How to change your life with the 'wait' command

One of the absolutely most important things to teach a dog is the ‘wait’ command. It means ‘pause until further instructions.’ Not only is this command insanely useful, it does a few important things for your dog’s mentality. Wait:

• teaches your dog to down regulate - to go from an excited state to a calm one.

• builds the understanding that your dog needs to ‘calm down’ in order to get what they want.

• reminds your dog that activities and privileges happen on your terms and you aren’t a butler who exists just to cater to them.

• helps them build self control so they have a stockpile for when you really need it in more exciting situations.

• reinforces the mindset a good teammate would have, one that is patient and considerate, like how if we were going somewhere together and I asked you to wait, I’m sure you could happily pause for a moment for me unless you are very self centered or a toddler.

Here are the scenarios I use a ‘wait’ command and it does so so much more than just make the activity involved easier. It builds the relationship we want with the dog we want and opens doors to the expanse of their experience as they will be able to move through the world with you comfortably.

Down Regulation

Down regulation is the process by which we go from an excited state to a calmer one, usually incrementally, as if going down a flight of stairs, step by step. When my dog is excited, instead of continuing what we are doing, I pause and embody the calm energy I want them to join me in. I don’t want to wait for a perfunctory three seconds until my dog pauses long enough for me to feel I’ve checked the training box then hurry on to the task before they break the wait because they weren’t really calm. I want to wait until I can feel or see a noticeable shift in my dog’s energy. I want to wait until my dog starts asking ‘are we ever going to go? Are we going to live at this threshold for the rest of eternity?

Luckily dogs are very present so this doesn’t take too long. Once I see my dog start to ask questions, it means their thinking brain is online and now I have a dog I can work with. An impulsive, pushy, jumping, whining, fidgeting excited dog is one who is going to ignore my light cues and might end up getting yelled at. Eek. No one wants that. When my dog lands at the bottom stair of calm, I call what I’m looking for a surrendered state, which is very soft and peaceful. I don’t want a dog that is submissive, that’s no fun. I want a dog that is surrendered, one who is okay if we do, okay if we don’t, okay now, and okay later.

The ability to go down those internal stairs quickly is contingent on how often down regulation is practiced. The more you practice pausing in excited moments - and staying still until you get a full shift to a calm energy, the faster your dog will be able to navigate that internal process in truly exciting moments out in public with lots of novelty and stimulation. If you don’t have the practice of calming down in your routine, trying to get it at the park when other dogs are around is medium hopeless and ultimately unfair to your dog. Like putting a second grader in high school, they are destined to fail.

Wait Protocol:

Embody calm

Want your dog to be calm? It starts with you. Even though you are focused on my instructions and making these shifts, try not to get tense because you dog will respond to that. Take lots of deep breaths and audibly sigh a few out. Do a body scan and relax your muscles. Feel your feet heavy on the floor and feel into the groundedness of your body. You want to feel like you are made out of marble and is also as soft as a feather pillow. After all, there is no hurry really. This is one of the times we really get to be there for our dog by just being there. Patience is key. What helps me stay out of a tense, goal oriented mindset is knowing that there is no failure unless you quit! Don’t be annoyed at your dog in their learning process. It will take as long as it takes. Practicing inconsistently is what makes it take longer. Not everyone in the house on board? That’s too bad, but your dog can absolutely make these skills handler specific - don’t let them fool you! They are smarter than we think.

Don’t stare at your dog

The problem with holding your dog with eye contact is that when you break it, they will break the wait. I need to be able to glance around , especially when opening the front door or car door to keep my dog safe. Holding eye contact is a cheat because they think they only need to stick with the wait as long as I’m staring at them. I want my dog to settle when I ask them to settle no matter where I’m looking. If you would only work when your boss was staring at your screen you probably wouldn’t keep your job. Raise that bar and be mindful of where you are staring.

Ignore the dog

Shift your attention away from your dog. Let them know that being excited is not the way to get attention or make things happen. Point your feet and/or turn your torso away, look several feet away, keeping your dog in the corner of your eye. Take a few steps away. If this doesn’t work, you can go back to what you were doing before and drop the offer all together for now.

Apply pressure

And it needs to be a type of pressure they don’t enjoy. Relaaaaaax, it’s super gentle. Things I don’t enjoy happen daily, especially when I’m being a dick, and I’m okay. I survive discomfort and they will, too. The more of a calm and thoughtful dog you have, the lighter these cues can be. Dogs who are in more of a frantic, unfocused, impulsive mindset generally may take a bit more discomfort to get on board, but these exercises will help make a big shift for them.

A correction can look like saying ‘eh-eh’ or another ‘no’ sound. It can be waving your hand at the dog or some other repetitive motion in their direction, like bending a knee towards them, marching your feet in place, giving a hard stare with pointed eyes, saying their name and/or ‘quit’ in a sharp tone, bending your torso to a different angle. It ca be as subtle as tightening your core muscles and directing a serious energy at your dog - like the energy you cultivate when you feel like someone is about to push in to a long line in front of you. As long as my dog is doing something I don’t like, it’s my job to make sure something they don’t like is happening and that the vibe sucks. The moment they stop, the pressure stops and the vibe improves!

When we begin, you may have to be quite loud with your voice, body language and energy in order to break your dog’s focus and get it back on you. That may look like a loud ‘Hey!” or moving into your dog’s space or giving some touches on the leash, always being sure to release the pressure then reapply it as needed. When a dog is very activated, you will have to be very loud in order to get your dog to hear you. Once you have your dog’s attention, you can quiet down again and show them what you’d like. This is called pressure and release. When your dog is making the wrong choice, apply pressure. When they find the right answer and you like what is happening, release the pressure so they know that staying calm instead of getting excited is the way to keep things feeling good.

Change the subject

If my dog is struggling to shift into a more patient mindset I’ll give them some brain exercises to do. I’ll ask for basic commands they have practiced to give them another job than being amped. I may walk shapes if the leash is on, asking for a heel and for the attention is takes to stick with me. We are about to go from a tight square to a figure 8 to zig zags and you better be paying attention or your toes may get squished! It’s your dog’s job to stay focused on you during the walk and most dogs I see out walking are unemployed and all the worse for it.

Forget it

If you can’t get your dog to settle, drop it. Definitely don’t let them get the thing they want and you should go back to doing something boring and ignoring them. This is the time we need to put in to training, so even if it isn’t the most convenient for your schedule today, know that once this clicks for your dog it won’t take as long moving forward. This is just the beginning of them learning what works and what doesn’t and it’s well worth sticking with it.

I call this ‘dog led’ training, which means that, in a sense, my dog gets to decide what we do! At any time they can calm down or stop being rude and we can move forward with life. If they can’t or won’t, welp, I guess we aren’t doing that thing right now! Once they get that you are always going to insist on calm attentiveness, especially at transition points, they will get on board pretty fast. The more consistent you are the better!

What does calm look like?

A calm dog isn’t necessarily one that is sitting. I’ve seen plenty of dogs sitting who are definitely not in any way calm and more like a tight coil about to spring. I actually prefer a waiting dog to be standing because it shows me that they are truly using mental effort to keep their feet from moving. Sitting can be kind of a cheat!

A calm dog will have a more grounded energy. Generally, their ears will be soft and down. Their body won’t be stiff. They will level down from standing to sitting to lying over time. Their tail will be still or in a long, slow, focused wag. If their energy was being measured by a wave meter you want to see long low loops, not short, sharp ones. They may be panting from the exertion of self control, but this will stop over time or as they settle in that moment. The more you practice tuning in, the more sensitive you will get to the quality of your dogs energy. We love our dogs so much, being connected this way is a beautiful thing and another layer of depth in the relationship that most owners never get to experience.

Here are the top exciting scenarios and my techniques for bringing the ‘wait’ command in

Going out the door for a walk

We like to say, the walk begins when the leash goes on, but really it begins the moment you decide to go for a walk. While the walk is the main event of a dog’s day, if we amp them up because we think it’s fun to be a part of their excitement, we are doing our dog and our walk a disservice. Remember, the reason I’m so successful with dogs is that I ask them to stay in a calm, thoughtful mindset. At every stage of the walk process I will pause or rewind if my dog gets overly excited.

If your dog is too excited in the house, you are setting them up to have a mess of a walk and, personally, I don’t like making myself miserable. Sometimes all it takes is standing up at a certain time of day for your dog to know it’s go time. From the process of grabbing the leash, to putting it on, to walking down the hall, to opening the door, have the riddle for your dog be getting you to keep moving forward with the process. The solution? Being calm. Put down a leash if your dog won’t calm down when you pick it up. Hold a leash for a few minutes instead of putting it on dog that is leaping around or trembling in place. Stand upright and turn away if your dog is chattering, vibrating in place, dancing around or moving when you bend to put it on.

If your dog is pulling down the hall, turn around and play a game of warmer and colder, moving deeper into the house or doing laps around the living room when they pull. Guess what? You are walking your dog for steps and mental engagement, not distance. Laps down the hallway are just as good for my purposes as going outside, it’s only my dog that suffers, but a little suffering is a good motivator to figure our sh*t out!

Once you get to the door calmly without pulling, ask you dog to wait behind you, not between you and the door, by giving a stop sign with your hand and body, saying the wait command, and doing a touch on the leash. If your dog walks forward, take a step back towards them to push them back where you wanted them. Sometimes just leaning towards them or shifting your weight should be enough.

Start by touching the doorknob enough for it to make the clicking sound but not open. This sound alone is the first excitement test and you may need to reset your dog. Staring at the floor between the dog and the door so you can see both will help you notice your dog’s activation. As you open the door slowly, if your dog pushes forwards or gets excited, close it again. Redo the hall walk if you have to. Your dog will figure out that truly staying calm is the way to make the door open.

Think if it like doggie meditation. If we had smart cars that could wait until we zen out a bit to start the ignition think what a pleasure driving would be! Not only are you doing your dog a favor and setting the right tone for the walk, they are getting a mental workout and learning to become the calm, thoughtful teammate you will love walking and working with.

Letting company in

Comings and goings in the home are exciting times for dogs. When a dog barks and runs up to the door, barges up to, or jumps on our guests, smelling them and demanding to be pet we usually say ‘oh, that’s just what dogs do!” Then we or our guests reward them with the attention they seek while in the overly excited energy than undermines so many of our training goals. In a sense that is true. I call that ‘the standard dog package.’ Unless we teach our dog otherwise, that is how they are inclined to behave in such a moment. This behavior is so ubiquitous people are used to it, even thinking the dog is excited to see them and taking it as a compliment, rewarding the behavior and ensuring it’s continuity. However, guests with small children, those with injuries, people who are scared of dogs, or are just not dog people will not look forward to coming to your home or even refuse. I know plenty of people who cite an unruly and annoying dog as the reason they won’t go see certain friends.

By guiding your dog, showing them what you want from them in those exciting moments, and ensuring that that becomes the norm through repetition and correction, it’s possible for your dogs to be excited AND still be polite. This moment also provides a perfect opportunity to practice two important concepts ‘impulse inhibition’ and ‘down regulation.’ This means that your dog will be asked to exercise the muscle of self control to help themselves resist engaging in undesirable behaviors as well as practicing going from a very excited state to a calm one.

Usually, when the doorbell rings, we are in a huge rush to get to the door and don’t think about taking a moment to address our dog or use this as a training opportunity. While you work on your dog’s door manners, I recommend asking friends to text or call you when they park, as I do with my clients. I also recommend putting a sign on your door that says, “please give us a moment to answer, we are training our dog.” The more consistent you are, the less time it will take to establish a new norm for greetings.

When you hear the doorbell, call out “one moment” and put your attention on your dog. When you start out teaching good door manners, you will need to put your dog on leash every time the door opens, ideally before the ring or knock. Every time. This is something that is 100% within your control and you are doing your dog a disservice by giving them more freedom than they can handle. Holding your dog’s collar is physically holding your dog back. It’s a way of managing the behavior in that moment, but doesn’t deter it in the future or show your dog what you do want from them. If you find yourself regularly fussing at your dog, but haven’t taken the steps I describe below, isn’t a fair dynamic. They need to have the rules explained and enforced before they can have done anything ‘wrong.’ Read over these notes and imagine how you will apply this system so you will have a plan in place before someone comes over. Literally visualize the process! It’s a huge, huge help.

Begin by asking your guests to text you when they park and have a note on your door that you are training your dog and it may take you a moment to answer. Leash your dog before opening the door every damn time until they have a 90% success rate at calm, polite greetings. If your friend texted to let you know they parked, sit on the couch as if you don’t know anything is about to happen. Verbally or with touches on the leash, let your dog know they are not to bark at the sound of a knock or the doorbell. Shift their focus off the sound and on to you in a way that lets them know you find that response undesirable. Since dogs will always bark at a sound that indicates someone is entering their domain, my rule is that it’s alright if they bark, but once I say stop, they have to stop. Super fair and leaves room for the ‘dog to be a dog’ element.

Approach the door slowly, ideally in a heel with a loose leash, keeping yourself between your dog and the door. Take a few laps down the hallway if necessary, the people outside will survive the wait, they have phones to play with. Ask your dog to stop a few feet back from the door with a verbal cue like ‘wait’ and hand signal or a little pulse on the leash. If they push forward in the door opening process, put them back behind the line you drew in your mind. Feel free to make an actual line with tape if that would help! If you don’t make it clear to your dog you want them to stop, it is natural that they will keep following you all the way up to the door, so this is an important communication on the part of the handler. With your dog locked in place, take a step forward, putting yourself between the dog and the door. With your arms fully spread the length of your wingspan, one arm open back towards the dog and the other arm open to the door knob, pulse on the leash and say ‘wait’ again since we know that hands on door knobs are exciting. Slowly open the door, closing it again if your dog barges forward.

When the door is open, start walking backwards into the house and ask your guests to follow you and come in. Walking with your dog into the house lets them know that asking them to walk with you is more important than concerning themselves with the new person. Yes! This is an important perspective flip! As long as you are meeting your dog’s need for physical and mental stimulation, your guests don’t need to be a high point or pass time for the dog. Your guests are entertainment for you!

Communicate that you are working on door manners and your guests won’t mind, I promise. Be sure to ask your company not to look at, talk to, or touch your dog and to act as if the dog isn’t there. Yes, this will be a disappointment to your dog loving friends. Yes, I know training humans is hard, but insist on it. If they interact with your dog, even by looking or talking at a distance it will make your dog’s task of staying calm much harder. Don’t let anyone punk your pet like that!

Your guest can say hello later on once your dog gets used to them and settles down. The truth is dogs don’t always greet like we do, sometimes they just enter the same space and subtly acknowledge each other - it’s humans who have trained them to greet excitedly because we love that someone is so excited to see us. A dog can smell you well enough, get used to your voice from across the house. There is no need for a direct greeting interaction and I promise their feelings will not be hurt.

Be sure to stay far enough away from your guests that even if the leash was at extension, which it shouldn’t be, it would be impossible for your dog to get close enough to touch or jump on them. If you dog can’t settle, keep walking shapes or simply standing with them across the room while your guests sit. When your dog calms down, sit on a chair away from the couch or on corner of the couch, asking your dog to stay to your side with the leash over the arm of the couch instead of on the couch, leaning or sitting on you, between your legs, under a coffee table or between the couch and coffee table. My rule is that when human legs are using the space, a dog isn’t allowed to walk between the couch and coffee table. There’s plenty of room on the other side to commute around the house!

Guide your dog to stay in the bubble where you want them to land with verbal cues or leash touches, but resist the temptation to ask them to sit or lay down. By using commands you are trying to help your dog get into a calm position possibly faster than they are ready to regulate to. I let a dog settle themselves down by staying in the zone I set for them and away from my guests. When your dog has fully regulated, they will lie down, sometimes lick or sigh, and maybe even nap.

After your dog has calmed down and is lying peacefully, drop the leash to test their state. If your dog leaps up to go greet the guests, they weren’t truly regulated and on board with the ‘don’t greet’ program, which is okay! You will learn over time to read their energy more acutely and they will learn to stay chill. If your dog is regulated and no longer fixated on greeting, now is when you can ask your guest to put a hand down and see if your dog can calmly give them a sniff and get a scratch, staying out of their personal space and off their body and coming back to you and their bubble when you ask.

Unloading from the car

Our dogs sit in the back of the car, whether that is the backseat or the very back of a hatchback. This is for safety, self regulation, as well as impulse inhibition. My dog needs to do their job of being calm and having the self control to not jump up to me, the windows, run side to side or bark at distractions. Hooking a leash around a headrest can help teach your dog to stay put while you are driving, but I don’t recommend a crate if you want your dog to learn how to be in the car calmly. The crate will manage the problem, but it won’t help them learn how to be without it. Sitting in the backseat while someone else drives will also give you more training control at first if your dog is very unruly.

Part of being a good leader is putting yourself first. When you arrive at my destination, it doesn’t matter how excited they are, your dog needs to wait while you get yourself situated. Additionally, you don’t want to let an excited dog out of the car and reward that frantic and impatient energy by giving them what they want. The reward of launching into a new place will encourage that excited energy when you bark and set you up to have a rough start wherever you are. While you get yourself ready to go, say ‘eh-eh’ if your dog is excited, pacing, whining, or barking in the car. Your dog needs to learn that it is okay to be excited, but those are not okay ways of expressing that excitement. Meet a behavior you don’t like with a behavior they don’t like to disincentivize it. This may be different for each dog as well as in different situations or at different excitement levels, so try a few types of pressure. Simply sitting in the car and waiting is a good way to start any adventure, I promise! It’s a mental workout and opportunity to practice that down regulation I keep going on about.

Once you are ready and your dog is calm enough, start to open the door. You want your dog to wait at the edge of the seat so you can get their leash on and look around the area to make sure it’s a good time to exit. Before you unload be ready to ask your to sit and wait on a loose leash once they hop out. I draw a bullseye on the ground in my mind so I know where I want my dog to land and wait.  I say ‘wait’ or ‘easy’ as I open the door. If your dog looks like they are about to pounce or if they make any movement towards the door, I close it enough to make your dog hesitate or back up. “Wow! This door is SO weird! Whenever you move forward, it closes. Do you think that is related? Jeeze, maybe try sitting still and seeing if it opens all the way…”

That is an internal monologue, but your dog will get it from your energy - you want it to feel like this isn’t you being mean or strict, it’s the rules of car doors and you are just the messenger. Be careful not to talk to your dog more than is necessary. Keep tabs on your dog and only say “wait” when they look like the temptation to move forward is starting to cross their mind. It’s always easier to correct a thought than an action! Also, be sure not to hold your dog with eye contact. Look between your dog and the door instead of at your dog directly. Lastly, don’t use your body block the opening. If you are simply in the way, your dog isn’t doing the work of using self control to not jump out and that’s cheating. If that is what’s happening, the moment you move they will launch out. It’s important to step forward to block when your dog starts to move forward and then ease away a few seconds later when you feel your dog is locked in place. You can step back in if needed, but it’s their job to hold themselves in front of the open door.

When you have the car door open and feel that your dog understands they are meant to wait, pick up the end of the leash or step forward to put the leash on if it isn’t already. Again, you want your dog to be calm during this process. If your dog loses their composure, pull your hands away or turn away. “Uh oh, dogs that aren’t holding still don’t get their leash put on! This leash is funny like that… Oh no, now I’m turning away because you are too excited. If you want me to turn back, you better settle down.” This is how you teach your dog what type of energy gets rewarded and what energy moves them further from their goals and desires.

Once the leash is on properly and in your hand, step away from the car door, giving your dog room to make a mistake to be sure they aren’t staying just because you are in their way. This is a great moment to exercise a dog’s self control muscle that you don’t want to miss out on it. If they look like they are about to break or have that ‘race horse in the starting gate’ energy, I sigh, cock my hip to show I’m relaxed, give a little touch on the leash, and say, “gosh, we could be standing here forever!”

Many owners who want to practice a wait will pause, see that the dog’s body is still, then let them launch out. What we will be doing is paying close attention to their energy. The goal is to practice down regulation to get to the bottom landing of that excitement staircase where your dog sighs and says “gosh, we could be standing here forever!” That is a great mindset and the one that I wait for before I reward my dog by exiting the car. Only calm dogs get the good stuff. Really, calming down isn’t too much of a price to pay for the wonderful experiences we regularly go out of our way to give our dogs.

In conclusion

Imagine how different your outing would be if you took a moment at each threshold to wait for your dog to be totally calm? We ask for that calm wait before loading into the car, before unloading from the car, then we wait again on a loose leash after unloading. This regulates them in a new environment, putting the dog to work for you instead of allowing them to begin to look around and build excitement. It also allows you to close the door and lock your car before you start your walk.

The more you ask your dog to be in their thinking brain instead of the impulsive and instinctive brain, the easier it will be for your dog to get to that place in the future. Contrary to what you may think, this isn’t a waste of time that your dog could be exercising. The mental exertion it takes to engage their thinking brain and hold themselves back is exhausting, just like when you have a long, hard day at work and come home tired. Unlike running wild at the park or pulling you on a walk, this type of exercise is geared towards building the balanced dog you want.

The calmer my dog is, the more tuned in and sensitive he will be. This is where the term ‘dog whisperer’ came from! When you take the time to ask your dog to regulate, your dog can respond to incredibly subtle cues, such as a jingle on the leash, a sound like ‘shhh-shhh,’ a stern glance, or a shift of your weight in their direction. It’s amazing!! Having a picture in your mind of how you want those thresholds to look, holding strong to your boundaries, asking your dog to follow your cues to figure out what you’re asking for in those exciting moments, then only rewarding a calm mindset are all ways that you shape your dog’s mentality and create the dog you want.

