Our training philosophy is each dog is unique and should be trained according to their individual needs. Each dog should be evaluated to determine the best development path to ensure their success. We remove the cookie cutter approach, and look at what Fido’s and your needs really are and help you plan a healthier and happier lifestyle through training your dogs mind and body.
Our training theory at its core is built around three training principles. These principles are the core ingredients to behavior modification, whether training the family pet or teaching a police dog to find drugs. Understanding how these principles work is the secret to clear communication between you and your pet.
Timing has to do with the way a dog’s brain processes cause and effect. Timing says that any behavior a dog acts out must have a consequence within 1.3 seconds in order for the dog to associate that behavior with that consequence. Too often people praise or reprimand a dog too far after the event took place. Help your dog connect the dots of what behavior you were praising.
Consistency is clear communication between a pet and owner. It means promptly reacting the same way every time to any significant behavior your dog acts out. Dogs have a hard time understanding that you don’t want them to jump on you when you are carrying groceries in. Again, correction or praise must occur within the 1.3 seconds of the specific behavior for the dog to understand which behavior you are praising.
Motivation is what you do to influence your dog’s decision making. There are two types of motivation – positive and negative. If your dog comes to you when you ask him to, you want to make sure you positively motivate that behavior. You can do that by saying words of praise, offering a petting or maybe a treat. If your dog jumps all over you you want to provide very clear negative motivation such as ignoring the dog, withholding petting, or saying no firmly.
With these three building blocks you will find training your dog easy and progressive. Our trainers offer free evaluations and are happy to answer any question you might have. Give us a call today at 832-930-0073.
