Obedience and Problem Behaviours
Do you want to create a bond and have easy communication with your dog?
Have them follow through on any directive no matter what the distraction is?
Have a dog that likes to chew things, jump up on people, or gets over excited?
Have a dog that is extremely timid and needs to gain some confidence?
We can help with all these and any other goals or issues you want to work on with your dog. From beginner obedience to highly advanced levels and any and all problem behaviours we are here for you. Contact us today to book your Obedience / Behavioural session.
Obedience / Behavioural Session
Customized half day all-inclusive session to show you how to be the trainer for your dog based on all your obedience goals or problem behaviours you want to rectify. We have worked with it all, no problem is too big or too small. We do an assessment, review your goals, develop a plan, explain the reasons why we are following these steps, and work one-on-one with you and your dog.
- Half day customized session
- Detailed training notes and videos
- Coaching via email for one year
Obedience Training
Obedience training is having a well trained dog who lives by the rules you want them to and they do so happily. A calm and obedient dog almost never gets into trouble.With proper obedience training your dog understands who the pack leaders are and what they can or can’t do in the house or outside.
With proper obedience training your dog will understand that you are the first to greet others coming to your home or those passing by on a walk. An obedient dog is a dog without stress (99% of the time) because they see you as a very confident and caring leader. Your dog knows you will look after them.
We have seen many dogs that had no obedience and they were very high strung and anxious, often becoming ill because of their anxiousness. As soon as they were put through proper pack structure and proofed up on their obedience they became very calm and happy and their health improved. These dogs were dogs that thought that they needed to be the leader of the house but were very stressed by this job. As soon as the people caring for these dogs taught them that they were the leaders the dog felt relaxed as they could now just be a happy, obedient follower.
Obedience training doesn’t have to be unpleasant. Obedience training should be fun! When the proper techniques are used many dogs love obedience training and the structure and mental stimulation it provides them.
It’s also important to note that obedience training does not have a finish line. Obedience will be a daily part of your dog’s life. You will make them sit and wait at doors and sit and make them wait for their food until you give the ok, among other things.
For a dog to be obedient you need to ensure that they get the exercise they need. Often times many problem behaviours will disappear with a well exercised dog.
If you want help with your obedience training program give us a call.
Problem Behaviours
Problem behaviours are generally things that are natural dog behaviours and we either don’t want them or want less of them. Sometimes the best thing to do is not to get rid of them but to focus them instead. What do I mean by that?
If your dog likes to chase cars, bikes, squirrels, rabbits, etc. then that falls into high prey drive. Instead of trying to get rid of it we can focus it into games for you to play with your dog.
Maybe your dog really loves to pull on leash. We can show you the fastest and easiest way to train a dog to loose leash heel but we can also show you some fun dog sports that involve pulling such as dog scootering or skijoring as a couple of examples.
Potty Training is usually a problem that people want to have dealt with as soon as possible as it tends to get expensive and messy with carpets and other household items. Potty accidents can happen for a number of different reasons and we can show you what the direct cause is with your dog so you can get that under control as quickly as possible.
Jumping can get to be very annoying and unwanted especially with bigger dogs. Small dogs tend to get away with it more easily. We can focus jumping into certain dog sports as well if your dog just really likes to jump. At the same time we can teach them not to jump on people.
Barking is a natural dog behaviour that can be essential some times and other times it can cause fines from condo boards or complaints from neighbours. Excessive barking can be controlled in a way that we can set out when it is appropriate for the dog to bark and when it isn’t. That way everyone can be happy.
