Bad Dogma - How Harsh Training Methods Can Cause Aggression

The dictionary defines the word dogma as: The established belief or doctrine held by a religion, ideology or any kind of organization, thought to be authoritative and not to be disputed, doubted or diverged from.

There is an old saying among dog trainers that goes: "The only thing two dog trainers can agree on is what the third one is doing wrong."

There are basically two schools of dog trainers. On one side you have the old school dog trainers that believe training is done by using a choke chain or prong collar to train, that you should never use food to train the dog.

On the other hand you have the food reward trainers that believe you should never use any kind of force or harsh methods to train.

Both sides will strongly argue for their way of training. I have been on both sides of the issue. I got my start training dogs with an old time trainer that had been training dogs since the 1950's. If you used a treat in front of this guy, you had to be prepared for a verbal eruption that would make a sailor blush.

I have also been with trainers that think anything short of filet mignon not being used for treats is cruel. All kidding aside it can get confusing for someone trying to train their dog. Who do you listen to? Should you just use treats to train? Do you ever give your dog a correction?

The truth of the matter is that positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement can be extremely effective. There is no denying that there are thousands of dogs that are safely confined to their yards with the help of underground electronic fences.

There is also no denying that dogs learn much better when you use a reward based system of training. The important point is this: You want to make sure that you spend more time rewarding your dog's behavior than punishing or getting physical with your dog.

The fact is that all good relationships are based on positive interaction. I once watched a group obedience class where all the dogs were on choke chains. Food was not allowed. In the course of one hour, I watched one guy give his dog over 150 corrections with the leash. They weren't all hard corrections but he did yank on the leash that many times.

Over time, that dog will become tolerant to the choke chain and the owner will have to yank harder and harder and will probably damage his dog's neck and trachea which will lead to one very grouchy dog. There's no denying the fact that a dog being trained that way can easily develop an aggression problem, and here's the rub. The dog is always blamed, never the training method Doesn't it make sense to use a reward based training system?

Unfortunately this way of training has become the established belief or doctrine held by many dog trainers, and not to be disputed, doubted or diverged from.

Too bad for the dogs.

Best,

Eric

P.S. Have you checked out the new Dog Training Inner Circle yet? Drop what you're doing and go there now. You'll be glad you did: Dog Training Inner Circle

Avoid Dog Training Disasters

I could hear my Mom's voice: "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

Easy for her, she was on her way to becoming a Catholic nun before she met my Pop on a beach in Connecticut. She is hard wired to always be nice.

Anyhow...

I was sitting at a round table discussion with some other pet professionals discussing dog behavior and care. There was a vet, a couple of groomers, a shelter manager, another dog trainer, and me.

The round table was an informational event open to the public. Dog owners were encouraged to attend and ask questions. There were a lot of training and behavior questions that the vet and the other trainer answered.

I was keeping my mouth shut and I could feel my face becoming red and knew that my blood pressure was rising. As I was sitting there, I was listening to advice that I completely, 100% disagreed with. The other round table attendees all agreed with each other and I was keeping my mouth shut.

I guess everyone noticed because I was asked if I had anything to share.

I sat there and thought about my choices. I could:

1. Get up and leave.
2. Agree with the bad advice and keep things friendly.
3. Voice my thoughts.

I work hard at not being confrontational, but this was too much. With my Mom's voice echoing in my head I opted for choice number three and spoke up:

"I disagree with a most of what's been said here today."

"Would you like to tell us what you disagree with."

"Sure," I said and then went on to contradict just about everyone at the table.

The other "experts" were advising that training a dog should not be done until the dog is six months old. The other dog trainer and the vet completely agreed on this point. They were also telling the attendees that they should use a choke chain for training and that treats should avoided at all costs.

They also said that a puppy should be kept in the house and have limited exposure to the outside world until after the vaccinations are complete.

I almost literally had to put my hand over my mouth when I heard that one. I went on to explain that puppies should start training as young as eight weeks old. That a puppy can start to learn basic commands such as sit, down, stay, come, and walking on leash.

I also added that keeping a puppy in the house and not socializing him can turn into a nightmare situation for the puppy's owners. A puppy has a socialization period that has to be taken advantage of. The more the puppy is exposed to, up to between eight weeks and four months, the more stable she will be as an adult dog.

The veterinarian was none to pleased with my comments and made it clear.

"You are putting the puppy at risk by exposing him without proper inoculations."

I knew that was coming and was ready with my reply:

"Do you know what the number one reason for dogs dying in the United States is
?" Before he could answer I followed up with, "Do you know the number reason for euthanasia?"

