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The best in health, wellness, and positive training from America’s leading dog experts

Home Training Recalls & Leash Training

Recalls & Leash Training

Put A Stop to Door-Darting Dogs

Door darting is an impulse-control problem. It's also incredibly self-rewarding. Remedying the issue requires teaching the dog to exhibit self-control around an open door, while employing diligent management to prevent the rehearsal of unwanted behavior. The following tips can help.

Teach Your Dog to Make Eye Contact

If your dog doesn't already know the value of eye contact with humans, you can easily teach her. This is an operant conditioning/positive reinforcement exercise – your dog learns her behavior can make good stuff happen. When your dog has come to realize the value of eye contact, she will sometimes offer the behavior without being cued. Be sure to reinforce offered eye contact as well as cued eye contact. To help her be comfortable with eye contact from other humans, ask your friends to play the Watch" game with her as well."

Loose Leash Walking: Training Your Dog Not to Pull

The way to teach your dog to check in" with you frequently is to heavily and frequently reinforce this behavior – first

Train Your Dog to “Check In”

with all sorts of distractions. The "check in" contributes to his staying in touch with you

Possible Barriers to Training Walks

Dogs who struggle to focus on their owners when away from home usually do so for one of two reasons – either the dog is too distracted by the environment, or he's under the influence of anxiety or fear. With anxiety and fear, the dog's body language tells a powerful story. His posture might be slinky – head low, tail tucked, ears pinned back. His pupils might be dilated, with the whites of his eyes visible.…

Using Walks to Train Your Dog

Green Light is an easy way to add fun training to a neighborhood walk.üUse the environment as an obstacle course! If your dog is physically able
dog being walked

7 Steps to Leash-Train Your Puppy

Did you know that the best way to teach a puppy to walk politely on a leash is to not use a leash? If you think that sounds like an inscrutable Buddhist koan, fear not - you are not alone. It's far more common to see people either dragging their puppies around, or being dragged around by their puppies, than it is to see a calm, happy puppy trotting along by her owner's side.

The 12 Rules of Rocket Recall

How do you perfect your dog's recall skills? Practice! Use the reinforcers that have the highest value for your dog for recall practice and reward generously.

Rocket Recall

but keep in mind that the leash is present only to keep your dog with you

5 Things To Do If Your Dog Won’t Come to You

It's frustrating at best, dangerous at worst, when you can't get your dog to come to you. Indoors, he may be suspicious that you're going to do something aversive, such as treat his ear infection, or put him in his crate. Outdoors, he may also have an aversive association with coming to you, or he may just be having entirely too much fun. Whatever the cause, here are five tips for handling the crisis:

How to Catch a Dog on the Loose

but most will send an officer right away if the dog is contained."

Latest Blog

Is That Dog Fortunate or Tragic?

What about the dogs who accompany unhoused people? Some may see dogs in rough conditions. Others may see dogs who are seemingly completely content to be with their owners 24/7.