Owners frequently call us to say: “My dog is amazing, but he has one problem!” That problem might be something comparatively small, or it might be something bigger. It’s always bizarre to hear someone say “My dog’s perfect except for the fact that he attacks other dogs.”

He Has One Problem

Let’s dig deep into this. A dog’s nervous system controls its ability to process stress. Fear, anxiety, and aggression all come from a place of stress. Your dog’s nervous system dictates how well he or she will press that stress. A strong nervous system can handle a lot of stress, while a weak one can only handle stress for a shorter period of time.

Take A Rest: Understanding Recovery Time

Summer is on its way, and that means that everyone is going to be at the park with their dog. We’re going to be camping, hiking, and fishing . It’s fun to take our dogs along too! Many people want to take their dogs on these adventures off-leash, and unfortunately most of these people shouldn’t. Have you ever been out in public and had a dog run right up to you? Usually the owner is calling out “Don’t worry, he’s friendly!” That doesn't matter. What if I were terrified of dogs or allergic to them? What if my dog wasn’t friendly?

Summer is on its way, and that means that everyone is going to be at the park with their dog. We’re going to be camping, hiking, and fishing . It’s fun to take our dogs along too! Many people want to take their dogs on these adventures off-leash, and unfortunately most of these people shouldn’t. Have you ever been out in public and had a dog run right up to you? Usually the owner is calling out “Don’t worry, he’s friendly!” That doesn't matter. What if I were terrified of dogs or allergic to them? What if my dog wasn’t friendly?

Fun In The Sun: How To Take Your Dog Off Leash

The message I want to convey boils down to this: leave dogs alone when you’re in public! When you see a dog, especially a service dog, just leave it alone. I know that’s tough for a lot of people. I probably don’t understand this urge to interact with dogs, because I’m surrounded by dozens of them every day and usually fulfill my “dog quota” with no problem. But there is nothing more frustrating to a service dog’s trainer or handler than to be out in public teaching the dog and be constantly interrupted by folks who just want to chat.

How Should I Interact With Service Dogs?

Someone called into our Salt Lake City training center to ask me to come to their home and house train their dog. As I explained that we only train at the center, I realized that going to the house wouldn't even be necessary. In fact, I’ve house trained hundreds of dogs without ever once seeing the houses they lived in.

No Practice Required: How To House Train Your Puppy

I have plenty of clients with dogs that are big and cute. Some of these dogs also, unfortunately, have aggression issues. Frequently the owner will be walking their dog on the street and have to deal with a difficult situation: a neighbor sees the dog, lights up with a smile, and runs across the road to get in the dog’s face and say hello.

In Your Face: How To Approach A Dog

Right now, it’s starting to feel a little bit like spring in Utah. It seemed like winter lasted forever! We had two inches of snow down here in the valley last week, and there’s still snow on the mountains. Utah Sometimes it feels like winter ends in May and spring only lasts a month until we’re into summer.

Spring Cleaning: Structuring Motion and Silence

In this post, I want to ask you to do something. You don’t need to do it right now, especially if you're at school or in your office or at another public place. (In fact, if that’s the case, please save this task for later!) The next time you're getting dressed, put your pants on the other way: if you're used to putting in your left leg first, then try to put in your right leg and then your left.

Take Off Your Pants: How To Use Repetition in Dog Training

This post might be out to burst your bubble, because in it I want to talk about selective hearing. Here’s why what I’m about to say might disappoint you: dogs don't have selective hearing in quite the way you think they do. Selective hearing is what most people blame when they say things like: “Sometimes I call my dog and he looks around and thinks about it, but decides not to come” or “I tell my dog to sit, but he’s pretty selective about whether he obeys.”

Dog Obedience Myths: Selective Listening

I love summer. I love not worrying about wearing shoes. I love leaving the house in shorts and no jacket without worrying about getting cold. I hate the rain and the snow and anything falling out of the sky. (Why do I live in Utah, you’re probably asking!) So the rain we’ve been getting recently has really dragged on me, but there is a bit of a silver lining.

Singin’ In The Rain: How To Keep Training Fresh

Ty the Dog Guy on the Daily is a 5 day per week podcast with celebrity dog trainer Ty Brown.  Ty takes your questions, teaches about dog training topics, and sometimes even goes on rants to teach you the ins and outs of dog behavior and raising puppies.

Ty the Dog Guy on the Daily

Today I’d like to speak about the impact of taking a puppy away from its mother and litter mates too early. I recently spoke with an owner who had done this, having brought her puppy home at about five weeks. While talking with her, I tried to explain some of the complex issues involved in this kind of situation.In this particular case, the owner had no choice but to bring the puppy home early because its mother had died. Some people do have that choice: they meet a cute puppy who is five or six weeks old, and they’re given the opportunity to take the dog home. Generally, I advise that you not do that. The only way that I would ever recommend that choice is if there is a health issue involved where the puppies can’t be with their mother. In that case, it is what it is: not an ideal scenario, but something you can adapt to.There are a few big potential issues with taking a dog away from its mother too early. I often see problems with mouthiness. Almost every puppy will nip, but dogs who were separated too early do so excessively. There’s a phenomenon called “bite inhibition” that occurs as the puppies get more mature—past five or six weeks—and start to bite their mother. They explore the world with their mouths, and start biting their litter mates and their mother. The mom will put up with some nipping, but she’ll eventually get to a point where she doesn't want to be bothered any more. So the mother will correct the puppies. In doing so, they begin to realize that they shouldn’t bite too rough or too hard. They can learn this lesson from litter mates as well, as the puppies put each other in their place. Mouthiness and biting can therefore become huge issues if the puppy is taken away from its litter prematurely.