I was hot now and still did not let him answer.

"Behavior problems."

More dogs are put to sleep for behavior problems than for any other reason. We don't properly socialize our puppies, we wait until the pup is six months old before we start training, then to top it off, we use negative, outdated, harsh and sometimes cruel training methods.

When the dog becomes aggressive, fearful, or unruly to the point where we can't control the dog, the dog ends up in a shelter, abandoned, or put to sleep.

I added that the chances of a puppy dying from rabies, parvo, distemper etc. couldn't compare to the numbers of dogs that were being put to sleep for behavior problems.

The round table ended shortly after and I was never invited back. When I think back on the whole situation I guess I may have been a little out of line.

BUT...

I don't apologize for what I said or did. I stand by what I said then and still do today. I not going to sit there and listen to advice that can potentially be harmful to a dog.

Anyway, as I was thinking about all of this I wrote down what I think are the four biggest dog training disasters:

1. Waiting
2. Harsh methods
3. Giving up
4. Follow through

With the advice given at the round table a lot of dog owners wait to start training. By that time their dog has developed some behavior problems. The dog training "experts" recommend harsh methods which often backfire. Because using harsh methods is not fun most people don't follow through with the training. In the end they give up. They give up on the training and sometimes on the dog.

Conclusion: Start training early, use lots of positive reinforcement, don't give up and keep on learning about dog training so you can follow through and have a dog that is well behaved and fun to be around.

Your friend,

Eric

Learn more about effective, positive training methods at www.AmazingDogTrainingMan.com

I was shaking like a maple leaf on a tree in Toronto

I was shaking like a maple leaf on a tree in Toronto.

Well...maybe not that bad but I was nervous. I had just sat down behind the big microphone and the guy sitting across for me did not look to happy. In fact he seemed a little annoyed.

His name was Geoff and he was the producer for my new radio show "Dog Talk".

It was my first day on the radio. The station said they were going to give me some training before I went on the air, but it never happened.

As I sat there I started to get some negative thoughts.

"What if I sound like a complete bonehead?"

"What if nobody calls the show?"

"What if I have nothing to talk about?"

I looked across the room and asked Geoff a question. "What if nobody calls" I asked.

"Do you have some topics to talk about?" Geoff asked.

"Yeah, I have a list of things to talk about," and showed him my paper.

"Good" Geoff said, "just talk about that stuff."

"What if I go through the list and have nothing else to talk about?"

With a really annoyed look on his face Geoff said, "Go back to the top of your page of topics and start all over."

YIKES!

That was the extent of my training for the radio show. As it turns out me and Geoff became very good friends and always have a good laugh when we talk about our time at WSAR.

I had decided to do a radio show on dog training to promote my new book, "The Amazing Dog Training Man" and business at the time.

I relaxed and the show went fine.

Sitting here today in snowy Massachusetts I spent some time going through some old books and tapes that I have and I found some interviews that I did while on the radio and I'm going to share them with you. The first interview was with a best selling author. It was a very interesting interview and should have it ready for you in a day or two so stay tuned...

All the best,

Eric

Who Else Wants To Learn A Little Known Dog Training Secret Inspired By A Former Russian Special Forces Instructor?

On a beautiful spring morning a few years back I found myself sitting in a small classroom listening to “The Evil Russian,” Pavel Tsatsouline discuss flexibility training.

There were about 25 people in the room and they were all there to learn techniques that Pavel used to train the elite Russian Special Forces Unit, Spetznaz. Everyone listened intently as Pavel shared his secrets with us, but one person, me, was really amazed at how some of what he said applied to dog training.

What Makes The Difference?

Have you ever wondered, as I have, what makes such a dramatic difference in the way a dog behaves? It isn’t always the person training the dog. It isn’t that one person wants a well behaved dog and the other doesn’t.

The difference lies in how well the person understands a few basic techniques about training dogs.

It’s important for us to understand that we do NOT want to reinforce the behaviors that we don’t like. One of the biggest problems for about 90% of dog owners is jumping and unruly behavior.

We need to make sure that we are not un-intentionally reinforcing the unruly behavior. When a friend comes over and your dog starts to jump, the typical scenario goes something like this: your friend pushing your dog or petting your dog, while you are trying to pull your dog back and yelling, “down,” “get down.”

This all reinforces the unruly behavior. Unintentionally, but still reinforcing.

What The Evil Russian Taught Me

During the seminar that I attended, Pavel made a comment that applies to all of this. As he was discussing stretching he used the term:

Forced relaxation

He added that only the Russians can come up with a term like “Forced relaxation.”

