How Should You Train Your Dog?

Don't use food! 

You must use food!

Don't use a leash!

You must use a leash!

So many opinions. So little time.

No wonder dog owners are putting training their dogs in the too hard basket! 

Why So Many Opinions?

Us humans are pretty arrogant. We all think we're the only ones who have the answer. There's even a saying "the only thing two dog trainers will agree on is that the third is wrong."

Why? Because our dogs are amazing creatures and they are desperate to understand us so often they will overcome our pathethic attempts at training and learn regardless.

For 75% of the population it doesn't really matter what method you choose. Our dogs are generally going to respond to good training.

What's The Right Way to Train Your Dog?

The way that works for you and your dog, of course. You can debate the nuances. But ultimately training either falls in one of these categories: It worked. It didn't work (that could be either because we didn't do it right or because it wasn't right for our dogs... usually... the problem lies with the human end of the equation).

You have to find what works for you. No matter what you choose, you will need to learn how to train. 

You should of course consider your dog. If your dog isn't much of a foodie, your training will be more effective if you can use something other than food. 

What's The Catch?

There are no short cuts.

All the methods take about the same amount of time to learn because all dog training methods rely on two things that us humans are pretty terrible at: good timing and clear communication (you cannot have one without the other).

And with whatever method you're going for, I recommend you film yourself training your dog. Because you'll see how bad your timing is. I used to sit with a rolled up newspapaper watching the videos back and hit myself over the head for every mistake I made. Yup... 99% of the problems we have with training is us giving our dog the wrong information with bad timing.

How I Train Dogs

I generally look at what the owners are doing already and show them what they need to change in order to get what they're after. 

It's effective because I don't assume what the owners are doing already ia all wrong. I see what they're doing and then we don't fix what isn't broken in their training. We only work on the stuff that we need to work on so that their dog can be the dog they need them to be.

I like working with over excited and reactive dogs, so that's the people I speak to. That way, I can make sure my programs can help people with these challenges. 

I do find that usually there are a lot of questions that owners have that I answer in The Dog Training Lab

Want more help with your dog? The Dog Training Lab has exclusive lessons and trainings that I previously only shared with my in person clients, but you can get these lessons that our clients rave about for a fraction of what it would be to work with me. Find out more and see if you think it would be a good fit for you and your dog here: