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My Philosophy

 

  • I believe that dogs are exceptional creatures and should be valued for being dogs.
  • I believe that all dogs – regardless of size or breed – are entitled to a committed owner who will invest the time and energy into training their dog.
  • I believe that training should be effective and cause no harm. Training should enable the owner to take a dog out in public without concern for disruptive or potentially dangerous behaviors. Management by using equipment should not take the place of training.

 

THE TWELVE STEP PROGRAM TO TRAINING

 

Your dog's performance is directly related to your investment in training. Proper training consists of building skills. A solid foundation is necessary before you can expect consistent performance from your dog.

 

1. Set realistic and attainable goals.

2. Break each goal into smaller steps.

3. Continue to progressively ask your dog to perform reliably.

4. Be willing to back up to previous step as necessary, and build up again.

5. Dogs learn through repetition and consistency.  Give one command and then assist dog as necessary.

6. PRAISE your dog when he is performing the action correctly.  How will your dog know when he is right if you don’t let him know?

7. Before correcting your dog, ask yourself:

Have I clearly communicated what I want to my dog?

Have my commands been consistent?

Is my dog confused or frightened?

 If in doubt that your dog understands what is expected, do not correct but help your dog be right.

8. Practice in places other than home. Dogs do not generalize well and just because your dog can successfully perform a behavior at home does not mean that the dog has generalized the command to include other environments. You must train in a minimum of six different environments before you can expect your dog to generalize the command to the action regardless of location.

9. Mix games into your training  make training fun.

10. Use normal activities as training exercises. For example, require a sit before you put a leash on your dog.

11. Do not train if you are in a bad mood. Do not use abusive/harsh methods.

12. Remember:

 Practice does not make perfect – only perfect practice makes perfect!

 

 

 

Dog Training as Simple as ABC