It struck me because that is exactly what we need to do when we are dealing with a young dog that likes to jump and become unruly. We need to force them to relax.

The easiest way to do this is with a leash on your dog. Here’s how it works: when your friend comes over the house, before you let your friend in put a leash on your dog. You then step on the leash to prevent your dog from jumping.

With all your weight on the leash you force your dog to relax before your friend approaches and gives your dog any attention. Your dog only gets your friend’s attention when she or he relaxes.

If your dog is too strong for you, find a place in your house where you can secure the leash to something sturdy. This way your dog is out of the area where he can jump and get unintentional reinforcement.

I'll be adding a video showing how to do this to my website: Amazing Dog Training Man

Forced relaxation is a great way to teach calm behavior. The calmer the dog, the easier and more enjoyable it is to be around your dog. Your friends will like you and your dog much better when they come over to your house and your dog does not jump all over them.

It’s hard to believe, but not everyone is a dog lover like you and me.

Peace,

Eric

Russian Special Forces And Dog Training

I wondered if this guy had ever killed someone?

I mean I was only about four feet away from him and couldn't help but think that as I sat there. After all, he did call himself "The Evil Russian."

Pavel Tsatsouline was an instructor for the Russian Special Forces Spetsnaz, that fought in Afghanistan and I was in the front row listening to him discuss strenght and flexibility training.

I heard that he was going to be speaking in Providence, RI. I had been told that he was a great speaker and did not want to miss the chance to see him. As a guy that makes a big part of his living by standing in front of people and speaking, I always jump at any chance to see a pro.

Anyway, he turned out to be everything that I had heard. Mr. Tsatsouline is an excellent speaker and has a great sense of humor. If you ever get the chance to attend one of his seminars, I highly recommend going to see him.

Anyway, he sprinkled his seminar with a lot of great stories and Russian sayings. Two of his sayings really hit home with me and I have never forgotten them. His first statement was:

"If your only tool is a hammer treat everything like a nail."

I loved that statement because I am a complete moron when it comes to using tools. My beautiful girlfriend Rachael knows that asking me to fix something is not a good idea. In fact when we need something fixed around the house she usually gets the job done.

But...

If you need something demolished I am great with a hammer. It is the one tool that that I can use.

I also loved that comment because when it comes to dog training, a really good dog trainer has a whole bunch of tools in his or her tool box.

I don't talk about this too much but there are trainers out there that only have a hammer in their toolbox. They treat every problem, every training situation, like it is a nail.

Hack trainers think that every behavior problem needs to be dealt with a correction. Dog trainers that have limited tools put a choke chain on the dog and yank the leash and collar for every problem that they are confronted with.

Dog growls around his bone - apply correction with choke chain.
Dog jumps - apply correction with choke chain.
Dog won't sit - apply correction with choke chain.
Dog won't lie down - apply correction with choke chain.
Dog moves during stay - apply correction with choke chain.

A good trainer understands that there is more to training than yanking on the leash. In my book "The Amazing Dog Training Man," I discuss the M.U.T.T. Method for dealing with behavior problems.

You see, when your dog is displaying a behavior problem, there is an underlying reason for it. That is what the U stands for in the M.U.T.T. Method. Here is the complete acronym:

M - Manage
U - Underlying
T - Train
T - Time

When you are dealing with a behavior problem, you need to Manage the behavior, figure out what the Underlying reason for the behavior is, Train or teach your dog appropriate behaviors, and lastly give your dog some Time to learn the new behavior.

Training a dog by using just force will create problems. Sometimes you can temporarily suppress the behavior, but it will resurface.

A few years ago I was attacked by a dog because of another trainer. I was called in to take a look at this dog in Dartmouth, MA. When I showed up I saw an extremely nervous German Shepherd mix and believe it or not, this dog's name was Scar.

As I was talking to the owner I could see that my presence made this dog very excitable. The owner did not tell me that there was a trainer working with his dog the day before.

I did a quick evaluation and noted that the dog did not give me any warning signals. He did not growl, his hackles were not raised, he did not show me any teeth.

I decided that I would take the leash and go for a little walk, try to bond with him a little.

As soon as I had the leash I noticed a change in Scar. He panicked and before I could hand the leash back to the owner he attacked me. The dog bit me on the arm three times before I could get him into his kennel.

As I was bandaging my arm, the owner of the dog told me that the trainer that was there the day before had been very rough with Scar.

Trainer? Day before? I asked.