How to pet a dog

Petting a dog may seem like the most obvious and intuitive thing in the world. Just stick your hand out and scratch them. The truth is that almost daily I see people petting dogs in a way that makes the dogs uncomfortable. In America we LOVE saying hello to each other’s dogs. Bringing a dog in public seems to have been equated with having a therapy dog on duty. People come up from out of nowhere asking to pet them - and that is the best case scenario. I have had people run, actually run, up to my dog, Harley, to pet her, pet her without my knowing it when she’s standing behind me, even pick her up when she’s off leash. I have had parents watch their children surround her when I tied her outside a coffee shop momentarily and chide me for leaving her unattended if I didn’t want such a thing to happen when I came back and expressed that the dog wasn’t comfortable and approaching an unfamiliar and unattended dog wasn’t a great idea. I see people let newly rescued dogs or young puppies be surrounded or passed around. The bar for what dogs in public have to tolerate from us humans is very high, and the bar for us humans learning about what works and doesn’t work for dogs is devastatingly low.

There is a right way and wrong way to greet a dog and if we knew how to do this, our interspecies interactions would almost certainly go better. Learn these tips and be an ambassador for this beloved species that we can keep getting to know more and more deeply.

Ask the owner if they are friendly

It’s important to check in with an owner before you go to interact with a dog. Don’t pet a dog whose owner isn’t paying attention. The dog will feel more comfortable if the owner is watching and is mentally engaged. It’s also important to get verbal permission because dogs that seem friendly aren’t always.

Get into position

Dogs read body language and I have found this posture is the best way to make them feel comfortable. 

• Slightly extend your hand down towards the dog without moving towards them

• Turn to the side so your feet point diagonally away from the dog, 

• Kneel at the knees (preferred) or bend over at the hips so you can quickly stand

• Look down at your hand or between your hand and the dog so you can keep an eye on the dog without directly looking at them

• Keep taking deep breaths and keep your muscles relaxed

Eye contact is polite for primates, but not for dogs. Averting your gaze will make a dog more comfortable, but you must only appear to do so from their perspective. Be sure you are still keeping an eye on the dog so  if they seem uncomfortable you can stand up, move backwards and remove your hand.

Read the dog’s response

• A happy dog who wants to get a pet will sniff your hand, wag its tail and move towards you. Often this sniff is enough of an interaction and I will end it there.

  • If you want to pet the dog, slowly move your hand forward and see if they continue to move towards the interaction.

  • We recommend keeping your hand in the dog’s eyeline and moving towards their shoulder instead of petting them with your hand moving down from above into their blindspot on to the back of their neck, one of the most vulnerable parts of a dog’s body. 

  • Give a quick pet (3-5 seconds) then stand up and take a step back. Always try to end the interaction on a good, calm note, before the dog gets too excited, tries to jump or lean on you, mouth your hand, or pushes further into your space.

  • The focus of this post is on petting in a way that makes a dog comfortable, but remember, even if we pet a dog for our own pleasure, it’s still a reward for the dog. If a dog gets too excited, by continuing to pet them we are rewarding a mindset that leads to behaviors that we don’t want. 

• A hesitant dog may move forward to sniff you while keeping their weight on their hind feet. Their body may be stiff or their tail may move in a low, slow wag.

  • If this is the case you can take a deep, relaxing breath and stay where you are, talking to the owner while keeping an eye on the dog in your peripheral vision. You may choose to stand up and end the interaction to show the dog that you read and respect their discomfort. 

  • Do not move closer or try to pet this dog.

• If you lean down to offer your hand to be smelled and the dog takes a step back or turns their head away, stand up and take a step back. This is respectful and the safest response.

  • A fearful dog will take a step away or move behind their owner, put their hackles up or maybe even curl their lip or growl. These are all the most obvious signals. More subtly, this dog could display whale eye, where you can see the whites of their eye, a tight facial expression, light, shallow breathing and stiff body language. 

  • Not every dog wants to be pet by a stranger and that is okay! Maybe they aren’t feeling well that day, are nervous around new people or are uncomfortable in the environment. 

By reading body language and social cues we know if a person wants to talk to us, shake our hand or is open to receiving a hug. Our dogs also send these cues, but most of us don’t know how to read them or aren’t present enough to respond appropriately.

Because so many dogs are friendly and like to meet or be pet by strangers, we assume that all dogs want to be pet. If the stranger or handler doesn't read a dog’s signals and a bite occurs, it isn’t really the dog’s fault. They likely did their best to convey that they weren’t comfortable and the bite was the final and most obvious signal in a series of signals that weren’t noticed.

Remember, don’t take it personally if a dog doesn’t want to be pet. This isn’t a reflection of you or your worth! Instead be proud of yourself for caring about dogs enough to read and respect their body language.

Like so many things in life, this acceptance is the key! If you show a dog you are tuned in to them and willing to respect their boundaries, they are more likely to relax around you and be willing to interact with you. It could even be a big step for that dog towards trusting humans in general.

Owners, advocate for your dogs in public when it comes to being pet by strangers. This is not an obligation you have by bringing your dog in public. If your dog doesn’t seem comfortable, communicate that clearly and immediately to the humans around you that are trying to interact with your dog. Don’t worry about being rude or being liked, worry about your dog’s comfort and safety. Advocation is one of the best ways to say “I love you” to your dog and be the trusted companion they need you to be.

How to prepare your dog for baby

The Naked Dog has a special protocol for getting your dog ready for your newborn to arrive! If you are expecting to be expecting anytime during the life of your dog, it isn't too soon to start laying the foundation you'll need to make your dog a great big sibling!

Bringing a baby into the family is a very special time. The house is full of love and wonderment for this new tiny human. Your dog is also going to be very interested in this new addition. Its important to establish safe boundaries with your dog so they know that the baby requires respect and space. The purpose of this class is to help show you how to implement boundaries and personal space, practice calm walking with the stroller, claiming your babies scent, introducing your dog to the baby and keeping all interactions calm.

Boundaries and Personal Space

• Your space is important, no sitting on you or leaning on you.

• Dog must be able to back away when asked.

• Have a good “go to your bed” or “place” command

• No dogs in the nursery

• No following you around the house when you go form room to room (anxious energy).

• Must stay put in the vehicle, no running from window to window.

• No jumping on you!

Making Everything on Your Terms

• Showing your dog that your the leader of the pack (family unit)

• “Sit” and “Wait” for; Food, Doorways in and out, Exiting the crate, loading and unloading from the vehicle.

• Petting and cuddles is on your terms, no letting your dog force cuddles on you.

• No jumping up on the couch or bed unless invited up, if they jump on their own they have to get down and lose that privilege for a while. This is important! Don't want your dog accidentally jumping on the baby!

Walking with the Stroller Before Baby Arrives

• No Pulling on leash!

• No walking in front of or beside the stroller, must stay back behind handle bars with you.

• Do not clip dogs leash to the stroller, have leash looped in your hand.

• Know where your stroller brakes are and get comfortable using them quickly.

• The more you can practice with the stroller before baby the better! Lets your dog feel like part of the pack (family) when yall all get to go on walks together.

Claiming Your Babies Scent

• Done the day before baby comes home.

• Receiving blanket or swaddle blanket, something with mom and babies scent is best but at least it needs to have the babies scent on it.

• Dog must be calm for this interaction and shouldn't sniff if too excited.

• Sniff from a distance first, if your dog is calm than reward with a “good, ‘dogs name’” and a “good, easy” or “good, calm”

• We want this to be a happy experience but not an overly excited one so the dog understands this is a good smell but calm.

• Only touch sniff for a few seconds if your dog is behaving calmly and reward the calm. No touch sniff if they are pushing you to smell and especially no licking the blanket (If too hyped then go for a walk and try again for a calm sniff after).

• After a minute or so then take the and put it away and out of reach of the dog, keeping the mindset of “this is mine and you must respect it”.

• After they got a good sniff and behaved well for it than take your dog for a good walk or fetch session, something rewarding and that they enjoy.

The Day Baby Comes Home

• Have Help for this one! - Get your dog out on a nice long walk or hike, really get them tired and relaxed before you get home. This is where a family member, trusted dog walker, or friend comes in handy.

• Dad goes in to greet the dog first, keep the energy calm, let out to potty if need be, mom and baby are waiting patiently in the car.

• Dad and Mom trade places so mom can greet dog alone first, this will be exciting for your dog so really try and nurture the calm energy. Your dog will realize that things have changed right away by the way you smell. (Dogs are very intuitive and have great senses of smell when it comes to pheromones)

• Mom puts dog on leash

• Dad brings baby inside while mom keeps dog calm by walking around dad and baby until dog shows total calmness. (This might take a little bit, and that's ok!)

• Keep striving for and nurturing the calm energy

• Once dog is calm then he can have a sniff greeting of babies feet while your saying “easy” and “good, ‘dogs name” nice and slow and low tone of voice.

• No Licking! (especially no hands or face licks at this newborn stage)

• Keep these first interactions short and peaceful. Once dog as had a good feet sniff then walk away again, showing dog that baby needs space. After a few minutes they can have another little sniff once baby is out of car seat.

• Your dog can drag the leash around for a first day if that helps to be able to quickly stop any pushy greetings.

• This is where having that solid “go to your bed” or “place” command really helps, ask your dog to give you and baby space and be able to watch from a distance.

Don’t Forget About The Dog

• The first few weeks with baby is an especially exhausting time for mom who is recouping and recovering, have help with your dog already lined up.

• Daily walks, fetch sessions, or play toys is important to help keep your dog exercised and not feeling like they have been replaced. Again this is where family or friends and a trusted dog walker can come in handy!

• Once mom is up to it, a stroller walk is a great way to make the dog feel like they are part of the pack(family), and since you have been practicing with the stroller this is not a new experience for your dog so that added stress is now not a problem.

Boundaries and Personal Space for the Baby

• No dogs in nursery.

• No dogs between you and the baby, it should always go “You- Baby- Dog” or “Baby- You- Dog”

• Watch for signs of dog taking ownership of baby; laying next to all the time and following around house, growling or being reactive to new situations or people around baby.

• When it comes to photos of baby with dog; 1) Always be present. 2) Don’t force it on dog if they look uncomfortable.

Helpful Tips

• Get a sign for the door, “Please do not knock or ring bell, sleeping baby, call or text if important”

• Easy to order one off Amazon or Etsy, lots of cute options!

• Let any company who want to come visit the baby know to text you when they arrive so you can make sure to get dog situated and calm for interaction.

• If your worried your dog will bark at the sound of a crying baby try finding a video on youtube of a crying baby and play the video for your dog, correct any barking or unwanted behavior.

• Lastly, Haley is available for private sessions to help with any dog issues before or after baby arrives, just reach out!

How to go on a great walk

Going on a walk is one of the most quintessential parts of dog ownership. Walks are usually a dog’s only source of good exercise and we at The Naked Dog prefer walking in a neighborhood or on a trail to running wild at a dog park. 

Walks expose dogs to the sights and smells of the world. Dog’s get to sniff around and check up on what is going on in the neighborhood since their last pass by that area. The yard can create a fishbowl effect, ramping dogs up even more and encouraging instinctive behaviors like squirrel chasing, alarm barking and fence fighting. A walk allows a dog to go on a journey and return home.

