March 23rd, 2012
By Eric Letendre
There are two things that I love: Dog training and movies. Recently I watched a movie that got me thinking about dog trianing.
You can learn a lot about dog training from watching movies. The other night, Rachael and I came home after a long day of work and started flipping through the channels and decided to watch a Jim Carrey movie, “Yes Man.”
In the movie, Jim Carrey attends a seminar where he agrees to say “Yes” to everything that comes his way.
He starts to say yes to everyone and everything.
Some good things come into his life by taking a completey positive approach to everything, but he also discovers that you CAN’T say yes to everyone and everything.
Once in a while it’s healthy and better for you to say NO!
By now you’re probably asking what this has to do with dog training?
When it comes to dog training, there are two camps, one camp is all positive, you should never say or do anything negtive to your dog.
The other camp beleives that dogs should never get treats and they should comply to your commands because you are the boss – the biggest reward the dog should get is a pat on the head.
Well my dog loving friend, I am in neither camp. I strongly beleive that your training should be solidly grounded on an extremely poditive approach.
But…
I also beleive that there are times when you have to say “No” to your dog and have to apply a negative consequence.
By always saying yes to your dog, you have a long road and there is a good chance your dog will not be as well behaved as you’d like.
Let me give you an example…
One of my most popular videos on YouTube is about how to stop your dog’s jumping problem (358,676 views as of this writing).
Jumping is a behavior problem that 80% of dog owners have to deal with. I can stop a dog from jumping in about ten minutes by being positive and negative.
Anyway…
I know that this can all be a little confusing.
That’s why I started the Dog Training Inner Circle.
To show dog lovers how to train using the most common sense methods available.
All the best,
Eric
P.S. BTW, there are over 90 dog training videos and articles to help you train your dog. There is also a forum where you can ask me your questions directly. Check out:
October 24th, 2011
By Eric Letendre
Did you know that most of what WE call behavior problems in dogs is incorrect.
Most of the behaviors that we don’t like are really just location problems.
When your dog pees on the carpet we call it a behavior problem. When your dog digs in your yard we call it a behavior problem. When your dog jumps we call it a behavior problem.
If we show the dog the right place to do the behavior it is no longer a behavior problem.
What if your dog pees outside, what if your dog starts digging on the beach, what if your dog jumps during an agility trial.
No longer problems.
Here is a video to help you solve any behavior problem:
July 12th, 2011
By Eric Letendre
TWO MORE DAYS.
My wife is the BIGGEST Harry Potter fan and she is in full Hogwarts mode. She is re-reading all the books and watching the movies. I’ve enjoyed the series but nothing like her. I guess I am just your everyday average muggle.
Anyway…
…I got a call from a nice lady not too long ago about her dog’s jumping problem.
She was very concerned because everything she had tried did not work. It was a big problem because her elderly aunt came over every week and she was afraid her dog was going to hurt her.
I pulled out my bag of tricks and she was right.
Her dog loved to jump and everything we tried did not work. That’s when I decided to do what I call the “Cha Cha” technique.
You see, when a dog jumps the person being jumped on will push and back away.
The “Cha Cha” is done by doing a quick Cha Cha step into the dog.
To do this correctly you need to keep your arms at your side and use your body to walk into the dog as the dog moves towards you.
As you can imagine timing is everything.
Your friends will think you are a little wacky as you do Ricky Ricardo style dance steps with your dog, but it is very effective.
Done correctly, it’s like waving a magic wand that stops jumping.
All the best,
Eric
P.S. I cover this in great detail and show you how to do it in the Good K9 Manners Course. Get all the details here: Good K9 Manners
June 21st, 2011
By Eric Letendre
Yes, today I am miserable.
Life is good, no problems with the wife, dog is healthy, business is good, family is safe.
So why an I miserable?
Well my dog loving friend, it all has to do with a weed whacker and a BIG patch of poison ivy that I did not see.
I sit here with it on my face, legs, arms and back.
BUT…
…that is NOT going to stop me from helping you solve your dog training and behavior problems, so let’s mush on!
Many dog owners wonder about being the “alpha” or the “pack leader.”
Dogs are extremely social animals, and it is the reason why we need to establish some order. Your dog can develop big problems if you are not seen as the one in charge.
Aggression, destructive behavior, housetraining, barking, jumping and chewing are just a few of the behaviors that can develop when the owner is not the pack leader.
Why would a dog develop some of these behaviors, you ask?
I can answer that question with one word:
STABILITY!
It is kind of like a kid in the house. Kids that grow up in houses with strong parental guidance tend to be more stable adults. The guidance has to be fair and consistent and it is the same with dogs. A strong leader does not hit, scream, yell or threaten.
Dog trainers used to teach dog owners to be tough with their dogs and to hit, scold, scruff shake and do alpha roll-overs.
Not good, because when you use aggression it is just a matter of time before your dog will get aggressive with you.
Being a strong leader is simple.
Instead of using force, you control the activites that are important to your dog. You control:
Food
Sleeping areas
Social contact
Games
I can take just about any dog and within about a week, I can teach the dog that I am the one in charge without ever touching the dog.
If you’d like to learn more about teaching your dog that you’re the pack leader check out this DVD:
All the best,
Eric
May 12th, 2011
By Eric Letendre
I mentioned not to long ago that I had just finished reading the book, “Marley and Me,” by John Grogan.
Great book and I really enjoyed it because I have met many, many Marley’s in my career as a dog trainer. Marley was a big, happy, hyper, lovable yellow lab that turned into a real handful for his owners.
Marley had a lot of fun chewing, digging, stealing and dragging his owners every where they walked. Labs are great dogs but they get into trouble because they are full of energy and a love of life. I’ve had many dog owners come to me with their dogs and have listened to them as they tell me how much they love their dog but don’t know how to stop the bad behavior. Keep Reading…
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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 "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.”
