Anyone who has trained with us will tell you that when they open the door we just walk in and sit down in their living room or wherever they direct us. We don’t linger at the door with pleasantries. The reason is that we never get a second chance to make a first impression on the dog….or the people.
The dog recognizes that two types of people come to the house; those that walk in, and those that are stopped at the door. Those that walk in belong and those that stopped to wait for permission to enter have no status in the pack. Very often we are walking right past dogs that are usually jumping, barking, growling, getting under foot, and just being excited. These are maladaptive behaviors. It is during such situations where dogs get the vast majority of their “attention” both verbally and physically from their owners. When they get the attention for maladaptive behaviors, it encourages them to continue with the behavior. We walk in and refuse to make eye contact. By doing so, we immediately command the dogs attention because as far as they know we are going to be a new permanent pack member. We behave exactly like a dominant dog would upon entering a new space with other dogs. We ignore them. If they jump on us, we nip them with our fingers to physically communicate that we will not tolerate that behavior. This sets the stage for the relationship that allows us to do what we do in such a short amount of time. Within a few minutes, the owners remark at how the dogs did not jump on us and go crazy with us like they do with other people. By now, the dog is laying down or offering us their toys. The latter is what many trainers don’t understand.
The reason they bring us their toys and bones (with their head down and ears back) is a sign of submission. Submission simply means to be brought under control.
Upon arrival many trainers will hover in the door and talk with the people. This lets the dog know they aren’t and will not be a part of the pack. Then, when greeting the dog, they either bend over or crouch down to offer praise or a treat. This immediately communicates to the dog that the person is beneath them and nothing more than a treat dispenser not to be taken seriously. A higher ranking dog would never offer a lower ranking dog their treat or toys. This is why so many trainers require multiple sessions to accomplish what we do in an hour. This method may work to get dogs to do some basic commands over time, but will absolutely fail with serious behavior modification such as with aggression. Thus why so few trainers will work with aggressive dogs. Unfortunately due to not having the tools to work with them, often they advise the owners to euthanize the dog. Trainers, like doctors, usually don’t like to admit they just don’t know what to do.
Some mistakenly believe that we NEVER use treats. There are five basic commands: heel, sit, down, stay, and come. We often explain to clients how to use intermittent treating to solidify the come command since it is the command most likely to save the dog’s life. My estimate would be that about 5% of dogs will obey a recall from their handler with any sort of distraction.
It should also be noted that some dogs are just not food motivated. When you get into training service dogs, giving treats for basic behaviors may remove their effect if trying to use them for some very advanced behaviors. Especially with things that go against the dog’s nature, like walking with their nose right up to a wall.
The principles of Focus Based Canine Training allow us to get your dog to HEEL, SIT, DOWN, and STAY (5 MIN) without saying a word. Then we will get you to do the same thing. We will only talk to them in order to get them to recall. All this in an hour. I realize this seems impossible to most people based on their personal experience and what they have seen with other trainers. After over 2500 dogs over the last 3.5 year,s we know what works. An amazing 85% of our clients only need one 1 hour session. Most trainers will have you commit to six or more sessions in an attempt to accomplish what we do in an hour.
People often ask don’t you ever talk to the dog. The answer is the only times I talk to the dogs is when I give them a command that I know they know, or or when I praise them. We have no verbal corrections. This means that dogs focus on and respond me. They always get tons of praise both physically and verbally. We want the dog to work for the heart, not the hand.
Most people tell us that they want a dog that listens. We say that we would rather have a dog that responds. If your dog needs to listen to you, it means they are already doing something that you don’t want them to and you need to regain their focus. For a dog to respond to you, means you already have their focus. We will provide you with what we refer to as a BARC or Balanced and Relaxed Canine.
Make an appointment today and immediately see the difference in your dog.