"Yeah, we had this other guy come in yesterday to help with some training but we didn't like him. He hung Scar with the choke collar. Every time Scar would growl, he would lift up on the leash and hold Scar there until he almost passed out."

"Every time he growled" I asked.

"Yep."

It all made sense to me now. The reason I was attacked was because Scar had been "corrected" every time he gave a warning signal. I knew the other trainer well. He only knew of one way to train dogs.

You guessed it. He treated every dog like a nail and hammered every one of them. I knew this because a big part of my business at the time was following this guy around. I would get calls from dog owners that had hired him and now had bigger problems than before they had him "train" their dogs.

You see, when a dog growls, you at least know the dog is giving you a warning. Now you can try to figure out why the dog is growling and take steps to fix the aggression problem.

A hack trainer that only has a hammer in his toolbox will try to deal with the aggression by overpowering the behavior. The problem is this: When you use aggression to deal with aggression, you escalate aggression.

In the case with the dog Scar, he had been choked every time he gave a warning signal. He growled and was choked and probably thought the trainer was going to kill him.

When I took the leash the poor dog was only thinking about survival. He did not growl at me because the behavior had been suppressed by the other trainer - but...the behavior was still there.

Even though I got pretty chewed up by Scar, I really felt sorry for him. Most aggression is fear based and Scar probably had had a tough life and became aggressive because of how he was treated.

Then, when a so called "expert" was called in, the training methods used pushed him over the edge.

Training is more than leash corrections and physical force. Training is all about understanding dogs and the reasons why they are displaying the behaviors that that they are.

Compassion, patience and an understanding of behavior is what makes a great dog trainer.

My advice to you is to be very weary of any trainer that only has a hammer in his toolbox. If you observe ANY dog trainer that deals with behavior problems by only using a choke chain and inflicting pain on the dog, you can be rest assured that you are observing someone that really does not know what they are doing and it would be wise of you to find another trainer to work with.

As always I look forward to your comments.

Peace,

Eric

P.S. If you'd like more tools than just a hammer to train your dog and change behavior check out: Good K9 Manners

P.P.S. In tomorrow's post I'll share the other great comment that was made during the seminar.

Sometimes I Just Don't Understand People When It Comes To Dog Training

I have a lot of training videos on youtube.com and what amazes me are the people that post negative comments. I mean really, don't they have anything else to do?

I have worked in animal shelters for the past 15 years. I know that the main reason dogs end up in shelters is lack of training. Most of the dogs in shelters have behavior problems.

I try to help as many people as I can with training. Sure I sell some products but you can't deny that in the vast world of the internet there are few websites or trainers that offer as much useful information as I do.

So when I get comments like the one below it sometimes makes my blood boil. Here is a comment that I received on youtube.com:

"Would be good if you could learn what negative reinforcement really means. It is not correction chains or pinch collars. You are talking about positive punishment. You obviously don't understand the 4 quadrants of dog training theory."

I know exactly what the four quadrants are, in fact I can even tell you who taught them to me. By the way the four quadrants are:

PP/PR/NR/NP

PP - Positive punishment, which by the way is not a nice way to punish your dog.

PR - Positive reinforcement

NR - Negative reinforcement

NP - Negative punishment

Sure I could use big words like "successive approximation", "extinction bursts", "conditioned reflex", and a whole bunch more but I get the feeling that most people just want practical solutions to train their dog.

Maybe I'm wrong, maybe you do want me to talk about that stuff. Please let me know. Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts about this.

Thank you.

Your friend,

Eric

P.S. My website Amazing Dog Training Man has over 1000 pages of dog training tips, articles and videos with new content being added weekly.

P.P.S. By the way, if you want to read a fantastic article on the four quadrants check out my friend Adian Binoff's article. It is the best that I have ever read on this subject. Here it is: Secrets Of Dog Training Professionals

I Was A Teenage Grave Robber

Right now I'm reading three different books. I love to read and have a huge library that gets made fun of quite often.

"What do you need all those books for?"

"Did you read all of those books?"

"Those books take up a lot of room."

I always just shrug and mumble some explanation about how I really enjoy reading. Anyway, I keep a lot of my books because I like to go back and re-read some of them.

One book that I am re-reading right now is "Memoir Of The Craft" by Stephen King. I am not a big Stephen King fan. This is the only book by him that I have in my library. You wouldn't think that a book by him would be laugh out loud funny but that is exactly what this book is.

As I sat down for a few minutes yesterday to read I busted out laughing more than once, and this is not a fictional book. It's part autobiography, part instruction manual for writers.

