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

Revenge is like serving cold cuts

"Revenge is like serving cold cuts"
- Tony Soprano

That saying was the first thought to pop into my head as I hung up the phone.

I mentioned before that I am a big Soprano's fan. I thought the show was very funny and had me rolling on the ground laughing sometimes. Especially when they would mess up common quotes like, "Revenge is a dish best served cold."

Anyway, let me explain why I was thinking about the classic Tony Soprano misquote.

I had just spent about 20 minutes trying to explain dog behavior to a very angry person. This person was upset with his dog because every time he leaves his house his dog destroys something.

Today he was especially angry because his dog ate the TV remote. Add to this that his dog already destroyed his shoes, the corners of his coffee table and his couch cushions.

And guess what?

The behavior was getting worse.

He was convinced that his dog was mad at him and doing it out of spite. I asked him how he handled the situation when he came home and found that his dog had chewed up something.

He was honest with me and told me that he would yell and sometimes smack his dog.

It was at this point that I tried explaining that dogs do have emotions. I don't care what anyone tells you, dogs are capable of experiencing fear, happiness, anger, etc. I strongly believe that dogs do have emotions BUT I also believe that dogs operate on a much more basic level than we do.

When you look up the definition for spite it states:

1. a malicious, usually petty, desire to harm, annoy, frustrate, or humiliate another person; bitter ill will; malice.

2. a particular instance of such an attitude or action; grudge.

3. to annoy or thwart, out of spite.

Spite, revenge, gratitude, etc. are much more complex emotions. Dogs truly live in the moment.

Are dogs capable of revenge, spite, etc? None of us really know. But from my observations we often project our feelings and emotions on our dogs. It reminds me of another favorite quote from J. Allen Boone:

"There's opinions about dogs and there's facts about dogs. We have all the opinions and the dogs have all the facts."

When you leave your house your dog does not sit there and think about how mad they are that you left. What happens is that your dog is an extremely social animal that is hard wired to be with other dogs or humans.

Because they are wired that way they become stressed when left alone. To relieve the stress they chew, usually on something with your scent on it.

The dog owner comes home and finds some item has been chewed. It's not much fun to come home after a tough day and find your favorite pair of shoes destroyed. Out of anger and frustration the dog gets punished.

But here's the rub – and it’s really ironic.

Your dog does not associate the punishment with chewing your shoes your dog associates the punishment with your homecoming. If this happens enough times your dog will learn that homecomings are associated with punishment.

Much the same way your dog can learn when it's time to eat if you feed the same time every day. Much the same way as your dog can learn when your spouse is coming home, if they come home at the same time every day.

Your dog can learn that when you come home they are going to get punished. Now destructive behavior can become a real problem because...

Dogs relieve stress by...

You guessed it.

Chewing.

See how the whole problem can spiral out of control.

But...

I couldn't get the guy I was talking to, to believe me. He wanted to think that his dog was getting revenge. Too bad, I really feel bad for the dog. Unfortunately it's hard for some people to think like a dog which is the real secret to dealing with behavior problems.

Don't think like a human, learn to think like a dog.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe our dogs do walk around thinking:

"How can I get back at him for leaving me here. What can I do? I got it, I'll chew his shoes and then to get him really, really mad I'll chew the TV remote, ha ha, that will make him mad. I'll show him for leaving me here."

The great trainer Jean Donaldson states it perfectly when she said:

"Expect your dog to act like a dog. Don't take it personally when he exhibits typical canine behavior. He's not being "bad," he's just being a dog."

Peace,

Eric

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

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.

Dog Training Video Demonstration - The Premack Principle

A couple of days ago I wrote about the Premack Principle. I decided that a video would be a great way to show you exactly how it is done. Here is the video:



Hope this helps you train your dog. Feel free to pass it on to all your friends and family.

Your friend,

Eric

P.S. What to learn more amazing dog training principles and techniques. Check out:
The Amazing Dog Training Man's Home Study Dog Training Course.

Canine ADHD

I would be on drugs.

There would be no doubt about it. If I was in high school today some guidance counselor would have suggested and strongly recommended that I be put me on some type of drug therapy to get through high school.

You see, I barely, and I mean barely, squeaked out with a diploma. I was really just pushed through my junior and senior year of high school. When I look back on my school days, I was really just pushed through most of my schooling.

