Dog Obedience

We teach dog obedience on a regular basis. Private lessons only. Any ages.

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Dog Obedience Summary

Dog Behavior Problem Solving

Riding Safely with Your Dog

Harry, You are a god! Just adding that name to the front of each command has made a tremendous difference! And you helped me to make up a really fun "leave it" game that is working well! She might be ready for you and the snake training soon! You are expensive but you're fast enough and so good that you're worth it. I've been to a few dog classes with Molly and another
dog a long time ago and I've never been happy with what they offered.
In 1 hour you did what three other instructors couldn't over the last two years.
Thank you
Joanne and Molly.

"My dog won't listen to me!" Shirley cried. I'd heard it many times before from other dog guardians. People call me after spending time, money and effort on dog obedience courses and the dog won't behave. This doesn't have to happen. Humans really can learn to communicate with dogs and be understood.

When I meet with a dog's extended family, I spend an hour explaining animal communication skills to the humans. Within the hour, the humans are fully trained. If you train the dog and not his human partner, you are wasting your time. 99.9% of the time, when a dog fails to listen, the dog doesn't understand what the human wants him to do. So, in my classes the human learns how to read the dog's body language and how to communicate with him until working with the dog becomes fun. This is how I've trained over 2000 humans and their partners including search dogs, service dogs, as well as pets.

After Shirley calmed down, I told her that dogs learn the way human children do - by hearing a word repeatedly associated with an action such as come or sit. When the dog comes to you in response to the command, he receives loves and hugs. His positive behavior is reinforced. "That sounds more fun than scolding him all the time." Shirley was willing to try so we agreed to meet the next day and start training her dog with love. Before we hung up, I gave her a list of what to bring along:

6' hamilton long leather or nylon leash.
(Thickness should correspond to the size of the dog).
Training harness only.
No collars: choke chains, pinch collars, shock collars,
flea collars, or any other collar allowed.
A 20 foot long line and leather gloves to protect your hands. This is used for long distance recalls (come), boundary training and long distance stays.
No retractable leashes.
An easy-to-read identification tag with the human partner's name and telephone number and an emergency number belonging to next of kin. Attach this to the back of the dog's harness.
Sturdy shoes and or boots. No open-toed shoes or sandals.
All work and no play makes learning less enjoyable. Try Go-FRR BALLS, the slingshot action fetch balls will turn your couch potato into a lean machine. Frisbees work well also. Be sure to throw the frisbee horizontally to avoid leaps that may injure your dog's back.
No treats for you or your dog partner.

When Shirley showed up the next day, she had a beautiful grey and black Australian shepherd/ border collie mixed dog, named Murphy. He was happy and eager to please. At the same time, he was a little unsure of what was in store for him. I told her to kneel down to him and give him a gentle hug and tell him she loves him. Then I told her to get out his favorite toy and play awhile with him. If he likes to chase the toy, throw it. If he enjoys tug-of-war more, play that way. Playing calmed him down and relaxed his nervous energy before he had to learn some new things. Playing also renews the connection between dog and partner that may be strained from being apart or other difficulties.

I told Shirley to work with Murphy morning and evening every day: five minutes of play, five minutes of obedience, and five minutes of play. "This way, neither of you gets tired, bored, or too frustrated. It makes the time together fun for both of you," I smiled as I told her this knowing that she and Murphy would soon be happy partners.

"Now let's work on obedience," I encouraged Shirley as we put Murphy's harness on him and hooked up the 6' lead to the back of his harness. "When you give Murphy a positive command, use his first name with the command. For example say 'Murphy sit' or 'Murphy come.' Never use his name in a corrective action such as 'down!' or 'No bark.' That way he won't associate his name with anything negative." I further instructed Shirley that whenever she says a command to give a specific hand signal associated with that command. That way if he can't hear her for some reason, he'll see the hand signal and respond immediately.

Shirley said, "What if he is distracted or just refuses to listen to me when I give him a command?" I could tell that this had been her experience more than once. Reassuringly, I replied, "then immediately walk over and put him gently into position. Wait for three seconds, then praise him enthusiastically." I let that sink in and continued, "After repeating this several times, Murphy learns quickly that when you ask or tell him to do something, you expect him to do it immediately and he'll get love, hugs, kisses if he responds. If he doesn't listen, he learns quickly that he still has to do what he is told. Until then, he doesn't get any reward until he responds. You'll see, positive reinforcement works!"