One of the first stories that he wrote was, "I Was A Teenage Grave Robber." Would you expect anything else from Stephen King?

I try to hone my skills as a writer because I like to take a different approach when I am writing about dog training. You see, my book "The Amazing Dog Training Man" is a story about a guy that learned how to train his dog.

I tried to weave a story in with the lessons. Listen, I am no Steven King, I am not a Mario Puzo, Larry McMurty, James Clavell or even Jackie Collins.

But, I did attempt to write a book about dog training that was not boring or run of the mill like so many dog training books that are out there.

Stephen King said that one of his happiest days was when he wrote a story and gave it to his Mom. He added that the look on her face was one of his best memories.

Young Stevie King started sending his stories in to fantasy and sci-fi magazines before his was a teenager. He received rejection after rejection until he was sixteen years old. He nailed all of them to his wall and the amount of rejections became so big that he had to take the nail out and use a spike.

When he was sixteen, one editor didn't accept his story but did write some encouraging words. As he states in his book "Those four sentences, scribbled by a fountain pen that left big ragged blotches in it's wake, brightened the winter of his sixteenth year."

I know how he feels. Just yesterday I received an email that made my winter and decided to share it with you. Here it is:

"I love the book and am finding it hard to put it down and stop reading, a couple of people approached me today about the book I was reading and I've referred them to your site so with a bit of luck there will be a few more orders for you and more importantly a few more happier dogs and owners."

Thanks again
Yours faithfully
Tommy McGuinness

Tommy wrote the best 16 words any writer can ever hear: "I love the book and am finding it hard to put it down and stop reading."

Thanks Tommy. You brightened the winter of 2008.

All the best,

Eric

Video Newsletter - 7 Ways To Cure Your Housetraining Problem

Okay, so I'm still a little depressed over the Superbowl.

But...

I know the cure for feeling down. Want to know what it is? Here it is in two words:

GET BUSY!

So yesterday I got busy and put together a new video newsletter for you.

The video is a cure for your housetraining problems. I get a ton of email asking about housetraining.

I wrote an article about this about a month ago and decided to make a video explaining the steps.

I'll show you the video in just a second but I wanted to say that unfortunately I can't personally answer every email anymore.

I try to but I get so many that I would have to spend the entire day answering them.

The subscribers to this newsletter is approaching 15,000. Which is not surprising because you won't find any dog trainer on the internet that shares as much valuable dog training advice, behavior tips, and videos as I do.

Please don't take this the wrong way. I love getting emails from all of you. What I am in the process of doing is putting together a Frequently Asked Questions page.

A lot of the questions that I get are the same:

Jumping, housetraining, puppy biting, mouthy behavior, barking etc.

I will let you know when the FAQ page is ready and please keep sending me your questions it will help me develop this page.

Anyway, this week's newsletter is a great one to pass on to any friends or family members that are having a difficult time housetraining their dogs.

Check it out:




Your friend,

Eric

P.S. You still have five days left to take advantage of my "I'm Not A Sore Loser" package. The package includes: The Ultimate On-line training course, Good K9 Manners course and my ebook "The Amazing Dog Training Man". Click here: Good K9 Manners

Who else wants their dog to come when called: Part 2

In my last post I talked about giving your dog some freedom. That when your dog develops a sense of freedom it will be easier to teach your dog to come back to you when you give the command "COME".

My dogs are very good when they are off-leash because they get to spend a lot of time off-leash. I once worked with a German Short Haired Pointer that was next to impossible to teach the recall command to.

You see, this poor dog had been tied up in the owners backyard for seven years. The dog had never been off-leash his entire life. The last thing this dog was thinking about when he got off-leash was coming when called.

Can you blame him?

Anyway, what we need to do is let our dogs develop the sense of freedom. This can be done with a long line. A 20 to 30 foot long line. Bring your dog to a big open area and put the long line on your dog.

Let your dog hang out and just be a dog. Let your dog sniff and run and explore the area without any commands and as little interference from you as possible. When I do this with a dog that I am training I just stay near the long line. I step on it if the dog starts to get to far away.

Most dogs on leash are constantly getting commands from the owner. "Heel", "Leave it", "Sit", "Stay", etc. When you have your dog on a long line just let your dog hang out and do dog stuff.

After a few days of this you'll see a change in your dog. Your dog will start to come back to you when you call.

I have always believed that the recall command is one of the most important commands we can teach our dogs. This is a easy and useful step to follow and apply. You and your dog will be happy that you did.

As always I look forward to your comments and suggestions.