I was "diagnosed" as having a learning disability in the third grade. Today I would would be classified as ADHD.

Some of my teachers would literally fall out of their chairs if they knew that I had written a book called The Amazing Dog Training Man.

It's not that I couldn't learn, I just had a very active brain and I was BORED out of my mind. I could not concentrate on what was being taught but, when I had a subject and a teacher that was interesting, I was at the top of my class.

You see, I love to learn but for some weird reason, it has to be on my terms. I have traveled all over the United States and sat for days at a time to learn from some of the best dog trainers in the world.

So why do I share all of this with you?

Simple...

I am asked by a lot of people if it is possible for their dogs to have canine ADHD. My honest opinion is that I have NEVER come across a dog that I felt had any kind of learning disability.

What I have found is that the dog that is having a difficult time learning obedience is usually a dog that cannot pay attention. I worked with a dog, not too long ago, that had so much pent up energy that he truly could not focus. The dog was kept in a crate every day, sometimes up to ten hours.

I tried and tried to explain to the person that owned the dog that no amount of training can overcome an exercise problem. I won't go into it today but the story had a very tragic ending.

One of the big influences on my training career was a British dog trainer, John Rogerson. I had the great opportunity to attend his seminars in New Hampshire and Memphis, TN.

Mr. Rogerson made a very simple but profound statement that I have never forgotten. He stated: "In order to have a good dog, you have to be a good dog owner."

Brilliant!

It changed the way I helped people train their dogs. I boiled down what I felt were the four important steps to becoming a good dog owner. Here they are:

Step #1: Effectively control and manage your dog's behavior. Or as I wrote in my book, The Amazing Dog Training Man, - M.O.B. Rules which stands for Management of Behavior.

Step #2: Give your dog enough exercise. There are two forms of exercise that every dog needs. Physical and Mental. Your dog needs to exercise his body and his brain.

Step #3: Become the leader. Dogs do respond to structure. Structure your relationship so your dog understands that you are in charge.

Step #4: Learn about behavior. Learn when to reinforce behavior and how to stop behaviors.

By following those four steps you'll develop a great relationship with your dog and your dog will become much more responsive to your training.

And remember that all training starts with attention. Your dog has to be paying attention to you before they will respond to any of your commands. It's your job to get and keep your dog's interest when you are training.

Happy training!

Your friend,

Eric

P.S. If you find this blog helpful and interesting please pass it along to your dog loving friends and family. They'll thank you for it!

The Power Of The Premack Principle, How To Use Grandmas Law To Boost Your Dog Training Efforts

Do you remember as a kid when your Grandmother would tell you that you had to finish your vegetables before you could have any ice cream?

If your Grandmother or anyone else has ever said that to you, then they were using the Premack Principle, also known as Grandma's Law.

Basically, the Premack Principle is this: "If high probability behaviors (more desirable behaviors) are made contingent upon lower probability behaviors (less desirable behaviors), then the lower probability behaviors are more likely to occur."

Or to put it simply: "You can't watch TV until you finish your homework."

So how does this apply to dog training?

The Premack Principle works great when you are trying to teach your dog to come when called. You see, when your dog is outside there are more desirable things to do than to come back to you.

If your dog is outside and sees a squirrel, the chances of coming back to you decrease dramatically. Chasing the squirrel is much more desirable than responding to your command "Come."

But...

Since we now understand the Premack Principle, we can set up training situations where your dog learns to respond to the command "Come" before taking chase.

Here is an exercise that I teach:

With your dog on a 10 to 15 foot leash, throw a treat about 20 feet away. Let your dog see you throw the treat.

Now let your dog go to the treat but stop her about two feet from the treat. Your dog will be interested in the treat and probably ignore your command "Come." Give your dog just a slight tug on the leash and back up a few feet.

Once your dog comes to you, hold your dog's collar, praise your dog, and then let your dog run back and get the treat. You have just used the Premack Principle with your dog.

Your dog wants the treat (very desirable to your dog) but can't get the treat until she responds to the command "Come" (less desirable behavior), you are now teaching your dog to respond to your commands in distracting situations.

At first you need to use the leash to get the less desirable behavior to occur, but over time you'll find that your dog will start to respond to your voice command and you'll need to use the leash less and less.

Start using the Premack Principle and you'll be amazed at how much better your dog responds to your commands.

As always I look forward to your comments.

