July 9th, 2009
By Eric Letendre
Who is more popular than The Dog Whisperer? You know, the guy that has the popular show on the National Geographic channel.
Would it be Victoria Stillwell from "It’s Me Or The Dog?"
Uncle Matty from the PBS specials that ran for years?
Dr. Ian Dunbar, the great trainer who introduced the world to positive training?
or…
Little ole me, The Amazing Dog Training Man?
Well, my dog loving friend, if you guessed The Amazing Dog Training Man you are 100%, absolutely correct.
When it comes to YouTube, I’m the undisputed champ. Last night I checked the numbers and we have over 2,218,442 views of our videos.
Hot dog! Maybe I’ll get my own TV show.
Thanks for all the great comments that many of you have sent to me. I’m glad to have helped so many of you.
Anyway, here is one of my most popular videos.
All the best,
Eric
July 9th, 2009
By Eric Letendre
I got back from North Carolina earlier this week and am still playing catch up.
I had a great time down south, ate some great bar-b-que and did my best to stay cool.
Anyway, just yesterday I was visiting a friend when his dog jumped all over me. I didn’t mind too much, but my friend was very upset.
He told me that he has tried everything to stop the jumping but nothing seems to work.
I told him not to worry, because I didn’t get the name The Amazing Dog Training Man by accident, and that I would give him three easy tips that he could follow and I’m going to share them with you.
Tip #1: Exercise – Dogs that jump are usually active and need to burn off the pent up energy that they build up.
"The only good dog is a tired dog."
I’ve never had a sleeping dog jump on me.
Tip #2: Re-Direct The Behavior – Dogs are extremely social animals and give it all they’ve got when they greet. We need to teach our dogs how to greet and this can be done by re-directing the behavior.
Tip #3: See Tip #1 and #2 – Just kidding.
Tip #3 is to reward your dog when all four paws are on the ground. When your dog jumps, simply ignore your dog until he stops. Once he stops jumping, give your dog a treat or praise.
This requires patience but it is very effective.
Each dog is different and not every technique will work on every dog. That’s the reason I have different methods for different dogs in the Good K9 Manners course.
There are videos showing you exactly what to do and depending on your dog, you have different techniques to choose from like:
All the best,
Eric
June 4th, 2009
By Eric Letendre
Not too long ago I was working with a dog and her owner this when the 3rd biggest dog training mistake reared it’s ugly head.
During the training session, I quickly observed a big problem between the owner and her dog.
It was the second time meeting with and I knew what she was going to ask me.
You see, we were outside and her dog was not listening to her. Her dog was grabbing the leash, not coming back to her when she called and could care less when she said "Stay."
About 20 minutes into the session she turned to me and said: "My dog listens to you but she won’t listen to me. How can I get her to listen to me?"
Instead of telling her how to fix the problem I asked her some questions. I asked her:
"Do you have your dog do a sit stay for meals?"
"No."
"Do you let your dog win tug games?"
"Yes."
"Do you ever chase you dog around the house?"
"Yes."
"Do you ever tell your dog to get off the couch?"
"No."
I thanked her for being honest, and then I told her what the problem was.
Leadership!
Her dog did not look to her as the leader, and when this happens, your dog will not respond to you the way you want him to.
It really is easy to teach your dog that you are the leader. All you need to do is control the food, games, sleeping areas and social contact.
The next time your dog is not listening to you, stop and evaluate your relationship with your dog.
Are there steps you could take to become a stronger leader. You’ll see big changes in your dog’s behavior.
Good Luck!
All the best,
Eric
P.S. If you’re looking for more info on how to become the pack leader, hop on over to the Dog Training Inner Circle – complete with videos, audio and articles on the best ways to teach your dog. http://dogtraininginnercircle.com
September 9th, 2008
By Eric Letendre
Everything was going great. Rach had a big pot of chili cooking on the stove, I was sitting in front of my big screen TV, favorite adult beverage in hand, enjoying the afternoon when disaster struck.
Tom Brady, last year’s league MVP, arguably one of the best players to ever suit up, the quarterback for the mighty New England Patriots went down with a season ending knee injury. As depression set in I decided that I couldn’t let it effect me. I had to be pro-active about this and decided to take my dogs for a hike in the woods.
As I was walking with my dogs I thought about how important it is for our dogs to get regular exercise and activity. A lot of behavior problems are exercise problems. Many of the dogs that I see are not suffering from a behavior problem; they simply have too much pent-up energy and need exercise.
In this article you’ll learn the two forms of exercise that all dogs need. It’s important to understand that a lot of behavior problems stem from the dog having too much pent-up energy. Young dogs (4 to 14 months) have an unlimited amount of energy. In today’s society, a lot of dogs spend long hours by themselves. A lot of dogs are left in crates or in the house while their owners are at work. Day after day the dog waits around to do something. This pent-up energy builds and manifests itself into a behavior problem.