Today I’d like to speak about the impact of taking a puppy away from its mother and litter mates too early. I recently spoke with an owner who had done this, having brought her puppy home at about five weeks. While talking with her, I tried to explain some of the complex issues involved in this kind of situation. In this particular case, the owner had no choice but to bring the puppy home early because its mother had died. Some people do have that choice: they meet a cute puppy who is five or six weeks old, and they’re given the opportunity to take the dog home. Generally, I advise that you not do that. The only way that I would ever recommend that choice is if there is a health issue involved where the puppies can’t be with their mother. In that case, it is what it is: not an ideal scenario, but something you can adapt to. There are a few big potential issues with taking a dog away from its mother too early. I often see problems with mouthiness. Almost every puppy will nip, but dogs who were separated too early do so excessively. There’s a phenomenon called “bite inhibition” that occurs as the puppies get more mature—past five or six weeks—and start to bite their mother. They explore the world with their mouths, and start biting their litter mates and their mother. The mom will put up with some nipping, but she’ll eventually get to a point where she doesn't want to be bothered any more. So the mother will correct the puppies. In doing so, they begin to realize that they shouldn’t bite too rough or too hard. They can learn this lesson from litter mates as well, as the puppies put each other in their place. Mouthiness and biting can therefore become huge issues if the puppy is taken away from its litter prematurely.

Puppy Problems: Minimizing Aggression and Anxiety

In this post, I want to talk about stubborn dogs.Here’s the thing: even if you think you have a stubborn dog, I doubt it. You might, because they do exist. But I highly doubt that you have one. It’s common for me to be working with a client and hear something like, “Oh gosh, my dog is so stubborn!” This is a frequent claim that owners make about their dogs. Sometimes I’ll agree with them—but not often.When I call a dog “stubborn,” this is what I mean: the dog fully understands what you’re asking, and then chooses not to listen or pay attention. Makes sense, right? It’s not a crazy concept. But the reality is that very few dogs actually know what’s being asked of them, and so many owners think their dog knows exactly what’s being asked of them! So when owners complain that their dog knows what they’re asking but doesn’t do it, they almost always mean that their dog is clueless! The dog hasn’t been taught very well. Maybe the dog understands what “come” means in certain situations, but once they change the setting or add a distraction he is confused. Now they aren’t coming when called. The dog isn’t stubborn, he just hasn’t been taught how to deal with distractions or to obey from a distance. A dog who is truly stubborn understands the command, yet doesn't obey it.The reason this is so rare is that if a dog does understand what’s expected and desire, they usually want to do it. Most dogs enjoy work and are totally willing to please. They enjoy the camaraderie that comes from working together with their owners. Of course, some dogs are little knuckleheads that know what you want but won’t do it. I see this situation go awry often. Frequently, owners say that their dogs know what they want because of a facial expression. They might say to the dog, “Hey, come here!” When the dog doesn’t, they go after it. If the dog appears to be sorry, then they say, “See, he knows what I was talking about.” That’s not true. The dog simply understands that its owner is upset. He’s trying to say “Sorry, I would have come if you had told me that’s what you wanted—but you didn’t.” Other owners might say “He heels it a lot, just not off-leash” or “He can sit, but he doesn’t when guests come over.” They think that’s because their dog is stubborn. In reality, it only seems like the dog was taught to come or stay. The second you add those other elements that you didn’t spend any time teaching about, the dog doesn’t understand. It’s not because he’s stubborn. Stubbornness is active; not understanding is passive. If your dog is being disobedient, it’s probably because of the latter. Will you come across stubborn dogs occasionally? Yes. But out of the dozens of dogs that I’m currently working with, only two or three of them are actively stubborn. If you frequently find yourself calling your dog “stubborn,” slap yourself on the wrist and recognize that there’s probably something you’re not teaching. Only then can you start teaching your dog better!

In this post, I want to talk about stubborn dogs. Here’s the thing: even if you think you have a stubborn dog, I doubt it. You might, because they do exist. But I highly doubt that you have one. It’s common for me to be working with a client and hear something like, “Oh gosh, my dog is so stubborn!” This is a frequent claim that owners make about their dogs. Sometimes I’ll agree with them—but not often. When I call a dog “stubborn,” this is what I mean: the dog fully understands what you’re asking, and then chooses not to listen or pay attention. Makes sense, right? It’s not a crazy concept. But the reality is that very few dogs actually know what’s being asked of them, and so many owners think their dog knows exactly what’s being asked of them! So when owners complain that their dog knows what they’re asking but doesn’t do it, they almost always mean that their dog is clueless! The dog hasn’t been taught very well. Maybe the dog understands what “come” means in certain situations, but once they change the setting or add a distraction he is confused. Now they aren’t coming when called. The dog isn’t stubborn, he just hasn’t been taught how to deal with distractions or to obey from a distance. A dog who is truly stubborn understands the command, yet doesn't obey it. The reason this is so rare is that if a dog does understand what’s expected and desire, they usually want to do it. Most dogs enjoy work and are totally willing to please. They enjoy the camaraderie that comes from working together with their owners. Of course, some dogs are little knuckleheads that know what you want but won’t do it. I see this situation go awry often. Frequently, owners say that their dogs know what they want because of a facial expression. They might say to the dog, “Hey, come here!” When the dog doesn’t, they go after it. If the dog appears to be sorry, then they say, “See, he knows what I was talking about.” That’s not true. The dog simply understands that its owner is upset. He’s trying to say “Sorry, I would have come if you had told me that’s what you wanted—but you didn’t.” Other owners might say “He heels it a lot, just not off-leash” or “He can sit, but he doesn’t when guests come over.” They think that’s because their dog is stubborn. In reality, it only seems like the dog was taught to come or stay. The second you add those other elements that you didn’t spend any time teaching about, the dog doesn’t understand. It’s not because he’s stubborn. Stubbornness is active; not understanding is passive. If your dog is being disobedient, it’s probably because of the latter. Will you come across stubborn dogs occasionally? Yes. But out of the dozens of dogs that I’m currently working with, only two or three of them are actively stubborn. If you frequently find yourself calling your dog “stubborn,” slap yourself on the wrist and recognize that there’s probably something you’re not teaching. Only then can you start teaching your dog better!

