Every dog is different. Even in something as seemingly simple as game play. It’s like kids. Some want to play soccer. Some want to play rugby. Some want to do MMA!!!! It’s your job to learn YOUR dog!!!!! Find the game THEY find more rewarding. Don’t just insist on the one you want to play. I was guilty of that …
Building and Breaking Trust
Everyone that reads this thing regularly, knows I do a lot of training through game play. And, not in the surface “Create a reward event to make them work” sort if way. But, in a profound way. Almost a spiritually fulfilling way. It impacts so many different levels. Gives activity which is physically healthy. Gives psychological fulfillment, as the activities …
I Got Cartoonized!
A person that I did a consult with, had this made for me. It was done by Brandon Steen. Amazing.
Jaxxy’s Transition To A Spring Pole
What do I do in a Blizzard? Transition Jax to Spring Pole! Lot of people tug. Not that many people use Spring Poles. The way old school dogmen used them didn’t involve control. Let them at it….. Pry them off. All conditioning and gameness. No control. But, I think they can be used as an obedience reward. Just like tug. …
Faith In Handler Drill
I wrote about this a long time ago. Back then I was calling it “Reverse BAT”. But, now I call it the Faith In Handler Drill. After that article, a ton of people have asked me to demonstrate it. Here’s a video of me showing to a dog/handler for the first time.
Jaxxy Doing Work.
This video has two purposes. Well, 3. One is celebrating my little idiot. God dammit I love that dog. Two, is showing progress to anyone following his little story. And, last, but not least….. Showing training doesn’t have to feel like this piece of shit chore. There was only about a third more of these activities that weren’t on film. …
Conditioned Relaxation Is NOT Massage.
OK……. Conditioned Relaxation is one of those hot topics going around. And, in case you’ve been living under a rock for the last 6 months…… you’ve seen it. Or, at least heard it described. The typical view of CR goes like this: “CR is using massage to get a dog relaxed.” Massaging a dog until they relax IS NOT putting …
Sometimes…. It Works Out
Walking 2 of our dogs through the woods, and in the middle of a good conversation (aka not paying attention to the pups) we hear screaming and sounds of dog blowing up from around the corner on the trail. Yeah….. The same trail that Jax had just run down. I have the dogs on remote collars for recall, but…. no …
Why “Break Sticks” Are Shit.
If you’re a dog trainer with an interest in rehabbing dog aggression…… Please. Throw the “Break Stick” away. Look, I know why you have them. It’s a logical mistake to make. You want to break up a fight that involves at least one committed dog. (a concern you NEED to address if you work in rehab). Well….. Who has the …
Winning in Tug
So….. Do you let the dog “win” while playing tug or not? Do you EVER let the dog “TAKE” the toy? That, is the question. This is such a readily answered question in dog training, that even folks without dogs have an answer for it! So….. Where do I stand on the issue? There is no “winning” the toy! I …