No amount of training can overcome an exercise problem.
The first step to overcoming your dog’s behavior problems is to physically exercise your dog. A lot of dogs spend a lot of time by themselves waiting for us to do something with them. Today there are many more resources for dogs than ever before. One of the best activities you can do with your dog is dog daycare. Dog daycare allows your dog to spend the day playing with other dog-friendly dogs. If a dog daycare is not right for your dog, a dog walker may be the answer.
Here are 41 ideas to help you give your dog physical exercise:
1. Memory retrieve
2. Two-Person recalls
3. Treasure hunt
4. Service dog gofer
5. Hide and seek
6. Leg weaves
7. Weaving with ski poles
8. Agility
9. Digging for objects
10. Herding indestructible ball
11. Chase remote control car
12. Chase object on fishing pole
13. Chase light
14. Chase racquetball bounce back
15. Chase remote control airplane
16. Chase hose with water
17. Chase ball
18. Lure coursing
19. Swimming free
20. Swim next to canoe
21. Swimming relay race with bumpers
22. Water Kong retrieve
23. Jumping over picnic benches
24. Skateboarding
25. Fly ball
26. Frisbee
27. Mountain Bike
28. Run through powder snow
29. Run through sand dunes
30. Sled dog
31. Treadmill
32. Run a race track
33. Jog with dog
34. Rollerblade
35. Backpacking
36. Carting
37. Skijor
38. Run hills
39. Walk/run stairs
40. Throw ball downstairs
41. Throw ball upstairs.
Give your dog some mental exercise. Mental activities include: obedience training, tricks, agility, flyball and tracking. Mental activities are extremely important for your dog. I have seen very active, hyper dogs lie down and take a nap after a 10- to 15-minute obedience session.
The activities listed above are done with the owner. When you leave your dog alone, two of my favorite toys to leave with the dog are Buster Cubes and Kong toys. A Buster Cube is a hard plastic cube that has some compartments inside. You can pour some kibble into the cube and shake it up. When you put it on the ground your dog will smell the food in the cube and start to paw at it. Some of the kibble will drop out of the cube and this is what will keep your dog interested in the cube. I have seen dogs play with their Buster Cube for as long as an hour. It’s a great toy to leave with your dog when you have to be away for long periods.
Another great toy for your dog is the Kong toy. Kong toys are very popular and they make great toys because they are indestructible and are hollow which allows you to stuff the toy. Kong toys can be stuffed with peanut butter or cream cheese. You can also pack in a few biscuits. Once the Kong toy is stuffed you can leave a few around the house for your dog and keep her occupied for long periods.
Once your dog is getting enough physical and mental exercise you’ll see big changes in your dog’s behavior. A very popular and useful saying among dog trainers is: "The only good dog is a tired dog."
July 31st, 2008
By Eric Letendre
Teach Your Dog To Fetch
I was on my first lesson with a nice couple that had just adopted a three year old Golden Retriever. We went out in the backyard to do some obedience training and exercise with their dog. At one point, the wife picked up a tennis ball, got the dog excited and threw the ball. The Golden looked at the ball, looked at the wife and didn’t budge an inch toward the ball.
The wife, looking at her dog, looked at the ball and went to get the ball. When she got back I told her that it was all backwards, that when she throws the ball the dog is supposed to retrieve the ball. We both had a good laugh and started to teach her dog to fetch.
Teaching your dog to fetch is a wonderful activity. A dog that retrieves tends to get more exercise than a dog that doesn’t. With a retriever, it’s easy for you to just stand in one spot and throw a ball for your dog. A lot of dogs like to chase after the ball and bring it towards the owner. When the dog gets close enough, he/she starts to play keep away. You can get your dog to give you the ball by having two tennis balls with you.
Throw the first ball and let your dog go after it. When your dog starts to come towards you, ask your dog to “drop it.” If your dog does not drop the ball, stop paying any attention to your dog and take out the second ball.
Start to have fun with the second ball. Toss it up in the air. Act like you’re having a great time with the second ball. Keep doing this until your dog looks at you. If you’ve done this step correctly, your dog will drop the ball that he/she has and look up at the one you have.
As soon as your dog drops his/her ball, show the ball you’re holding to your dog. As soon as your dog focuses on the ball that you’re holding, throw it. Repeat the process when your dog comes back to you. Within a short period of time, you’ll have your dog retrieving for you.
Dogs love chase games. When they have a ball in their mouth and you attempt to take it away from your dog, your dog will play keep away with the ball. You need to outsmart your dog by using the second ball.
Give it a try.
Eric Letendre is a professional dog trainer from the United States. For more than 20 years, he has been developing dog training "hacks" 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.”
