Our Training Methods

Reinforce with positives everything you want your dog to do again. That means, praise your dog, pet him, offer him a treat or toss him a ball when he does what you would like him to do.  Things that are reinforced with good things from you will happen again in the future.

Teach your dog what to do. Yelling at him, “No, no, bad dog!” shows him that you’re mad about something, but it doesn’t teach him what to do instead. Show him what to do, help him do it, and then reinforce it with positives.

Set your dog up to succeed. By helping him do things correctly and by helping do what you want him to do, you’re giving him a chance to be praised and you’re starting to build new better habits. These good habits will override the bad behavior he has done previously.

Prevent bad behavior from happening. You cannot correct bad behavior after the fact; it doesn’t work and your dog won’t understand. Instead, prevent bad behavior from happening. Think about when and why your dog does it, and then do something about it.

Interrupt bad behavior when you catch your dog in the act. Use your voice, “Acck! No jump!” or a similar verbal interruption, or use the dog’s leash and collar, or use a squirt bottle. Follow each interruption by teaching your dog what to do instead.  When your dog knows what to do instead, he’ll be less likely to repeat the bad behavior.

Corrections and punishments from you that occur after your dog has made a mistake do not work. They are not an effective way to teach your dog. Holding a grudge because you are angry at the dog doesn’t work, either, and can damage your relationship with your dog because he won’t understand. Dogs don’t think about the past or the future; they live in the moment and your training must reflect that.