Working with dog every day, no matter whether it is at the shelter or in group classes or in my private sessions, I often find that the one thing many dogs are lacking in their daily life, is ENRICHMENT! 
Often we, as dog owners, are good at focusing on the physical activities with our dogs, such as playing fetch, or take them for a swim or a walk. But  we tend to forget about the mental stimulation needed for our furry friends. And when we don't regularly meet the emotional and mental needs of our dogs, we oftentimes start to see an increase in behavioral issues.  And dealing with behavioral issues due to unmet needs, can cause a lot of unnecessary  stress on both  the owners, but definitely also our dogs. 
Adding enrichment to your dog's life, does not have to be expensive, which is why I started this new video series "How to make your dog happy". With these videos I am hoping to show you different ideas for enriching your dog's life, which you can easily implement in your daily routine.
Take the challenge and implement the ideas and let me know the results after you have tried it consistently for a month. 

Here is the first video: "How to make your dog happy...with a snuffle mat" !
Enjoy

Scenario 1:
You are driving down the street with your dog on the seat next to you. You see a dog and it's handler walking on the sidewalk and you automatically tense up , waiting for your dog's reaction. You know what is about to happen. Half a second later, your dog sees the other dog as you drive by and goes into a frantic barking mode, jumping all over you while spitting drool and scratching at the window with only one thought in mind: Need to get out and harm the other dog. In a split second your sweet calm Lassie turned into Cujo!! You instantly react with yelling, pulling, pushing or even slapping your dog.  Your reaction gives you a small sense of control and to be truthful, a small amount of pleasure in this otherwise embarrassing situation- you feel justified to react harshly and at least it shows the other handler that you are working on the problem...or are you?  Your correction used to work - well at least it would after you had passed the other dog, but you have noticed the behavior has escalated in intensity. And even more unfortunately, your dog seems to now cover when you raise your hand.

Scenario 2:
You are walking your dog around the neighborhood, as you have done everyday for the two months after you rescued your dog. You know that exercise is important and you enjoy your daily walks with your dog. Except for one thing: Every time you walk past number 2454 on your street, your dog starts to frantically pull on the leash and soon starts to lunge and bark at the Boxer, that always comes charging at the fence. You feel embarrassed and try to hurry past this house, but you have noticed that it's getting harder and harder to pull your dog away. It is almost like he doesn't even sense, that you are on the other end of the leash anymore. What is even worse, you have noticed that your dog has started to initiate this out-of-control behavior two houses prior to house number 2454. And after passing the house, your dogs now seems to be agitated for a longer period of time. It now can take up to 10 minutes before he even is able to calm down and walk nicely on the leash again. You are at your wits end. You don't want to stop walking your dog. You have heard too many stories about dogs that are just stuck in the back yard with no real exercise or interaction with the world outside. And how dogs are being surrendered everyday stating behavioral issues or lack of time and commitment. So when you decided to adopt your dog, you swore that you would commit to make sure your dog would get his daily walks. So you keep walking, hoping things to get better.

In both scenarios, the handler is being reactive, meaning: " acting in response to a situation rather than creating or controlling it". This is what most of us do, right? React when our dogs displays an unwanted behavior. This reaction is often just a quick band aid..nothing more. In a way it gives us some sense of control in the moment we yank/pull/yell/slap, but the truth is, we often realize that our response doesn't help prevent the same scenario from happening again. 

Albert Einstein is broadly credited with exclaiming “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results”. 
I like that quote! It really applies well to dog training and especially, when we talk about being re-active versus pro-active. If we keep doing the same thing over and over again, putting our dogs in the same situation over and over again, knowing that based on past experiences,  the probability of our dogs reacting with an unwanted behavior, why do we keep on doing it? Do we truly expect a different result ? Or is it just because we simply have no idea what to do, besides a correction as a reaction? 
It is an interesting humane behavior, but unfortunately in these scenarios (as in many other scenarios), it only causes more tension and often an accelerated intensity in your dog's response.