Understanding “Stubbornness”

Recently I’ve been thinking about the difference between simply relaxing and actually shutting down your brain. This topic has been on my mind because of a conversation I had with a client about giving their dog some down time. This was especially necessary in this case because the dog was a service animal who has a very difficult working life and really needs down time. But all dogs can benefit from intentional relaxation. Owners frequently say things like “Of course my dog has a lot of down time—he’s always sleeping in his bed or lying down on the floor to relax!” Of course lots of dogs do those kinds of things, either on their own or on command. Dogs will naturally lie down, take naps, and rest. That’s all well and good, but oftentimes the dog that’s lying down of his own volition isn’t really shutting down. At any given moment he might decide to get up and walk around, or grab a toy, or investigate what’s happening on the other side of the house. So while your dog might look like he’s taking a nap, is he actually shut down to the point where he is totally calm and relaxed?This concept doesn't just apply to service dogs, but to working and family dogs as well. All dogs can benefit from the ability to fully shut down their minds. This is why I’m a huge fan of crate training, and use it even when I’m at home with my dogs. Let me explain why in a little more detail.

Recently I’ve been thinking about the difference between simply relaxing and actually shutting down your brain. This topic has been on my mind because of a conversation I had with a client about giving their dog some down time. This was especially necessary in this case because the dog was a service animal who has a very difficult working life and really needs down time. But all dogs can benefit from intentional relaxation. Owners frequently say things like “Of course my dog has a lot of down time—he’s always sleeping in his bed or lying down on the floor to relax!” Of course lots of dogs do those kinds of things, either on their own or on command. Dogs will naturally lie down, take naps, and rest. That’s all well and good, but oftentimes the dog that’s lying down of his own volition isn’t really shutting down. At any given moment he might decide to get up and walk around, or grab a toy, or investigate what’s happening on the other side of the house. So while your dog might look like he’s taking a nap, is he actually shut down to the point where he is totally calm and relaxed? This concept doesn't just apply to service dogs, but to working and family dogs as well. All dogs can benefit from the ability to fully shut down their minds. This is why I’m a huge fan of crate training, and use it even when I’m at home with my dogs. Let me explain why in a little more detail.

Crate Training To Promote Relaxation

Recently, I’ve been thinking about a trend that I see among many puppy owners. I frequently talk to puppy owners who want to make sure that their dogs never bite anyone or misbehave in any way. In other words, they want to hedge their bets.These people come in with the right mindset: they’re ready to put in the work early on so that they don’t have more serious problems later on.

Set For Success: Giving Your Puppy A Healthy Foundation

which complaint do I hear the most? “My dog only listens when she wants to.” Oftentimes, people think of this as an issue with their dog. They think it means their dog is stubborn, unmotivated, stupid, or even too smart. But in reality, almost everyone teaches their dog to only be obedient when they feel like it. It usually starts from day one, whether they’ve bought a puppy or adopted an older dog. Let’s say, as an example, that you’ve just brought home your new puppy. You tell him: “Come here, puppy!” Being a curious puppy, he hears someone talking and immediately comes over. Tomorrow, you say the same thing twelve times. The puppy keeps listening, because frankly they’ll come to anything! You could say “zucchini” or “radish” and a puppy would respond to it. But the puppy isn’t really learning anything, other than that it’s a good thing to come when called. You’re just making a noise, and he’s responding to it. What tends to happen is an expansion. Now you say “sit,” “down,” and “stay,” but dogs don’t learn well through being told. They learn through being shown.

Show and Tell: Puppy Obedience Training

In today’s post, I want to talk about a very important subject in dog training: core behaviors.I’ve found over the years that there are three of these “core” behaviors. If a dog does these behaviors, and does them well, then we can manage or solve 95% of the things that bother the owners about that dog’s behavior. Those three behaviors are: coming when called, staying when told, and walking properly. We might achieve these behaviors through various commands, but those three concepts are absolutely critical. With mastery of them, your dog can manage almost anything. I want to dedicate my next few posts to these core behaviors, because nearly every dog I meet has a merely rudimentary understanding of these behaviors. Perhaps he will come, but not very well. Perhaps he will sit, but not stay. That’s not very useful. When the time comes to apply that obedience to aggression or manners, then the dog won’t behave in the presence of distraction. In this post, I want to discuss things you can do to get your core behaviors down better. If your dog comes when called reliably, a lot of problems go away. You can call your dog away from the door when someone rings the bell, prevent your dog from barking at the window, and get rid of aggression. This concept is huge! I like to teach two different types of recall: casual and formal. I use two simply because most people tell their dogs to “come” fifty times a day. We say it all the time. That’s fine, but anything we say that often is going to lose some of its meaning. We won’t be reinforcing it all the time, so because it’s used all the time it will become lax. I allow that with my casual recall. Teaching this recall is vey easy: I call the dog, then give him lots of rewards of food and praise. I do this over and over—simple. But here’s the problem: the casual recall probably won’t be good enough to overcome real problems. Your dog will probably really enjoy coming when called, but when the chips are down you can’t count on that behavior. When the dog has to choose between obeying commands for a treat or chasing the cat, then the dog will usually go after the cat. That situation calls for what I call a “formal recall.”

In today’s post, I want to talk about a very important subject in dog training: core behaviors. I’ve found over the years that there are three of these “core” behaviors. If a dog does these behaviors, and does them well, then we can manage or solve 95% of the things that bother the owners about that dog’s behavior. Those three behaviors are: coming when called, staying when told, and walking properly. We might achieve these behaviors through various commands, but those three concepts are absolutely critical. With mastery of them, your dog can manage almost anything. I want to dedicate my next few posts to these core behaviors, because nearly every dog I meet has a merely rudimentary understanding of these behaviors. Perhaps he will come, but not very well. Perhaps he will sit, but not stay. That’s not very useful. When the time comes to apply that obedience to aggression or manners, then the dog won’t behave in the presence of distraction. In this post, I want to discuss things you can do to get your core behaviors down better. If your dog comes when called reliably, a lot of problems go away. You can call your dog away from the door when someone rings the bell, prevent your dog from barking at the window, and get rid of aggression. This concept is huge! I like to teach two different types of recall: casual and formal. I use two simply because most people tell their dogs to “come” fifty times a day. We say it all the time. That’s fine, but anything we say that often is going to lose some of its meaning. We won’t be reinforcing it all the time, so because it’s used all the time it will become lax. I allow that with my casual recall. Teaching this recall is vey easy: I call the dog, then give him lots of rewards of food and praise. I do this over and over—simple. But here’s the problem: the casual recall probably won’t be good enough to overcome real problems. Your dog will probably really enjoy coming when called, but when the chips are down you can’t count on that behavior. When the dog has to choose between obeying commands for a treat or chasing the cat, then the dog will usually go after the cat. That situation calls for what I call a “formal recall.”

Touring the Core: Total Recall

Albert Einstein said a lot of intelligent things, but one of his statements has always particularly stuck out to me. In fact, it’s one of my favorite quotes from anyone, and I think of it frequently in my dog training career. Here it is: “If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first fifty-five minutes determining the proper question to ask. For once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes.” Now, I think a lot about how this idea can help my clients who are dealing with dog issues. My website gets a lot of traffic, and I get questions from people all over the world. I do my best to answer those questions when I can, but I just get too many to answer every single one of them. There are some questions, however, that I routinely ignore: the ones that don’t even come close to following Einstein’s formula. Now, I’m certainly not saying that you have to be as smart as Einstein in order to ask a question! But I frequently get questions like: “My dog has aggression problems—what do I do?” or “My dog pees in the house—what do I do?” It’s clear that the people asking these kinds of questions have devoted no thought process to it. If they had, then they wouldn’t be asking the question that way in the first place.

Albert Einstein said a lot of intelligent things, but one of his statements has always particularly stuck out to me. In fact, it’s one of my favorite quotes from anyone, and I think of it frequently in my dog training career. Here it is: “If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first fifty-five minutes determining the proper question to ask. For once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes.” Now, I think a lot about how this idea can help my clients who are dealing with dog issues. My website gets a lot of traffic, and I get questions from people all over the world. I do my best to answer those questions when I can, but I just get too many to answer every single one of them. There are some questions, however, that I routinely ignore: the ones that don’t even come close to following Einstein’s formula. Now, I’m certainly not saying that you have to be as smart as Einstein in order to ask a question! But I frequently get questions like: “My dog has aggression problems—what do I do?” or “My dog pees in the house—what do I do?” It’s clear that the people asking these kinds of questions have devoted no thought process to it. If they had, then they wouldn’t be asking the question that way in the first place.

What Do I Do Now?: Asking The Right Questions

Today I’d like to talk to you about a troubling sentiment that I hear quite a lot from new dog owners. It came to mind because of a conversation that I recently had with a client. This individual was explaining to me how they needed to get some training for their dog, who was aggressive toward cats, because they went to an adoption event and their daughter had to bring home a kitten. Those were their exact words: “She just had to have a kitten.” As soon as I heard that, my immediate thought was, “No, she didn’t. She didn’t need to have the kitten.” Instead, this person had allowed their daughter to get a kitten. Furthermore, they had made a bad choice by bringing a cat into their home when they were already aware that their dog had obedience and aggression issues. This person was trying to do the right thing by finding a trainer for their dog. But this incident still shows an all-too-common problem: kids making decision about the family animals. Now, don’t take this the wrong way. I love kids! In fact, I have four daughters myself, and my wife and I love them more than anything. We do as much as we possibly can for them. They go to dance camps and theatre camps and science and math events. That’s because we want our daughters to grow up with great experiences: we want them to meet a lot of people, see a lot of things, and come into contact with a lot of cultures. We want to raise well-rounded kids who turn into conscientious adults, so we’re constantly asking ourselves how we can give our kids more meaningful responsibilities.

