Session 97: The Good Dog Episode!

In today's episode I sit down with Ian Grant, a fellow dog trainer with Vermont Dog Training, based (of course) in Vermont! Ian also has a podcast called Vermont Dog Trainer Show.  Ian's Background Ian has a really interesting story before he became a trainer, having been a professional golfer for a number of years before finding that the world of training dogs was a fascinating study. He shares his story of watching The Dog Whisperer and following some of Cesar Millan's shows with the sound off to get a better feel for the body language between a trainer and the dog. Training Techniques Ian and I talk about his dogs Lula and Maddie, and how they became so important in the process of boarding other animals. We get into a bit of a deeper dive in the concept and practice of dog's behavior in crowds, our collective take on dog parks, and what you might want to think about before venturing into the park yourself. Referral Program I also wanted to let you know about our new referral program! After quite a bit of testing it's finally ready to roll out. I'll explain who might be eligible, and you can decide if it's something you'd like to participate in. You can complete a form at TheDogsWay.com/affiliate to learn more. Getting Your Feedback I've been contemplating whether or not to introduce some "mini" episodes that are with clients and dog owners that have some specific questions about there pet concerns. Would you like to hear these or participate in them? The plan is to create a few of these that are about 20-30 minutes. Contact me to let me know what you think or to participate! Ian Grant's Contact Info (opens in a new window) Vermont Dog Trainer Show Podcast (if you want to check out the episode where I was interviewed click here) Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

30 Jun 202054min

First, I hope that everyone has stayed safe and healthy through what may have been the worst of the stay-at-home orders that you may have been subject to. We went through a sort of "emergency sessions" period where the podcast episodes focused on specific things to do with your dog - and as a result we put some of the interviews we had scheduled on hold. Today is the first episode of one of those interviews. What Is Contrast Training? I sat down with Ruth Elliott and talked about a very unique type of training. Ruth is based in Australia, and got into her unique style of training, how she got started, and some of the interesting restrictions to training methods that exist in Australia. Ruth is a greyhound specialist (although she trains all types of dogs). Her business is called Formal Dogs, and she trains and escorts people's dogs to attend their owner's weddings! This is the first I've heard of this and think you'll appreciate her story and her methods as a trainer. We discuss some of the differences in our training style and talk about some of the fundamental teachings in training. Email Bag Amelia in Atlanta, Georgia asks about her dog "Beau" and the fact that he is experiencing a bit of stress her departure when going back to work that he didn't exhibit before. It's a great question, and I'll talk about some transitional elements to use when going from the shelter in place environment to going back to work. Other Questions I also answer some questions about P.U.P. Dog Rescue, why they haven't been mentioned on some of the emergency sessions, and when that will be starting up again. Oh, and if you want to see a cool video, check out this slow motion video of a greyhound running.

3 Jun 202051min

In this episode we move to phase TWO of the "down" challenge for food motivated and non-food motivated dogs. I'll talk about an interesting discovery from listeners from the Czech Republic and Sweden and how their "crazy stay in place" situation is nothing like that! Life is proceeding pretty much the same there as it was before March. So we we talked about sweeping the leg and your proximity to the floor in the phase one of the training. The goal in this phase is to wean yourself off of that proximity to the floor. We'll go back to those phase one elements of time first, then distraction. Overview Train in different contexts Train through the whole arc of behavior with distractions Use natural transitional rewards as you do small snippets of practice throughout the day Emails Cheryl from Ann Arbor, Michigan - She got her dog Oscar introduced well to the sit and the down. But he is confused between both sit and down. I'll talk about how to help your dog distinguish between them. Sandra from Texas has an interesting question - and apparently has my voice from the podcasts in her head (Sorry, Sandra!) Today's quote comes from Aristotle... "Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others." Click here for a closer look at the book on Amazon.

14 Mai 202038min

In this episode we'll jump to a critical point with the "down" challenge, that uses no food and instead focuses on the "say and show" method. It's not unlike the say and show version of sit; but some there are some angles and positions that are distinctly different. There are two categories of people who may be the best for this type of training; Non-food motivated dogs People with dogs who give signs that they see these lessons as "optional" The idea is that we teach this as a necessary part of functional obedience. It's also good to train their dogs this way to "overlap" the food-based approach. I am also linking this to an excerpt I posted on YouTube from our video training series that provides a bit of a visual guidance for the lesson. Emails (07:58) Lara and Tim (and "Kona") from Arizona ask about requirements with puppies and food training (10:11) Ellen asks (on behalf of "Duke") where you should be in a progression and types of treats Quote on Resilience Part of our Emergency Series includes a brief quote about resilience; this one comes from Jocko Willink, who has published two very interesting books; Extreme Ownership The Dichotomy of Leadership