Working with reactive dog and trying to change their unwanted response (barking, lunging, whining, and so on)  to stimulus in the environment to a more appropriate response (such as staying calm, ignoring other dogs ) is a great learning experience for most owners. It gives me a chance to teach them about body language (see a great video here)  and more importantly about behavioral threshold. A dog's behavioral threshold is when your dog crosses from one emotional state to another. I am not going to spend a lot of time talking about it here, but please read this excellent article "Across a Threshold" to help explain this concept. An article I consider a must read for all dog owners. Which brings me to the next step: how to be pro-active instead of re-active.

Consider scenario 1 again. You know your dog is reactive to all dogs he sees when driving. But when walking on a leash, he only occasionally will react. So that is where your training will start: where the probability of your dog being successful (as in not barking) is most likely.
Take him for a walk. Everytime he sees another dog, give him a nice piece of boiled chicken or hotdog. Something really yummy. Keep your distance (under threshold) so your dog can stay connected and focused on you. Repeat this behavior until your dog voluntarily looks at you expecting a reward when another dog approaches. Slowly see if you can get closer and closer to other dogs.
Next step. Now sit in your parked car and practice the same thing: Your dog sees a dog, he gets a yummy reward. We are trying to change your dog's emotional response - instead of feeling the need to react based on arousal, insecurity, worry or whatever might cause his initial reaction, his reaction is now looking at you and staying calm. BINGO. When your dog is a rockstar and can keep calm in your parked car, it is time to start driving. In this case I would highly recommend that a friend is driving, so you can focus on your dog. Driving makes any stimulus appear faster and therefore we often see an increase in the emotional response from our dogs. Just start slow, if possible. Repeat repeat. IF you get too close to what your dog can handle (over threshold) and he reacts with the unwanted behavior, just add distance as fast as possible and get your dog to calm down before proceeding. This is you being PRO-ACTIVE: Controlling the situation and environment, so your dog does not feel the need to change his emotional state while teaching him the behavior you would like to see instead. Such as looking at you and staying calm. Is this a quick fix? Nope, it takes time and repetition. But the reward is a dog that feels safe and that can better handle dog in his environment. That is a win-win situation for both you and your dog.

Scenario 2: Same thing. Walk your dog the same route until he tenses up. This is your cue that your dog is starting to anticipate the charging boxer two houses up and he is beginning to change his emotions, from feeling safe to worried. Stop there and work on rewarding him for staying calm. You can even toss a few treats in the grass for him to find and help redirect his focus from worrying about boxer to "yum, where is the treat?". Slowly work your way a bit closer, but constantly check in with your tension (take some deep breaths to relax) and your dog's stress and arousal levels. As long as your dog can stay connected with you and take treats from you, you are still under threshold. Only work a few steps closer towards the "issue" house and then walk away. Look at is as "pressure on, pressure on, pressure on, pressure off!" Walk away with your dog feeling safe and you will be able to build up on this experience next time, where you can get a bit closer. Repeat, repeat. Your dog will let you know when he is ready to go closer, which is why learning to read your dog's body language is so important. 

Being proactive means take charge of the situation, prepare a plan and look at it as a training exercise. You are your dog's teacher in life, so help him, guide him and teach him.
And never ever underestimate the power of "just hanging out" with your dog to help calm him down. Letting him acclimate to new surroundings or in settings, which usually creates a tense reaction in your dog and then pairing it up with yummy treats,  will give your dog the skills to handle himself better.
Watch this great video by Suzanne Clothier where she explains this very concept " Threshold, threshold and doing nothing". 

Be pro-active and be a teacher for your dog. The process will make you a better handler!
​

