Basic manners

As a dog trainer I am accustom to seeing dogs go from uneducated to very well mannered family members. My training is very personal; meaning that no two families are alike and no two dogs are alike so how you train each dog within each household is going to vary drastically.

When I am training my goal is the dog within the family so rarely will my eyes leave the dog. How, when and the level of reaction to the guardians actions is everything. I talk alot during training, I even tell people when I start with them that I talk alot. With every session comes print outs because I talk so much. There is no way people can remember everything I am saying.

All the talking I do is a running commentary so that I can fully explain to a guardian why their dog is doing what they are doing each and every moment. Many times I'll say "see that look?" Hopefully the dog is still displaying the look when the guardian views for themselves but often they are not. So that's when I will say, "keep watching" as I attempt to reconstruct the situation.

Stopping annoying behaviors before they are in full force is much easier. So watching your dog and keeping one step ahead is always a good thing. The more you watch the more you will see and this itself will help you to teach your dog more easily and quickly.

I have found it very hard to turn the "trainer" off in me, even when strictly doing a photo shoot. But over the years I can now separate the many hats that I wear. See you can teach an old dog new tricks.