January 23rd, 2013
By Eric Letendre
The dog was angry that day my friend, – like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli.
The dog was actually frustrated AND so was the owner.
I was working with an owner and her dog. Her dog was very reactive and this was EXTREMELY unpleasant for the owner.
She had been coming to me for a few weeks to do private lessons and she and her dog were making great progress.
BUT it was not fast enough for the owner.
She was a very Type A person and wanted quick results. The problem was that as she became more and more frustrated, the dog picked up on her behavior and would regress.
I asked her into my office to have a little chat with her.
I asked her if she would leave the dog with me for a week or two. She was hesitant but finally agreed.
When she left I brought the dog out into my daycare group and let the dog play. For two solid weeks I brought the dog hiking and let him play with other dogs.
When the owner came back we did a training session and she was amazed at how well her dog responded to her.
She wanted to know what I did.
It’s not what I did, it’s what she did. She relaxed and her dog became much more responsive to her.
This is an extreme case, but it is sometimes important to put training aside for a few minutes. Training a dog, especially if you have never done it before requires patience and if you want the best results, YOU have to do it with a positive frame of mind.
The next time you start a training session, mentally or verbally say to yourself: “This is going to be a great training session. I am going to be patient and give 100% to training my dog for the next ten minutes.”
Hokey? Maybe.
Corny? If you think so.
Effective? More effective than you can imagine.
And you know what?
One of the best and easiest ways to train your dog is by being a member of The Dog Training Inner Circle where you can use proven techniques and get seven bonus gifts when you go there NOW:
All the best,
Eric
January 23rd, 2013
By Eric Letendre
It’s kind of funny how many of my friends think I am a little weird.
My good buddy Paul is always giving me strange looks and making comments about me being a little off at times.
It’s all good and I think it is okay to be different.
It may be from working with dogs for so long because dogs can do some pretty weird behaviors.
Behaviors like:
These are very common behaviors. Some are rooted in survival, some are physical and neurological issues.
Let’s tackle a few. Here is why dogs do some of these common “weird” behaviors:
Eating poop – Check the diet. Very common for dogs to do this. If there is a deficiency in the diet the dog may eat their own feces or grass.
Rolling in poop – A throwback from the days when they had to hunt for meals. Rolling in the scent of another animal covered the scent of the dog or wolf which increased their chances of sneaking up on their prey..
Chasing tail – Some dogs will spin and spin trying to catch their tail. Some dogs do this because they have neurological problems. Some dogs will do this because they have flea or anal sac problems.
Spinning before laying down – Another throwback, often explained as the dog patting down the grass and making sure their is no critters like snakes where they lay down.
Humping your leg – Not always a sexual behavior. Sometimes it is, but some dogs do this because they are addicted to physical contact.
A lot of “weird” dog behaviors are common behaviors which helped them survive as a species.
The GOOD news is…The Dog Training Inner CIrcle I show you how to handle ANY behavior – wierd, common, frustrating, annoying or otherwise. If your dog has it, we can help you. One main reason for that is the fourm on The Inner Circle which members can go to and post question.
Here’s where to go next:
All the best,
Eric
January 23rd, 2013
By Eric Letendre
Since I make my living on the internet you’d think I was a super computer nerd.
I’m not. In fact I know very little about computers, gigabites, html, whizzy wigs, gui’s, and all the other terms associated with understanding computers and the internet.
I just know those terms because I listen to my wife, Rachael, talk to our friend, Paul, but have no clue about what they are talking about.
One term I am familiar with is de-fragging.
Probably because I can think about it on dog training terms.
You see, the definition of “de-frag” is: To reorganize the way information is stored on a computer disk.
You brain and your dog’s brain is like one complex computer disk.
All the decisions you make are the result of past experiences stored in your melon.
The same holds true with your dog. A dog usually becomes aggressive because of the experiences they have had leading up to the moment the dog snarls, growls or bites.
A dog that does NOT come when called may have had some negative experiences that result in them going the other way when they hear, “Come.”
BUT – you can change your dog’s behavior even if you’ve made intentional or UN-intentional mistakes, and BELIEVE ME, I know because I have made MANY.
De-fragging your dog’s brain will require patience and time.
For every one negative experience it takes five or six positive experiences to overcome the one bad.
Let’s say your dog had a negative experience with the vet’s office. The best course of action is to bring your dog to the vet over the next couple of weeks when you have no appointment.