Walks are also amazing training opportunities! When owners call us with an issue, we always recommend more walks and exercise as part of the training solution. On a walk, a dog gets the opportunity to enjoy the world, but also has to be a good teammate by staying tuned into the handler and exercising patience when asked to, such as when walking out of the door, past another dog, or when they are asked to stand still during a poo clean up, or while chatting with a neighbor.

If we have not shown our dog what is expected from them on a walk, they will default to behavior that comes naturally to them. Not knowing how to guide a dog to be a wonderful walking companion, many people waterski behind a dog that is pulling, barking, dragging to smells or losing his mind with excitement when passing another dog. This behavior can be unpleasant for us and the result is that they get walked less. By becoming a good teacher to your dog and guiding them  towards the behavior you want and away from the behavior you don’t, you can make your walks enjoyable and use them as a learning experience.

WALK GUIDELINES 

Going for a walk should be your  idea: If your dog is soliciting a walk, wait until they are calm to initiate the walk routine.  This includes tasks such as putting on my shoes or getting the leash.

Don’t chase your dog: If they can’t sit calmly while you put on the leash,put the leash down and try again once they calm down. Take a deep breath and wait. Once your dog sees that jumping around isn’t working, they will get their brain in gear and try something else, like sitting or standing still. Then that behavior can be rewarded by the leash moving closer. The patience will pay off and your dog will realize being calm is the way to get out of the door. 

The Mendota Slip leash:  The leash we recommend must be positioned properly. The leash should be as high as possible on your dog’s neck, right behind the ears and right behind the back of the jaw. Pull down any extra neck skin or long hair to make sure the leash is flush on the neck. Tighten the leather stopper so only one finger can fit into the loop to ensure the leash doesn’t have room to slip down.

Leash Technique: Because the leash is positioned on a sensitive part of the neck, be diligent to not hold steady pressure. Default to having slack in the leash so it looks like a letter J or a sloppy S. If the leash is straight, apply ‘pulse pressure’ on it until your dog moves closer or stops pulling on the leash. This does two things, it makes it uncomfortable for your dog to pull, and it engages their brain making it easier to hold their attention. 

• Touches on the leash should always be used in conjunction with your voice, body language, movement, sounds, and your body position. The leash is one tool in our toolbox and should be part of a bigger conversation.

The moment the leash goes on, the walk begins! You should walk calmly to the door without your dog pulling you. It’s okay to walk back and forth a few times in the hallway to get it right. You are setting the tone for the walk and every step, even inside, counts towards your total distance.

• A dog who pulls to the door won’t be able to get there since pulling will be met with a leash correction or change of direction. After a few tries, your dog will become mentally engaged, changing the tone of your walk before it begins!

Set a boundary at the door: Position your dog so you are between them and the door, say ‘wait,’ once, and then open the door. I can ‘pulse’ with the leash, but not hold, otherwise you are doing your dog’s work for them. Wait  in front of an open door until your  dog relaxes. When you do step out,ask your dog to wait again near the doormat. You want to be able to close and lock the door without being pulled on and you want to make sure your dog does not lose focus and mentally start the walk without you.

Project Leadership: From the beginning of the walk. Have a vision of the route you want to take, how you  want your dog to behave. Exude a calm, confident energy, walking with a sense of purpose and direction instead of wandering aimlessly or letting your dog guide you. Picking visual points to walk to will help you stay on target and give you confidence that your dog will feed off of. 

• The great thing about having plans is that they can always change! Adjust as you go as your circumstances change.

Stay Present: Remain attentive and continuously scan the environment for possible distractions. This has the benefit of giving you a chance to see a potential distraction before or at the same time that your dog does.

• Inwardly, you want to remain very aware of my dog, watching your dog in your peripheral vision and feeling your dog through the leash. Outwardly, you want your dog to be glancing up to you and witnessing you observing the environment.

Enforce the ‘Heel’ command: Ask your dog to stay within one foot of your knee or ankle, ideally keeping their nose or ear in line with your leg. It’s very important to give your dog the job of staying in a heel,showing them where you want them. You can do this by applying pressure if they go out of the heel zone.

•  If your dog pulls on the leash, swing your foot out to block them in front or ‘touch’ their rump in back. 

• Do the lightest leash correction you think will get a response, or use ‘weird walking’ techniques (changing direction, walking in circles, going backwards, changing pace, stopping and starting).

Dealing with Distractions: If you see a distraction (dog, bike, jogger, child) coming or sense your dog is getting distracted or activated, I do a light ‘pulsing’ correction, taking the slack out of the leash or using a ‘bouncing’ pressure to bring their attention back to you. The earlier you can catch a distraction, the lighter touch you can use. This tells your dog ‘I see that too and it isn’t a problem’ so you can walk on.

If your dog starts being reactive: Stay calm and continue walking, applying a variety of corrections to see what combination of cues at what pressure will yield a result. These include sounds or commands, touching the leash, foot taps, my voice, body language, movements, and energy. If you were to stop walking, your dog would have time to focus on what is distracting them and therefore become more reactive. 

• This is counterintuitive so you will need to retrain yourself to always keep moving if something starts to go wrong.

Greeting Others: This only happens if your dog is willing or able to calmly walk past. Early in the leash training process, if your dog is able to walk by calmly, you may want to wait until you completely pass  the other dog and then loop back, or ask the other owner to wait. 

• If your dog can stay calm on the approach and both dogs (and owners) look willing to allow a greeting, approach the other dog only if your dog can do so calmly and without pulling. Read our article on reading and greeting another dog for more on this.

Stopping to Smell: Our dogs have amazing noses! They do not need to drag their nose as they walk or dive-bomb a smell to get a good whiff. If your dog drags you towards a smell, do not reward this behavior by stopping. You want your dog to sniff and enjoy the world, but at a time that is good for both of you and when they have politely indicated they’d like to. This is possible! I know it can be hard to believe.

• Throughout the walk, note when your dog seems like he wants to pull over. First ask them to continue walking nicely, then offer them a spot to ‘sniff sniff’ or ‘go potty’. You want your dog to enjoy nature and the world outside my house, but make sure your dog is not dragging you during the sniff time, and instead you can walk together nicely to find a spot of interest.  If he doesn’t seem interested in sniffing, we pick up the leash, go back into a heel, and walk on.

Back to the house: The same as leaving the house, your dog should be calm before you let them off leash. Ask your dog to sit and wait at the door and allow you to remove the leash before you release them and the walk ends. Getting back home can be exciting, too! 

Walking in this way gives your dog the job of staying tuned into you and in a heel, even with distractions. This calm, slow, mindful kind of walk will be more tiring than a fast, impulsive, distracted one because it provides mental exercise in addition to the physical - just like how a long day at work with little movement can be exhausting. It also reinforces a calm, respectful mindset and creates opportunities to practice impulse inhibition. It isn’t about preventing your dog from enjoying what the world outside the house has to offer as much as being sure that we are practicing good manners and reinforcing a calm, obedient mindset instead of an impulse driven one.

Happy trails and get your dogs out there! Any dog can walk nicely, we swear, but part of the trick is instilling good manners at home.

How to politely greet guests at the door

Comings and goings are exciting times for dogs. When a dog barks and runs up to the door, barges up to, or jumps on our guests, while smelling them and asking to be pet we usually say ‘oh, that’s just what dogs do!” In a sense, that is true. I call that the standard package. Unless you teach your dog otherwise, that is how they are inclined to behave in such a moment.

This behavior is so ubiquitous that people consider it the norm. We even think the dog is excited to see us personally and take it as a compliment. However, guests with children, with injuries, who are scared of dogs, who are not dog-people or who are dog trainers (ahem) will not look forward to coming to your home if they are bombarded in this way. Guests with dogs who don’t do this will judge you for not having training or controlling your dog and being oblivious to the problem. Some poeple will never come back. Honestly. People tell me stories about friends whose houses they refuse to go to because of an annoying dog.

Cassie waiting patiently for me to open the door from out of the entry way

It is possible for your dog to be excited, but still be polite. You can teach your dog how to do this by guiding them in the exciting moments, showing them what you want from them, and ensuring that becomes the norm through repetition and correction. This also provides a perfect opportunity to practice two important concepts ‘impulse inhibition’ and ‘down regulation.’ This means that your dog will be asked to exercise the muscle of self control in order to help them resist engaging in undesirable behaviors and be asked to go from a very excited state to a calm one. Practice makes perfect so if it’s hard or messy at first don’t give up.

Usually, when the doorbell rings, we are in such a rush to get to the door we don’t think about using this moment as a training opportunity. While you work on your dog’s door manners, I recommend that you put a sign on your door that says, “please give us a moment to answer, we are training our dog.” The more consistent you are, the less time it will take to establish a new norm for greetings.

When I hear the doorbell, I call out “one moment” and put my attention on my dog. When you start out teaching good door manners, you will need to have your dog on leash. Holding your dog’s collar means holding your dog back and preventing the behavior in that moment, but it doesn’t deter that undesirable behavior in the future or show your dog what you do want. Fussing at your dog when you haven’t explained what you are looking for isn’t a fair training approach. Read over these instructions so you will have a plan in place before someone comes over.

Print out this sign!

Tape it on your door and breathe a sigh of relief. Now you don’t need to rush to open the door before your dog is calm and under control.

Here is your step by step guide for when guests arrive

Ask for a heads up from guests: Talk about your training plan to get guests on board before they arrive. Ask them to let you know when they are on the way and then give you another call or text when they park. When your company is 5-10 minutes out, put the leash on and chill, as if you don’t know something is about to happen. Make sure your body language an energy is very ‘chill at home’ and not ‘guest prep.’ The house is clean enough, I promise. Putting the leash on after the doorbell rings or picking it up once your dog is already activated sets you up for failure, especially early in the training process first.

After you get the ‘we have arrived’ text, don’t let on to your dog that something is happening until the doorbell rings. We are trying to mimic life without the prep work so if you head to the door before someone knocks that is very ‘never going to happen again’ so it isn’t useful as a training strategy. Let’s be real, you are just trying to short cut the barking, you cheater you! I get it, but I also go you. Let’s fix it together.

Immediately take charge: Bring that boss energy!! Let your dog know that you have GOT THIS. Know what behaviors you want (dog quiet in a heel on leash behind you waiting to take cues) and what you don’t (barking, pulling, whining, excitement peeing, rushing to the door, running in circles).

Deter barking: Verbally or with touches on the leash, let your dog know they are not to bark at the sound of a knock or the doorbell. At first you may need to become bigger and louder than you’d like, moving in to their space and gesticulating, but it’s all an act, a strategy to shift your dog’s focus off the door and on to you, because damn, you looking ferocious. (Disclaimer: no ferocious actions need to be taken, this is performance art for the purpose of dog training.)

• When your dog stops barking and brings their attention to you, take a deep breath as you shift back into your normal energy and body language. If they go back, you go back, but if they stay calm, then you can start navigating towards the door.

