Posted in Behavior & Training

Frustration is a problem in training when the dog feels you are becoming frustrated yourself and pushing too fast. Think of training as taking months, if not years - - not days or weeks. Every training session should be considered as a new session with small steps. Do you compare the session with the previous day’s session? Perhaps the dog … read more

Posted in Behavior & Training

A resistant dance partner becomes stiff and is not loose in his or her movements. Is your dance partner (your dog) being “disobedient” once you have established yourself as the leader of the dance or simply resistant? The two may overlap. To avoid resistance, it helps to develop a systematic approach in your training. A thoughtful progres… read more

Posted in Behavior & Training

Your Hands – Watch a novice handler’s hands. They grip the lead, hold their breath, raise their arms in the arm and tighten the lead. Think about centering your dog. How can you center your dog if he does not have the freedom to be free and subtle? Learn how to hold the lead, collar or even fur or body part while keeping your dog relaxed. read more

Posted in Behavior & Training

Your Posture – Stay centered. Watch where you are walking and do not attempt to change your position because of the dog changing his position. You are the leader of this dance, not the dog. Establish balance, control and energy to help you center your gravity. If you are relaxed your movements will be relaxed, and so will your dog. You can d… read more

Posted in Behavior & Training

Breathe – You must be relaxed when you are training your dog to keep the movement softly flowing. Focus on your diaphragm. The diaphragm is a muscle in your body that goes across the rib cage. Most people, when taking a deep breathe, pull their rib cage upward and sideward, not involving the diaphragm. This results in a tense body. As you wal… read more