Today I’d like to talk to you about a troubling sentiment that I hear quite a lot from new dog owners. It came to mind because of a conversation that I recently had with a client. This individual was explaining to me how they needed to get some training for their dog, who was aggressive toward cats, because they went to an adoption event and their daughter had to bring home a kitten. Those were their exact words: “She just had to have a kitten.” As soon as I heard that, my immediate thought was, “No, she didn’t. She didn’t need to have the kitten.” Instead, this person had allowed their daughter to get a kitten. Furthermore, they had made a bad choice by bringing a cat into their home when they were already aware that their dog had obedience and aggression issues. This person was trying to do the right thing by finding a trainer for their dog. But this incident still shows an all-too-common problem: kids making decision about the family animals. Now, don’t take this the wrong way. I love kids! In fact, I have four daughters myself, and my wife and I love them more than anything. We do as much as we possibly can for them. They go to dance camps and theatre camps and science and math events. That’s because we want our daughters to grow up with great experiences: we want them to meet a lot of people, see a lot of things, and come into contact with a lot of cultures. We want to raise well-rounded kids who turn into conscientious adults, so we’re constantly asking ourselves how we can give our kids more meaningful responsibilities.

Calling the Shots: Managing Kids and Pets

In my last post, I discussed the concept of core behaviors: three behaviors which, done well, allow you to manage nearly everything. We’ve already discussed coming when called, so if you missed that one please go back and have a read! Today, I want to talk about how to get your dog to stay when told.Just like recall, staying when told is critical for a lot of things you need from your dog. Often, when I’m talking with owners for the first time, they tell me that their dog knows all the “tricks”: sit, lie down, shake, roll over. But if your dog doesn't do these things very well, then it’s nothing more just a trick. If you can get your dog to come when called in the living room with a treat in your hand, who cares? It’s not useful! That behavior only matters if your dog will still do it in the front yard with the mailman standing right in front of him.

In my last post, I discussed the concept of core behaviors: three behaviors which, done well, allow you to manage nearly everything. We’ve already discussed coming when called, so if you missed that one please go back and have a read! Today, I want to talk about how to get your dog to stay when told. Just like recall, staying when told is critical for a lot of things you need from your dog. Often, when I’m talking with owners for the first time, they tell me that their dog knows all the “tricks”: sit, lie down, shake, roll over. But if your dog doesn't do these things very well, then it’s nothing more just a trick. If you can get your dog to come when called in the living room with a treat in your hand, who cares? It’s not useful! That behavior only matters if your dog will still do it in the front yard with the mailman standing right in front of him.

Touring the Core: Stay Put!

One idea that I often come back to is the “collateral effect.” This concept doesn’t just apply to your dog—it also applies to you. Imagine that you begin every day by drinking a smoothie and meditating, or a long jog and some time with your children, or maybe eating a healthy breakfast and reading a great book. Now imagine that instead of starting your day off like that, you woke up, hopped onto Facebook right away, and got into an argument with someone about Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Maybe you’re late to get to work and are scrambling around, trying to get ready on time.

Start the Day Off Right: Making Sense of the Collateral Effect

Spending more time outside in the beautiful Utah spring has reminded me that many owners envision their backyard as their dog’s domain. Over the years I’ve noticed that, of the hundreds of clients I speak with every year, only one or two have full-time backyard dogs. Very few good dog owners keep their dogs outdoors all the time.

Breaking In the Backyard: Tips For Taking Your Dog Outdoors

In this post, I’m going to tell you something that will possibly make you angry. It tends to have that effect on people, whether I say it like a jerk or as sweetly as I can. I think that people react in this way because they have an emotional response to things that go against what they like to hear. Well, here’s that statement: your dog probably doesn't want to protect you. A lot of people swear up and down that their dog loves them and definitely wants to protect them. In most cases, the first element isn’t under question: dogs tend to love their owner. But you have to see things from the dog’s point of view. Just like you and I, dogs are interested in self-preservation. Humans do a lot of things based on certain moral codes, but might still ignore someone getting mugged in order to avoid danger. Dogs are the same. They’re interested in self-preservation, and because of that they don’t automatically have a desire to protect the people they live with. Many people say things like: “All right, then explain to me why my dog barks when someone approaches me,” or “Why does my dog bark out the front window at the mailman?” or “Explain why my dog attacked someone on a walk the other day.” In many cases, these events come about because dogs are territorial. The dog is simply saying “This is my house, and I need to protect it!” That’s a good thing. We want to be able to have control, but I do like a dog that has some territorial urges. My old Rottweiler was incredibly territorial. After being somewhere for ten minutes, he would decide that was his place to protect. When your dog sleeps at the front door or barks at visitors, then, he isn’t trying to protect your family. He’s trying to defends what he views as his territory: the place that he sleeps, lives, and eats. He wants other people to get away from it. So what’s happening when you’re outside the dog’s “territory” and he still growls at people? In most cases, this is self-preservation. Your dog isn’t telling others to get away from you because he really likes you. It’s probably because he’s insecure about someone approaching, doesn’t see his owner as a leader, and thinks that the situation isn’t being taken care of. He says, “This is now my responsibility,” and growls, barks, or bites. That’s simple self-preservation. The dog doesn't see the person on the other side of the leash as a leader and doesn’t feel safe, so he feels the need to protect himself.