30 Apr 202038min

In this episode we're going to jump into another obedience skills challenge. This one is focused on the 'down' command. This is an important lesson for small puppies as they develop, and even rescue adult dogs in instances where they may not have received much training, or were last trained years ago when they were puppies themselves. Emails I answer an email from Rachael asking about her puppy and (based on her age), whether she should stick to just the introductory training or if she's ready to move to some of the more intermediate and advanced training. I'll talk about the three phases for training puppies to use as a general guide for your dog. Enjoy the episode! I have included some links below as well for other sessions that may be related to this one. LIST OF PAST PODCASTS LINKS Session 18: The overview of what to teach a puppy and when, and teaching two dogs to not go after each other’s fetch toys Session 22: using an air sprayer to stop barking and stubborn puppy “downing” SESSION 27: How to coach a new dog to play better with your existing dog and how to get a puppy out of crate calmly Session 31: Preventing resource guarding in puppy raising and what to do about a dog’s mid-life crisis? Session 32: What are the best chew toys for puppies? And, how to stop an older, larger puppy from Session 44: Prevent Your Puppy from Chasing Your Kids Session 57: Train your Puppy to get along with Baby better Session 58: Fetch! – Teaching your Puppy the rules And another quote/thought about resilience. I mentioned the author, Carol Dweck earlier in the episode, so I thought I'd quote her here. It's about the best thing you can teach your kids about resilience. Here's a link to her book. MINDSET, Carol Dweck. Enjoy, Sean

22 Apr 202039min

While you're all stuck at home, hopefully you've all stayed safe - and hopefully you've been working on parts one and two of the "sit" command with your dog! In today's episode we'll work on sit by moving toward the "stay" progression; and I'd highly encourage you to go back and listen to the previous two episodes if you haven't already before jumping into this lesson! Here are the links; Episode 89: The Sit Challenge Part One Episode 90: The Sit Command Part Two: Say and Show Method So we'll start with a competency check of sorts - a very important part before progressing to "stay". Emails from previous Sit Lessons Margie in Toronto, Canada Margie asks about the sit command, but asks about the age appropriateness for this command as it applies to her two dogs (but a bit more specific to my video training series version of this lesson). I'll talk about the age differences and I also have a brief edited version of the video clip from my dog training series to give you a bit of a visual idea of the sit lesson! Direct link to the video clip on YouTube (new window) Direct link to the video training series (new window) Tim, Chicago, Illinois Tim asks about recalling that Sean would teach the "puppy version" of some of these emergency sessions. I'll go over what version of the exercises apply to his age of puppy.   Phase One In the first you were in the "luring" phase one - while you were down on a knee and weaned your way off of needing to be there and you knew you were out of phase one when you knew you could do the following; Stand up say "sit" command; Your puppy understood the command and would perform a sit 80-90% of the time; Your puppy would hold that for at least 5 seconds at a time; Say the "release" command and your puppy knew that they were done. Phase Two You started to challenge your puppy with the "two treat" method by working on two parts of the process; Increasing the amount of time your puppy would hold; Performing those instructions with an increased amount of distraction elements during that time. Older Dogs (phases one and two) For those with older/adult dogs that had difficulty doing the command without treats as a motivator, you would have gone through the "say and show" method I taught where you used 50-75 repetitions, and you increased the amount of time, and the number of distraction objects that they could do the "sit" around in phase two. Quote on Resilience "Our greatest glory is NOT in never falling; but in rising every time we fall." - Confucius

8 Apr 202027min

In today's episode I'm ramping up the "sit" command in part two of this series. This is also a good step for adult dogs who have a pretty good grasp already. I'll answer some emails that are timely and play into this specific type of obedience training and talk about a very good question that I did not answer in my part one! And I've been making a habit lately of leaving you with an interesting quote about resilience. I won't let you down this time either. In fact, I've included the quote here along with a link to Viktor Frankl's book; "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." - Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning You can download the Audible book here, and also get a free trial of audible with the same link.

3 Apr 202040min

In today's episode we're going to work on our obedience skills challenges while we're still confined inside with our dogs! Today's skill at first glance may seem like one you think you already know...but there are some key components to this command - whether your dog is "food" motivated, adult dog or puppy - there are some great tips to go beyond what I call the "phase one" version of the sit command. I'll give you a primer on what is involved with the command and how to progress further. I'll also talk about phase two and lead into things to come for this week and next!

1 Apr 202036min