Just the other day I was called out to do an in-home evaluation on a 5 months old dog, who was causing a bit disturbance in the house. This dog was a bit insecure and would bark and react to most things - especially people coming to the door, such as me - but the bigger issue was the jumping on the young daughter.
When I come to a house, I gather a lot of information as soon as I even approach the door: how the dog reacts to the knock/doorbell; How the owner handles the dog;  If aroused, how  long does it take the dog to calm down; etc. etc. 
Now this particular dog was definitely insecure, would easily get aroused and would continue to bark bark bark at me even though I ignored her, until........MAGIC!! Yes, I am a dog trainer, who runs around with magic pixie dust in my pocket to throw at the dog...the only thing that works! Seriously !! However. you might know it under a different name: Treats! Yep - that simple. Treats! After tossing a few treats towards this barking fluff ball, she soon decided to activate her brain and now I could even look at her before tossing her a treat - without any barking. My point here is this:
if your dog is insecure about something, then help your dog change it's emotional state of worry to something more pleasant, by creating a positive association using food! The point is to make the dog still feel safe, which is why I tossed the treat to the dog - yes even behind the dog . This allowed the dog to make its own decision, when to come see me. But until ready, I was still this awesome lady with awesome treats who didn't impose a threat  ....(FYI: This exercise works wonders. )
Now this particular dog had had no training, been to no class , had really no skills, but she was (and still is !) very food motivated, so within a few minutes , she had learned to offer a sit for attention, come in to sit, laying down, nose touches and follow me game. This dog was ready to WORK! She loved the attention, the interaction and was super eager to learn!! Such a firecracker and every trainer's dream: Great drive, focus and willingness to offer behavior.  Within a short time, both owners were really impressed with her and could see how ready this little fluff ball was to get some training. Which really leads me to the purpose of this blog post:
Just because your dog might be small, don't underestimate your dog's eagerness (and need!) to learn. Through training , not only do we teach them skills, but also confidence in themselves, so they can handle the surrounding world much better. Just think how overwhelming the world must be for a 5 lbs chihuahua or a 7 lbs yorkie? Build your dog up to be the best they can be. And get ready to be amazed by how much they will teach you in the process. A small dog might be small in size, but mighty at heart.
Let the training begin.....or continue :)
 
​Onward....

​After several days with rain, snow and cold wind, I think it is safe to say that fall is here and soon winter too...which of course can mean anything from dry heat, to rain to heavy snowfall - all within one day (which is one of the many reasons I love Montana). 
This change in weather also often means, that we take our dogs out less. However, with less physical exercise, it is even more important that we keep up - or even increase - the indoor activities. If not, you might be coming home to chewed up shoes, curtains on the floor and new bite marks in your wooden furniture...just saying !!
So to save you the frustration of buying a new coffee table, I have decided to write down a few fun indoor games and activities for your and  your dog. 
Enjoy and remember to always have fun with it. 

The Three Cup Game
One step up from the which hand game this game is also commonly referred to as the shell game. You place a treat under one of 3 cups and have your dog choose the correct one. Once they get the hang of it you can start mixing up the cups so they’re not just relying on visuals. 

Play Hide and Seek With Your Dog
Have your dog sit and wait while you (or your child) go find a hiding spot. Call your dog once when you’re hidden and praise them enthusiastically when they find you.

Make a Scavenger Hunt or Play Find The Treats
Grab some smelly treats and have your dog stay while you go hide them around the house. Start with some easy hiding spots first - maybe just a few feet away, to help encourage your dog to "Find them". Slowly work your way up to more difficult hiding places, once your dog is accustomed to using his nose and understand the concept of this new fun game.

Get Some Puzzle Toys For Your Dog
Keep your dog mentally stimulated by giving them a puzzle to solve. There are a ton of dog puzzle toys available, as well as treat dispensing toys like the Kong Wobbler. (see my old dog enjoy his Kong Wobbler here )
There’s also a ton of great DIY toys out there you can make. I love the simple muffin tin game – if you have a muffin tin and some tennis balls you’re ready to play.

Teach Your Dog the “Go To Mat” Command
Does your dog know how to go to the couch or to his mat This trick is simple to teach and it’s helpful when you’re making dinner or having guests over. If you tell your dog to go to his spot while you’re making dinner enough times it will become a habit. No dog in the kitchen while cooking means you won’t be finding dog hair in your dinner as often. Please see this video by Nancy Tanner, Paws&People explaining how to teach your dog "Go to Mat"

Teach Your Dog The Names of Their Toys
Have you seen Chaser the Border Collie? She knows over 1,000 words and can pick out any given toy among 800 just by it’s name. We can’t all be overachievers like Chaser, but we can teach our dogs the names of their toys.
Start by playing with one specific toy and giving it a name while you do. After some practice & praise your dog will assign that verbal name with the chosen toy . Once your dog has learned that specific toys name you can test their skills by seeing if they can pick it out among their other toys.