All the best,

Eric

Why Some Dogs DON'T Get Trained

So yesterday I helped my sister-in-law move into a new home.

I got up at 5:30AM, drove two hours, rented a U-haul and spent the rest of the day helping her move.

If you were to ask me what my top five least favorite things to do are, moving would be right next to getting a root canal and meeting with my accountant.

It's the kind of project that you would procrastinate doing if you could.

Procrastination is a HUGE problem for a lot of people - me included.

I have to fight it all the time.

But I have found the cure for procrastination and I'm going to share it with you.
Here it is:

When you are focused on a task that needs to be completed, focus on the reward NOT
the process.

Simple yes. Profound, absolutely.

See, a lot of dogs don't get trained because we focus on the process and NOT the reward. There are times when we're tired, stressed, or pressed for time and it's just easier to put off the training.

Some people just don't enjoy the process of training, but, if you can focus on the reward and not the process, you can get your dog to behave and become the obedient dog that you always dreamed of.

Right now I'm training one of my dogs to retrieve an adult beverage from the fridge
when I give the command. I'm hoping to have her trained by the Superbowl.

Some days even me, The Amazing Dog Training Man, thinks of better things to do than training. When I start thinking that way, I focus on the reward. I think about how awesome it will be to have my dog run over to the fridge, open the door and bring my back a cold beverage.

I can picture the looks on my friends' faces when they see her do the command. I can picture all of them asking me if they can ask her to get them a brewski.

When you start thinking that way the process goes away and the training becomes fun.

Do you want your dog to walk on leash without pulling, to come back when you call, to stay when you ask? If you're ready to focus on the reward and not the process and start training your dog to listen to all of your commands, let me help you.

My on-line course can help you. Check it out at:

http://www.amazingdogtrainingman.com/homestudy1.htm

See for yourself how easy and fun training can be.

Your friend,

Eric

Why Dogs Pull On Leash

How can you pick out a lab owner standing in a group of dog owners?

Answer: The lab owner is the one with a sling on her arm, a black eye, and using crutches.

That's a bad joke that I used to tell when ever I was doing one of my leash walking seminars. I used to do weekend seminars just on leash walking and I always told that bad joke because of an incident that happened shortly after I opened my dog training business.

You see, one Saturday afternoon I was finishing up a day of teaching classes when a very nice lady walked into my office. She looked like she was in a Rocky movie. She had two huge black eyes, a piece of tape over her nose and her face was red and puffy.

I found out that her face was puffy from crying, she started to cry almost as soon as she walked in the door. She then told the story of her big 90lb. black lab that was the cause of her injuries and her crying.

She went on to explain that she was about to take her dog for walk, something she absolutely dreaded because he was such an awful puller. He would drag her around for about thirty minutes and taking him for a walk was terrible.

She added that the other day she was getting ready to take him for a walk. Just as she was about to exit the house her husband called to her. She stopped just as she was walking out the door. Her lab was outside the house and she was still inside the house.

As she was standing in the house holding her dog's leash as he was outside, her dog saw a cat. Her lab seeing the cat took off after it full speed. She had the loop of the leash around her wrist.

With the speed of a boat pulling a skier out of the water she went face first into the door, breaking her nose and injuring her wrist.

It was then that she started to cry - she said that she loved her dog. He was sweet, never chewed, never had any housetraining issues but she could not control him on the leash. He pulled her everywhere and it was becoming impossible to walk him anywhere.

I assured her that she was in the right place and that we would get her dog walking on leash in no time. A few days later she showed up with her happy, excitable, strong lab and we started our leash training. I explained to her that the best place to start training is to understand why dogs do certain behaviors.

When it comes to pulling there are three reasons why dogs pull. Once you understand what the reasons are you can take steps to fix the problem. Here they are:

Reason #1: Your dog has no clue that they are supposed to walk next to you.

Reason #2: Opposition reflex.

Reason #3: Your dog is constantly being rewarded for pulling.

So let's look at the first reason why dogs pull - Your dog has no clue that he is supposed to walk at your side. When you put your dog on leash your dog does not know that he is supposed to walk politely at your side. Your dog sees a big world in front of him and starts to pull.

The first step is to teach your dog to walk at your side. I start by using a food lure and having the dog follow the food lure.

IMPORTANT POINT: The is a exercise that you practice in a non-distracting area. The purpose of this exercise is to teach your dog where you want him to be. Taking your dog for a walk with a food lure won't work for long. There are too many distractions.