In this post, I’m going to tell you something that will possibly make you angry. It tends to have that effect on people, whether I say it like a jerk or as sweetly as I can. I think that people react in this way because they have an emotional response to things that go against what they like to hear. Well, here’s that statement: your dog probably doesn't want to protect you. A lot of people swear up and down that their dog loves them and definitely wants to protect them. In most cases, the first element isn’t under question: dogs tend to love their owner. But you have to see things from the dog’s point of view. Just like you and I, dogs are interested in self-preservation. Humans do a lot of things based on certain moral codes, but might still ignore someone getting mugged in order to avoid danger. Dogs are the same. They’re interested in self-preservation, and because of that they don’t automatically have a desire to protect the people they live with. Many people say things like: “All right, then explain to me why my dog barks when someone approaches me,” or “Why does my dog bark out the front window at the mailman?” or “Explain why my dog attacked someone on a walk the other day.” In many cases, these events come about because dogs are territorial. The dog is simply saying “This is my house, and I need to protect it!” That’s a good thing. We want to be able to have control, but I do like a dog that has some territorial urges. My old Rottweiler was incredibly territorial. After being somewhere for ten minutes, he would decide that was his place to protect. When your dog sleeps at the front door or barks at visitors, then, he isn’t trying to protect your family. He’s trying to defends what he views as his territory: the place that he sleeps, lives, and eats. He wants other people to get away from it. So what’s happening when you’re outside the dog’s “territory” and he still growls at people? In most cases, this is self-preservation. Your dog isn’t telling others to get away from you because he really likes you. It’s probably because he’s insecure about someone approaching, doesn’t see his owner as a leader, and thinks that the situation isn’t being taken care of. He says, “This is now my responsibility,” and growls, barks, or bites. That’s simple self-preservation. The dog doesn't see the person on the other side of the leash as a leader and doesn’t feel safe, so he feels the need to protect himself.

The Inconvenient Truth About Protection

Believe it or not, your dog understands equations. Not on a human level, of course, but there is still an element of comprehension in their minds.  Let me illustrate this using an example. If I have a tasty piece of meat sitting on the kitchen counter and I’m standing beside it, my dog will leave it alone because I’m right there beside her. To her, the equation looks something like this:

Believe it or not, your dog understands equations. Not on a human level, of course, but there is still an element of comprehension in their minds. Let me illustrate this using an example. If I have a tasty piece of meat sitting on the kitchen counter and I’m standing beside it, my dog will leave it alone because I’m right there beside her. To her, the equation looks something like this:

Balancing the Equation: Tips For Managing Your Dog’s Misbehavior

I want to talk to for a minute your about how your dog’s breed learns. Very frequently, dog owners will ask me, “Have you ever dealt with this breed before?” Sometimes I chuckle when it’s a very common breed. You’d be surprised at how many people have asked me if I’ve ever trained a German Shepherd, for instance. My response? “Well, not since twenty minutes ago!”

Shepherds and Terriers: How To Train Your Breed

For the past decade, there has been a non-adversive movement in dog training that rejects correction in favor of positive reinforcement. Unfortunately, this trend is sponsored more by public relations and feel-good sentiments than by actual science about the way that dogs learn. According to this philosophy, undesirable behaviors should be ignored or avoided by desensitizing dogs to their triggers.

Is Correction Training Humane?

I want to talk about Pavlov. Many people remember hearing about Pavlov in school, and some of you even studied him in depth. If you don't know who he is, go do a quick Google search and find out some more about him, because he was a transformative figure in the study of behavioral theory. Pavlov was a Russian scientist who studied conditioning. He would ring a bell and give a treat, over and over again through a long period of time. This is his most famous experiment, and a good number of people know him for it. What happened? Over time, the sound of the bell became loaded: the sound itself had a lot of meaning to the dogs. If they heard it, they would start to salivate. The sound alone initiated a physical response. So the joke I always make is this: what if Pavlov had been a jerk? He’s done all this work to make the dogs salivate when they hear the bell. What if he had tried to mess around with them? Imagine that he had rung the bell and then smacked the dog in the face. How many times would he need to do that before the dog started to cower and flinch every time he rang the bell? I don’t know the answer, because I’ve obviously never done this and never will. But I would guess that it wouldn't take too many repetitions for a dog to begin to dislike the sound of the bell, even if they had positive associations with it before. I’m sharing this hypothetical situation because it helps people realize how quickly dogs can change associations when things are presented in the correct way. This story comes in particularly handy when talking about doorbell manners. Without trying, most people have turned the doorbell into a loaded sound for their dog. Every time the doorbell rings, something of interest appears on the other side. Much like a bell that signals food, a doorbell can create a physical response such as barking or becoming aggressive.

I want to talk about Pavlov. Many people remember hearing about Pavlov in school, and some of you even studied him in depth. If you don't know who he is, go do a quick Google search and find out some more about him, because he was a transformative figure in the study of behavioral theory. Pavlov was a Russian scientist who studied conditioning. He would ring a bell and give a treat, over and over again through a long period of time. This is his most famous experiment, and a good number of people know him for it. What happened? Over time, the sound of the bell became loaded: the sound itself had a lot of meaning to the dogs. If they heard it, they would start to salivate. The sound alone initiated a physical response. So the joke I always make is this: what if Pavlov had been a jerk? He’s done all this work to make the dogs salivate when they hear the bell. What if he had tried to mess around with them? Imagine that he had rung the bell and then smacked the dog in the face. How many times would he need to do that before the dog started to cower and flinch every time he rang the bell? I don’t know the answer, because I’ve obviously never done this and never will. But I would guess that it wouldn't take too many repetitions for a dog to begin to dislike the sound of the bell, even if they had positive associations with it before. I’m sharing this hypothetical situation because it helps people realize how quickly dogs can change associations when things are presented in the correct way. This story comes in particularly handy when talking about doorbell manners. Without trying, most people have turned the doorbell into a loaded sound for their dog. Every time the doorbell rings, something of interest appears on the other side. Much like a bell that signals food, a doorbell can create a physical response such as barking or becoming aggressive.