Puppy Push Ups 
Teach your dog to sit, down and stand. You can now play "Puppy Push Up" going from stand, to sit, to down, to sit, to down, to stand and so on. Make sure to change the order of the behaviors so your dog can't guess what comes next. 
See this video I made with Blue at the Yellowstone Valley Animal shelter  

Teach your dog a new trick
Most dogs love to learn new tricks.  And not only will you teach them a new skill, but also giving your dog a positive and focused interaction with you , which is a great added bonus. Plus , most dogs love to show off their tricks, so make sure to show it to friends and family. This YouTube channel is filled with fun tricks video that will ensure hours of fun for you and your dog.

I hope this will give you some great ideas for hours of indoor fun. Remember, if you are running out of ideas, you can always sign up for a class or a private session to keep you and your dog going. 

​Have fun!
​Camilla

When I've been called out to dog owners (puppies, adolescents, newly adopted),  I often hear the words " he is out of control", "he pulls, so we stopped walking", "he is not listening", he is stubborn" and so on. You get the picture.
 First off, I would like to say, that I don't believe in stubborn dogs. I do believe that many owners have yet to figure out how to motivate and engage their dogs, so they will stay focused on the owner. And I do believe in lack of structure and in unfair expectations put on the dogs. Remember, "You can't blame him, if you haven't taught him" ( I even have a t-shirt with that quote...!)  
This post today, is about the main two mistakes I see, that when corrected by owner, often will help take care of those above quoted issues.
 First one is the fact that the dog food is served in a bowl. That might sound odd, because where else should you serve the food??? You have always used a food bowl for your previous dogs without any issues and isn't the usage of them, the very reason why pet stores sell them...even in cute designs???
 My point is, that you are missing out on a huge opportunity to make this food work better for you and your dog. Instead of "just" putting in a bowl and serve it , to see it be gone within 10 - 55 seconds, I am now telling you, that you can use this food more efficiently and to your advantage. Many dogs are labeled "out of control", "stubborn" and "not listening" simply because they are bored, under stimulated, and still haven't seen the value in listening to you. But that is on you - and not the dog.  So I ask you to pick up your cute food bowl and put it in your cupboard for a while.  
Instead I want you to take the portion of your dog's breakfast in your hand and think of ways to make him work for it. Maybe use half of it to train sit, down, come, spin, through legs, leave it  and other valuable and fun exercises (see this link for some of my videos on training technique and more ). And after working your dog for 5-10 minutes, now take the rest of the food and  either spread it out on the lawn for your dog to find or put it in an activity toy or kong toy, so your dog has to work to get the food. This change in your morning and evening routine will only take an additional 20 minutes a day and the benefits exceed the "inconvenience" of this new daily routine. TRUST ME!
When working with your dog, you are not only teaching your dog new skills, but you are also showing your dog the value of working with you. This will help create a stronger bond and relationship between you, you both learn to work and communicate together and you now have a dog that willingly will listen to you. 
Furthermore, your dog is now using his brain and his nose to get the food, which all helps get him tired. And we all now , a tired dog has a happy life and family. 
Meeting your dog's mental and physical needs , will often help eliminate a lot of the behavioral issues you are experiencing in the home. Don't underestimate the intelligence of your dog and the need of a job. Never!

