The nature of the "problem" dog is misunderstood in today's culture.  We have grown comfortable using the terms dominant, stubborn, jealous and un-trainable to describe our problematic dog.  But the reality, is the root issues lie much deeper.  Problematic behavior is the result of the profound impact of stress, stimulation, early upbringing and trauma's influence on the particular breed and temperament of your dog.  It accumulates and accrues overtime building inside your dog leading to bigger and bigger issues that tend to show signs between ages 1 and 2.  

 

Interested in learning more and how the BIG 5 apply to your dog?  Watch the video below and learn how the BIG 5 influences behavior: Genetics, temperament, a puppy's first 6 months, stimulation, stress, trauma

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Adult Dog

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Discover the nature of the dog so you can master obedience, recall and social skills that stick, even in sticky situations.

 

Is your dog struggling  to maintain their obedience skills when excited, distracted or stressed?  Perhaps they sit very nicely and focus until company walks through the door, or until they spot another dog on a walk and all you hard work goes out the window as your dog explodes into fits of excitable jumping and barking?  Are you experiencing common issues such as jumping, barking, chewing, hyperactivity and it just does seem to be getting better?  Perhaps your first dog was a piece of cake but your new dog is giving you a run for your money and you are not sure how to proceed?

 

Maybe you are just looking to build an even deeper relationship with your dog?

 

The Missing Step  ( add a video showing push, bark and bite & carry as an example)

 

 In today's society, training is understood as the steps to mastering  obedience cues such as sit, stay, down, off, focus, leave-it and come when called.  The pathway to teach these cues is taught either through positive rewards, corrections or a combination of both.   We work hard at developing focus, recall, sit, down, stay ect... and give clear commands NOT to jump, mouth, bark, nip, chew, dig ect....  However, when our dogs become excited, stimulated, or stressed our hard work breaks down and we battle to regain control of our dogs jumping, barking, counter surfing,  pulling and sometimes reactive behavior.  We tell ourselves that our dogs know better, they are just being stubborn.  What if I told you that there is a missing step.  A foundational step that makes all the difference.  Before I do anything else with my dogs, I teach them first what to do with their energy.  When excited, I want my dogs to 

 

Similar to children, when excited, dogs  are going to rev into action. Therefore, the very first thing we need to teach our adult dogs, is what to do with their excited energy, how to drive their behavioral bus at 100 mph.  But that is not what we are doing as our human impulse is to do the opposite and keep our dog under threshold.  We rush into action to stop these excited behaviors by teaching "no, leave-it, off" often correcting the dog as we grow more frustrated.  You want a dog that listens and focuses on you no matter what, that has an immediate and beautiful come when called?  The first step begins with building a pathway of feeling attracted to the owner when the dog feels excited.   We need to channel their excited state to us by training them to express their energy with us.    they never feel a pull to us when excited and we are left battling for their attention with our 10 different kind of training treats.  Unknowingly we are teaching our dogs not to be excited around us and hold it together. Modern day training keeps a dog "under" threshold.  Meaning, when your dog becomes excited and barks, jumps, pulls chews, mouths, nips we correct the dog thinking we are teaching them no and how to make good decisions.  

 

But a dog needs clarity on what to do with their excited energy first or else they are left with an energy dilemma that undermines our training.  Unknowingly, if we fail to address the energy dilemma our dogs will figure out on their own where their excited energy goes and they will become more attracted to chipmunks, squirrels, chasing cars, playing with dogs, jumping on people simply because we taught them to hold it in and suppress their energy around us.  Listen, excitement and stimulation are a daily fact of life, so let's teach them first to channel that energy to us BEFORE we implement our obedience training so your dog will become crystal clear and highly attracted to you when energized.

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