Most Frequent Questions Asked
- • What does our dog learn in basic obedience?
- How to listen, how to focus on you, how to have fun doing the work, exactly what you expect of him
and approximately 15 commands. More important is what do you, as an owner, get to learn. The owners, at
times, need much more work than the dogs. You learn very important skills about perfect timing. The right
time and place to act and exactly how to communicate with your dog. The first class is jammed packed with
information on typical issues like; barking, pulling, and jumping. Plus teachings on collars, leash work,
biting, potty training, your specific issues you'd like to work on, an overview on different techniques
used in the industry, establishment of hierarchy and pack leadership and much more.
Classes two through advanced are strictly hands on, watching and guiding
you as you handle your dog correcting you as you go. The homework is not a lot but it is intense.
We want to give you as much as we can for your time and money.
- • If I make my dog do things will he end up hating me?
- Well, first off it depends greatly on how you make him do it. It's proven to us on a daily basis
that just the opposite happens when you take our classes. They love and bond deeply with you looking up
to you as a great leader. Instead of the word "make" we would replace it with motivate.
- • I blow up in complete frustration - my dog gets me so mad. I scream and he goes and hides under the bed. Have I ruined him?
- No. Dogs bounce back just like children do but he will remember what you acted like. IF done
repetitively you will cause fear. Learn how to manage your dog so you don't have to yell or get to that
blow-up stage. We totally get how dogs test people's patience to the limit but training corrects so many
challenges you face at home. You should never hit, kick, beat or scream at your dog. It does not teach
the dog anything.
- • I just need my dog to come to me at home. I don't really want advanced stuff.
- We hear this from a few and find it interesting that they also say that they would like the dog
to come from across the street or stop when a car is coming or stop and come back if he gets out the
door and starts running down the street. When you get your dog to sit in the comfort of his four walls
at home that does not mean that he will do that under stress or distraction. Training is only partially
done until you follow through with off-leash and advanced work. Every time we say that some dog we are
working with (like our own or a rescue) will stop and come to our side right in the middle of a squirrel
chase everyone says... Wow! And they all want that type of obedience. You have to go through
ACS™
program all the way through advanced to get that type of result and it really doesn't end there. Some
dogs will still continue to test you for years later.
A quick story on a severe case. A German
Sheppard had been through OB three times at different places and for years was doing just perfect until
the 20 year old daughter came back and moved in. The dog started biting the owner in the forearm knowing
full and well obedience rules. Never put it past your dog to surprise you. They are growing and have
emotions just like we do.
- • We really have a problem with our dog jumping. We've tried ignoring it but that just doesn't
do any good.
- Jumping is close to the #1 problem but again there are different ways for different dogs. The
industry has a range from kneeing to ignoring. We analyze your dog and your comfort levels and show you
what will take one minute or one year. Ignoring is like taking a barking dog and putting him in the garage
when company comes over. It doesn't teach the dog anything. We rather prefer methods of showing the dog
what we expect with love and reward.
- • Our dog has just started biting and fighting. What should we do?
- This is a common problem with many solutions. Know that YOU cannot outrun a dog bite. Safety is #1.
Stay out of the way. Regardless of what you read or hear about squirting water or other techniques your
safety is first. Do not grab them, do not try to get in-between them. Many people we have talked to have
gotten bit. You need to get counsel with a pro on this one because there are so many pieces to the puzzle
and it is so important how it is handled. Done wrong, you make the situation worse. If your dog is fighting,
with a mate or new dog separation is a must. Do not let them stay together while you go off to work. Dogs
bite for many different reasons and everything needs to be analyzed in order to know how to help the
situation. Any aggression also gets worse with age.
- • My dog just won't listen to me. I've trained my other dogs fine but this one is different.
He just will NOT do what I ask him to do.
- This is so common. People have several dogs in their lifetime and have been lucky enough to get
a few good ones. Then they acquire the "dog from hell" and get real frustrated. This situation is a
combination of the owner's knowledge only going so far and a high strung dog who, remember, is just being
a dog and needs some special work. We usually find that many of these dogs have been through other classes
and flunked. But don't give up on him. You just need a different approach and some tweaking of what you
have learned so far. We can help you see how to get him under control. There are no guarantees with dog
training. Sometimes the match between owner and dog forces the work to take longer but it doesn't happen
to often. There is also genetic problems and trauma problems. We can give you an analysis which is very helpful.
- • When will my dog stop digging? It is making my yard a mess!
- Know that pups under two years of age need to do what comes natural to them. Kids are full of
running, jumping, screaming, etc., and so are young dogs. Digging is normal. This is why we prepare
for the new dog. Fence off a certain area that your dog can make a mess out of for a while. Fill the
holes so he doesn't go to new spots all the time. Bury a treat or toy in a hole that he has already dug
in helping him to stay in a smaller area. Give him plenty of ground toys. See
Education-Siberians for help.
The best way to detour your dog from digging in certain places is to place his poop there. Many of our
clients have tried many things but this seems to win. It is possible to teach a dog where he can dig
and where he is not suppose to.
Barking, digging, whining, chewing, escaping, etc., all come from
just a few things. Frustration, boredom, lack of exercise and loneliness. If you do not want messes and
destruction then get a dog over 2 years. That's when they start settling down (except for the real high
energy ones).
- • When will my dog stop chewing? He destroys everything.
- Chewing will go on for about 2 years. Buy bedding, blankets, wood toys, balls and bats at the
thrift stores while they go through the chewing stage. Make things safe. No string, no stuffed toy eyes
or noses or pebble stuffing. Empty boxes are great. Put a treat inside and close it up. The most important
thing is variety. Change toys a lot. They get bored just like we do. We can show you how to teach them what
their toys are and that your favorite shoes are not. Pups who have the entire run of the house while you are
gone will usually be much more destructive.
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I've put my dog through two obedience courses. Both at highly advertised places. My dog failed yet some
passed. Why is that?
Trainers have a certain method in their way of training and within one class there will be several types
of behavior problems going on which can take coming at each of those problems in a different way. A couple
of things can happen. One is the trainer is very limited in spending much individual time as the class must
move along. And two, the knowledge of other methods might not be there. This is why we really think private
training is getting the most for your time and money.
My dog is 4 years old and has been the leader of the household for all that time. He gets away with murder.
Is he still trainable?
This is asked all the time. Yes, they can still be trained but at that age it is called re-training not
training. Re-training takes much longer and much more devotion to consistency as the habits are so
ingrained and you can bet that they go through a ton of kicking and screaming all the way. They are saying;
wait a minute, why all of a sudden are you making me do this.
Start training early. It is so much easier on everyone
We went all the way through obedience classes already and we still have a problem. He behaves fine in class
but not at home. Why?
Our first answer to this is if the dog still has the problems then the training is not working. The second
answer is it is real exciting to start helping the dog with training but it also takes doing your home work.
If you don't go through the repetition at home and do what the trainer says then the success rate goes way down.
Get your schedule ready for a commitment to your dog for a few months and you will live happily ever after
with the best friend you have ever had.
Puppy Tips
- Expose them to as many places, sounds, dogs and people as possible.
- Get them use to the sounds of vacuums, fireworks and storms.
- Touch ears, teeth, feet, belly and mouth so they get use to kids or the vet.
- Expose them to car rides, cooking smells and different homes.
- Buy one pup at a time and train. Then add a second dog if you want to.
- Get pups neutered and spayed before 6 months old.
- Do NOT leave pups in crates for 8 hours a day. Build them up to 2 to 4 hours. How would we like to live
in our bathrooms for 8 hours every day of our lives? Whew...
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