"I sure hope so," Shirley replied.

"Trust me," I continued. "I've seen it work time after time." Then I added, "For each command repeat the sequence - give him the command and hand signal, wait three seconds for him to respond or put him in the position, and praise him. You will see that there is no need for using any other method. Your dog only experiences love and kindness. Be consistent and work every day with Murphy and you'll see results."

Two weeks later I got a call from Shirley, "I can't believe it. Murphy listens to me now! We've been working together everyday on obedience and mixing it with play and Murphy has come a long way. We take our daily walk and he behaves himself when I call him. Thank you so much!"
"You and Murphy have done all the work. Keep up the good work and enjoy your friend."

Dog Obedience Summary

FORWARD: So many times I receive a call from a frustrated dog partner.

We don't call them dog owners anymore. He or she has spent lots of their time, money, and energy attending a number of dog obedience courses where they failed to learn anything. Their statements to me are that, "they are totally frustrated because their dog won't listen to them".

So, I meet with the dog's human partners, not just one of them, but all of them.

Everyone in the family so I can see the family pack structure. I then spend about an hour with all of them explaining animal communication skills. Within the hour, I have the humans fully trained. If you train the dog and not the dog partners, you are wasting your time, money and energy.

99.9% of the time, when the dog fails to listen, the dog isn't understanding what the dog partners wants him or her to do. So, I just teach the dog partners how to listen and read their dog’s body language. I also teach them how to communicate with their loved one so everyone understands what each other wants and need, and they all get along just fine.

Dogs learn like human children learn, through repeated verbal responses and physical commands, associated with physical actions.

Training with love not fear.

If you train the dog through torture or fear of being tortured with pain by using choke chains, pinch collars, shock collars, intimidation, and fear, then the poor dog will respond only out of fear of being hurt, tortured, and injured.

Hitting, yelling, choking, threatening, shocking, are all current means that are used by uneducated lazy local so called animal behavior specialists.

These methods for those of us who are educated in the Love, Hugs, and Kisses method of teaching, would not never ever approve of, nor will we ever tolerate any of these actions under any circumstances in our classrooms.

My method is called Love, Hugs and Kisses. I teach my instructors and students (dogs and partners) through mutual respect, love, hugs, and kisses. (We kiss the dogs not the students).

I've taught around the world, to over 20,000 search dogs, services dogs, police patrol dogs, and dogs in general for basic obedience. My methods teach the dog through love, hugs, and kisses response just like I would a human child.

I treat the dog the same way I would want to be treated. This method works in that the dog learns respect for its self, its partner, you and others that it comes in contact with, such as your friends and family.

Change your mindset. You are not the dog’s owners. I want you to get into the mind set that you are your dog’s best friend and life partner. You live together, sleep together, and eat together. Share good and bad times together, and no matter what you do or say, your dog(s) will be there for you no matter what happens. He or she, (Your dog), deserves 100% of your love and respect and for you to be there for your dog.

After all they see you at your worst. In the am when you are naked, bad breath, bad body odor, bad hair, and all. Yet they aren’t judging, they still love you. You in return will get nothing less then 100% of their love in return.

Communication.

Communication, being able to listen and communicate with your partner, will make you and your dog partner a perfect team. Mutual love, respect and understanding will then exist. Start with understanding your dog’s body language. When a puppy is born, she / he will submit to an older alpha dog.

The submitting dog will lower its head, eyes, ears, and tail and will cower to say, "I submit, you are in charge". The dog’s psychological mental status and self-esteem can be made strong or broken at this time.

If the dog's alpha partner is loving, gentle and consistent in all of their control issues, the dog’s physic will remain intact and confident. If the alpha partner is over-bearing and too strong, the submitting dog will lose it's confidence and be a beta dog. Submissive and lacking in confidence. Suffering from low self-esteem.

Dogs have the same exact emotions that you and I do. Remember this; they feel sadness, jealousy, happiness, anger, guilt, and all that goes with these emotions.

