Archive for the ‘Obedience’ Category

Slot Machine Style Dog Training

April 30th, 2012
By Eric Letendre

Was watching The Celebrity Apprentice last night and I thought of the time Rach and I went to Atlantic City.

I don’t gamble much, so when we went into Trump’s casino, I sat at the bar and ordered a drink.

I handed the bartender a $100 bill and he would not accept it. When I asked why, he stated that he could not make change.

I was stunned. Sitting in Trump’s casino surrounded by thousands of slot machines and they could not make change.

Anyway…

…you can learn a lot from slot machines when it comes to dog training.

You see, one question I get a lot in The Ultimate Online Recall Course is:

“When can I stop using treats?”

This is where it is important to understand slot machines and soda machines.

Soda machines are predictable and boring. You put your money in and out pops a soda but…

…slot machines are exciting.

You put your money in and you never know what is going to happen.

And that my friend is the secret to behavior.

It has to do with reward schedules.

A soda machine is on a continuous reinforcement schedule. A slot machine is on a variable reward schedule.

When you first start training your dog it is important to train using a continuous reward schedule.

But as your dog learns, you need to switch to a variable reward schedule.

Your dog will actually work harder and it will improve performance because when the reinforcement is NOT on a schedule it becomes more exciting.

No one gets excited about soda machines, but people will travel thousands of miles and spend thousands of dollars for a little excitement.

So become a slot machine when you are training your dog.

The Ultimate Online Recall Course is NOT a gamble, it is an investment in the most important command you can teach your dog.

To learn my system, go to:

Ultimate Online Recall Course

Best,

Eric

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Dog Training And Body Language – Does Your Dog Understand What Your Saying?

April 27th, 2012
By Eric Letendre

My wife, Rachael, came home last night, walked in the house and asked: “What’s wrong?”

I was amazed. How did she know I was mad?

I asked her how she knew something was wrong?

She said, “I could just tell.”

You see, I had been working out in the yard all day clearing brush, raking and cleaning up.

Just before she came home, I was driving the tractor and not paying attention, had driven right into a low hanging branch, bashing my
head into it.

I was more mad at myself than that it hurt.

Rach asking what was wrong before I had even said anything to her was a very good dog training lesson.

What your body language says is often more important than what your voice is saying.

Let me splain:

Your dog pays VERY close attention to your body language.

The position of your body will communicate different information to your dog.

Dogs have three primary drives that help them survive. The three drives are:

1. Prey
2. Pack
3. Defense

When you get down on the ground or lean back you can trigger your dog’s prey drive. Standing up straight and walking with your dog activates your dog’s pack drive.

Leaning over your dog will trigger your dog’s defense drive.

Understanding drives helps you understand dog behavior.

When you train a dog to walk next to you, your dog should be in pack drive.

A dog trained in protection work needs to be in defense drive.

A dog that is learning to come when called needs to be in prey drive.

If you lean forward and call your dog to you, it could confuse your dog because your body language is communicating the wrong message.

By leaning back or squatting down, you make it much easier for your dog to come to you because your body language is communicating the correct message.

Most dog trainers never teach this and it is the reason I included a whole section about body language and drives in The Ultimate Online Recall Course.

Always Come When Called

It can make a HUGE difference when you are teaching your dog to come when called.

I beleive that the fastest way to train the recall command is to understand this little-known concept.

It’s easy and fun.

You can learn more about drives here:

Always Come When Called

All the best,

Eric

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Do You Really Need To Be Alpha?

April 25th, 2012
By Eric Letendre

In the dog training world there is a lot of controversy around the concept of Alpha.

Some trainers strongly believe in the alpha theory and some trainers think it is bunk.

Having studied dogs for many years and by having multiple dogs in the house, I can tell you with zero reservations that dogs are pack animals and respond to a top dog.

My dog Suede, a Belgian Malinios was top dog in my house. He would always eat first, sleep in the most comfortable spots and basically get his way.

Very dominant dog. This is important to understand because in order to have a good relationship with your dog you have to be the leader.

There can be BIG problems in the house if your dog thinks that he is in the lead position.

Problems like aggression, guarding, stealing, possession and more.

So, how do you become alpha?

Let me share the secret with you my dog loving friend.

Ready…

…Control the activities that are important to your dog.

