December 14th, 2011
By Eric Letendre
Here is how it happened…
I had a big, angry Rottweiler on his back and was in a very tough siutation.
If I let go of him, I knew I was going to get bit. I had both hands on his collar under his neck and was quickly losing my grip.
I was trying to get him in an “Alpha Rollover” and was not doing a very good job.
You see, when I first got into dog training, I was taught that if a dog ever refused to respond to your command, the dog was being dominant and you had to show him who was boss.
It amazes me how stupid I was back then. Training was one big constant struggle. Keep Reading…
July 3rd, 2011
By Eric Letendre
As many of you know I ran a kennel for a lot of years and July 4th was always a stressful time for me because of the fireworks.
A lot of dogs were dropped of to stay at my place to get through the holiday safely.
It really was sad to see some of these dogs around loud nosies. With training, some dogs got much better. Some of them never overcame their fear of loud fireworks and loud noises though.
Here are 5 tips that can help you with your dog:
1. Use an Ace bandage. I know this sounds funny and the first time I heard about it, I was very skeptical. I once interviewed Linda Telling-Jones, the creator of TTouch. She said wrapping the dog in an Ace bandage will help the dog feel more secure and calm them. I didn’t really believe it until I tried it a few times and saw HUGE differences in the way the dog behaved around fireworks,
2. This tip is very hard for many dog owners to follow.
Don’t pay a lot of attention or try to calm your dog when there are loud nosies. The dog becomes frightend by the loud noise and the owner rushes over and hugs the dog. By giving attention to the behavior, you actually make it worse.
Typical secerio: Loud noise, dog gets scared, owner runs over and wraps their arms around the dog and starts to saying things like:
“Poor Fluffy, you poor, poor dog. It’s going to be alright. Don’t worry I’m right here you poor little thing, I won’t let anything hurt you,” as they continue to pet and hug.
Repeat this a few times and you have a dog that is going to be petrified everytime they hear anything that even resembles fireworks or thunder.
3. Act very matter of fact. My little 8 pound mix breed dog can handle the loudest, most distubing sounds. Ever since she was a little pup, I never made a big deal around sounds. Just last week, someone lit off some very LOUD fireworks in our backyard and she barely flinched.
When a loud noise happens, it’s best to walk away from your dog or say something like,”You’re okay, come here and sit.” Giving a command is good to do because you focus your dog’s attention away from the loud noise.
4. Remember that it is best to leave your dog home when you go to the fireworks show. I am amazed by how many people bring their dogs to fireworks shows.
5. Make sure your dog has identification on their collar if they are nervous around loud noises. Some dogs will run blindly when they become scared.
Please ask questions or share any tips you may use with your dog in the comments section below.
Have a great Independance Day!
May 16th, 2011
By Eric Letendre
My most popular video. It went over 500.000 views this weekend.
April 21st, 2011
By Eric Letendre
A lot of people have difficulty with the stay command and it is very easy to teach. The problem is the method the person uses to train this command.
So…
…I am going to share with you the Secret To Teaching The Stay Command.
Ready? Here it is:
“When you teach your dog stay, never try to control your dog. Control what your dog wants.”
That’s it. Now go teach your dog stay.
What’s that?
You want more information? You want me to demonstrate?
The Internet is a beautiful thing isn’t it? I can post a video and you can watch it anywhere in the world that has Internet access. Here is a video demonstrating how to control your dog by controlling what he wants: Keep Reading…
August 16th, 2010
By Eric Letendre
Each week I work hard to write interesting, entertaining
and informative dog training and behavior tips.
This week I want to ask a favor.
This is a very easy favor. Really, it will only take about
ten seconds.
There is an animal shelter in Zambia called the Kitwe Animal
Welfare Society.
Take just a few seconds and check them out on Facebook and
join their group. The people at Kitwe are working hard to
help sick and abused animals.
They are looking for ideas and they would like to hear from
you.
Go ahead and join their group today. Here is their Facebook
page:
Kitwe Animal Welfare Society Facebook Group
Thank you!
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.”