 This of course leads me to the second mistake, well maybe misconception is a better word here: Walks are for exercise.  This is a bit tricky , because yes, walking your dog is a great way to exercise both your dog and yourself.  However, many owners have failed to teach their dog HOW to properly walk on a leash. A dog's natural instinct will be to go exactly where the nice smell is coming from - regardless whether you are attached to the other end of the leash. Walking a dog that pulls is a very unpleasant experience for both owner and dog, right? And what usually happens when a dog pulls is that he gets less walks, which then often increase the issues in the home. So yes, walks are necessary but here is the misconception: That dogs already know how to walk on a leash! They don't. Walking nicely on a leash is a learned behavior, meaning YOU have to teach your dog this behavior.
Now you might think, "How do I teach my dog?" Let me help you.
  Start inside your home where there is a minimum amount of distractions and train your dog to follow you on either your left or right side. (Doesn't matter which, just pick a side and be consistent). No leash on dog yet, so use your voice to encourage him to go with you. This will help break your bad habit of pulling on the leash. 
Have treats in the hand which side he is on and treat him every step he is with you. Show him how rewarding it is to walk with you and to stay by you. Start practicing walking in your hallway, where it is nice and straight with the walls helping your puppy stay with you. When he gets the concept, you can now start treating every 3-4 steps and so on. Eventually start walking all over your house, so he learns to walk by your side, even when you turn right, left , around and stops. When you think your puppy is a rockstar and "gets it!", it is time to go practice in your yard. If you have a fenced-in yard, please still have him off leash, so you will learn the skills needed to stay connected with him. Important skill for any handler to learn. Often it is a good idea to use the higher value treats  due to the increased distractions in the environment. High value treats are the type of treats that will make your dog so focused, that he will forget about squirrels, birds, neighbor dog and so on. Whether those treats are carrots, green beans, liver,cheese or chicken, I don't know. But your dog does, and so should you! ifd not sure - test different types in different environments.
Work and walk in your yard just as you did inside.  I often recommend handlers to set up two cones, planters, chairs or what they can find to help practice a figure 8 pattern. This pattern will teach the dog to walk with you both on the outside and on the inside of a turn. Incorporate stop, sit and down as well in your walking training - both with and without leash. If he pulls, go opposite direction and encourage him to come with you with your voice, while your body is moving away from him. And remember to reward the s*** out of your dog, when he is next to you and when he looks at you. You have to understand, that when walking outside, you have to be more interesting that dirt. And that is harder than you should think ! So unless you have added some value to walking with you, you will lose to the deer poop smell in the grass outside your yard.

FInally you feel ready and confident to take this exercise on the road, so to speak. This is where I really need to remind you, that walking your dog is still a training exercise - not a way to exercise your dog. So before going outside the yard, I want you to get your dog tired first. "WHAT?? Get him tired BEFORE the walk??" Yep.
Play fetch to help relieve your dog of some of his energy. And after playing fetch, make him use his brain with some mental exercises, so the excitement from playing fetch, decreases and he calms down. Now you are ready for your walk outside. Bring high value treats and get ready to walk for maybe only 5 minutes! This walk is about teaching the dog to stay with you, no matter the distractions, so the first many walks will most likely not be in a very straight line. You will turn right,left, stop and so on, to help stay connected with him, so you can reward him for making good choices. Should your dog be allowed to sniff the grass on walks? Absolutely. That is how he gets information about the environment and who has walked by the last few days. But sniffing while pulling is a big fat NO! Then the walk stops or takes a new direction until he is by your side again. 
If you stay consistent, slowly you will be working your way up to actually walk your dog for exercise....and now it will be a pleasure for the both of you. 
However, If these "training steps to teach a loose leash walk" seem overwhelming for you, imagine how overwhelming and unfair it is for your dog to be expected to walk nicely on a leash outside with all the yummy and smelly distractions without ever being taught how!
​Set your dog up for success and he will learn faster. 

After my initial visit with the owner(s) of any dog that I'm working with, I usually have a pretty good idea of what I need to work on and a full check list in my head on how to get started. I will even tell the owners step by step details about my plan and why I approach it the way I do..until the dog enters the picture and can change even the most perfectly prepared plan.  You see, no matter what my goals might be for that day, I can only accomplish a progress if I work with the dog. And if he has decided to be a total goofball that day due to maybe being over aroused, or fearful of the new distractions in the environment or what else might trigger a reaction, my training plan might go straight out the window....and I am ok with that. I have to work with the dog that is right in front of me in that very second. Not the dog I might think I know based on owners description. Not the dog, that I've already worked with last week. Nor the dog that I saw when I came into the house. Nope. I have to work with the dog and his emotional state of mind in that very second. And that is what makes my job fun ..and sometimes very challenging. But there is never any cookie cutter solution for all dogs. So when I might tell you, that I will work on fetch today, but then realizes that your dog doesn't  know "drop it" or "stay", well then my plan changes to teach him these basic commands before I can get a successful fetch sessions. And if the fetch game gets him too excited, I might start working on attention exercises instead to calm him down so he can make better choices. All are decisions that I make in the moment, simply based on what your dog tells me. So yes, I do have a plan, but it might change quite hastily. And even though I try to explain the change in procedure to you,the owner, it might come out as alphabet soup, with no real head or tails. But  please know that I am not suffering for lack of focus. Quite frankly I am the most focused when I am working your dog, constantly checking body language, mental state and physical state. So just hang in there with me in the moment, watch , observe, while I make a plan that will help your dog progress within the limitation of his current state of mind :)
​

