How does the dog know what I want if they haven’t done it??? This is key! With this dog, it took some time investment to get him to do it outside around distractions like you’re seeing here. It HAS to come from the dog, you can not force a dog to take a reward. As Tyrion gets older we will have great, motivated, obedience around all the things that most dogs fail around. It’s a process and you can’t skip steps and rush this. That’s why I’m so passionate about puppy training. So many training places treat them like fully trained adult dogs and correct them like they’ve done all the work prior, just to get them done and sent home. We don’t do that here. If you’d like to develop the best relationship with your dog and unlock all the freedoms that come with that, for you AND your dog, then contact me here or via phone @ (586) 336 9458 #dogs #dogtraining #dogtrainer #k9 #k9training #k9trainer #puppies #puppytraining #puppytrainingtips #germanshepherd #malinois #workingdog #petdogtraining

Hey everyone! Chopper and I are back visiting Michigan for a bit and are available next week if anyone wants to get some sessions in! Once choppers done sleeping in the clover fields…. If you’ve not worked with me yet and want to accomplish the things you’ve seen here at Spartan K9, I have a very comprehensive crash course visit that I offer where I evaluate the dog’s individually and lay out a personal training program for you to follow. With hands explanation of any and all issues or wishes you may have with your pet. We take as much time as needed to help you start off your dog training journey and follow up with as much support as you’d like! Text me, Steve, @ (586) 336 9458 to set up your sessions!

Both these dogs are in tune with me off of a leash. We are enjoying the out door, together. We are a team. Anything could pop up. A running deer, another dog, a car and both my dogs will heed my recall. That’s safety allows us to explore the world together in a way that only is unlocked through learning. If you want this contact Steve here or at (586) 336 9458 #dogs #dogtraining #dogtrainer #malinoispuppy #malinois #k9 #k9training #offleashlife #offleash

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