Dog Puppy Behavior Training Help

Puppy Making you Crazy? Tether that Turbo Girl!

Most of us would not walk an untrained puppy, off leash, next to a busy street. We realize the puppy is not trained, and she may wander into the street and get hit by a car.  We use a leash to keep the puppy safe. Inside the house, it’s a little safer. No cars are going to break your puppy’s legs, and your puppy can’t run away from you and get kidnapped or lost. But she can get into trouble...

House Breaking or House Training? Let’s Call it Potty Area Conditioning

Contrary to popular beliefs, the process of house training is largely governed by a naturally occurring, classical conditioning process. I propose we assign a more accurate, 21st century, label for house training. Let’s name it “potty area conditioning”! All of your actions will alter the natural process of “potty area conditioning”. You may hasten the process, delay the process, or...

Amateur Shock Collar Use Starts Dog Fight

If you want to control your pet dog’s involuntary aggressive responses via force and intimidation, you are entering a spiral of blackness and doom. One day, your chosen method or equipment will fail; injuries and sadness will emerge. I’ve seen it many times. Point being, punishing the growl with a quick burst of energy via an e-collar, leash jerk, Caesar Milan hiss, alpha roll, spank on the butt,...

Dog Training & The ABCs of Instrumental Conditioning

There are three distinct pieces to a voluntary behavior, called the ABCs. The “B” represents the behavior. “A” is for Antecedent, which is anything present in the environment before a specific behavior. The A precedes the behavior. “C” is for Consequence, which is the immediate result of the behavior. Here’s an example of the ABCs of a voluntary behavior....

Want to Teach Your 10 Week Old Puppy to Sit? Forget About it. :) It’s Too late. . .

Did you want to teach your 10 week old puppy to sit? Forget about it. It’s too late. That turbo charged puppy already knows how to perform every basic obedience command! Your dog knows how to sit and lie down. He can stay.  Your pup knows how to walk towards you. Your puppy knows how to run to you. Your puppy dog can walk the same speed as you. That fellow knows how to dig, or “not dig”....