Today was my third meeting with a family whose young small dog had started to show fear aggression and biting people. Having four young children, this was of course not acceptable and made life a bit more stressful for everybody....people and dog!
The first time I meet them, the dog was barking and growling and would not settle down for the first 30 minutes and when she finally did, any movement from me would cause her to start right back up again. However after 1 1/2 hour, she was able to work for me and we ended on a good note.
Today was my third visit and yes she was barking when I came, but this time it was an excited "Ya, come on in and let's work". As a trainer , this is beautiful and almost music to my ears. Through training, this family has now established a trust and reconnection with their dog, helping her build up her confidence which now helps her deal better with new changes in her environment. By recognizing that this little dog's insecurities and lack of confidence was the trigger for her outburst, her family now understands what to do to help her.  They now understand what pressure is for a dog,  and the importance of making a dog make the decisions. Feeling in control makes a dog confident a lot faster. Through fun exercises, this little dog has learned nose touches, through legs, stepping up on books, playing fetch, drop it and a solid sit. She can now handle me going from sitting position, to stand up , to sit down on the floor again without feeling the need to bark. It might not sound like a lot or sound very difficult, but for this dog it means everything. She has regained confidence in herself and knows she now can make good decisions, which has helped spill over into other situations, which we didn't specifically train: Now the person at the coffee kiosk is not dangerous - instead this person might actually have a treat. Now the plumber coming in the house, might actually be kind a cool and wants to play with her.
Does this means, this little dog will accept all people? No, but her first initial reaction comes from a different emotional mind set and she is now able to make a decision without just reacting. She still has the right to say "no, I don't like you", and we need to respect that. But she is now using her brain to make a decision and that is our first HUGE step. We will still need to expose her to different situations, more people, new environments, and keep building and expanding her comfort zone, but this family is dedicated and I know this dog is a success story already. 

So next time I ask you to perform some tricks and exercises, that might have absolutely nothing to do with your dog's current issue, just trust me. I have a plan :) 

Thank you to all the dedicated pet parents out there. You help give your dogs a better life with less guesswork and less stress.

Words are amazing. They can be funny, harsh, soft, delicate, dishonest, deceptive. They can create clarity, doubt, uncertainty, trust, substance. Words are our main choice of communication. Words are powerful.  They can create a myth, a tradition that will go on for years, passed through generations as something that is true. Even if the original definition of those words have been long lost or proven inaccurate, we often hang on to them as a safety blanket, which we refuse to give up on. Which leads me to today's topic of teacher versus leader. 
In the dog training world we often hear the word "leader", often referring to how the handler must be in their relationship with their dog: "You need to be a firm pack leader", "You need to establish your leadership and dominance", " You need to be a kind, yet assertive leader" or referring to training exercises as "leadership exercises". I don't , or should I say, didn't use to have an issue with the word "leader". This simple word is by no means a bad word, but it is how some people justify their handling of their dogs based on their definition of the word "leader", that now makes me automatically cringe every time I hear it. When a book, an article or a person uses the word "leader", my red flag instantly rises up and hits me on the head, which is always my cue to dig deeper to find the actual definition of the training philosophy and training methods discussed, before I can either approve or disagree with how the word was used. Your perception of this simple, yet powerful word is what lays the ground for your relationship with your dog and often defines the type of training you will provide. 
You see, when we start labelling ourselves as leaders, we have to be careful what labels we then assign our dogs and the expectations that comes along with it. As a leader do you expect your dog to do whatever you say , just because you are the leader? As a leader, is there any room for errors in your household? If your dog is not listening, does that mean you need to be more firm in your leadership?
Your attitude and perception of just one word, will determine how you will approach your relationship with your dog and how you will overcome any issues down the road. That is how powerful one word can be.  
Another great example of why we need to be careful with our words, are peoples (and even trainers) tendency to label dogs, that are not listening to their owners, with words, such as "dominant, lazy, stubborn, independent". When I hear a dog referred to with a negative label as the ones just mentioned, my red flag rises once more and slaps me hard! First of all, the word gives me absolute no information about the dog and , more importantly, it implies that it is all THE DOGS FAULT!   These negative words indicates a conflict, owner versus dog, whereas if we were to label our dogs with words like "cautious, sensitive, exuberant, serious, intense, easily distracted", it gives me better  information on how to approach a training sessions on the dog's terms to help set the team up for success together. Again, just words, but take a second and think about which words help create an approach and attitude you think is more likely to succeed? 