Pavlov’s Bell: Changing Associations

In today’s post, I want to talk about crate training. The crate is very important for the majority of dogs, and its level of importance is often related to other factors like age and maturity. In the beginning stages of training your dog in your home, it’s a safe and calm spot (ideally) for your dog to relax and not do anything wrong. When you’ve got a new dog in your house, they don’t know the rules. If you’re not around, they may want to chew or go to the bathroom on the floor. The crate is a fantastic tool for teaching them not to do that. Dogs are creatures of habit. If we prevent them from going to the bathroom indoors and other bad things, that often does the lion’s share of getting them to behave well in your home.Here’s the thing: a lot of people want to move away from the crate faster than they should. This happens for a few reasons. First of all, they look at the dog and say, “Oh, I wouldn’t want to be in a crate! That wouldn’t be fun for me.” (Usually they say this before they go off to work in a cubicle.) And maybe the crate doesn't fit in the house very well. Maybe it’s a hassle to crate up the dog rather than leaving him out. This results in a lot of people moving away from crates far too quickly.However, any time you move away from a training tool too quickly—whether it’s a crate, a leash, or treats—its pattern hasn't had the chance to set in. Patterns take different amounts of time to form, depending on what you’re asking the dog. After a week or two, with a lot of repetitions, I might get my dog to sit or lie down reliably. That’s not a terribly hard thing for the dog to do, so we need less repetitions to establish it. Dogs need a lot of repetitions, however, to be able to remain loose in the house. They need to not pee on the floor or not chew up the couch cushion hundreds and hundreds of times in order to learn. Being in the house while you’re gone is a much more complex behavior than learning to sit. When it comes to the sit command, the dog has two options: sit or not sit. When it comes to being loose in the house, however, the dog is presented with a myriad options: he could lounge around, get nervous and chew, get on the couch, bark at the window, or poop on the floor. In order to overcome all those options, we need a lot of repetition. That’s where the crate comes in. Because we’re not always in a position to give repetitions when the dog needs them, we give him somewhere to be calm and relax. That’s why I call crates “the silent teachers.” When it’s time to shift away from the crate, it’s best to do so in very small stages. I wouldn’t look at my year-old puppy and say “Wow, she hasn't pooped on or chewed anything in over a year. Time for eight hours loose when I’m gone at work!” That’ll backfire on you almost every time.

In today’s post, I want to talk about crate training. The crate is very important for the majority of dogs, and its level of importance is often related to other factors like age and maturity. In the beginning stages of training your dog in your home, it’s a safe and calm spot (ideally) for your dog to relax and not do anything wrong. When you’ve got a new dog in your house, they don’t know the rules. If you’re not around, they may want to chew or go to the bathroom on the floor. The crate is a fantastic tool for teaching them not to do that. Dogs are creatures of habit. If we prevent them from going to the bathroom indoors and other bad things, that often does the lion’s share of getting them to behave well in your home. Here’s the thing: a lot of people want to move away from the crate faster than they should. This happens for a few reasons. First of all, they look at the dog and say, “Oh, I wouldn’t want to be in a crate! That wouldn’t be fun for me.” (Usually they say this before they go off to work in a cubicle.) And maybe the crate doesn't fit in the house very well. Maybe it’s a hassle to crate up the dog rather than leaving him out. This results in a lot of people moving away from crates far too quickly. However, any time you move away from a training tool too quickly—whether it’s a crate, a leash, or treats—its pattern hasn't had the chance to set in. Patterns take different amounts of time to form, depending on what you’re asking the dog. After a week or two, with a lot of repetitions, I might get my dog to sit or lie down reliably. That’s not a terribly hard thing for the dog to do, so we need less repetitions to establish it. Dogs need a lot of repetitions, however, to be able to remain loose in the house. They need to not pee on the floor or not chew up the couch cushion hundreds and hundreds of times in order to learn. Being in the house while you’re gone is a much more complex behavior than learning to sit. When it comes to the sit command, the dog has two options: sit or not sit. When it comes to being loose in the house, however, the dog is presented with a myriad options: he could lounge around, get nervous and chew, get on the couch, bark at the window, or poop on the floor. In order to overcome all those options, we need a lot of repetition. That’s where the crate comes in. Because we’re not always in a position to give repetitions when the dog needs them, we give him somewhere to be calm and relax. That’s why I call crates “the silent teachers.” When it’s time to shift away from the crate, it’s best to do so in very small stages. I wouldn’t look at my year-old puppy and say “Wow, she hasn't pooped on or chewed anything in over a year. Time for eight hours loose when I’m gone at work!” That’ll backfire on you almost every time.

Taking It Slow: How To Use The Crate Well

Today, I spent some time in my backyard with my dog Chocolate Chip and a Belgian Malamute who’s staying at my house to be trained as a personal protection dog. Needless to say, there was a lot of growling involved. So I thought I’d take a few minutes to talk about growling and what it means.

Episode #149: How To Control Dog Barking And Growling

Today I’m on the beach at Turtle Bay in Oahu, Hawaii, staying at a resort while I’m working with a client. I woke up at five o’clock and walked down to the beach to have a morning swim. Those who know me will know that I’m not a great sleeper, so waking up early isn’t a big deal. But going and doing something early is a big deal for me. Normally I’d just stay in bed and watch a movie, and try to go back to sleep. But I’m here in Hawaii for just a few days, and it’s unbelievably gorgeous here. Yesterday I went bodysurfing and boogie boarding with our client, which I never get to do back in Utah. As a family, we lived in Costa Rica for a time. I took advantage of the beach as often as I could, but now that we’re back in Utah I don't get to do that very often. So here I am waking up at five o’clock and getting down to the beach! That made me remember a time when dogs were like that for me. This is kind of a confession on my part. When I was a fourteen year old kid, I woke up every morning ready to train my dog or visit the trainer that I worked for. I had tons of desire and energy. Coming here at five in the morning to swim made me realize how awesome my job truly is. I shouldn’t lose that excitement for working with dogs.Not everyone who reads this blog trains dog for a living. Regardless, being able to train your dog is pretty awesome! It’s about as cool as going to the beach in Hawaii. The opportunity we have to love and be loved by man’s best friend is amazing. This post isn’t meant to give a lot of how-to information. It’s just me realizing just how cool playing with dogs is, and recommitting myself to it. Whether you do this for a living every day or work with your own treasured best friend, it’s amazing that we can share a world with these dogs we can train and love. Get out there and have some fun with your dog!

