January 2nd, 2013
By Eric Letendre
Everyone is talking about resolutions and goals this time of the year.
Better relationships, health, finances, train the dog this year, start a business, exercise, etc. etc. etc.
All of us have been told thousands of times that we need to make goals and resolutions.
We have all also heard all the stats – 90% of all goals and resolutions will be abandoned within the first month.
Well, my dog loving friend, you came to the right place to discover the “Secret” to accomplishing your goals this year.
I did not make this up, I learned it from one of the most successful business authors of all time.
The author?
Napoleon Hill.
Mr. Hill teaches that if you want to accomplish anything, you HAVE to have a “Definiteness of Purpose,” also known as your GOAL.
He adds that you have to write your goal AND include two important words in order to reach your goal.
AND…
…since you are addicted to reading my blog posts, I am going to share the two words with you.
You’ll be able to train your dog, eat better, exercise, start a business or accomplish any other goal you may have been thinking about.
Let’s say you want to teach your dog to have good manners this year.
No more stealing, begging, jumping, digging, etc.
You would write out your goal. This does not have to be long or complicated, BUT you have to include the two words.
Your goal could look like this:
“I (your name) will teach my dog to have Good K9 Manners in 2013. My dog will learn to greet politely when guests come over, stop begging and stealing food off the table and counters. In return, I will spend ten minutes a day working with my dog and get help with training by investing in Eric Letendre’s Good K9 Manners program.”
Signed – Your name
Did you figure out what the two words were?
“In return.”
Mr. Hill teaches that we can never get something for nothing. You have to write out what you are going to do in order to get your goal completed.
So many people write out their goals and NEVER include the “In return” part.
It is the “Missing “Secret” to goal setting.
As we move into 2013, write out your goals, whatever they are – eating right, exercise, savings or training your dog, review it often and make sure you include “In return” and you’ll be much more successful this year.
Start training your dog today using the Good K9 Manners program – IN RETURN, you can get it at a discount. Just use the coupon code: 10-OFFK9MANNERS at checkout.
Go here next: Good K9 Manners
Many blessings to you and your family in 2013!
Eric
September 13th, 2012
By Eric Letendre
I LOVE football.
And Sunday was a great day to watch football. The Patriots looked fantastic and The Giants lost on Wednesday night – all is right with the world again (for now).
Sports are a funny thing. I know a lot of guys that have rituals and do funny things before, during and after a sports event.
My brother actually made his wife leave the room during a Red Sox play-off game because they started to lose when she walked in.
This is called Superstitious Behavior.
It is EXTREMELY common in with we humans and dogs also definitely develop superstitious behavior.
Look at all the superstitious behaviors we develop. Crossing our fingers, not walking under ladders, being very careful with mirrors, avoiding black cats, the list goes on and on.
Dogs and other animals develop superstitious behaviors when they are inadvertently reinforced for a certain behavior.
I once worked with a dog that would raise his paw before doing the sit command. When the owner was teaching the dog to sit, he raised his paw first and then sat. This became part of the command for the dog.
It also works the other way. I have also worked with a dog that was afraid to drink from his water bowl. The dog was about to drink when someone in the house had accidently stepped on his tail.
It all has to do with associations and timing.
When training a dog, it is very easy to make accidental associations and the way to overcome it is to get good with your timing.
One of the best ways to improve your timing and your training is by using a clicker.
Clickers will improve your timing better than anything else you can do. The problem with clickers is that many dog owners are confused by them.
Once you start using a clicker you’ll be amazed with how fast your dog learns.
All the best,
Eric
P.S. I look at clickers as a another “tool” to use when you are training your dog. Some people love using them and others are confused by them. It’s the reason I break down exactly how to use them in The Dog Training Inner Circle.
You can learn how to use them here:
August 27th, 2012
By Eric Letendre
Today I decided to do a little Q & A.
I get sometimes get between 300 and 500 emails a day so it is impossible to answer them all.
Here’s a question I recently got:
“MY dog loves to beg and it has become embarrassing whenever I have guests over for dinner. I love to entertain but I haven’t recently because my dog will paw, whine and beg for food when we sit at the table. Can this be stopped?”
My answer: YES! This is a very easy behavior to stop and I am going to share with you how it is done.
Two things need to happen:
1. Everyone in the house has to be consistent. Dogs usually learn to beg from one or two people that feed from the table.
