Training Principles

“The definition of insanity is to repeat the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results…”

This too is true when training your dog.  If you give a clear signal that is easily understood, dogs and puppies are happy to comply.  It is the mixed messages and confused signals that cause problems!

• Keep sessions short, fun and interesting
• Understand your own dog or puppies motivation… praise – play – food.  These vary with the individual
• Use high value rewards when training in busy and or distracting environments
• Be fair & consistent
• Aim for no grey areas
• Reward the behaviour you want
• Ignore or manage the behaviour you want to change
• Prevention is better than cure
• Think ahead with a young puppy – remember that bundle of fluff will grow up fast
• Do not encourage the wrong behaviours when your puppy is small – this makes life difficult for both parties
• If you are re-training an old bad habit, please remember that HABIT did not develop overnight, nor will it go overnight
• Your dog or puppy aims to please – the bad habits are created by human error (rewarding at incorrect times)
• If unsure ASK!

My Common Quotes

• “If it does not work for your puppy then they wont keep repeating the behaviour.  Dogs are clever and do what works for them!”
• “You are not alone – human nature”
• “When ignoring don’t look, don’t touch, don’t talk”
• “When your dog jumps at you, the table or sofa pushing them down is one of the worst things you can do.  This is just a game”
• “He does not just think it’s a game… it IS a game”
• “Don’t reward what you don’t like”
• “Wagging your finger, staring and saying NO in a stern voice is just inviting a challenge”
• “Encouraging your puppy to give paw or high five while teaching them not to jump, is very confusing for an animal who does not speak the language”
• “Hand signals makes it easy for your puppy to understand”
• “Puppies and dogs need boundaries and limits, much as children and all of us do”
• “REWARD THE BEHAVIOUR YOU WANT REPEATED”
• “When people tell you he will grow out of it DON’T LISTEN!”
• “Training pads are not your friend”