The Dog's Way Podcast: Dog Training For Real Life

On this, our 100th episode, I am going to give a consolidated answer to a question that comes up a lot. When and why I use food as a trainer, when and why I don't use food, and when and why I do or don't use corrections or dog collars. It's all connected, and it's time we dive in on this particular subject. So much of the confusion about this group of topics is that, like everything, for every trainer there is a different opinion. And it's easy to take one specific episode (of the previous 99) and think that I either am or am not a "food treat" trainer based on the topic at hand. Different situations dictate those circumstances and I will explain why. It's important to understand that one of the drawbacks (or at least an observation you should consider) is that the treats become "the point" for why they obey a command. For example; find an opportunity to evaluate the process when you do and another when you don't. Was their willingness to obey tempered when they saw that you did not actually have a treat for

On this episode I talk to Brooke Mihajlovich, a dog trainer who has recently started her practice to Washington state from Indiana. Brooke focuses on remote training collars to help with training without a leash.  She and her husband both shared a love of Doberman's, and part of their passion to make sure that their new dogs were well trained. Her participation in training her dog sparked her love and talent for training dogs herself. Brooke's philosophy focuses on changing the relationships with their owners at a fundamental level. It's important to create a relationship that focuses on their "humans" as leaders more than just owners. Her primary focus is to give them tools to create a relationship bond that creates very positive results for both the pet and the owner. We get into some of the other areas of training including  Spatial awareness Loose leash training movement on leash (rather than simply pulling) "auto sits" when stopping Shoulder movement and eye contact Controlling and managing the environm

In this episode I speak to Dr. Lori Cesario, a board certified veterinary oncologist. We discuss her passion about being a vet as a child, and her appreciation for the role a certain oncologist in her life played that influenced her decision to specialize in that field. Lori talks about some early detection techniques, and what owners can do to find problems before they become serious. There are dozens of possible manifestations that could be symptoms of cancerous cells.  Lori also talks about some newer testing procedures, like BRAF gene mutation tests that can be good check up tests that can be done every six months. She also discusses some interesting upcoming tests coming to the marketplace. We discuss specific breed related risks, learning about the normal baseline for your dog's health, and her new podcast called, Your Dog Wants You To Know This! (iTunes | Spotify | Google Podcasts) Dr. Cesario's website is loaded with content and is a helpful resource for pet owners. Visit her site at CanineCancerAcade

On today's episode I talk with Cat Matloub and Dr. Judi Stella of Good Dog, Inc. We'll talk about some of the reasons that the company was founded, and what the company mission is today. Cat Matloub is the Head of Partnerships and Community Legal Affairs and talks about the overall mission of the project and what their focus is to date. One challenge that they found was that families were having  difficulty finding reliable information online when trying to add a new dog to their family. Between disreputable groups who were trying to sell something and the difficulty navigating between responsible information and an enormous amount of disinformation, the founders decided to apply their experience from the technology field to create a resource that was available to the public. Dr. Stella is the Head of Health, Standards, and Research, and discusses healthcare treatment options, socialization practices. One of her key objectives includes knowing what the standards are for their listed breeders, and maintaining

In today's episode I sit down with Ian Grant, a fellow dog trainer with Vermont Dog Training, based (of course) in Vermont! Ian also has a podcast called Vermont Dog Trainer Show.  Ian's Background Ian has a really interesting story before he became a trainer, having been a professional golfer for a number of years before finding that the world of training dogs was a fascinating study. He shares his story of watching The Dog Whisperer and following some of Cesar Millan's shows with the sound off to get a better feel for the body language between a trainer and the dog. Training Techniques Ian and I talk about his dogs Lula and Maddie, and how they became so important in the process of boarding other animals. We get into a bit of a deeper dive in the concept and practice of dog's behavior in crowds, our collective take on dog parks, and what you might want to think about before venturing into the park yourself. Referral Program I also wanted to let you know about our new referral program! After quite a bit of t

First, I hope that everyone has stayed safe and healthy through what may have been the worst of the stay-at-home orders that you may have been subject to. We went through a sort of "emergency sessions" period where the podcast episodes focused on specific things to do with your dog - and as a result we put some of the interviews we had scheduled on hold. Today is the first episode of one of those interviews. What Is Contrast Training? I sat down with Ruth Elliott and talked about a very unique type of training. Ruth is based in Australia, and got into her unique style of training, how she got started, and some of the interesting restrictions to training methods that exist in Australia. Ruth is a greyhound specialist (although she trains all types of dogs). Her business is called Formal Dogs, and she trains and escorts people's dogs to attend their owner's weddings! This is the first I've heard of this and think you'll appreciate her story and her methods as a trainer. We discuss some of the differences in our

