What You Need To Know
You are looking for help and we are here to provide it. The success of your dogs outcome is based on the effort put in by you as well. We can train your dog, but if you are not following through nothing for you is going to change.
Behaviour
You are deciding to bring your dog to us. Either it’s for getting them off on the right foot as a puppy or something isn’t going right.
- Reactive Behaviour-Dogs who bark, lunge or growl at other people, dogs, or moving vehicles while on or off-leash. (No intention to injure) Does your dog Bark on leash at other people or dogs? This can be problematic or dangerous to other people, other animals, you, or even your dog
- Aggression: Dogs who bark, lunge or growl at other people, dogs, or moving vehicles while on or off-leash. (They have an intention to injury and likely have bitten or been involved in dog fights in the past)
- Defensive Aggression: If your dog is forced to be in an uncomfortable situation and react aggressively to protect itself around another dog or person. This is very uncommon, only about 10% of dogs are defensive. Usually, these bites are small warnings snaps. and don’t leave much damage.
- Offensive Aggression: If your dog has options but chooses to put themself in a situation where they bully or act aggressively towards a person or dog, they have offensive aggression. Usually, these bites are more serious and sometimes need stitches.
- Doggy Daycare/Dog Park Syndrome: Dogs who go to doggy daycare or frequent dog parks often who then bark, and lunge at other dogs when on a leash but can be fine with other dogs while off-leash. We call these dogs (reactive and frustrated)
- Jumping-From dirty clothes to pushing kids over, this is a common problem that won’t go away on it’s own.
- House Manners-End the ‘naughty dog’ embarrassment – promote better behaviour around you or guests in the home.
- Leash Manners-When a dog pulls on their leash to get to something that they want to encounter. Who is walking Who? Bring the joy back to your walks with your dog.
- Destructive Behaviour-Chewing, digging, scratching, etc. It can be really frustrating for you, or even dangerous for your dog.
- Resource Guarding-Learn how to change the way your dog feels (and behaves) about you being around it’s favourite things.
- Recall Issues-Teach your dog to come when called – it’s an essential skill for any dog, and helps keep him safe in the world.
- Dog Won’t Listen-If you don’t train it, he won’t do it. Learn to motivate your dog to a happier, more reliable performance.
- New Puppy– Get your puppy started off right.
- Off Leash– Love hiking with your dog? Teach your dog to come back every time.
Dogs that are coming in for training will be required to do the following. This way we are all on the same page and you and your dog can go from frustrated to fantastic.
Drop Off/ Pick Up
All Pick Up & Drop Off Times Day Training
Day School Hours Monday- Thursday
- Drop off times- 8:00am and 9:30am.
- Pick Up times- 3:30pm-5:00pm
Each Thursday there will be a 30 minute Go Home Lesson on what we have been working on that week and what you need to work on at home. The last lesson time slot is 4:30 pm.
Holiday Closures or Hour Changes- ( We do not run Day Training on these Holidays-We only do Tuesday to Friday if there is a holiday Monday, this is the only change to our program. We will not accommodate schedule changes)
- New Years Day
- Family Day
- Good Friday
- Victoria Day
- Canada Day
- Labour Day
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas Eve
- Christmas Day
- Boxing Day
What to Bring
We hand feed all dogs in for training. They are offered food regularly but if they do not eat it is difficult for us to train. Majority of the time the dogs will not eat due to being overweight.
- We need their food for training.
- Your dog needs to be an Ideal body weight. See photo below.
- 6 ft leash.
- Prong collar provided
- Long line Provided
- Higher value food/treats for extra motivation
Ditch the Bowl
Pour value into the RELATIONSHIP BANK ACCOUNT instead of a bowl
Our dogs wake up every morning with a big pot of value for that day – i.e. food. We can decide where and how that pot of value is divided and feed our dog as and when we want to around our busy lifestyle.
Through training and using their food out of our hands we are adding value the RELATIONSHIP BANK ACCOUNT instead of a bowl. The benefits are HUGE and it really is massive for long-term relationship investment with your dog. It is probably the biggest change you could make to boost your overall relationship because you become the centre of everything fun. Some tips on how to start that transition of ditching the food bowl, as well as some fun feeding ideas to follow!
Start that transition of ditching the food bowl…
- Initially get your dog to chase the food in your hand – get them pursuing that food, targeting it and trying to get it
- Then try bowling the food away from your dog and get them to chase after it
- Restrain them – throw the piece of food ahead, get them interested and then send them to go get it
- Work on markers and every time your dog looks at you reward them.
HAND EARN TRAINING / OUT ON WALKS:
Earning food from our hand promotes ORIENTATION to us and PROXIMITY. Now we can already hear you say “But I feed raw”! Don’t worry because there is always a solution…
- Treat dispenser
- Squeeze tube
- Chunks of raw cut into smaller pieces
- Scoop minced raw into a small spoon and feed from that
- Roll into little meatballs
(or use a mould) and refreeze - Dehydrated raw
DON’T BE DAUNTED!
