Tag heel command

Advocate for your dog. If you don’t your dog will advocate for itself and that doesn’t usually turn out well. Who advocates for your dog?

Learn and Understand Canine Body Language.

When we say “advocate” what do we mean? Who advocates for your dog?
We mean, putting your dog’s physical and emotional well-being first. BEFORE your own wants and needs. You protect your dog, not the other way around. This requires you to be aware, alert and proactive. Practice constant situational awareness. Who advocates for your dog?

Learn and understand canine body language. Make sure to look at the dog’s entire body (a wagging tail does not always equal a happy dog). Doing so affords you the opportunity to not put your dog into or to remove your dog from situations where your dog feels stressed, fearful, overwhelmed, threatened or overexcited. Preempting your dog from taking matters into his own hands or practicing unwanted behaviors.

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GEO or Good Enough Obedience is what many owners experience with their dogs. Does this sound familiar? You put your dog in a down and they stay there for a few minutes maybe longer. Then they begin to scratch, stretch, sniff, reach for a toy etc. You don’t do anything because technically they are still in the down. Then they begin to creep ever so slightly but still you are okay with that because they haven’t gotten up. Now we are in the GEO zone. If you’re happy with that, okay. But remember this, the small stuff matters! What you don’t disagree with, you are agreeing with. And if you are agreeing with less than true obedience, you’ll get more of the same.

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Why Foundation Work works!

Uncertainty and fear are relieved by authority. Training is authority. It’s a release valve. -Ryan Holiday Basic obedience foundation work.

When I say foundation work I’m talking about basic obedience such as:

Sit with implied stay 

Down with implied stay

Place with implied stay (teaches calm on command)

(The above three commands are taught with an implied stay because, what good is sit, down or place if your dog doesn’t stay in them???)

Heel (tight structured walk)

Recall (Come/Here Command)

Name Game (looking when you call their name)

Thresholds-Respectfully moving through doorways (including in/out of the crate)

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