So it's your responsibility to learn how to communicate, listen and teach. First start out by kneeling down or sitting down and give your dog a gentle hug. Tell your dog that, "you love him / her". Example: I will call my dog over and whisper to her," Valorie, come". When she does, I give her a gentle hug, not overpowering, and give her a kiss on the face. I’ll tell her how much I love her and how important she is to me to have her in my life as my partner. I then lay down on the ground and start playing with her favorite toy. Bring out the happiness inside of her. Her reward is love and understanding. I’ll play for about five minutes.

Starting the Obedience.

Before I start obedience work with my dog, I put her in her harness and I hook up her lead 6' lead hooked to the back of the harness. I always use the dog’s first name for a positive command. "Valorie sit, Valorie stay, Valorie come, Valorie heel, Valorie down, etc." I never use her first name in a corrective action.

I don't want her to associate her name with something negative.

When I tell Valorie what I want her to do, I follow through each and every time with a specific hand signal for that specific command. That way if she can't hear me for some reason, she'll see the hand signal and respond immediately. So I'll start working her without distractions at first. I'll give Valorie the command once. "Valorie sit". I then immediately follow through with a hand signal specific for that command. If Valorie responds as expected, I then give her a quick gentle hug, love, and a kiss on her forehead.

When she does what I want her to do, I instantly reward her. If for some reason she doesn't do what I want her to do, then I don't repeat myself. I'll simply put her into the position I asked her to get into. Once she gets into this position, I praise her. "Good girl Valorie, that's my girl, good job". Then I'll give her love, hugs, and kisses. There are no food rewards, no shock, pinch, choke collars and no fear, just positive love, hugs, and kisses.

Should she be distracted or just refuse to listen to me, I immediately walk over to her, put her gently into the position I wanted her in, wait for three seconds then give her a reward.

After repeating this several times, Valorie will learn quickly that when I ask or tell her to do something, it's expected immediately and she'll get love, hugs, kisses, immediately if she listens. If she doesn't listen, she learns quickly that she still has to get into the position and does what she is told. Until then, she doesn't get any love, hugs or kisses reaction until she does listen. Positive reinforcement works.

I perform this action each and every time with Valorie for each command.

Why not use choke chains, pinch collars, shock collars? Because they are cruel. If you love someone then why would you choke or scare them into submission? Just like electric (invisible fencing). I challenge anyone who owns it to put the shock collar around his or her ankle and walk through the fencing.

You only will need to do it once before you throw the fencing and collar in the trash where it belongs. Besides they don't work. I get an average of two calls a week from people missing their dogs who have invisible fencing collars around their necks.

I've trained every breed and mixed breed of dogs known to man. My technique works.

It's been adopted by hundreds of animal trainers, and communicators around the world to include SAR (Search and Rescue) dog handlers, drug enforcement handlers, bomb detection, therapy, and working K-9 Police dog handlers.

There is no such thing as a "STUPID DOG". There are a lot of ignorant human pet partners. People who tie their dog up outside, or leave it all alone in the garage all day while they are gone at work. Put yourself in your dog’s position. Would you want to be treated like this? I don't think so.

A dog is like a child. They absorb everything and anything around them, whether it be positive or negative. There are a lot dog obedience books out there. Written by many so-called "Experts". If you read through the egos, you'll find they all stress one important factor, communication. The more you are willing to teach your dog partner and listen to your dog partner, the better you both will be as a team.

My dog Valorie understands 145-word vocabulary, 5 hand signals and 5 whistle commands. That's only because I haven't taken more time to teach her more.

Shopping list and class information.

Obedience / Safety.

1. 6 foot long leather or nylon leash. (Thickness should correspond to the size of the dog).

2. Training harness only. No choke chains, pinch collars, shock collars, or any other collar allowed to include flea collars. (Flea collars don’t work. Don’t waste your money). Nothing around the dog’s neck. No id collars.

3. A 20-50 foot long line, gardening or leather gloves to protect your hands. Please note this is used for long distance recalls like “come”. Also for boundary training, and long distance stays and recalls. Please do not confuse it with a retractable leash which are not allowed in my classes for any reason.

