Too often dogs are labelled “aggressive” when we are actually seeing signs of fear, stress, and insecurity. While training obedience is important, we must also put effort into understanding our dogs’ needs and body language to make sure that we are setting them up for success in every situation.

Think your dog is showing signs of aggression? It’s entirely possible. But more often than not, we’re seeing dogs that don’t know how to cope with their anxiety which is resulting in unhealthy reactions. Reach out to us if you need help clarifying your dog’s behavior and setting up a plan for success.

This is a really hard thing for some owners to accept, but it’s so important. We all want a social, easy-going dog that gets along with everyone. But unfortunately, not all dogs want to play with other dogs. If your dog is showing signs of discomfort (trying to get away, nipping, barking), you need to respect that and remove them from the situation.

We can definitely train our dogs to co-exist around other dogs and to be calm and respectful, but we’re never going to force dogs to interact. That’s a recipe for disaster. So a little tough love here: stop forcing your dogs to be social just because you want them to be social. Let them have their space and interact if and when they are ready.

Monday challenge: Can you get your dog to do all of its commands without saying a word?

We as humans are so dependent on the English language that we overuse it to an absurd degree when talking to our dogs, who only understand the very few words that we have given meaning to: come, sit, down, yes, no, good, etc…

Have you ever told your dog “Sit. Fluffy, you need to sit. Fluffy, I want your butt on the ground. Good, that’s right. No, now you need to stay in a sit.”

Here’s what your dog actually hears: “Sit. Fluffy. Sit. Fluffy. Good. No. Sit.” How confusing is that?! Keep it simple by using fewer words (or none at all for this challenge) so that your dog actually understands what you want.

This is a very typical first lesson in teaching a new dog the heel position. We start nice and slow, not worrying about the position so much as the dog’s attention on us.

In this session, Babe is on a level 4-10 out of 100. That’s an incredibly low number: just high enough so that he feels it, but low enough that it isn’t causing him any anxiety or fear. Every time he gets ahead of me, I’m going to hold down the e-collar button while I change direction. I release the button as soon as he is at my side, teaching him that he can turn off the e-collar by walking at my side. With repetition, he starts to understand this and stays closer to me (he also does it for all of the praise!).

We’ll do lots of short sessions like this to make sure that he really understands the position I want him to be in. Once I see that he is ready, we’ll start going to more distracting environments and testing his new skills.

Our training programs work because they are individualized to meet your specific needs. We work closely with you to make sure that you are meeting your goals to have the best life possible with your dog.

Schedule your free consultation to discuss how we can help you and your dog life a fulfilling life together!

Heel is my favorite skill to teach any dog/owner because it opens your life up to so many new possibilities. If we teach your dog to remain neutral and focused on you and your movements out in the real world around distractions, you can truly go anywhere and do anything together.