2. Turn the consequences around.
Let’s begin – Instruct family and guests that no one is to feed the dog from the table. You can’t get mad at a dog that is being rewarded for begging. This is a learned behavior and in order for it to stop, everyone has to agree to stop feeding from the table.
Next – dogs learn to beg because it is a POSITIVE consequence. They beg and someone hands them a yummy piece of chicken or steak. Dogs beg because it works.
The next time the dog begs, the food being handed to the dog should NOT be tasty. It should be something the dog really dislikes.
Think about it from the dog’s point of view. Imagine you’re the dog and someone hands you a tasty morsel from the table, not the boring, crunchy, dry food that you eat every day. Of course you would repeat this behavior every chance you got.
Now I want you to think of the food you HATE the most – liver, broccoli, kale? Now imagine the food you hate is handed to you from the table. You are not going to repeat the behavior.
It’s as simple as that and I show real life examples of how to do this and the EXACT “mixture” I use to stop this behavior forever.
Check it out here:
Best,
Eric
August 27th, 2012
By Eric Letendre
I’ve been in the dog training game a long time.
Started out in 1988 and have been training ever since.
All of the training I was exposed to in the early days was very negative based. Lot of choke chains, no food or treats – ever, and harsh punishment if the dog did not respond.
It amazes me how forgiving dogs are.
Last Sunday, I met one of the dogs that survived Michael Vick’s dog fighting kennel.
The dog’s name is Cherry Garcia and she was used as bait for dog fights. She spent six months being rehabilitated and was adopted to a family.
Watching Cherry, I could see that she was still nervous and a little shy.
I was, and always will be amazed at how forgiving dogs are.
It still makes me sad to think of the training techniques still being taught today.
Dog training really does not have to be harsh or cruel and I know it can get frustrating when a dog starts to do certain behaviors.
I have gotten angry when I have come home and found my shoes destroyed or poop on the carpet.
It is the reason I developed The M.U.T.T. Method for dealing with behavior problems.
Using the M.U.T.T Method and learning how to apply a negative consequence is all you need to know to stop any behavior problem.
When a consequence is applied correctly, you never have to worry about harming your dog and you can help your dog learn.
And…
…I can show you how, at:
Good K9 Manners
Best,
Eric
August 22nd, 2012
By Eric Letendre
I was a private investigator in my younger years.
For a couple of years, I worked undercover at different companies and I would follow people that were cashing in on insurance policies to make sure they were legit.
I was thinking about this yesterday as I was reading an article about a club at Boston University that gets together to watch people. The club’s mantra: ”We’re not creepy, we’re just interested.”
A long time ago a dog trainer that I greatly respect told me that I could learn more about dogs by just watching them than by reading all the books in the library.
The funny thing is that I love watching dogs. I especially love watching a group of puppies interact and have learned a great deal by doing just that.
Maybe I should start a dog watching club?
Anyway, it is some of the best advice that I can give to you. Much of the information presented to dog owners is very confusing.
Dog trainers all seem to have their opinions on the best way to train. For example: A certain group of individuals with some very popular books have recommended the “Alpha Rollover” for years.
They have advised dog owners to flip their dogs on their backs and pin them there whenever they misbehave, backing up this advice with the observation that that is what dogs do to each other.
My robed friends need to observe dogs a little more closely.
You see, dogs do NOT force other dogs onto their backs, a dog will voluntarily roll over to show submission but it is NEVER forced.
I think this advice has become very popular because the ultimate question for many dog owners is:
“What do I do when my dog does_______________?”
Dog owners want to know what to do when their dogs misbehave which is a totally understandable question.
How do you stop jumping, biting, stealing, barking, digging?
The answer is simple my friend. It is all about consequences.
When your dog does something you do NOT like you apply a negative consequence, but here’s the rub.
The negative consequence cannot be associated with you.
It’s really not difficult and The Good K9 Manners course will help you solve your dog’s biggest behavior problems.
Check it out here:
Good K9 Manners
All the best,
Eric
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Eric Letendre is a professional dog trainer from the United States. For more than 20 years, he has been developing dog training techniques that have worked for dog owners all over the world. Eric operates from a home office or a laptop while traveling and draws on his experience and passion for dog training to show others how to develop a dog that is truly “Man’s Best Friend”.
Eric is the author of numerous reports, the E-Book “101 Ways to Hack Your Dog’s Behavior,” “The Amazing Dog Training Man Book,” and produced and stars in his DVD “Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer.”