4. Treats are not allowed for you or your dog partner during training.

5. All dogs should have a simple to read id tag stating the human partners name and telephone# and an emergency # belonging to next of kin or friend of the family. This should be attached to the back of the dogs harness. I highly recommend you get your dog micro chipped with an AVID or HOME AGAIN chip. Make sure you contact the microchip company and register your current contact information and an emergency other contact information, in case you are injured or killed in an accident.

6. Sturdy shoes and or boots for footgear are recommended. No open toed shoes or sandals please.

7. All work and no play makes learning less enjoyable. Try Go-FRR BALLS, the slingshot action fetch balls will turn your couch potato into a lean machine. Frisbees work well also.

8. You dog must be healthy in order to learn. Proper diet maximizes your dog's potential. My trainers recommend proper diet of premium hard kibble for all stages of your dogs training and life.

9. All children must be under control. An adult human must supervise children under ten. I don’t mind if you use a shock collar on the human kids. (Just kidding).

Problem solving.

1. CHEWING-Proper diet-ask your trainer which formula is right for your dog or puppy. Nylabones, gumabones, rhino toys, bitter apple (spray and paste), an old t-shirt or sock wetted down and tied in a knot and frozen in the freezer helps young teething tikes.

2. DIGGING-Small lava rocks, toys as noted above, nail clippers to cut dog's nails. Teach them where it's appropriate to dig (sand box, etc.) and where not to dig. Usually they dig because they are ignored and bored. Negative attention is better then no attention. Remember your dog can hear a heart beat at 5 feet away. They may be digging for that mole or gopher they hear crawling around under the ground.

3. HOUSEBREAKING- I recommend large plastic animal carriers. If you have a small dog and or wish to potty train him/her to a specific spot in your house, use the puppy go potty house training system. When you see them go pee. Tell them "Go PEE" and show them where you want this done. Reward them when they do it correctly. If they make a mistake, don't rub their noses in it, don't hit, spank, or yell. Just say "NO", (never use the dogs name in a corrective action). Take them to the area where you want them to do their business and then give them the "Love hugs and kisses reward system". Soon you'll have them trained to where you want them to go. Yes there will be a few mistakes along the way. Don't make it a big deal. It's not.

4. BARKING-A squirt gun or spray bottle filled with water. NOTE: These devices should not be used unless suggested by your trainer. Now don't get frustrated and use a SUPER SOAKER. Try to figure out why your dog is barking. Remember, they can hear a human heartbeat at 5 feet away. So they may be hearing some strange noises, other dogs barking, footsteps, intruders, before you hear the same noises. If the dog is barking just for attention, then give them attention. Give them an alternative to barking. Play toy, TV, video, radio to be entertained with. Just say, "Quiet" then reward them when they are quiet.

If they refuse to listen and continue to bark, then put them on a leash, take them outside to investigate what it is they are trying to warn you about. Let them see there is no immediate threat. Once that's determined and if they still continue to bark, say, "quiet". If they refuse to be quiet, then spray them once with a squirt gun filled with water. Bring them close to you and reward them once they are quiet through the love, hugs and kisses program. If they still want to bark, then put them on a sit stay in a corner, (time out) and ignore them for a few minutes. They will soon learn that if they want to be in the same room and get the positive loving attention from you and the rest of the family, they will have to listen to you.

NEVER use bark inhibitors, remote trainers, and invisible fencing collars.

These are shock collars and are extremely painful and cruel. If you don't believe me, put it around your ankle, wet it down, and try it on yourself. They have killed several animals. Never use choke chains, pinch collars, or shock collars. These are cruel and inhumane and only ignorant people use these tools. You are now better educated and now know why you shouldn’t ever leave a collar of any kind around your dog’s neck. After training remove the harness from the dog while it's in the house or backyard.

I prefer you use a harness only during training. While the dog is at home, nothing is worn on their body. No harness, collars, or anything else. I've seen many dogs die from getting their flea or id collars caught on furniture, fences, or on another dog’s jaw while playing. As they struggle out of fear of being caught up, and choked, they are strangled to death by their collars.

Use the harness also as a seat belt for your dog. Remember that each time you stop in your car to go shopping, dine out, or tend to business, undo your dog from the seat belt so they can move around. It's a great idea to have your dog micro chipped. Never ever leave your dog in a car on a warm day. Thousands of dogs die needless horrible deaths because their owners leave them in a hot car.