So even though many might consider me a leader among my dogs, since I am the one setting the rules and they need to follow the rules,  I also understand the importance of actually teaching my dogs what the rules are and how to set them up for success by always keeping my expectations fair. This is why I have decided that I like the word "teacher" a lot better than "leader". The word "teacher" implies a person trying to teach their student a new skill through motivated interactions. If the teacher does not succeed, it is not by default the students fault! No,  Instead the teacher is willing to look for a different approach to help make the student successful. The teacher is taking the responsibility on his/her shoulders to try and find new ways teaching a specific behavior/skill/topic, taking into consideration the environment such as distractions , the amount of pressure applied, whether his student is tired, bored, engaged. Asking questions like "was my communication clear and easy to understand ?" , "how can I improve?", all with the goal to create strong communication skills that is helpful for the student.

As a trainer, it is never my ultimate goal to teach a dog to sit, lay down, stay on command. No, my goal is to make my students become teachers, whose first reaction when the dog "fails" , are to ask themselves, "How was my communication? Did something in the environment distract my dog? Where can I improve?".
When dog owners and handlers get this concept, there are no limits to what they can teach their dog(s), because they are building on the strongest foundation possible. A foundation where mistakes are allowed,  teamwork is focus, and trust and confidence are additional benefits.

Be the teacher you wanted to have in school. The teacher that would encourage and motivate you, even when you failed.  Be that teacher for your dog  and I bet you will be surprised, how much your dog will actually teach you!

​Happy Training! 

In my job as a dog trainer, I often meet dogs that has very little or close to none impulse control, which is what also often gets them in trouble: Jumping, counter surfer, darting out of open doors, pull on leash and just often being in an aroused and excited state, which is stressful to both the dog as well as its humans. When a dog is aroused and excited, they often become more reactive and is harder to connect with. Almost like a toddler having a tantrum: you cannot communicate with a toddler until he/she has calmed down. And just like with dogs, you can not communicate or train a dog unless it is in a calm state of mind. So I think we can all agree that we would like a calm dog. But even though dogs are born with different tempers and therefore some gets more easily excited than others,  many owners have unintendedly reinforced this excitement and therefore the part to blame for this.  You see, dogs do what works for them. When their behavior gets reinforced, and gets them what they want, they will continue. 
 As an example, where many dog owners unintendedly reinforces the excitement,  is when they are getting ready for a walk: When the leash comes out, the dog knows it means "go for a walk". He gets excited  by the anticipation and the leash comes on.  He gets even more excited, unable to control his excitement he might jump on his owner. The door opens and he gets out to do his favorite thing: walk, run and sniff. BAM, he just got rewarded for jumping around and being "crazy".  When  dogs are continually being reinforced for "bad" behavior, we the people are setting them up for failure by not teaching them the tools they need to have in order to live a less stressful life with us in our human world filled with our human rules. They are more likely to have negative encounters with other dogs and people, due to jumping, pulling on leash, and so on.  A calm dog will have a lot more positive encounters, will be allowed and able to go more places with its owners and is simply more enjoyable.
So how do we teach our dogs to be more calm? Simple - we only reward calm behavior!!! 
So next time the leash comes out, it will not get on the dog until he sits down calmly. The door will not open until he sits down calmly. No negative words are necessary, just patience. Wait until he gives you the wanted behavior, acknowledge it with calm verbal praise and proceed moving forward. There are many program and video available on the internet, to help you teach the dog how to stay calm. Google Sophia Yin and her "Learn to earn" program. She has many video available about sitting to say please and settle on/off. Google Susan Garrett and her "Its yer choice" training videos. Google Zak George and his many videos on YouTube helping dog owners with issues such as barking and jumping - all based on positive interactions between handler and dog. 

My point is, next time your dog acts in a way that causes you frustration, stop and think about  whether you might be the reason for it. 

Thank you