In this episode we move to phase TWO of the "down" challenge for food motivated and non-food motivated dogs. I'll talk about an interesting discovery from listeners from the Czech Republic and Sweden and how their "crazy stay in place" situation is nothing like that! Life is proceeding pretty much the same there as it was before March. So we we talked about sweeping the leg and your proximity to the floor in the phase one of the training. The goal in this phase is to wean yourself off of that proximity to the floor. We'll go back to those phase one elements of time first, then distraction. Overview Train in different contexts Train through the whole arc of behavior with distractions Use natural transitional rewards as you do small snippets of practice throughout the day Emails Cheryl from Ann Arbor, Michigan - She got her dog Oscar introduced well to the sit and the down. But he is confused between both sit and down. I'll talk about how to help your dog distinguish between them. Sandra from Texas has an in

In this episode we'll jump to a critical point with the "down" challenge, that uses no food and instead focuses on the "say and show" method. It's not unlike the say and show version of sit; but some there are some angles and positions that are distinctly different. There are two categories of people who may be the best for this type of training; Non-food motivated dogs People with dogs who give signs that they see these lessons as "optional" The idea is that we teach this as a necessary part of functional obedience. It's also good to train their dogs this way to "overlap" the food-based approach. I am also linking this to an excerpt I posted on YouTube from our video training series that provides a bit of a visual guidance for the lesson. Emails (07:58) Lara and Tim (and "Kona") from Arizona ask about requirements with puppies and food training (10:11) Ellen asks (on behalf of "Duke") where you should be in a progression and types of treats Quote on Resilience Part of our Emergency Series includes a brie

In this episode we're going to jump into another obedience skills challenge. This one is focused on the 'down' command. This is an important lesson for small puppies as they develop, and even rescue adult dogs in instances where they may not have received much training, or were last trained years ago when they were puppies themselves. Emails I answer an email from Rachael asking about her puppy and (based on her age), whether she should stick to just the introductory training or if she's ready to move to some of the more intermediate and advanced training. I'll talk about the three phases for training puppies to use as a general guide for your dog. Enjoy the episode! I have included some links below as well for other sessions that may be related to this one. LIST OF PAST PODCASTS LINKS Session 18: The overview of what to teach a puppy and when, and teaching two dogs to not go after each other’s fetch toys Session 22: using an air sprayer to stop barking and stubborn puppy “downing” SESSION 27: How to coach a

While you're all stuck at home, hopefully you've all stayed safe - and hopefully you've been working on parts one and two of the "sit" command with your dog! In today's episode we'll work on sit by moving toward the "stay" progression; and I'd highly encourage you to go back and listen to the previous two episodes if you haven't already before jumping into this lesson! Here are the links; Episode 89: The Sit Challenge Part One Episode 90: The Sit Command Part Two: Say and Show Method So we'll start with a competency check of sorts - a very important part before progressing to "stay". Emails from previous Sit Lessons Margie in Toronto, Canada Margie asks about the sit command, but asks about the age appropriateness for this command as it applies to her two dogs (but a bit more specific to my video training series version of this lesson). I'll talk about the age differences and I also have a brief edited version of the video clip from my dog training series to give you a bit of a visual idea of the sit lesson

In today's episode I'm ramping up the "sit" command in part two of this series. This is also a good step for adult dogs who have a pretty good grasp already. I'll answer some emails that are timely and play into this specific type of obedience training and talk about a very good question that I did not answer in my part one! And I've been making a habit lately of leaving you with an interesting quote about resilience. I won't let you down this time either. In fact, I've included the quote here along with a link to Viktor Frankl's book; "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." - Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning You can download the Audible book here, and also get a free trial of audible with the same link.

In today's episode we're going to work on our obedience skills challenges while we're still confined inside with our dogs! Today's skill at first glance may seem like one you think you already know...but there are some key components to this command - whether your dog is "food" motivated, adult dog or puppy - there are some great tips to go beyond what I call the "phase one" version of the sit command. I'll give you a primer on what is involved with the command and how to progress further. I'll also talk about phase two and lead into things to come for this week and next!

This is part two of the lesson on teaching the "place" command. We're going to take it up a notch from yesterday's work. We'll look at increasing levels of difficulty. We'll also talk to those with older puppies and adult dogs, and those that aren't as "food motivated". The goal being to learn to apply a more advanced set of skills to get the results you're looking for. Hopefully, after episode 87, (which you can click here to check out) you have gone through a few progressions with your puppy to establish their baseline competency level and acceptance of the idea of using their bed. I'll talk to you about evaluating their skills in this episode; this will help you move forward in the right way or correct any bad habits you might not have thought about. There are some great beds that you can use for this. I've included some links below. In full disclosure, these links are affiliated with me on Amazon and I see a small piece of it if you click through. I believe in what I promote, but I just wanted to be clear