Treat your four-legged child like you would your two-legged child. Dogs have souls. They have feelings, emotions, and a spirit just like you do. They can learn to love, hate, be bitter, embarrassed, suffer from low self-esteem. So please treat them with love, hugs, kisses, and respect and they in turn will reward you with the same. You are equals. Without you, your dog is just that a dog. Without your dog, you are just a human. Lonely without the love of your faithful partner. Together you both make up a great team. A partnership filled with love. Honor that friendship, partnership and love.

Just like you would a small child, prevent your puppy or untrained dog from "practicing" inappropriate behavior. Rewarding correct behavior is also critical. Know what your dog likes and reward with that when he/she is being good. Pull toy, ball, Frisbee, wrestle with them. Don't ignore your dog when he/she is good. Everyone in the family needs to be consistent with the same commands, the same reward system, and the same hand signals. Don't allow your dog partner to engage in behavior that you won't want when they're full-grown.

While group class alone won't solve aggression, aggressive dogs may attend group class under certain circumstances. your trainer will allow your aggressive pet in class provided he/she can be managed well enough to pose NO safety threat to any person, dog or itself.

Often aggression should first be treated in home with private training and followed by group when the dog is ready. your trainer may recommend additional equipment and training techniques which must be used during class to insure everybody's safety as well as optimal learning for the aggressive dog and all other dogs in class.

I've always taught that if you let your dog sleep, in the same bed as your child or at least the same room, allowing the dog to have it's own bed in your room or child's room, they will make a much more manageable dog. They bond more quickly, they are less aggressive, and more protective.

Don't ever just throw your dog outside in a garage, doghouse, or dog run. That's ok for a short break, 15 minutes or so. but would you leave your two legged child tethered up by it's harness outside for hours on end? I hope not. Many dogs are stolen when left outside ignored and sold for medical experiments or dog fighting.

If you love your dog, keep them close. Your dog is a child with fir. He/she lives for love, attention, hugs, kisses, and play. There is no such thing as a STUPID DOG or DUMB DOG. The dog is a reflection of its owner. Often there's a communication break down that occurs and the dog partner simply doesn't understand what is being requested of him/her.

JUMPING. When your dog jumps up on people, they are trying to say, "Hi love me". What you need to do is train your dog to obtain the love the dog desired by sitting down next to the person(s) they greet, so that they can be loved. When the dog goes to jump on you or someone else, gently put your knee in their chest and say, "NO". Then put the dog on a sit stay. When the dog sits, then bend down and give it lots of love. What the dog will learn is that if it jumps it will be rejected. If it sits and stays, it will receive the love it wants and needs.

NEVER ever smoke cigarettes around your pet. Over 550,000 four legged children (pets) die every year from second hand smoke poisoning.

Commands taught: Heel, automatic sit, stay, down, come, down stay, no, release.

Problems addressed: Chewing, digging, housebreaking, jumping, nipping, and barking, peeing, pooping.

Note: Harry has written five books on search dogs, and search and rescue.

He's taught his "Love, hugs, and kisses" program to over 20,000 dogs and their partners around the world since 1986. He's been called the, "dog whisperer". He can communicate with dogs, wolves, and many other four-legged creatures.

Often when other search dog teams have failed at finding the missing, his teams have repeatedly been successful. His search dog teams have been featured on TV shows such as "Rescue 9-1-1, Unsolved mysteries, 60 minutes, 48 hours, 20-20, Dateline, Good day America, MS NBC, and Oprah.

AKC’s Canine Good Citizen Test

1). Accepting a friendly stranger. This test demonstrates that the dog will allow a friendly stranger to approach and speak to the handler in a natural, everyday situation. The evaluator walks up tot the dog and handler and greets the handler in a friendly manner, ignoring the dog. The dog must show no sign of resentment or shyness and must not break position or try to go to the evaluator.

2). Sitting politely for petting. This test demonstrates that the dog will allow a friendly stranger to touch him while he is out with his handler. With the dog sitting at the handler’s side to begin the exercise, the evaluator pets the dog on the head and body. The dog must not show shyness or resentment.