• It’s also going to be good for you to try and differentiate if your dog is barking because they are excited or if they are protective. What this article describes is ‘spot correcting’ by just addressing this one training situation, but my training approach is successful because it’s holistic. If your dog is excited, you want to do lesson 5 of my eCourse on impulse inhibition. If they are protective, focus on lesson 2, which addresses the foundation of your relationship and how your dog sees you. Everyone will benefit from lesson 3 and 5! Both of these states are stressful for your dog and teaching them to be good for company doesn’t address the root cause.

Move slowly: Approach the door slowly, ideally in a heel with a loose leash, keeping yourself between your dog and the door. If your dog is pulling, turn and walk away from the door until they come willingly, then try again. If you are dragging your dog or if their focus is on the door, you aren’t ready to turn around and move towards it again. I don’t care if you need to walk circles around the couch or literally go into your backyard. They decide when it’s long or far enough, not you.

• Once your dog is mentally with you, start moving towards the door again. At first this may take a while, but every time you stick with it and get your dog truly chill before moving forward, it will go faster and faster in the future.

Set a clear expectation: Don’t go on autopilot and get in a hurry when you are close to the door! Let your dog know to stop a few feet back from the door with a verbal cue like ‘stay’ or ‘wait’ and a little pulse on the leash like you are tapping the breaks. Don’t hold tension on the leash to keep your dog in place. That’s cheating.

• If you don’t make it clear to your dog that you want them to stop, it is natural that they will keep following you all the way up to the door, so this is an important communication to give. You want your dog to stop far enough back so you can open the door, but don’t ask them to stop too far back so the leash doesn’t reach when you move forward to grab the handle. If you have a rug as a marker, that is great. Also consider some painter’s tape so you both have a visual marker of where your dog has to wait.

• You also 100% need to practice this every time you go out a door and not just when company comes over because this is a terrible moment to introduce this skill. Luckily you all walk your dogs once to twice a day (right?) so you can get plenty of practice. Heck, practice every hour on the hour if you want! You’ll be surprised how quickly it will become normal.

Opening the door

• With your dog locked in place, take a step forward towards the door, never letting your dog enter the space between you and the door

• Fully expand your wingspan with one arm open back towards your dog and the other arm open to the door knob, ‘pulse’ on the leash and say ‘wait’ again since you know that hands on door knobs are exciting. Sometimes I’ll do a little test turn so the door makes the sound and see if that causes my dog to jump out of place. If so, back them up and start over. If not, continue.

• Slowly open the door, closing it again if your dog barges forward. Once the door is open, wait a beat with no pressure on the leash, but keep it short enough to not give your dog room to get closer to your guest if they do get over excited and try to lunge.

• After a beat (don’t try to beat the clock, but also don’t wait too long and over challenge your dog) walk into the house and ask your guest to let themselves in, close the door and follow you in to the living area or wherever you want to visit.

The start of your visit

The work isn’t done yet! The entry process is complete when your dog is calm, not when your guest comes inside. If you are reading this article, you know exactly what I mean.

If I wanted to open the door, I would ask these sweet pups to back up so I could address my company and keep them calm

• Stand far enough away to where it’s physically impossible for your dog to jump on anyone given the length of the leash, which you will also be holding shorter than where the handle is, but not so short that there is tension. If there is any tension on the leash, you are physically holding your dog back. That is cheating and they aren’t learning. Correct, don’t restrict.

• Ask your guest not to look at, talk to, or touch your dog until they are ready (ie till your dog doesn’t care anymore).

• Have your guests sit far enough away to not over challenge your dog and you sit on the end of a couch or on a chair where your dog can lie on the floor near you, but not be on you. No dogs between couches and coffee tables and definitely 1000% not on the furniture.

• Don’t ask your dog to do anything but stay in a space bubble you set that is close enough to not strain the leash, but not so close they are on you. You will see them sit, down, then fully relax on their own. Giving commands is a cheat - just ask them to not pull, bark, whine or climb on you. It doesn’t matter what position they are in.

• When your dog finally fully regulates (sigh, fully down with flopped hips and head on the ground, relaxed muscles, falling asleep) then you can ask your guests if they would like to greet your dog. Have them put their hand down with their arm straight so the dog has no reason to enter their personal space. Let your dog smell their hand, but not get closer to them or flip their hand for more pets, and pull back if their energy and excitement escalates. After a quick scratch (10 seconds tops. Seriously.) call your dog back to you and ask them to stay in the bubble again.

• Once back in their spot will regulate faster now that they know their job and you can try dropping the leash. If they immediately perk up and head for the guests, no big deal! Grab the leash again and keep them on the rest of the visit or try again later.

• If your dog is really struggling, stand up to have a more ‘in charge’ body position, walk back and forth or practice commands to give your dog a task, get their bed to put by your chair as a cue that you want them to relax in that spot, grab a toy to give them an outlet for their excited energy (not to play with, nothing squeaky), walk out of the room and back, take them to potty and come back, crate them if you really have to and take them out again once they have time to relax (this will not be a good plan if your dog is in the crate whining, barking and freaking out.)

If a mistake happens along the way, that is no problem! Learning happens over time and mistakes are great opportunities for reminders and clear communication. Learning what ‘calm’ looks like is a process and you won’t get it right away. After 15 years I still get it wrong sometimes! Our eCourse covers how to lay the foundation for a calm dog that you can communicate with. You will find life will be so much easier when your dog can calmly greet guests, and I guarantee your company will be impressed as well.

How to correctly put on the Mendota slip lead

The Mendota 4’ x  3/8” slip lead is the only leash we use with our dogs and our clients. This leash is soft but strong, comfortable to hold, and, most importantly, can be positioned on a part of our dog’s neck that they will be most responsive to.

Most of us have tried a leash clipped to a collar, but dogs are comfortable pulling from the base of their neck and it can be harder to communicate with them through the leash. On the trails, or where there are high distractions, and possible threats, we don’t like fumbling around looking for the clip and hoping we don’t accidentally clip the leash to the ID tag ring.

We also don’t like using a harness because those aren’t really designed for walking dogs. Think of the animals that wear harnesses - they all do the same job. Carriage horses, plow oxen, and sled dogs all pull! Then we put a harness around our dog’s body and can’t understand why they pull on us. It is called opposition reflex, and well, we just made it comfortable for them! A harness also offers very little control over my dog. If something were to go wrong, my only move is to back up as quickly as I can because everything in front of my dog’s shoulders are in front of my realm of influence.

How about ‘no pull’ chest or face contraptions? They can help because they make it uncomfortable for my dog to pull. If I tied your shoelaces together, you would have a hard time walking. Once we put them back, you would go back to walking as you used to. Same with these devices. They may help in the moment, but instead of teaching a dog not to pull they simply temporarily disable them.

 The Mendota Slip Lead

Enter Mendota! We are not sponsored (I wish we were!), we just really love this leash. The 4’ leash is the perfect length - we don’t really want our dog more than 4’ from us in situations that require a leash and the 3/8” width is comfortable in our hands and allows us to talk to our dog because of the limited surface area. This leash is a game changer when it comes to teaching dogs the skill of loose leash walking or dealing with reactivity. We used to encourage our training clients to buy one, now we give them out at the first session!  The slip lead design gives us the security of knowing that there is no way for our dog to slip out of it the way they can with some collars and harnesses. The best part is supporting a great company. If the leash needs repairs, you can send it back to Mendota and they will repair and return it at no cost.

CORRECT PLACEMENT

To begin, make sure your dog is calm before you leash them. It takes a moment to get the leash positioned while you are still learning to put it on. Make sure the loop is large enough to fit comfortably over your dog’s head and hold the ring and leather stopper in one hand to be sure it doesn’t slip down and change shape as you are putting it on your dog.

Slip the loop over your dog’s head and keep it above the ID collar at the top of their neck. 

*Some dogs don’t like the motion of a hand going into their blindspot, so you may want to hold their collar with your other hand, helping to keep them still. 

*If you dog doesn’t love having the loop put on. Hold the loop in front of them and give them a treat as you move it towards them. One or two sessions of that and they will love the leash!

When I put the leash on, I make sure it is at the very top of their neck. Right behind the ears…

And right behind the jaw. The top of the neck is the most sensitive and I want to be able to touch lightly and get a response.

Keeping the leash in place, slide the leather stopper down. The stopper is supposed to be tight so it stays in place. You will get the hang of sliding it up and down.

Tighten the loop almost all the way, then circle your finger around your dog’s neck, making sure that all their hair is flush and any extra neck skin has been pulled down below the leash.

Now you can tighten the leash. After nudging it back up into position, high up on their neck, and right behind their ears and jaw, slide the stopper so it is snug. You want to be able to fit only one finger in the loop. 

If your dog is uncomfortable, you may have made the leash too tight. Pull the stopper back a fraction of an inch. Think of this leash like a belt, if it’s too loose it won’t do its job. You may have to stop along the walk to readjust, but putting it on properly is the best way to start.

When you are ready to take your leash off, pinch the leash on the far side of the ring. You don’t want to pull against your dog’s neck while you slide the stopper back.

Position your finger about 1” down from the ring to give yourself a little room to get your other hand between the ring and stopper. Sometimes it can help to fold the leash backwards on itself, exposing a bit of space to pinch.

Once you have your finger between the ring and leather stopper, drag your fingers backwards, towards the handle of the leash. The stopper is tight, so pinching on the other side will keep your dog comfortable. I like to put my fingers in front of the stopper, but you can also put them on the stopper or drag it with your fingernails.

In our training series we cover the cues we give to teach loose leash walking. Ideally, we can walk our dog with slack in the leash, keeping our dog’s attention and having them do the job of staying in a heel. 

Dogs that are fun to walk get walked more! It’s worth taking the time to teach this important skill.

You can order your Mendota leash and check out a few of our other favorite products here.

How to potty train your dog: a very thorough guide to housebreaking

Taking the time to properly housebreak your puppy is one of the most important things you can do! Whether from a breeder or from a shelter, it’s likely your dog has only had the experience of going potty inside or on man made surfaces. Transitioning to a new home is the perfect opportunity to change where your dog understands they are meant to use the bathroom. As is always my feeling with dogs, it’s easier to get out on the right foot than to make mistakes and spend time undoing them. 

Download our potty training sheet here.

• In the style of potty breaking I teach, if your dog has an accident, think of it as your fault versus theirs. Your puppy has no idea where they are supposed to eliminate. All they know is that when they have to go, the emptying of their bladder or bowels feels great! Mission accomplished. They walk away happy, leaving the mess behind where it doesn’t affect their life. Because housebreaking is something you need your dog to learn, it’s up to you to take the time and give your dog the guidance they need to get with the potty program.

How We Do It

-My program involves three different stages: Free time, Restricted time and Lock Down. After your dog potties, they get some free time in the house. When enough time has passed and I’m no longer positive that they are safe from potential accidents, I put them on restricted time. 