Your friend,

Eric

P.S. If you like this article you'll love reading "The Amazing Dog Training Man,"

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

Judge Judy

She was so drunk that she had passed out in the hallway. I could see her feet and legs but I couldn't see anything else. I couldn't go any further into the hallway because there was a 120lb. rotti mix showing me all of his teeth.

What had I gotten myself into?

It was my first night as an animal control officer for the city of Fall River, Mass. It was 1:30AM and the Fall River P.D. had called because two of the residents of an apartment house could not get in or out.

The lady I described above came home drunk and was about to let her dog out. As she made it into the hallway she decided to sit down for a moment to rest. She passed out and her dog never made it outside but was now guarding her and the hallway.

Two of the residents that lived there could not get into their apartment because of the large, angry dog patrolling the hallway. My job was to catch the the big rotti mix so the police and EMT's could check on the drunk lady.

I knew she was okay because as I entered the hallway I could hear talking in her sleep. "Do you want some french fries?" she kept saying over and over in a drunken, slurred tone of voice.

Her dog was none too happy with me in the hallway and charged me. With catlike reflexes I jumped to my left and positioned myself on the small landing that was there but I wasn't quick enough and the dog managed to get part of my jacket.

I used the control pole to push the dog away from me and cornered him. I was lucky and got the pole around his neck. I brought him to the van and put him inside.

The EMTs revived the lady and brought her inside her apartment.

I was thinking about this little episode this morning because last night I got to do something that I don't usually get to do.

I was able to sit down and watch a full half hour of one of my favorite TV shows, Judge Judy.

As it turns out, the case being tried was about a guy that owned an Akita that had attacked a Jack Russell Terrier.

I couldn't believe the Akita owner. He said things like: "I never meant for my dog to break loose and hurt his dog," and "I never meant for my dog to attack his dog."

Of course he never meant for his dog to do any of those things but the dog did and he is responsible for his dog's actions, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Having a dog is a big responsibility and this guy didn't think that he had to pay the vet bills of the injured Jack Russell.

His dog didn't do this once, his dog attacked the Jack Russell twice!

It all made me think of my animal control officer days. I was always going to the same houses. In a city of 90,000 people I was going to the same seven or eight houses week after week.

The drunk lady that I described above told me that she was not paying for my jacket. She told me that she can't be responsible for what her dog does while she was passed out in the hallway, that her dog was protecting her.

No amount of arguing on my part was going to convince her that she is responsible for everything her dog does.

Anyway, as I stated earlier, dog ownership is a huge responsibility. We have to always know where our dogs are and what they are doing. We also have to make sure that they are not aggressive. One of the best ways to give your dog a good life is to train him and to start from an early age.

If more people took training their dogs and the responsibility or ownership more seriously than they do, we would not have all the dog problems that we see today.

Well thanks for reading my rant. Please feel free to leave a comment.

Your friend,

Eric

P.S. If you'd like to learn more about dog training also see: http://amazingdogtrainingman.com/homestudy1.htm

How to significantly increase your dogs chances of coming back when you call

Have you ever heard the term "Catch 22?"

The phrase became popular after the novel by that name was written by Joesph Heller in 1961.

Wikipedia defines the phrase as: "Catch-22" is common idiomatic usage meaning "a no-win situation" or "a double bind."

Here are some example from the book:

"The Texan turned out to be good-natured, generous and likable. In three days no one could stand him," and "The case against Clevinger was open and shut. The only thing missing was something to charge him with."

What does all of this have to do with significantly increasing your dog's chances of coming back when you call. Because one of the secrets to getting your dog to come back to you is like a Catch 22 situation, or if Joseph Heller were to write it, it would probably sound like this:

"The secret to getting your dog to come back to you when he is off-leash is to let him spend some time off-leash."

You see, the big problem with dogs not coming back to their owners is not that they don't understand the command, not that they don't like you, not even that there is something else distracting your dog.

The big problem with with your dog not coming back to you is...

YOUR DOG'S LACK OF FREEDOM.

If you look at the way many dogs live you'll see that most of them live under some type of confinement. The spend long periods of time in a house, in a fenced in yard, in a crate, in a car, on a leash etc.

The last thing your dog is thinking about when he gets a little taste of freedom is coming back to you or me.