Today I’m on the beach at Turtle Bay in Oahu, Hawaii, staying at a resort while I’m working with a client. I woke up at five o’clock and walked down to the beach to have a morning swim. Those who know me will know that I’m not a great sleeper, so waking up early isn’t a big deal. But going and doing something early is a big deal for me. Normally I’d just stay in bed and watch a movie, and try to go back to sleep. But I’m here in Hawaii for just a few days, and it’s unbelievably gorgeous here. Yesterday I went bodysurfing and boogie boarding with our client, which I never get to do back in Utah. As a family, we lived in Costa Rica for a time. I took advantage of the beach as often as I could, but now that we’re back in Utah I don't get to do that very often. So here I am waking up at five o’clock and getting down to the beach! That made me remember a time when dogs were like that for me. This is kind of a confession on my part. When I was a fourteen year old kid, I woke up every morning ready to train my dog or visit the trainer that I worked for. I had tons of desire and energy. Coming here at five in the morning to swim made me realize how awesome my job truly is. I shouldn’t lose that excitement for working with dogs. Not everyone who reads this blog trains dog for a living. Regardless, being able to train your dog is pretty awesome! It’s about as cool as going to the beach in Hawaii. The opportunity we have to love and be loved by man’s best friend is amazing. This post isn’t meant to give a lot of how-to information. It’s just me realizing just how cool playing with dogs is, and recommitting myself to it. Whether you do this for a living every day or work with your own treasured best friend, it’s amazing that we can share a world with these dogs we can train and love. Get out there and have some fun with your dog!

Episode #112: Embracing Joy

In this post, I’d like to talk about the speed with which you train your dog. This morning I was working with a client whose dog is learning some service dog work in public. The dog is young—only about seven months—so she isn't fully ready to take on her job just yet. She’s been coming in for about a month, and today her owners saw her working for the first time since she started training. Their comment? “I can’t believe how different she is in just a month!” For an exercise, we took the dog went into a giant, very busy thrift store that was full of all sorts of distractions: tons of people, weird smells, slippery floors. It was one of the dog’s first times being handled by her new owner. All these things (young dog, new handler, distracting setting) would typically converge against you in your efforts to have a well-trained and obedient dog, but she did phenomenally well! There were areas that could be improved, of course, but the owner thought she was great. This incident reminded me that balanced or stabilized training is faster—and that faster can often mean good. If you juxtapose balanced training—a type of training which uses positive motivation combined with proper correction—to the new school of “pure positivity” training, you’ll see that balanced training moves faster. That’s because when all you’re doing is offering your dog treats, you need to work at a very long threshold from distractions. For example, if you’re using treats without corrections to get your dog to go into a store, it might take you many months to get there. Here’s how a “positive training” situation might work: you take the dog a hundred feet from the entrance to the store. Your dog sees people and is super excited, but you need to try to keep his interest. He’s not excited about treats when he’s that close to so many people! So you have to go back to a hundred and  ten feet. Then you get down to a hundred, then ninety. If you’re trying to fix your dog’s behavior at the door, you might need to do tons of repetitions far away from the doorbell, gradually get closer, and eventually reach a point where your dog is comfortable with knocking. If your dog is aggressive when he sees something two hundred feet away, then you have to start at two hundred and five feet and slowly work your way down.

In this post, I’d like to talk about the speed with which you train your dog. This morning I was working with a client whose dog is learning some service dog work in public. The dog is young—only about seven months—so she isn't fully ready to take on her job just yet. She’s been coming in for about a month, and today her owners saw her working for the first time since she started training. Their comment? “I can’t believe how different she is in just a month!” For an exercise, we took the dog went into a giant, very busy thrift store that was full of all sorts of distractions: tons of people, weird smells, slippery floors. It was one of the dog’s first times being handled by her new owner. All these things (young dog, new handler, distracting setting) would typically converge against you in your efforts to have a well-trained and obedient dog, but she did phenomenally well! There were areas that could be improved, of course, but the owner thought she was great. This incident reminded me that balanced or stabilized training is faster—and that faster can often mean good. If you juxtapose balanced training—a type of training which uses positive motivation combined with proper correction—to the new school of “pure positivity” training, you’ll see that balanced training moves faster. That’s because when all you’re doing is offering your dog treats, you need to work at a very long threshold from distractions. For example, if you’re using treats without corrections to get your dog to go into a store, it might take you many months to get there. Here’s how a “positive training” situation might work: you take the dog a hundred feet from the entrance to the store. Your dog sees people and is super excited, but you need to try to keep his interest. He’s not excited about treats when he’s that close to so many people! So you have to go back to a hundred and ten feet. Then you get down to a hundred, then ninety. If you’re trying to fix your dog’s behavior at the door, you might need to do tons of repetitions far away from the doorbell, gradually get closer, and eventually reach a point where your dog is comfortable with knocking. If your dog is aggressive when he sees something two hundred feet away, then you have to start at two hundred and five feet and slowly work your way down.

Be Better Balanced: When Fast Is Good

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