September 10th, 2009
By Eric Letendre
Had a great labor day weekend up at Sebasco Bay in Maine. Nothing like taking a few days off and relaxing on the coast of Maine.
What a beautiful place.
The problem is when you come back. Email, phone calls, meetings, it all takes a few days to catch up.
Anyway…
While going through hundreds of emails, one stuck out like a sore thumb. "Army Dog Swallows Bomb…And Survives" Talk about getting your attention.
I had to stop what I was doing and read the story. Turns out an Army dog named Toby ingested a toxic substance when sniffing out Taliban improvised explosive devices on the front line, he was picked up by a medical emergency helicopter and whisked back to Camp Bastion.
The story went on to say that Toby is fine and in great spirits – Thank God.
This story got me thinking…
Eating, chewing and destructive behavior is a big problem for a lot of dog owners. I know, because I been working with dogs for 20+ years and chewing is at the top of the list.
Coming when called, walking on leash, jumping and housetraining are also at the top of the list.
That’s why I put together the "Back To School" special which includes…
The Back To School ends tomorrow. So don’t delay go to Back To School!
All the best,
Eric
September 2nd, 2009
By Eric Letendre
Wow, instead of driving down to your local ATM all you need to do is follow your dog around the yard. Watch the video…
It’s a funny video but stealing is a serious behavior problem for a lot of dog owners.
Please leave your comments and questions so I can help others who have this problem with their dogs.
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
July 8th, 2009
By Eric Letendre
Woke up this morning and the weatherman said that it’s going to be about 94 degrees today.
That’s when I realized I wasn’t in Massachusetts anymore. You see, Rach and I are in Clayton, North Carolina attending her cousin’s wedding.
Her cousin has three dogs, and all week I’ve seen the Uncle Freddy Factor in full force.
The Uncle Freddy Factor happens a lot and it can turn a well-trained dog into a misbehaving dog faster than greased lightning.
And as they say down here, once your dog develops some bad behaviors you’ll be as "busy as a stump-tailed cow in fly time."
Anyway, the Uncle Freddy Factor is responsible for two big behavior problems:
1. Jumping
2. Begging
For example, Uncle Freddy comes over the house to visit and stays for dinner. While eating, he slips your dog a piece of his food under the table.
Any training that you’ve done to prevent begging has just gone out the window.
Step one when you are training is to make sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to training your dog.
Over the years, I’ve seen this as the main cause for a lot of behavior problems. The next time you’re trying to figure out why your dog is not responding to your training, think about the Uncle Freddy Factor.
Ask yourself:
"Is anyone sabotaging my training? Is the Uncle Freddy Factor happening?"
Don’t be surprised if there is an Uncle Freddy in your dog’s life that is contributing to her bad behavior.
All the best,
Eric
P.S. If you don’t want The Uncle Freddy Factor to happen with your dog check out Good K9 Manners.
July 8th, 2009
By Eric Letendre
Can you really train your dog in just a minute?
Let me share a quick story with you…
More than a couple of years ago, when I was a hot shot animal control officer, I responded to a complaint in the south end of the city.
The problem was a barking dog that was disturbing a couple of residents in the neighborhood.
When I approached the owner of the dog, I informed her that she was going to have to stop her dog’s barking.
She said that she tried everything but could not stop her dog’s barking.
I quickly assessed the situation and told her that I could help. With a very skeptical look on her face she said "I don’t think so, but if you can I’ll be very grateful."
My advice was simple. I told her that her dog was going to do…
PUSH UPS!
You see, when I assessed the situation I noticed that the dog was barking for attention.
He was barking to get some type of response from the owner. He barked and she would yell out the window, "Quiet."
Or…
…her dog would bark and she would come outside and scold her dog. Every time he barked she would respond in some way.
I told her that we needed to re-direct his behavior. Every time he barks you are going to walk up to your dog and give the sit command.
Once your dog is sitting I want you to give the down command. Up, down, Up down, over and over every time he barks.
I checked in with her later that day and she was amazed. "OMG, the first time I did it he stopped barking in less than a minute."
I knew he would because there are simple methods that you can use to get fast results with your dog.
In the Good K9 Manners website I have put together a course that covers the most common behavior problems and how to get fast results.
You can still take advantage of the special reduced price and train your dog.
Jump on over to:
All the best,
Eric
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.”