I once worked with a German Short Haired Pointer that had been confined to the house and tied up for seven long years. For whatever reason, the owner after seven years decided he wanted to train his dog.

He showed up for a training session and thought that the area we were in was fenced and let his dog off-leash. Within seconds his dog was out of sight. He became very angry with his dog as we chased after him.

After we caught his dog (which was not easy) I tried explaining to him that what his dog did was natural. That after seven years of confinement I expected his dog to take off.

I added that in order for his dog to ever get good at coming back to him, his dog would have to develop a sense of freedom. He gave me a very puzzled look and asked, "How the heck do I let my dog develop a sense of freedom?"

There are a couple of ways to do this. One of the best ways is to get a 30 to 40 foot long line. Attach it to your dog's collar and go to a big open field. With the long leash attached to your dog, let your dog just be a dog.

Let your dog sniff, play, run around and do dog stuff. Stay close to the long line, this way you can step on the line if your dog starts to get too far away. Then when you call your dog, you can use the long line to get your dog to come to you.

I also recommend tying some knots in the long line. This way if your dog starts to run and you step on the long line the knot will help slow down your dog.

You can also go to a fenced in ball park or tennis court. The more you allow your dog to just be a dog and run around, the easier it will be for your dog to come back to you.

If you follow this simple step you will significantly increase your dog's chances of coming back when you call.

Go ahead and try it out and please let me know how you do.

Your friend,

Eric

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

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

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

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

The Art Of Dog Training

The funny thing about being a dog trainer is that you really aren't a dog trainer. When you become a dog trainer you spend your time training people to train their dogs. I spend way more time training people than I do training dogs.

So now when someone asks me what I do for a living I say that I am a professional people trainer. I get some strange looks but that's okay, I used to it.

So why am I sharing all of this with you.

Simple my dog loving friend...

This is the time of the year that people are looking for a good dog trainer to help train their dogs. A lot of people still get puppies for Christmas. A lot of dog owners also wait until after the holidays to start training their dogs.

So I wanted give you some tips on working with a good dog trainer. A good dog trainer is someone who is patient and fun to be with. It always amazes me when I go to a dog training class and the dog trainer is like a drill instructor.

I remember about ten years ago I went to a dog training class at a popular school. The instructor walked into the middle of the class and stated: "This is the worst class I have ever seen". She went on to belittle the whole class for about five minutes. Why the people didn't walk out I never figure out.

A good dog trainer will have different techniques to help you, a good understanding of the different training methods and breeds of dogs.

But I would have to say that one of the most important things is that the dog trainer should make it fun for you and your dog. Dog training should be all about having fun. I know there is a serious side to dog training - it stop your dog from injury, prevent your stuff from getting destroyed, not anger your Friends and neighbors etc. but...

If dog training is FUN your chance and your dogs chance for success is much greater. I'm not saying that every dog trainer has to be great at cracking jokes but the class environment can be light and enjoyable.

Well that's my take on finding a good dog trainer. Let me know what you think. Please leave a comment below.

Peace,

Eric

Whats Everyone Talking About?

"Thanks, Eric...our dog really needs this and has a few issues - I plan to try this out soon"!

"Wonderful tips to train puppies" :)

"Very, very helpful. Thank you"!

"Good idea. I used this on my dog and in no time he knows how to stay".

"Thanks for the good advice".

"Such a great video tutorial. Thanks a million. I have two puppies; 9 wks and 17 wks... definitely could use the help in this area". ;)

"Absolutely outstanding article that solved the problem we had. Thanks"!

"Thank you"!

"Nice video".

"I just tried this with our lab...it worked! Thanks" :)

"Superb article. We have seven dogs, we are the alphas, and it makes life very pleasant for all of us. With the exception of the sock/leash behavior, this is exactly how we achieved peace within our "pack," which includes a dobie, rat terrier, two labs, a shepard, a large short-legged guy we have no clue about, and a pit".

"This is going to help my family deal with this problem with our 5 dogs. Thanks"!

"Very accurate and helpful. Thanks"!

"Nice article, super stuff".

Those are just a few comments from the articles that I have posted at ehow.com. You can check them out by clicking on this link:

http://www.ehow.com/Search.aspx?s=eletendre&Options=0

All the best,

Eric

P.S. You can still get the Good K9 Manners Mini-Course. It's a video course that will help you understand problem behavior and what to do about it. Get the course here: Good K9 Manners

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