Restricted time can look like:

-Being in a puppy pen

-Tethering a leash to a heavy piece of furniture

-Looping a leash around your foot or wrist or clipping to a belt loop - known as an umbilical leash

-Being in a room with you if you can actively watch them - really watch them, not just sort of watch them while you focus on something else

-Or, going in their crate

Depending on where you are in building your dog’s bladder control, they can go out after free time or after a little while of restricted time. We are trying to build their bladder control, but not allow it to go past capacity. Having your dog in your sight while on restricted time will allow you to notice the signals of having to go and get your pup outside right away. 

If you are unable to watch your pup, go straight from free time to lock down in a crate until the next potty break! Two hours tends to be a good guide for most puppies, but adjust the timeline in accordance with their feeding schedule, water intake, vigorous play or waking up from a heavy nap. You should take your pup out after every big shift in energy.

How Do You Know If Your Pup Needs To Go?

A puppy won’t be able to cue you the way an adult dog may, so don’t expect a formal invitation from your dog to go outside. With puppies, start to go on alert when your dog:

-wakes up from a nap

-stops play

-starts to sniff or move towards carpet

-circles

-goes into a squat

-wanders into another room or around a corner

Do your best to preempt an accident by bringing your dog outside before anything can go wrong. Usually, if your dog does have to go and you bring them outside and cue the potty, they will go within a few minutes.

 How Long To Stay Outside

It can be tempting to stay outside until your dog goes, but this can be trouble in the long term. You want your dog to know that they only have a short window to use the bathroom instead of holding their bladder as leverage to stay outside longer. This can really get you in trouble when you are in a hurry to leave the house and need your pup to go so you can go. 

Limit each potty break to 5 minutes and keep poty walks under 15 minutes. If your dog doesn’t go, they can hang out in their crate and you can try again in 10 to 30 minutes. By keeping each break short, your dog learns that they need to take this chance to go or else they will be stuck with a full bladder. 

Getting With The Program

Potty training begins first thing in the morning. When you wake up, immediately take your dog outside. This will be known as zero hour. 

If possible, try to have your pup walk instead of being carried. This can be tricky in apartment complexes or anywhere that they will have a chance to squat and potty along the way. 

Leashing from the crate to the yard is a good idea to help your dog hustle outside without squatting in the house. You should always try to use the leash in pulses, giving your dog the opportunity to follow along of their own volition instead of dragging them with steady pressure. This will help your dog figure out that when they trot along with you, the pressure goes away and therefore encourages more of that behavior in the future.

Cue The Potty

Go outside with your dog and use your cue word to indicate this is the time to eliminate. I like ‘go potty’ because it has a unique cadence and can be said in a sing-song voice. 

Have your dog on leash, even in a fenced yard, because then you can touch the leash to encourage your pup to stay focused on the task and keep sniffing around to find a spot instead of looking around or sniffing the air or playing with a leaf or chasing a butterfly - you get it, puppies are cute. When you are on a potty mission, pinch the very tip of the leash handle and follow along with your dog, keeping the leash slack.  You want them to have the space to explore and find that perfect potty spot, as long as  don’t drag you or dive bomb into a smell,

How Much Is Enough

Your dog will likely pee first. Over time you will get used to how much your dog pees so you can tell if it’s a mark, a partial pee or a full bladder empty. Ideally, first thing in the morning, you get the full bladder. After the pee, reward your pup, but do it in a way that will allow them to stay focused on doing a full system empty and get a poo in, too. Not every dog wants to poo first thing in the morning. Give your dog 5-10 minutes of walking and sniffing around to have a chance to go.

When you go back inside, you should be pretty sure your dog is empty and won’t eliminate while you are feeding breakfast. If you suspect that your dog isn’t empty, keep them on restricted time when you come back in. This could mean being on the leash, in a crate or in a sectioned off part of the house, ideally without carpet.  If you feel confident your dog is empty, they can have free time! You want your dog to start associating going potty outside, with being free to have fun inside.

A Sample Schedule

7:00am Wake up

7:00-7:10 Outside, ideally pee and poo

7:10 Feed breakfast at this time

7:15 Take a trip outside right away

7:30-7:40 Another potty break if your pup didn’t go

7:40-8:40 Free time if empty or restricted time if he didn’t 

8:40 Potty break - record when he goes and what in your potty journal!

8:45-9:30 Free time

9:30-10:30 Restricted time

10:30-10:40 Potty break

10:40 - If he goes, free time, if not ask him to kennel up

10:55-11:00 Potty break, no potty

11:00-11:15 Kennel with water

11:15-11:20 Potty break, potty!

11:20-12:30 Free time!

Hopefully this gives you an idea of what to do. After a potty, your dog gets free time. When they are not 100% safe, they go on restricted time or go escorted outside. If they potty, great! Back to free time. If not, they should go in the kennel. We want your pup to associate not going potty when taken outside with being put in the kennel and going potty with getting to be free to have fun in the house!

Learning Your Pup’s Timeline

It takes time to learn your dog’s body language, cues, schedule and preferences. Don’t worry that it takes some time to get to know them. That is totally normal! The potty schedule will help you stay on track so you are giving your pup plenty of chances to go,and you are keeping them contained when you are worried they need to go, but haven't yet.

 Keeping a potty journal will help you see how often your pup is going so you can adjust your schedule to their current bladder capacity. Luckily, as your dog grows, so will their bladder and the space between potty breaks gets longer and longer. For your adult dog, you should try and get them out every 4-6 hours, after a nap, or after getting home if they exercised and drank while you were out.

Rewarding Potties

It’s a great idea to use treats, physical affection, and verbal praise to make going potty outside as fun and exciting as possible. This is a place where you can throw your dog a parade! Make going outside the BEST thing. 

It can be hard to grab a treat on the way outside, especially if you are in a hurry, so keep a sealed and hard-sided container of treats by the door. Ideally, you are putting a treat in your dog’s mouth within 3 seconds of when they finish going. If you don’t have a treat, praise, pet, and play with your voice, touch and energy. Getting low, making high pitched sounds, and running around while they join in are all happy and exciting. 

Punishing Accidents?

Dogs do not understand punishment, but dogs do understand an in-the-moment consequence. If you find an accident, do not rub your dog’s nose in it or bring them over and spank them. They won’t be able to put together that the bad part was before, when they created that mess. This is where your schedule with free time and restricted time comes in! It’s on you if they sneak off and got an accident in.

The best thing is to prevent any accidents and teach your dog right away going potty happens outside. The next best thing is if you can catch your dog in the act. If you see your dog going potty inside, you want to make it unpleasant and a little scary. The association with going potty inside should be a bad one. You want to run up on my dog quickly and loudly yelling “NOOOOOO” then scoop them up or lead them outside by the collar as fast as you can. If you were fast enough, they should still have some pee left and finish going outside, for which you will then reward them. 

Preventing Accidents

Your pup waking up, stopping playing or walking out of sight are all things that should set your alarm off to go watch them, call them back, or get them outside. It takes time to develop that sensitivity and sixth sense. 

Having a collar with a bell or a thin leash on in the house will help get your attention when your pup is on the move. 

Don’t leave your dog alone out of the crate. 

Pick up all rugs that can come up for at least a month or until your pup is pretty solid on being able to hold his bladder and knowing where the bathroom is. Rugs are great to go on because they absorb the urine, whereas hard floors splatter and spread onto your pup’s toes. 

Cleaning Accidents

The same way we know where the bathroom is because it’s the tiled room with porcelain furniture, your dog knows the bathroom by scent. This is why it’s important to clean pee stains by fully sopping up as much urine as you can with paper towels then soaking the area with an enzyme dissolving cleanser like Nature’s Miracle. It is very important to erase the potty smell so your dog doesn’t start to associate that spot with bathroom activities. Even poo stains need a scrub with Nature’s Miracle. Antibacterial spray is good, but it won’t dissolve all those enzymes and our dogs have much more sensitive noses than we do.

Using the Crate

Most crates come with a puppy divider to gradually increase the size of your crate as your dog grows. This is so your puppy doesn’t have a mansion of a crate where one corner can be the bathroom and they can walk to the other side to get away from their mess. 

Most dogs won’t want to mess where they sleep, so being in just enough space to spread out and lay flat is a good way to dissuade them from going in their crate. 

Again, if you find an accident after the fact, it’s too late to correct them for it. Just take them outside and wash the bedding. Dog bedding is a privilege, not a necessity. It can be a good idea to start with a cheap towel instead of jumping in with a luxury sheepskin crate pad right away. If you dog messes in the crate a few times, leave them in there with no bedding so there is nothing to absorb the pee. Just like how your dog happily naps on the floor, they won’t find a plain crate as offensive as we do. Bedding is a privilege they can earn by holding theri bladder in the crate. 

Limiting Water

It’s a good idea to monitor your dog’s water intake. For new puppies, limiting water in the evening to help them sleep through the night is very helpful. 

I advise doing a 3-meal schedule where dinner is fed around 5/6pm. Dogs need water to hydrate their kibble, so be sure that as your puppy eats they have full access to water for about an hour to an hour and half. After that, pick up the water, giving them three chances to drink before bed. Only let them have a few sips, the way you drink when you go on a road trip. 

While your puppy is housebreaking and crate training, you have to do what you can to help them gain bladder control. If your dog doesn’t know they will be contained for 6-8 hours while you sleep, they will drink to their heart’s content then need to go in the middle of the night. Limiting water will help them have a manageable amount in their bladder so they can start to sleep through the night. 

If you are worried they aren’t getting enough water, lifting the skin on the back of their neck is a good hydration test. If the skin quickly slips back into place, they are well hydrated. If it stays peaked and is slow to slide down, they need more water. Water restricting at night should not be dehydrating. Be sure you are finding the balance between enough water and too much water.

Visiting Friends

When going over to someone else’s house, it’s a good practice to ask your pup to go potty before going inside. An empty dog is a safe dog. It’s easy for a pup to sneak off in a new space. When you go somewhere new, close all the doors and keep your dog on-leash for a while. Your dog will learn that the way to get inside a new place is to go potty outside- then we go right in. This is a great association to make! We don’t go inside till you squeeze out a little potty.

Be careful of rugs, blind corners or hallways, and, as always, food, cat food, and litter boxes. 

If your pup doesn’t potty outside before going in, keep them on a leash in the house so they can’t wander off then go back out after 10-15 minutes. Just like with the crate at home, the way you earn your freedom is to go potty in the right place.

Bringing your pup over to a friend’s house with a healthy and polite dog who enjoys or tolerates puppies can be a great double hitter for socialization and potty breaking. Dogs will instinctively want to pee on another dog’s pee, so if the dogs play then go for a potty together, your puppy will likely copy the older, housebroken dog and go outside. 

Just like exercise, play gets the pipes moving, so be sure to take your pup out more often, especially if they are drinking more than usual.

Dog Doors

Dog doors are convenient, but often create a dog that isn’t fully housebroken. Just like a baby in diapers, a dog with a dog door never learns to hold their bladder because they can go potty whenever they want. If you move, if you board your dog, or if the dog door is closed, your dog likely won’t be able to hold their bladder. 