Walk in (please check with your vet first), give your pooch some treats, maybe a quick game of tug and then walk out and go home. Repeat five more times, maybe more, maybe less.
Before taking off, one more thing…
The best place for de-fragging is The Dog Training Inner Circle. That’s where the forum is for you to ask questions and let me help you with any sticky training situations you may be having.
The Dog Training Inner Circle
Best,
Eric
January 17th, 2013
By Eric Letendre
Many of you know that I was terrible in school.
Early in school I was labeled with a “Learning Disability” and was put in special classes.The few times that I did ask questions I was laughed at, which quickly taught me to clam up and to NOT ask any questions
or for anything else.
I came across an article that I found interesting the other day.
It was about a new form of therapy called “Rejection Therapy.”
Basically, we are all afraid of rejection and this therapy is done by doing things you would normally never do.
Things like: Walking down the street with a bag of candy and offering it to everyone that passes, asking your waiter if you can keep the pepper shaker, inviting someone you just met to the movies – you get the picture.
The point is that we all do NOT live our lives to the fullest because we are afraid of rejection.
This rejection therapy got me thinking about dogs – and how they have no problems with rejection.
Dogs get told “NO” about three thousand times a day but they just keep on doing the same behaviors with ZERO fear of rejection.
We try to stop certain behaviors and encourage others.
Look at jumping. I would have to say that about 85% of the dogs I work with jump when they greet. The owner pushes, shoves, yells and knees the dog. The dog takes all that rejection and keeps jumping.
The trick to dog training is to reward the behaviors you want (come, stay, sit, down, etc) and stop the behaviors you don’t like (jumping, begging, barking, etc.) and your rejection can’t be severe or it could negatively affect your dog.
The good news is…The Good K9 Manners Course shows four different ways to solve your dog’s jumping problem – rejection therapy that does NOT harm or hurt your dog.
This baby still comes with a discount but not for much longer so there’s no time to dilly dally.
Go here now and get three gifts along with the course. Go here NOW:
Coupon code: 10-OFFK9MANNERS
Best,
Eric
January 17th, 2013
By Eric Letendre
On a beautiful spring morning a few years back I found myself sitting in a small classroom listening to “The Evil Russian,” Pavel Tsatsouline discuss flexibility training.
There were about 25 people in the room and they were all there to learn techniques that Pavel used to train the elite Russian Special Forces Unit, Spetznaz.
Everyone listened intently as Pavel shared his secrets with us, but one person, me, was really amazed at how some of what he said applied to dog training.
What Makes The Difference?
Have you ever wondered, as I have, what makes such a dramatic difference in the way a dog behaves?
It isn’t always the person training the dog.
It isn’t that one person wants a well-behaved dog and the other doesn’t.
The difference lies in how well the person understands a few basic techniques about training dogs.
It’s important for us to understand that we do NOT want to reinforce the behaviors that we don’t like.
One of the biggest problems for about 90% of dog owners is jumping and unruly behavior.
We need to make sure that we are not unintentionally reinforcing the unruly behavior.
When a friend comes over and your dog starts to jump, the typical scenario goes something like this:
Your friend pushes your dog or pets your dog, while you are trying to pull your dog back and yelling, “down,” “get down.”
This all reinforces the unruly behavior.
Unintentionally, but still reinforcing.
What The Evil Russian Taught Me
During the seminar that I attended, Pavel made a comment that applies to all of this. As he was discussing stretching he used the term:
“Forced relaxation.”
He added that only the Russians can come up with a term like “Forced relaxation.” It struck me because that is exactly what we need to do when we are dealing with a young dog that likes to jump and become unruly.
We need to force them to relax.
This is NOT the easiest thing to do when you have a 75lb, eight month old dog that LOVES people.
BUT…
…it can be done.
That’s where the Good K9 Manners Course comes
in.
NOT only do you learn “Forced Relaxation” but three other ways to STOP jumping and full tackle
greetings. It’s also designed to stop common but pesky behaviors like:
* Stealing
* Begging
* Barking
* and more!
Now, how’d you like to change your dog’s behavior and get better results from your efforts?
You’ll find out with the Good K9 Manners Course, along with the three gifts I have included.
Get yours NOW with a discount off the regular price.
Use the code: 10-OFFK9MANNERS
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.”