Today's emergency session 87 is a fun exercise, and part one of a session to help your puppy learn the "place" command. As part of this exercise we'll talk about teaching him/her to use their dog bed. We'll go over how to analyze and learn about the personality of your puppy based on the skills exercises I demonstrate, and then tailor your training based on what you observe. It can be a great step in ongoing obedience between you and your new pet. I also touch on housebreaking (more in-depth training with this in session 5) and how that fits into this training. I also have a few pens that you can use for training your pet at night and have included links to each; AmazonBasics Foldable Metal Pet Exercise and Playpen IRIS 34'' Exercise 8-Panel Pet Playpen Wire Pen Dog Fence Playpen And near the end of the recent episodes I've begun to say a few words about resilience, with the hopes that you'll take it to heart and perhaps to cheer you and your family up during these challenging times. I hope that you'll enjoy

In today's session I'll give you a few tips for creating some fun and interesting mental and physical exercises for your dog while "sheltering at home".  I've also decided to outline the entire subject below and put in a few links for items that might be useful during these sessions; Fetch Work on teaching fetching rules though (if you’re out at the park – be sure to use a long line on your dog to prevent any mishaps in social distancing rules and keep everyone safe. Goals Make sure you’re teaching some rules with this. Teach your dog that you start and end the game. Teach Drop it and stick a treat to your dog’s nose (after getting your dog to drop the ball where you want it with your food lure and work – you can get two identical toys and reward the dropping of ball one with the throwing of ball two. This is a great way to get your dog doing some wind sprints and tire them out completely.) Progression: Work obedience into your fetch – sit or down then say your release command and then immediately throw the

Core foundational skill building is critically important, and practical application of that in today's new "social distancing" environment is essential. I'm going to talk about training exercises that you can run through with your puppy to help determine the type of instinctive response your puppy has, and how to establish some good fundamental behaviors. I think about socializing in three different categories; Socializing to things Socializing to people  Socializing to other animals I usually use that order to establish skills by relative difficulty (since each step in order above is progressively more challenging to establish.) And by the way, if you want a more in depth understanding of what I'm putting into practice today I'd suggest listening to specifically to episode 73 and episode 74 on Skinner's Four Quadrants. Puppy aptitude testing involves sight, startle, sensitivity, and sound, and I talk about how you'll want to consider this when going through these exercises. The first will include the abili

It's a strange time for sure in the midst of all of the COVID-19 concerns worldwide. I've received a lot of questions about their pets and I wanted to publish a few brief episodes to not only answer questions that I've received but to give you some fun things to do with your dog along the way while you're sheltered in place, or stuck at home. In this episode I'm primarily talking about the following; Can my dog catch Coronavirus? Risks associated with your pet being a "conduit" What kind of exposure should I allow with my dog? Can I take him/her for a walk? Should I use any product to clean my dog's paws? Some useful links to sites relevant to this episode CDC page Description of sheltering in place with CNN USA Today U of Illinois and Urbana pet care Thanks for listening and stay safe! I'll give you more tomorrow. Sean

In our training session for today I'll help design a game plan for training a puppy that likes to bite and nip. I'll show you how to design an environment that is optimal for training for this type of behavior. It is very much requires a 'relationship based' type of approach. Other trainers use a "behavior centric" approach. I referred to a previous episode I published (episode 76 if you want to check it out) where some veterinarians published an article about whether or not dog's were "pack animals". That study and many like it are done in a vacuum so-to-speak, and lack the broader view of the total approach to behavioral training for dogs. The approach I describe in this podcast uses a comprehensive technique. I think you'll appreciate the broader lesson in this method. I'll break the plan down in a few parts; Principals and Mental Constructs Systemic Setup and Structure Pro training versus anti-training Enjoy!  Also, as always, thanks so much to P.U.P. Dog Rescue for sponsoring the program and today we'r

In today's podcast I will talk about a remote training method using e-collars! In podcast session 45 I talked a bit about this but I'll talk about how it relates to obedience training. There's controversy and some things to consider and I will discuss all of that. When we use it for training it can be very effective and I'll talk about steps for you to train your dog effectively with it. I've given you two links for items to consider buying as a part of this session. Here's a link to the Mini Educator (and in full disclosure, we make a couple bucks off of sales through the link.) You can do your own search for Educator e-collars online as well. In addition to the Mini Educator, the quick collar is helpful. Keep in mind that there is a 1 inch and a 3/4 inch collar. Just make sure it matches the model of educator collar you plan to buy.  Today's rescue pup is Culpepper! He's a maltese mix and is quite small, at about 8 pounds. He's all white, incredibly adorable, easy to be around, and a good natured pet that I

If there's one consistent thing that owners put at the top of their list for behaviors it's to keep their dogs from jumping on their owners and other people. I will discuss options and how to create the right environment for it. I'll also talk about the modes of communication, starting with postural and vocal methods and their place in this type of training. These are essential in understanding the communication between you and any dog and is important when assessing feedback. I'll talk about a loose leash technique and what things you'll look before that happen before your dog tries to jump. First, today's rescue pup is Maia! Thanks to P.U.P. dog rescue as always and to get more information about Maia, visit the website by clicking here. By the way, for training sessions like this one I’d recommend going back and listening to episodes 2, 3 and 4, if you haven’t listened to those already. Those episodes give you foundational understandings of my relationship-based method and some of the theoretical construc