You want to spend about 10 minutes a day just having your dog follow the food lure at your side. This is laying the foundation for the future. Once your dog starts to understand that you want your dog to walk on your side you can add a slight correction that will teach your dog to stay at your side.

In my next post I'll explain opposition reflex and why that makes walking your dog difficult.

Good luck and I look forward to your comments.

Best,

Eric

P.S. You can teach your dog to walk on your left or right side. If you plan to do competitive obedience your dog has to be on your left side.

P.P.S. If you don't need to teach your dog to walk on leash but are interested in more about dog training visit: Amazing Dog Training Man Home Study

Housetraining Follow Up

I got a lot of email in regards to my "7 Ways To Cure Your Dogs Housetraining Problem" post. In the post, I wrote that a good step to take is to teach your dog to give you a cue. One very popular way is to hang a bell on the door and teach your dog to hit the bell to let you know that your dog needs to go out.

One reader, Jen, asked this question:

How would you use the bell technique?

I had ALOT of trouble housetraining my last min pin and I think that the bell idea would be great for my next little one. Miniature pinschers are THE hardest dogs to housetrain and I found that when you clean up the mess, if you rub the spot with a tad of vinegar, and the dog isn't attracted to that spot anymore.

With min pins (for other owners) It's easy to overlook little messes, as they are so small. You always have to check thoroughly to make sure you can clean it up and not let them think that its appropriate for them to go to the toilet inside.

Here is the answer for Jen.

The easiest way that I know is to put a little peanut butter on the bell while your dog is not watching. Then bring your dog to the door and close to the bell. As your dog starts to sniff the bell, say, "Good girl" and open the door and bring your dog out.

Repeat that a couple of dozen times then every time you go out the door, hit the bell and bring your dog out. Your dog will start to get the picture.

Good luck!

Best,

Eric

Shelter Workers

I'm always amazed at the dedication of the people that work in animal shelters. I have been working in many different animal shelters for over ten years and it still boggles my mind.

Just last night I was at the Southcoast Humane Society in Dartmouth Massachusetts. I was there teaching some obedience classes until about 9:00PM.

I had just finished the class and was walking to my car when I heard someone call out: "Hey sexy". Immediately I knew whoever it was, was talking to me. I turned around and saw that it was the shelter manager Arianna.

As you can see she likes to joke around. I asked her what she was doing there at that late hour. She said that someone in Fall River had died and she had 30 cats. The cats where on their way to the shelter.

As we were talking the shelter director and another shelter employee showed up. I offered to get coffee and left. When I came back they were all busy making room for the incoming cats.

Every shelter that I have ever been involved with has always had people there like this. Harding working, dedicated people that give up their time and energy to help people and animals.

My hat goes off to all the people that work in shelters, spay and neuter clinics, breed rescue groups, any organization that helps animals. Let me say personally:

THANK YOU!

Peace,

Eric

7 Ways To Cure Your Dogs Housetraining Problem

In my dog training business, if I had to list the top five behavior problems housetraining would be near the top. I get a lot of email and phone calls for housetraining.

Here are 7 ways to cure your dogs housetraining problem:

1. Management - One of the easiest steps to take is to use a crate. This will help you manage your dogs behavior when you are not there or can't watch your dog.

2. Teach a cue - Teach your dog to give you a cue that they need to go out. Hanging a bell on the door is popular. This way when your dog needs to go they hit the bell to let you know. Most dogs will give off some type of cue that they need to go. Some bark at the door, some scratch at the door and some dogs just pace around the room. Pay attention to see what type of cue your dog gives.

3. Proper cleaning - Don't clean with ammonia based products. The ammonia smells like urine and it will attract your dog back to the same spot. Clean with products that have enzymes that break down the smell.

4. Health check - Physical problems always need to be ruled out. If your dog has a physical problem no amount of behavior training can help.

5. Go on command - Teach your dog to go on command. It's easy and your dog can learn this in about a week.

6. Be there to influence behavior - If your dog goes in the house you need to be there to catch your dog "in the act". This way you can discourage your dog from going in the house and bring her out. The same holds true for when your dog is outside. A lot of people let there dog out into a fenced yard on their own. Now when the dog goes outside there is no one there to reward the dog for going in the right place. You need to be there to discourage AND reward.

7. Careful with punishment - A dog that is heavily punished for doing a natural, normal behavior in the wrong place becomes confused easily. If you harshly punish your dog for a mistake, your dog may hold it when in your presence - inside and outside. Now your dog will sneak off in the house and do his stuff when your not looking.