Dog doors also prevent you from knowing if and when your dog has gone. When first potty breaking, I recommend not using dog doors so you can go out with your pup every time and make note of what they do and when. There is always time to add on extras like dog doors later on, but for the initial potty training process, it’s important to avoid them.

Pee Pads

Pee pads are tough! Unless you live in an apartment and plan on using pee pads throughout your dog’s life, it’s better to not use them at all. 

When you bring your dog home, it’s important to create a distinction from the breeder or kennel they came from and their new life, where they only potty outside. 

While potty pads can be an easy option at first, they are a hindrance for long-term house breaking as it will be another hurdle weaning your dog off them when you eventually pick them up. 

They are unsightly, smelly, and, unless your dog has perfect aim, are prone to having pee spill off the edges. 

Pee pads are too similar to rugs, which we don’t want our dogs to potty on and create too much nuance between going ‘here’ inside, but not ‘there.’ 

Free Feeding

The way that dog’s stomachs are designed, grazing is particularly bad for them. Instead of leaving food down all the time, offer oury puppy 3 meals a day. Put the food bowl down for 15 minutes, saying “are you hungry?” then pick it up until the next meal. This will teach your dog to eat when food is down or else they will go hungry. 

Feeding on a schedule will also help you estimate when your pup is likely to poo. If your puppy can free feed, it’s hard to know when they will need to go out since you don’t know how much they ate and when.

Health Risks

It’s hard to balance the advice of your veterinarian and trainer. A vet will say that the risks of exposing your not fully vaccinated dog to the diseases that can be passed through the environment or contact with other dogs is not worth the risk. A trainer will say that the socialization and potty training dogs get in those first four to eight weeks at home is invaluable. Having a yard is a huge help in keeping your dog safe from environmental diseases. If you don’t have a yard, try to pick a quieter out of the way area where you can take your dog to potty.

How to make your dog’s crate a great place

That is a fabulous idea! When determining if a dog was eligible to board with us, we always ask if the dog is crate trained. Trainers do it. Vets do it. Groomers do it. Airplanes do it. Boarding facilities do it. At some point, your dog’s life will include being crated, so you should do it, too.

I am a trainer who loves crates! I love them because I know that my dog and my home are both safe when I’m out. Dogs love being in crates  when the crate is comfortable, covered with a sheet, and feels like a den. As long as your dog is getting enough exercise every day, they don’t need to be free in the house while you’re out. Being free in the house can sometimes be stressful for a dog. Especially when our dogs are home alone. Having free run of the house can feel like we are asking them to protect the house. This can be taxing and exacerbate stress barking or separation anxiety. It can also lead to scratched doors, chewed furniture and potty accidents.

No dog is too old: but it's a good idea to introduce your dog to the crate as a puppy. 

It’s better to create a positive experience than to try to fix a bad one, so take your time. 

Picking the right crate

As you can see in the photos, my favorite crate is wire because it allows for maximum airflow. Unless you are conditioning your dog to fly in an airplane there is no need to get a solid plastic sided crate. The soft crates are relatively useless because they are so easy to get out of and should be avoided. Expensive heavy duty crates are only necessary for true escape artists - which your dog isn’t likely to become if you introduce them to the crate in the way I describe.

You can easily find a used wire crate on Craigslist, Nextdoor or Facebook Marketplace for under $50 and disinfect it with a diluted bleach solution that you then rinse off and let dry in the sun. If you have a growing puppy this can be the best option. You might buy a larger crate for the size you expect them to be and block off unneeded space as they grow, but if you err on the side of too large you may end up trading it out anyway.

To find the right size measure your dog from nose to tail and top of head to the floor. That should be the bottom dimensions so your dog can lay flat on their side with their legs extended. You also want to make sure the height allows for them to stand without ducking. You don’t need to feel guilty leaving a dog in a well sized crate because they can’t be more comfortable than that outside of it. If your crate is so small that your dog has to curl their legs to lay down and they don’t have room to stretch that is similar to trying to sleep in the backseat of a small car with no room to stretch your legs and it would be understandable if they didn’t like spending time in there.

Generous pet owners may try to get a larger crate, but your dog doesn’t really need room to take any steps and for potty training puppies more space could allow them to designate one side as the bathroom and the other as the bedroom, which we don’t want.

Start by making your crate a nice cozy space in the common area. You could even pick up your other dog beds so the crate is the comfiest place in the room. Think of it like their bedroom or a little dog cave. 

• You can get a cute vintage sheet from a second hand store large enough to drape over your crate so it reaches the floor. A nice color or pattern keeps the crate from being an eyesore and a covered space feels more contained to your pup, like a bedroom or cave. You want to be sure you invest minimally at this point because your crate cover could get torn up in a frustrated moment during the learning process. Do NOT use a blanket or towel or custom crate cover because these do not allow for as much airflow and trap the body heat dogs let off. You want your dog’s space to be the same temperature as the climate controlled room they are in.

• For the bedding, start simple with a bed or towel. There is a chance that it may get chewed in the learning stages, so don’t start out by putting your finest dog bedding in there. 

  • Lots of owners wash blankets before it goes in the crate. I can assure you that your dog does not appreciate the fresh scent of Tide. The best bedding is something you have slept with, sat on or otherwise gotten your scent on. Shoving new blankets in the dirty clothes bin (after an initial wash for chemical residue) is heavenly for a dog. Don’t judge ‘em! Show your love by giving the pup the stinky bedding they want.

After you have made the crate as cozy as possible, start making it happy by building positive associations.

• First get some really high quality treats. From now on, at least for a while, this will be a crate only delicacy - gotta be in the crate if you want to enjoy it! 

  • For this I like freeze dried treats, bully sticks, pigs ears, frozen marrow bones or whatever else makes your dog happy.

• Lead your dog to the crate, toss the treat in the back, then help guide your dog in with encouraging words, and happy energy. You can stick your arm inside to pat the bedding and wave the treat. Once they pop in, give pets, scratches and verbal praise,

  • If this doesn’t work, you can add a few little leading tugs on the collar or ‘pulsing’ pushes on your dog’s booty. 

• Then, once they are able to stand in there for a few seconds without you holding or blocking them, slowly let them out. You don’t want a starting gate break, just a casual saunter. 

  • If you are feeding a long chewing treat like a bully stick or marrow bone, toss it back into the crate if they try to bring it out to enjoy. 

  • You can sit by the open crate or close it and stay within the view of the opening that isn’t covered by the sheet.

  • If the treat isn’t enough to keep your dog occupied, take time sitting with them by the open crate and petting them while they are inside. *Whatever motivates your dog, reserve it and try to associate it with the crate. 

Once your pup is comfortable with the space, start feeding all meals in the crate. For most dogs, you haven’t shut the door yet as we are just acclimating. 

• Food should be placed against the back wall. 

  • If your dog chooses to miss a meal avoiding the crate, that is okay! Sometimes people skip meals too and they’re alright. Your dog will likely eat the next one. Good things come to those who get in their crate.

When your dog has a meal or two in the crate, go ahead and try shutting the door while they eat, first staying in the room. 

• Shut the door. Open the door. 

  • The door is shut momentarily at first so your dog knows they won’t be in there forever. You can do this many times a day, leaving the door shut for seconds, then minutes, growing longer each time.

• Shut the door for the whole meal and let your dog out after they are done but before they whine or fuss. 

  • If your dog does start to whine, it’s very important that you don’t let them out till they have settled for at least 5-10 seconds. Otherwise you teach them the way out is to whine and you will very much regret creating that association! An important factor in crate training success is how tired your dog is. Trying to get an energetic dog to settle and be happy in a crate is an uphill journey.

• Try to work your crate training schedule to follow some good vigorous exercise, some water drinking, then potty time. Your dog should be happy to kennel up at that point!

  • If you have a lot of energy, you don't want to be forced to sit still! If you are exhausted, however, you are happy to bring on a comfy place to rest where you don’t have to worry about being bothered. The first time you leave your house, it’s only going to be for a second. Literally a second. 

• Crate your dog, walk around the house for a few minutes doing chores or something other than your ‘getting ready to leave’ routine. Then without saying anything to your dog, walk out your door, shut it, take one breath, then walk back in, again not saying anything to your dog. 

  • If your dog is alert, but not whining, you can let them out, being sure to ignore any excited behavior. 

  • If they are whining, wait for them to settle. 

  • If they are pretty content, maybe try leaving them in and going outside for another round. 

• You want to briefly crate your dog then go in and out of your door as many times as possible this week, making it longer and longer till you can sit outside for 15 minutes playing on your phone or doing those push ups you have been putting off. 

• After that, try to go run a quick errand.

Coming out of the crate is a great opportunity to practice the ‘wait’ command. In our training sessions we talk about impulse inhibition, your dog’s ability to regulate himself and his emotions. 

• Wait until your dog has calmed themself before you even approach the crate. 

  • If your dog’s excitement level rises as you approach, stop, turn away, take a few steps back, or even leave the room so your dog can calm down.

  • You want to teach your dog that only a calm pup gets let out.”Calming down is the toll you have to pay at the crate door.”

• Lean down to unlatch the door and say “waaaait” in a calm, low voice. 

  • If your dog is overly excited they won't do very well here, so their excitement level has to be at a moderately contained stage before we begin.

• Start to open the door,  and say, “wait” again, and slowly increase the size of the gap, staring at the base of the crate and watching your dog from your peripheral vision. 

  • If your dog makes a move for the opening,quickly close it. Even if your dog has squeezed part way through, grab them and put them back in. 

  • It is really important that they don’t dart out of crates, or out of any doors. To be honest, there should not be a lot of darting going on, period. 

  • Frantically rushing out the opening can make your dog feel more anxious about being in and let out of your crate. 

• Once the door is fully open, slowly stand up, still watching your dog out of the corner of your eye. Be ready to shut that door if your dog makes a run for it. 

• After you get all the way up, I’ll take a breath and wiggle your shoulders to be sure your tension isn’t what is holding your dog in place. 

• Then, with calm energy say “okay” or “let’s go” and slowly start to walk away, ready to correct any jumping, whining or over excitement.

 Many a crate training has been disrupted by whining. When people hear a dog whine, they associate it with crying and assume their dog is distressed. Most of the time it’s more of a temper tantrum. Your dog is frustrated because, likely, they almost always get what they want and right now they want to be with you instead of in their crate. When we let our dog out in response to whining we teach them that they can have their way and that whining is the way to get there. You will surely earn yourself more whining by responding favorably to it. Even though, whining is unpleasant, your dog needs to understand, just like a toddler, that ‘go to bed’ means ‘go to bed’ and it isn't a negotiation. 

• First ignore the whine, go about your business. This is called waiting for the behavior to go extinct by not rewarding it. Sometimes it works, so always try it first, but often this alone won’t do the job.

  • Be prepared for the ‘extinction burst.’ This is another term that means it will get worse before it gets better. Basically, your dog is going to pull out all of the stops, and if not even that works, then, and only then will they extinguish the behavior.  

If ignoring the whining doesn’t make it stop,don’t suffer in silence. Try to find a way to express to your dog that nothing bad is happening and they need to accept that the crate, like a dentist appointment, is just part of life. 

