“Hi Jake, Hope you are well and coping in these strange times! My wife and I bought your ‘Puppy Survival school’ and ‘Focus and Come when called’ courses, we are loving the videos and readings! We are due to pick up our Standard Poodle puppy in 6 weeks and I am just getting in touch… Continue Reading
The Right Way to Use Desensitization and Counter-Conditioning to Help a Fearful or Aggressive Dog
Photo by designerpoint When it’s done right, this method is a beautifully effective and long-lasting solution to a wide variety of fear-based behavior problems. Unlike methods that only suppress the dog’s reaction (which is really just a symptom of their fear), you’re getting inside the dog’s head and changing the way they feel about the… Continue Reading
Training a Behavior vs. Changing an Emotion: What All Dog Owners Need to Know
Photo by Lisa Fotios Yeah, I know – dog trainer advice can be confusing sometimes. I mean, I’m always going on and on about how you need to reward behavior you like, and make sure you don’t accidentally reward unwanted behavior. Whatever gets rewarded gets repeated, blah blah blah. But then in the next breath… Continue Reading
A Beginner’s Guide to Puppy Socialization
Coronavirus update: The pandemic has complicated this whole socialization thing. Click here for my thoughts on socialization in the age of social distancing. *puts on best infomercial voice* Would you like your puppy to grow up well-behaved and free of major behavior problems? Are you looking for an effective way to burn off that endless… Continue Reading
Puppy Supplies Checklist: Everything Your New Puppy Needs (and What They Don’t Need)
Here’s a handy guide to all the stuff you’ll need when your puppy comes home. This list ties in to the 3 Lost Dogs training philosophy, and it’s all meant to help you raise a happy, well-behaved puppy who stays out of trouble as much as possible. The list is divided into the Essential supplies… Continue Reading
Dog Training 101 Ep. 3: Shaping
Episode One: How to Get Started with Training Episode Two: Lure/Reward Episode Three: Shaping Shaping is the one where you wait for the dog to perform tiny steps in the right direction, and you reward those tiny steps until eventually, the dog is doing the desired thing. It’s kind of like a guessing game,… Continue Reading
Dog Training 101 Ep 2: Step-By-Step Guide to Lure/Reward Training
Episode One: How to Get Started with Training Episode Two: Lure/Reward Episode Three: Shaping For our first trick, we’re teaching baby River to spin in a circle. Spin is a good trick to introduce lure/reward with, because it’s pretty easy for the dog to figure out, and pretty easy for people to get the hang… Continue Reading
Dog Training 101 Ep. 1: How To Get Started with Training
Episode One: How to Get Started with Training Episode Two: Lure/Reward Episode Three: Shaping In this series, I’m going to show you a few basic training techniques. Once you understand how to use these techniques, you’ll be able to train your dog to do pretty much any trick or obedience command you want. You’ll also… Continue Reading
Four Easy Ways to Get Your Dog to Stop Begging at the Table
It can be pretty annoying to have a dog right up in your face when you’re trying to eat your dinner. Even the most devoted dog nerds among us can find it just a liiitle bit much. Fortunately, it’s pretty easy to fix. This article will teach you how to get your dog to give… Continue Reading
Training Your Dog to Reliably Come When Called Is Hard. Here’s How to Make it Easier
Update: We now have a step-by-step online training course that’ll show you exactly how to get your dog to reliably come when called. Click here to check it out! The recall (dog-trainer-speak for “coming when called”) is probably the most important command you can teach your dog. It’s also probably the most frustrating; it’s hard… Continue Reading