There you have it. The Amazing Dog Training Man's 7 Ways To Cue Your Dog's Housetraining Problems. Please feel free to leave a comment.

All the best,

Eric

P.S. My online dog training course includes my report "How To Housetrain Your Dog In 10 Days Or Less. You can get all the details here:

http://theamazingdogtrainingman.com/homestudy1.htm

Does My Dog Smell Bad?

A few months ago I met with a nice couple to help them with their dog. A few minutes into the conversation the wife asked me, "Does my dog smell bad?"

I was amazed that she asked me that question. When I walked into the house I noticed that the dog not only had a bad odor but looked awful. The dog was a golden mix of some kind and looked to be about 10 years old.

His coat was a mess, he had black gunk pouring out of his eyes and was grey all around his muzzle. I felt really bad for the old guy.

Come to find out he was only about four years old. They called me because they were having a house training problem. My first question was simple. In fact, I knew the answer before they even told me.

I asked them this simple question:

"What are feeding your dog?"

I knew that they were probably feeding a combination of some cheap brand of dry food mixed with some kind of canned food. My prediction was correct, they spent about $12.00 for a 40LBS bag of food made by a large retail chain. The canned food was what ever was on sale.

I told them that the reason they were having house training problems, the reason that their dog smelled and the reason that he looked like he was over the hill was a direct result of the food that they were feeding.

They both looked at me like I was talking Swahili. They went on to say that there was no way that the food that they were feeding was why their dog smelled and looked old. They both thought that it was just the way he was. They added that their vet said that the food they were feeding was fine.

I shared with them the story of my sheltie Sammi. I told them that Sam had some awful allergies, that her fur was falling out, that she was constantly getting fleas. In short she was a mess. I tried everything, cortisone shots, cold tar shampoos, steroids - nothing helped.

It was awful watching her in pain, scratching, chewing, rolling on the ground trying to get some relief.

I asked my vet if maybe what she was eating was effecting her. He laughed at me and said it had nothing to do with it. I ignored him and started to research everything I could on nutrition for dogs. In short, I change her diet, and within just a few short weeks she was a different dog.

Some of the books that I read and people that I studied were Dr. Pitcairn, Dr. Ian Billinghurst, and Wendy Vollard. Now my Sammi is well over 16 years old, very healthy, beautiful skin and coat, clear eyes, and still full of energy.

Your dog's diet does have a direct result on your dog's behavior, skin and coat, and general well being. If you spend just a little while learning about proper nutrition for dogs you'll be amazed at how much healthier your dog will be (and how much smaller your vet bills will be).

As always I look forward to your comments.

All the best,

Eric

Appreciation Of Dogs

It's amazing what dogs bring into your life. Today I was looking at my sheltie Sammi who is well beyond the decade mark and thought about all the good things that have happened to me since she came into my life.

Sam was one of the reasons I became a dog trainer. Becoming a dog trainer has been such an unbelievable experience for me. I have learned so much and met so many people and as a direct result of my relationship with dogs.

If I was to list all of the people and experiences I have been through (good and bad) because of dogs it would take weeks to list it.

My life has been so much fuller because a little dog named Sam came into my life. I have met some of my best friends and future wife because of dogs. I have learned how to run a business, deal with people and write because of dogs.

In short, dogs have added so much to my life. I can only hope that I have helped out dogs as much as they have helped out me.

Peace,

Eric

Happy New Year

Rachael and I decided to go to New Hampshire and spend the weekend with her sister and brother in law. We packed up the dogs and here we are in snowy New Hampshire (the dogs are having a blast).

We came up on Saturday to watch one of the biggest games in NFL history. The New England Patriots take on the New York Giants - WHAT A GAME!

We all went out to see the new Will Smith movie "I Am Legend". I won't spoil the movie for you but there is one scene that is very, very difficult to watch and made me choke up...but the movie was very good.

Anyway, we have some great stuff planned for the New Year. In 2008 we are planning on more videos, articles, and answering your questions.

We want to improve on The Amazing Dog Training Man website:

http://www.amazingdogtrainingman.com

We are very excited to continue helping people better understand their dogs through positive, real world training solutions and by providing quality information to as many dog lovers as possible.

Happy New Year!

Eric

Halloween Pet Safety Tips

Instead of boring you with writing down all the Halloween pet safety tips I decided to put together a video for you to watch.

But I have to warn you...this video is NOT pretty. In fact, I recommend that if you decide to watch this video make sure that you are not alone, make sure your doors are locked and your lights are on. If you still have the guts you can view the video by clicking on the link.

You've been warned...

Halloween Scary Video