• Start with a verbal correction that you will deliver without going into the room or, ideally, even stopping what you are doing. Call out a firm, but gentle “eh’eh” or say “dog no” or “quit” and then wait a beat to see what happens.

  • If your dog stops, great! If not, increase the pressure. Call again with more intensity from another room. 

  • If your dog is really fussing, go right into the room where the crate is and repeat your verbal correction. 

  • It’s important to remember that your dog wants you to come into the room to let them out, so you need to be sure that your dog knows the moment you cross the threshold that the desired result has not been achieved. In fact, this isn’t a version of you he recognizes at all. You have booty kicking energy and should not be messed with. Say “QUIT” in a loud, sharp voice then stomp out of the room, closing the door. 

  • If this doesn’t work, it’s trainer time! Give us a call to get a hand dealing with the tough to train pup who seems resistant to my ‘best of crate training’ suggestions. Sometimes there are relational cues that we give our dog in other areas that can undermine our training results.

How to teach your dog to fetch

Our own Haley Benardino stepped off the trails and behind her computer to write today’s blog on fetch

Fetch is a great way to exercise, play and bond with your dog. We love fetch because it can help your dog direct  their  energy while using their mind in a constructive way. Some dogs are born understanding how to chase and retrieve. Others might have a bewildered look on their face when you toss a toy. Fetch should always be fun for your dog! Keep your energy happy and playful and offer fun rewards for their participation. This means you have to figure out what motivates your dog. It could be verbal or physical affection, treats, or play. 

CHOOSING THE RIGHT TOY

Finding that perfect toy for your dog is one of the most important steps. Some dogs prefer a ball or frisbee, others a plush toy. It may take a few tries to figure out what type of toy gets and keeps your dog’s attention. 

• Be sure to pick a toy that is not small enough to be accidentally swallowed. Also beware of toys that can be broken into pieces or are too hard or sharp on the edges. 

• Frisbees that are not designed for dogs can chip dogs’ teeth. The frisbees that are made for dogs have soft rubber edges that are much easier and safer to catch mid air.

Chuckit brand soft side flyer, Flying Squirrel, and Tail Spin Flyer

• Chuckit ball thrower (helpful for those slobbery pups or the ones that enjoy running a longer distance)

• Squeaky balls (that squeak when squeezed), whistle balls (whistles when thrown), or any kind of noise making ball are a favorite for lots of dogs! Squeezing the ball to get your dog’s attention or regain their focus can be handy and get their full attention on the toy.

• Nubby balls or plush toys are a favorite for dogs who are more mouthy and enjoy the gum stimulation or have a softer, more sensitive mouth.

• Rope toys are great for dogs who enjoy a little tug game when they bring the toy back to you before you ask them to “drop it”. This kind of toy comes in many varieties.

Once you have established what toy is your dog's favorite, reserve that toy for fetch practice only. Keep it out of your dog’s reach and only bring it out when it's time to play fetch. Doing this ensures that your dog won’t get bored with the toy. It will also keep your fetch toy from being destroyed.

RETRIEVING

Start small: Using the toy you picked just for this occasion, begin a session by playing with your dog, wriggling it around their face or in their mouth, playing a tug game and keeping it fun. 

• Once your dog has the toy in their mouth, reward them! This will show your dog that going for this toy is what you want. After a few minutes of good, happy play, ask your dog to drop the toy and reward it by saying “good drop.”

Toss the toy only a few feet away from you and say “go get it.” It’s best to start with short distances while you get the basic concept down.

• Run with your dog to the toy, indicating with your body and voice that you want them to grab it. 

• Once they have the toy in their mouth, reward again with a “good dog” and encourage them to bring it to you with a happy “come” or “bring it here” command.  

• When your dog comes to you, give a very happy reward like petting and saying “good come” or feeding a treat.  

• Repeat this process multiple times over the course of a few days or weeks, slowly adding a little more distance when you toss the toy away.

Repetition is key: Remember that learning new skills has to be a series of wins for your dog. They need to feel they are getting it right, so be sure you are asking your dog to do more repetitions in their skill zone than out of it and slowly expand the distance of the throws or time you play. 

• Try not to get to the point where your dog becomes bored and stops chasing the toy or bringing it back. On the other hand, if your dog really gets into the fetch and stops playing because they overexert themselves, take a break to let them catch their breath, have a drink of water, or lay in the shade with their toy until they are ready to play again. This is especially important in the hotter temperatures of summer.

 COMMON ISSUES

Your dog isn’t into toys

Before you get started it is important to understand your dog and whether they like toys or not. Some dogs don't like putting toys in their mouth. If this is the case with your dog, in order to make toys more enticing, you can try soaking a tennis ball in chicken stock, or burying one in their dry food, putting treats in an old sock and tying the end in a knot, or try using a  Kong chewer with some peanut butter stuffed inside . Making the toys a little tastier can help to show your dog that toys are great for chewing, playing, and mouthing. Most dogs love toys and it doesn't take much to entice them to play.

Your dog plays keep away

Some dogs would rather play keep away and have you chase them for the toy. Others bring the toy back to you but not all the way, stopping a few feet away from you and making you close the gap. Other dogs will bring the toy back, but don’t want to drop it so you can throw it again.

A great way to tackle these issues is to attach a long line to your dog. We like a homemade 20’ or 30’ rope with a clip or a long lead that you can order. Important note: don't throw the toy farther than the length of rope you have.

Using a Long Line 

• After your dog gets the toy, ask them to come. If they don't, call again then wait a beat and see what they do. 

• When you see the moment of hesitation cross their mind or when they make the decision not to come, give a tug on your rope and see what they do.

• At this point you would use the rope to encourage your dog to come back to you with little tugs or wiggles while saying in a nice tone “bring it here” or “come here.” 

• Make sure you are still rewarding them for coming back with the toy, especially in the beginning while they are still trying to learn what it is that you are asking for. A dog can’t be naughty if they don’t know the rules.

Bait and Switch: Another good trick for getting your dog to come back and drop the toy is a good old fashioned bait and switch. Have a second toy or squeaker ball ready so when your dog gets the first toy in their mouth and doesn’t come, you wave or squeak the second toy to encourage your dog to come back fully for the second toy. Usually they will drop the first toy to chase the second toy and then you can go grab the first toy again and repeat.

Your dog won’t drop the toy

You can use a treat to teach your dog to drop the toy. Place the treat above your dog’s nose and say “drop it.” Then wait for your dog to fully drop the toy. Pick it up and say “good drop” in a nice tone and then give the treat. Let your dog chew and swallow the treat then get their attention before throwing the toy again. Keep the treats small and only use when needed. It’s important to wean off of treats once your dog understands the basic concept because treats can easily  be turned into a bribe instead of used as a reward.

Most training issues you encounter should be resolved after the first few weeks of consistent work. Feel free to reach out for a training session if you need some additional pointers.

IN CONCLUSION

• Fetch should always be a fun experience, especially when you are first teaching it. You want your dog to love playing fetch with you. 

• If you graduate to playing outside of a fenced area, your dog should be safe off leash and respond reliably to basic commands (sit, stay, come). 

• Dogs of any age can learn to fetch. It is helpful to start them at a young age, but it can be a fun game for any energetic dog.

How to pick command words: a vocabulary lessons for dogs

I knew my English degree would come in handy someday! While much of my relationship with dogs involves learning to ‘speak dog’ by reading their body language and knowing how to interpret their behavior, part of living in a human world means that our dogs need to learn some human language, too.

In our training sessions we talk about how to give commands and recommend that owners pick a vocabulary for their dogs and stick with it. Our dogs are smart, and it is incredible that they can learn so many words, but it is too much to ask them to learn English. Expecting our dogs to understand secondary meanings for words is confusing and unnecessary. Each word should have only one meaning and we should use the same word for the same concept or behavior every time. This bit of deliberate effort on our part  can make a huge difference in our dog’s life, making it easier for them to comprehend what we are asking for and, therefore, to comply. For instance when I want my dog to lay down I say ‘down’ and when I want her to get down off the furniture, my guests legs, or the rock I asked her to jump on for a photo I say “off.”

You don’t need to use my exact list. The most important thing is that you pick a language that works for you so it is one you can use consistently. It is also helpful to associate as many of these commands as possible with a clear hand signal. Some dogs respond better to words while others prefer the visual cue (provided your dog is looking at you, of course!)

LIST OF COMMON COMMANDS

Sit -  get your booty on the ground  

Down - lay all the way down on your belly, ideally with hips flopped

Off - get your paws (or body) off furniture, people, dogs, or whatever they are on 

Up up - jump or put your feet up on that

Kisses - lick the hand, useful for puppies who are mouthy  

Paw/shake - raise your paw  

Beg/sit pretty - balance on hind legs 

Roll over - from laying down, roll to the other side  

Crawl - wiggle/army crawl to me keeping your belly on the ground

Leave it/Take it - don’t go for it (usually the treat)/ take the treat

Gentle- take the treat more gently

Hold it- hold the object I am handing you in your mouth

Find it- sniff the ground. This can be used for enrichment training games (hide and seek, the cup game, scent games etc) as well as for a dog that is overly excited by others on leash. (if they are sniffing the ground they aren’t reacting to the dog)

Touch - touch your nose to my hand 

Load Up- get into a vehicle
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Good (command)! - marks a positive behavior or correct response to command 

Look at Me-  Give me eye contact/put all of your attention on me. (this is usually when they are already sitting, or in a down but still highly distracted) 

Hey! - breaks a distraction to get their attention back, also used as a correction if they have ignored a command 

No! - stop doing what you are doing  

Bad! - I don't want you to do that behavior. Don't do it now or again in the future.  

Easy - (sing-songy) pay attention and slow down and bring your energy down 

Settle - especially for a puppy, calm yourself  

Out - get out of here or don't be where you are or stop doing what you are doing 

Back - back up or get out of my space 

Move - move your body out of my path

Leave it - drop what you are chewing or leave that object, dog, or person alone 

Drop - drop what is in your mouth, usually so I can throw it 

—

Wait - pause and wait for a release or further instructions, pay attention to me (eg doorways)

Stay - you stay stationary while I walk away (not the same as wait) 

Okay/free - release, you can change positions or do what you want again   

Let's go - we walk off together  

Come! - I am stationary, you come to me 

All the way - come all the way back to me and touch me 

This way - you are going the wrong way, change course & pay attention to me 

Heel up - walk to my side 

On the trail - get back on the trail 

Leash - hold still so the leash can be put on 

Fix your leash - hop one foot so the leash comes out from between your legs 

Pick up - for puppies or small dogs, hold still and brace yourself so I can pick you up 

—

Outside - let's go to the door, usually to potty 

Wanna go potty? - Do you need to pee? 

Potty, potty? - I strongly suggest you pee if possible 

When we ask the dogs to pose for pictures, we use many commands including come, sit, up, wait, down, this way, stay, off and leave it. This photos not only look great, but are a great excuse to practice obedience, patience and focus.