News from Alan's K9 Academy

There is an old saying that says, "Rules are meant to be broken." Stop! Stop right there! Get that out of your mind. That line of thinking may reward human beings, but it's harmful to dogs. You may have some rules that should be unbendable and never broken. For example... is it good for your dog to nudge you excitedly and knock his food out of his bowl before you can give it to him? Is it good for your dog to charge the door and pillage the person on the other side with unbridled excitement? Is it good for your dog on a walk to put you or him in a dangerous situation with other dogs or moving objects such as cars? Of course not. None of these things are good. To establish boundaries and create trust, you must have rules. More than that, you must enforce the rules. They should be unbreakable, and you must be unyielding in following them. So, you may be thinking this is too rigid. It's not. Here's why.... Rigidly following the rules you set will help your dog determine that you are not only a suitable protector of their rights, property, and home; it will also convince your dog you can't be manipulated or circumvented. Your dog will discover your unwillingness to follow through the second you give in. As a result, he will push the boundaries on the rule he violated and likely every other rule. I need to make this clear. Being firm and unyielding isn't the same as being cruel, loud, or dominating. It will only result in making matters worse. Yet, if your dog concludes it's impossible to beat you at a game or get around your rules, they'll naturally choose to obey you and follow your rules through persistence, patience, and endurance. In the long term, this will create respect and earn trust. Talk soon, Alan Carr

I train dogs by a simple motto... work hard and have fun. Many dog owners focus intently on the work-hard part and forget to have fun. You have ideas of what you want your dog to be and what goals you will need to accomplish to arrive at the destination. That's all good stuff. Still, there's more to the story. If all you're doing is pushing your dog, they'll lose interest. Some may even come to the conclusion there is no pleasing you so why bother with all the challenging work? You must understand this simple principle --- train what is in front of you and make time to celebrate the small victories with your companion. Sometimes it is soooo easy to get caught up in the ideal picture of what your dog can become or should be that it's easy to forget to build the bridge between today and tomorrow. Here's a little secret... your dog isn't going to be a rockstar obedience champion on the first day of training. It won't happen on the second, and may not on the third, or even at the end of training sessions. Champions are built up over time. The greatest athletes didn't become that way overnight. It took time, dedication, and having some fun. If life is serious all the time, studies show that it increases stress levels. That can impact performance significantly. All you need to do is show up daily, plant seeds, and hold yourself and your dog accountable. Also, don't forget to have fun together and enjoy your dog! If you do that, the results will come. It WILL happen. One day, you'll wake up and you and your dog will suddenly arrive at the destination. Remember, you're a team. Neither of you can do it alone. Talk soon, Alan Carr

Do you have a puppy or rescue dog that isn't responding to training? If so, it means one of a couple of things isn't right. Perhaps you're stressed and the dog senses it. This causes uncertainty and the dog doesn't understand what you're asking. Instead, he feels frustration and defeat. Or, maybe you're being harsh and don't realize it. Dogs typically don't respond to harsh training methods such as yelling, overbearingness, or other forms of training that don't instill trust. Maybe, just maybe, your source of frustration is that you want your dog to figure "it' out quickly. Like humans, dogs learn in different ways and at their own pace. You should pace your training at whatever speed your dog will allow. Patience is a virtue, and it shouldn't be rushed in any circumstance. If you do, you'll set yourself and your dog up for failure. Still, it doesn't have to take forever to see results with consistent effort and honest practice. In fact, it shouldn't take several weeks to see results. I've seen dogs who can't walk properly on a leash. They tug, pull, and want to do their own thing. This can lead to injury for them and the person walking them. Plus, it sends other signals about trust. If they have to lead, it means they believe you aren't strong enough to protect them if needed. Dogs need to either feel protected or step in to protect if a situation arises. Within days, I have seen dogs transform into perfect heelers. Instead of trying to lead, they walk next to their owners. They are happy, content, and enjoying their walk with you. They feel safe and secure. So, training doesn't have to take a long time. It just requires repetition, consistency, patience, and praise. Talk soon, Alan Carr

Are you the person in the park who's holding on for dear life as your dog takes you on a walk? When a dog walks a person, bad things can happen. This is why so many avoid walking their dogs altogether because it's stressful, embarrassing, or both. Still, your dog needs regular walks to burn off excess energy, use their noses, and enjoy time away from the regular routine of the house. It makes your dog happy and it shows in their behavior. Yet, why does a dog pull, run, or cause chaos on a leash walk? To better understand, there are two modes that dogs go into a walk. In hunting mode, they are looking for something. Perhaps they want to find a spot to go potty. They may have picked up a scent that interests them and wants to find it. Maybe they are looking for food. When a dog is in this state of mind, if they don't have good leash training, they will be highly reactive to their environment and more stimulated to other things instead of responsive to their owners on the other side of the leash. In migration mode, they are just moving from one place to another. They're not looking for anything in particular or paying attention too much. They are just on the move. We want our dogs to stay in migration mode. It makes for a much more enjoyable walk. Once the dog is trained on a leash to use its migration instincts to enjoy a walk, we can add other things that stimulate their hunting mode to teach them not to engage it. In previous emails, I talked at length about trust and respect. If those are missing on a walk, your four-legged friend will likely ignore you for their desires, especially if they have a strong hunting drive. To build trust on a walk, you need three things: Know where you are going Know how fast you plan to get there What side do you want your dog on When training your dog to walk correctly with you, don't "go with the flow" and allow your dog to pull. That means your dog is the leader. When they are the leader, they are telling you that trust is at a minimum. Therefore, they need to protect you because they aren't sure you will protect them. You cannot allow your dog to dictate where you are going or how quickly you'll get there. You must create accountability by not allowing your dog to do whatever they want on a walk. Remember, they are walking WITH you, not the other way around.  Talk soon, Alan Carr

We've all had that moment with our dogs. We know they know what we want them to do, and yet they have a mind of their own. If you've ever found yourself telling your dog to do something over and over again and they ignored you, you aren't alone. Sooner or later, it happens to us all. It's part of a dog's need to test boundaries and learn what they can and can't get away with. Perhaps you told Fido to get off the couch or the bed repeatedly, and nothing. Maybe they continue to bark after you demand it stops. Still, they continue as if their sole existence is to torture you (lol). There is potentially a long list of things your dog does on his terms, regardless of what you say or do. At times, it can seem hopeless as you repeat yourself like a broken record. So, how do you correct this problem? Let's consider a dog who won't get off the bed and assume there aren't any problems with respect or trust, and aggression of any kind is highly unlikely. In this case, I verbally tell the dog to "Get off" the bed and point toward the floor. If he doesn't obey, you must correct the dog again or risk losing your position as the leader. So, you repeat the process two more times until the dog gets off the bed. If they refuse to listen and obey, it's time to escalate to physical correction. Let me be clear. I'm not talking about hitting, scolding, or doing anything harmful to the dog. I'm simply going to touch the dog on the neck and tell him to get off the bed again. If they don't move, I will pick them up and remove them from the bed. Remember, this must be an overwhelmingly positive experience. At any point in the process, when the dog gets off on his own, the second his paws hit the floor, praise him physically with a pet and verbally. Now, if you have a dog that might exhibit aggression. Instead of touching the neck or personally removing them from the bed, put on the leash and guide them off the bed. Praise only verbally when the paws hit the floor. That would be the only difference. Why is this important? You are teaching your four-legged bundle of love that you are the leader. They should do something immediately and without hesitation when you say to do something. A positive experience reinforces trust and respect. Talk soon, Alan Carr

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