Sometimes the thought of changing our dogs feeding regime can seem a huge undertaking (especially those with multiple dogs) like with everything try it in achievable chunks, that fit your life. Can you do 1 bowl a day? With each dog? Just their breakfast? Or just their evening meals?
Mix it up to suit you it’s not an all or nothing game but a way of changing how you and your dog view food times. You’ll find the more you try the easier and more addictive it gets. Busy week at work don’t sweat it this is the time to use your training to do a few simple commands and then reward with a jackpot reward. The great thing is it’s so much fun and so easy to do that just two minutes a meal can bring about huge changes in your dogs.
Worried your dog will resent earning their food? Don’t be! Do you resent going to work to earn your paycheck? We don’t consider it earning our dogs are not working for us more we are playing together – feeding for most species has a social aspect so take your dog out for a meal! Dogs love to interact and becoming part of their meal times is an amazing way to bond and bring joy to the relationship. Dogs are driven to work for their food they actively seek ways to get it (hunting, stalking, chasing) we often prevent many of these behaviours so it’s hugely rewarding for our dogs when we replace them with an alternative way to work for their meals. How cool is that?
BY DITCHING THE BOWL WE ARE ENRICHING THEIR LIVES !!
Components of a training session
Duration & Time of day
- Keep it short
- End on a high note
- Keep them begging for more
- Tough things do 2-3 minutes
- Train when your dog is hungry
- Train when your dog is alert (after a nap or in the morning)
- Train after a short bit of separation (nap time)
Management
Management- The most overlooked and underappreciated parts of a dog training process. In fact, it may be the most important tool in your toolbox. By managing your dog’s environment, it prevents them from continuing to rehearse unwanted behaviour problems during their foundation training. It also helps maintain the dog’s motivation for training and contributes significantly to both the dog’s and trainer’s safety.
A lot of dogs have issues due to not being properly managed. If your dog cannot preform bad behaviours but gets rewarded for the good behaviours
Management
- Crates
- X-pens,
- Tethering
- Redirection
- Exercise
- Place beds
- Leashes
- Leash walking
- Dog to dog interactions
- Motivation
- Aversive techniques- teach first, correct when necessary.
- Home & Yard
- Environmental Enrichment/Mental Stimulation
Obedience Protocols
The more obedience and reliable the better for putting them through situations
Sometimes timelines are unrealistic. Depends on how long the dog has been practicing the behaviour.
Recall
Target work (place)
Focus- Control what the dog is focus on
Leash walking, leash pressure, follow, no pulling on leash
Down- down and stay, down from a distance (dog dependant)
Impulse Control- stay, wait
Out- trade for objects
Formal retrieve- dogs that resource guard
Luring
Basic heeling
Nothing In Life Is Free
The Leadership Program is for people with dogs who rule the home and exhibit problem behaviors. This is a gentle and fair program designed to earn you more respect from your dog.
- Leadership is not about being harsh or unkind
- At first, Leadership may confuse your dog because it is new
- Before long, Leadership will make your dog happy
- Leaders make the rules: is that you or your dog?
Leadership is about controlling resources.
Resources are:
- Food
- Water
- Toys
- Time
- Space
- Smells on the walk
- Affection
House Rules
House Rules
- Your dog is crated when home alone and overnight
- When home to supervise, but not working or exercising, your dog is tethered or in place on a dog bed.
- Your dog’s meals come during training – they are not bowl fed (ditch the bowl)
- In order to exit doorways, your dog must sit and wait to be released (usually lets go)
- Your dog is always supervised in the yard, and initially, he/she wore a long line so his/her behavior could be properly managed
- Your dog has to sit before getting into the car, and he has to lay down in his/her kennel before exiting
- No toys laying around. If you are going to give your dog a toy, it will be when you play with them.
- No furniture. Your dog can eventually go up once their behaviour is better and have earned the right to come up. If any behaviour changes back, remove them off.
- Don’t offer affection unless your dog has done something to get rewarded for it. If they demand attention wait until your dog is quiet or offers a sit then pet and play with him.
If you dog is not allowed to practice negative behaviours but get rewarded for the positive ones. You will see a big difference with them.
Structured Activities
Walks, place in the house or outside, treadmill (if one is available, 1.5-2.5 with no incline for 15 min) playing, structured fetch, paper plate recall, scent work, sit on the dog. These all need to be initiated by you. THE BEST ACTIVITY IS A STRUCTURED WALK (Starting by follow me exercise and doing some stays and speed changes, and then go for a walk.)
When making your own schedule, make sure to fit in at least 2 activity times during the day for a month, after that cut it in half, you do not have to do it everyday.
We know this schedule works to help CHANGE UNDESIRABLE BEHAVIOR, so do it!!!