There are four activities that make up your dog’s behavior:

1. Playing
2. Eating
3. Sleeping
4. Social contact

It really is simple to become the leader of your pack. Control the games you play with your dog, control the food, where your dog sleeps and the social contact between you and your dog.

Example: Most dogs love to play tug games. Tug is a great game to play with your dog BUT, if your dog wins the game (you release the toy) you have just communicated to your dog that you are the weaker member.

Happens enough times and you could have BIG problemos.

Make sense?

All the best,

Eric

P.S. I don’t know if there is something in the water – but I’ve been getting lots of questions about how to become the alpha.

Well, guess what.

Maybe there is something in the water.

Because in The Ultimate Online Recall Course I have a WHOLE section on how to become the alpha following some simple steps.

I included this section in the course because if your dog does not think you are alpha, guess what…

…your dog will NOT respond to the command “COME.”

But I will say this:

Your whole relationship with your dog revolves around you being the alpha. Once you do become alpha, everything clicks.

A bold claim?

I suppose it is.

But I stand by every word.

Get all the details at:

Always Come When Called

You also get instant access to the 22 page report, “10 Secrets To A Reliable Recall.”

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Water For Dogs

April 24th, 2012
By Eric Letendre

Could NOT sleep last night.

Doesn’t happen often, but every once in a while I just lay there.

Bored, I turned on the tube and flipped around.

The movie, “Water for Elephants” was on and I decided to watch it.

I won’t get into the details but I will tell you that the head trainer in the movie was a brutal man who abused the animals.

I have been training dogs for a while now and in that time I have seen some awful trainers.

Trainers that think you have to use force and harsh methods to get the dog to do the commands.

I really don’t understand people like this.

It is also sad that there are still a LOT of trainers out there still using and promoting harsh methods.

The best way to get a great response from your dog is to train using positive methods.

Using harsh methods will eventually backfire on you and I have seen it happen over and over just like it did in the movie.

Anyway…

…there is one command that has to be taught using positive methods:

The recall (come when called) command.

Which is why I put together a complete guide on how to teach this all important command.

This teaches my EXACT system for getting your dog to come back when called, EVERY time. It starts with the basics and works up to advanced training, including how to get your dog to come in distracting situations.

Some of the tips in this course include:

• A “Stealth” way to get your dog to come back when you call. (This little-known technique will “Fast Track” all of your recall training).
• Exactly how long each training session should be. (Most dogs ignore their owners’ commands to come when called because of this one HUGE mistake. Learn when you should END each session so your dog rockets toward you each time you say the command, “COME.”)
• What German Dog Trainers know about teaching the come command that most other trainers don’t. (And how to use this secret to get maximum training results.)
• The little-known scientific (and 100% accurate) way to teach your dog to come when called without force or harsh methods. (It’s amazing how many dog trainers get confused and don’t teach this.)
• Exactly what to do in your first training session that can 1.) Bond your dog to you right away 2.) Develop trust between you and your dog 3.) Get your dog to respond every time they hear their name.
• The #1 easiest way to deal with distractions. (Discover how to easily get your dog to respond to your commands when there are other dogs, squirrels and distractions.)
• The secret reason why your dog does not respond to your recall command. (And how to overcome this problem using a common backyard product.)
• Why it’s a big mistake to call your dog from the stay command. (Most dog trainers teach the come command from a stay and this can destroy your training efforts. Here’s what to do instead.)
• 31 ways to improve your dog’s recall (come when called) command. (Do this right and your dog will race back to you when you give the command, “Come.”)
• How to do daily training sessions with your dog even if you hate it and find it extremely hard. (Most people do not enjoy the process of training their dog. Here’s a simple way to make training easy and fun!)
• The one thing you have to know about using rewards. (Using rewards the right way can be extremely effective, done the wrong way and your training can self destruct.)
• A simple “test” you should do with your dog before you start teaching your dog to come when called. (And why this test could determine your training success or failure.)
• And a whole lot more.

Check it out now:

Always Come When Called

All the best,

Eric

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Fun Way To Teach Your Dog The Recall Command

April 23rd, 2012
By Eric Letendre

This is a fun game for you to do with your dog. Remember, the more fun you can make it for your dog the better response you’ll get.

Games are a great way to teach and I cover more games in The Ultimate Online Recall Course.

The course shows you step by step on how to teach this very important command. You can get all the details here:

Always Come When Called

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