3). Appearance and grooming. This test demonstrates that the dog will welcome being groomed and examined and will permit someone, such as a veterinarian, groomer, or friend of the owner, to do so. The evaluator inspects the dog to determine if he is clean and groomed. The dog must appear to be a proper weight, clean, healthy, and alert. The evaluator then softly combs or brushes the dog and, in a natural manner, lightly examines the ears and gently picks up each front foot.

4). Out for a walk (on a loose lead). This test demonstrates that the handler is in control of the dog. The dog’s position should leave no doubt that the dog is attentive to the handler, is responding to the handler’s movements, and changes of direction.

5). Walking through a crowd. This test demonstrates that the dog can move about politely in pedestrian traffic and is under control in public places. The dog and handler walk around and pass close to at least three people the dog may show some interest in strangers but should continue to walk with the handler, without evidence of over exuberance, shyness, or resentment, and without jumping on people or restraining on the leash.

6). “Sit” and “down” on command, and “stay in place”. This test demonstrates that the dog will respond to the handler’s commands to “sit” and “down” and will remain in the place commanded by the handler. The dog must sit and lie down on command, then the owner chooses the position for leaving the dog in the stay. The dog must remain in the place where he was left (he may change position) until the evaluator instructs the handler to release the dog.

7). Coming when called. This test demonstrates that the dog will come when called by the handler. The handler walks 10 feet from the dog, turns to face the dog, and calls the dog. The handler may use encouragement to get the dog to come. The handler may choose to tell the dog to ”stay’ or “wait” or may simply walk away, giving no instructions to the dog.

8). Reacting to another dog. This test demonstrates that the dog can behave politely around other dogs. Two handlers and their dogs approach each other from a distance of about 20 feet, stop, shake hands, exchange pleasantries, and continue on for about 10 feet. The dog should show no more then casual interest in each other. Neither dog should go to the other dog or it’s handler.

9). Reaction to distraction. This test demonstrates that the dog is confident at all times when faced with common distracting situations. The evaluator selects and presents two distractions such as dropping a chair, having a jogger run in front of the dog, or dropping a crutch or cane. The dog may express natural interest and may appear slight startled but should no panic, show aggressiveness, or bark.

10). Supervised separation. This test demonstrates that a dog can be left with a trusted person, if necessary, and will maintain training and good manners. The evaluator says, “Would you like me to watch your dog?” and then takes hold of the dog’s leash. The owner goes out of sight for three minutes. The dog does not have to stay in position but should not continually bark, whine, or show anything stronger than mild agitation or nervousness.

Skills taught.

Session# 1.
Introduction to responsible dog ownership. Meet and greet dogs, petting, ears and feet. Practice walk on loose lead”, start dog obedience training. Sit, stay, come, and heel. Dog owner learns basic dog care techniques. Feeding, bathing, cleaning ears, coat. Trimming nails. Brushing dog’s teeth. Checking dog from nose to tail for ticks, bites, etc.

Session# 2.
Meet and greet the dogs. Touch ears and feet, try a brush or comb. Practice walk on a loose lead. Practice sit, stay, come, down in motion, heel. Dog handler learns basic dog first aid, giving meds, taking temperature, dealing with life threatening emergencies. Loading and unloading dog in vehicle. Transporting in seat belt or kennel.

Session# 3.
New person does meet, greet, brief groom. Walk on a loose lead. Walk by distraction dog. “Sit” and “sit-stay”, “down and start “down-stay”. Ad time to sit-stay. dog comes when called. Dog owner gets dog micro-chipped and or tattooed.

Session# 4.
Greet dogs as students arrive, touching ears, and feet. Walk on a loose lead closer to other dogs, near other people. Weave in and out of people. Students demonstrate “sit-stay” and “down-stay”. Add time and distractions. Start on supervised separation.

Session# 5.
Add more difficult distractions and time to stays, distance to come. Start having owner move away from the dogs on stays. Use whistle and hand signals for come, down in motion, stays. Work on basic agility, over, under, around, left, right, through.

Session# 6.
Work on problem areas, increasing distances, adding distractions, changing exercise locations and formats.

Session# 7.
Students should be going out 20 feet on stays, out to 10 feet for come. Dogs should not jump on distractions dog and should tolerate the touching of ears and feet.

Session# 8.
Test.

Other stories about Harry and his search dogs.

Claudia Kirchoch search in Jamaica.