Recall
Recall is an important trait for many dog owners. If you happen to be one of the people at the off-
Many people go about teaching their dog recall the exact opposite of how a dog should be taught recall. First of all many people face their dog and call them and then walk closer and call their dog again. To a dog this means you are following them, not they should be following you. Secondly when it comes to recall many people never take the time to practice recall or teach their dog what “come” actually means. Some people do take the time to teach their dog “come” at home or in the backyard and then think they will understand recall in all environments and distractions and are surprised when they take them off-
If you have managed to become one of the people who have trained their dog to not only ignore you when you call your dog but your dog runs away from you and wants you to chase them then you definitely will want to give us a call. Don’t worry if you have trained your dog to do this because it is very easy to unintentionally train your dog to not come when called. Humans as a primate species communicate much differently then dogs. Once you learn to speak their language then everything will come together for you.
There are certain levels of recall you can obtain such as good recall without any distractions, recall with normal distractions or recall with intense distractions such as rabbits and other dogs. Each level you want to achieve requires controlled practice, emphasis on controlled.
Again don’t worry if your dog doesn’t come when called. Even expert dog trainers started out with the same problem. This is often the start of many dog training careers is the desire to learn how to have reliable recall. The first dog I had wouldn’t come worth a darn, now that isn’t the case anymore.
Let me show you some of the most fun, easy and effective ways to teach your dog to come when called. You can have reliable recall in whatever distraction you choose.
Loose Leash Walking
Loose leash walking is the ability to take your dog for a walk and not the other way around. Many dogs pull constantly on a walk resulting in a frustrating and tiring experience.
Loose leash walking requires a dog to walk beside you without doing any pulling on leash. Dogs that get over excited and pull hard on walks almost always have other problems as well and can result in aggression problems – typically leash aggression. If a dog is pulling hard on leash they typically are not listening to anything you are saying outside and you have little control.
When a dog can walk loosely on leash they are calm and respect you as a leader in outdoor distractions.
We can teach you how to have your dog walk like a dream on leash in any outdoor distraction you choose.
Follow our steps and you will automatically teach your dog to an off leash heel. Even little dogs can be taught to walk beside you off’leash with a hyper dog vying for their attention.
If your dog is an experienced puller we can help you too. The saying “an old dog can’t learn new tricks” is not true at all.
Barking
Barking is a common dog behaviour and one that we usually don’t prefer. Maybe it isn’t you that minds it that much but your neighbour might feel differently. Dogs will bark for a variety of reasons:
- Attention
- Territory
- Play
- Separation Anxiety
- Fear
- Aggression
Many times people misinterpret why their dog is barking. When stopping barking you always want to address the problem first. You can use anti-barking collars but that will often only get rid of the symptom and mask any problems. Often when you get rid of the problem, the symptom (barking) goes away. If a dog has practiced barking for a while then it can become habit.
If you are having any troubles with barking give us a call.
Jumping
Jumping is also a common characteristic and again a common dog problem in our human world. Most often when little dogs jump people think it is cute and not a problem. When adult dogs that weigh 40 pounds or more jump up then it can become a real nuisance or safety hazard.
Jumping can be dealt with in a number of ways. All dogs are a little different and no two will respond to the exact same method for everything.
Often when jumping is a problem you can teach your dog to sit to get attention instead. In some cases this works but that is not the norm. Many times a dog learns the pattern: “I jump, then I sit, then you pet, then you stop petting, then I jump, then I sit, then you pet, …” you get the picture.
Jumping quite often turns into an attention seeking behaviour. If your dog starts to test and challenge here, they will often challenge in other places as well. After we run you through our training session you will see how it is all connected. Then it is much easier to solve all of the different problems.
Contact us to book a session.
Potty Training
Potty training a dog is a very high priority on everyone’s list when a new puppy comes to the house. But if you have an older dog that still has accidents in the home or has never been trained in this area we can show you how to correct it. There have been many advances in dog training since the days of punishing your dog and rubbing their face in it. Potty training can now a much more enjoyable experience for all.
This may come as a surprise but you can have zero accidents in the house from the first day you start following our potty training plan. Everyone’s schedule is different so it is important that each Potty Training Plan is custom tailored to your schedule and needs. For more help email: Tyson@dogsquad.ca or call us at 403-224-2224.