By Sean O'Shea

Ok, so here's an interesting thought. What if even without any actual "training" - meaning all the usual sit, down, place, heel, recall etc., and without any fancy tools - you could still massively impact your dog's behavior and state of mind? What if by simply NOT doing or allowing certain things you could make some great stuff happen?Well, the good news is, half of our success as trainers isn't even in the actual "training" we do. A lot of it is simply in all the stuff we don't do or don't allow.Here's a quick list to help your dog and yourself get to a better space:-Cut back on the unearned affection. Play hard to get. Only reward awesome choices and states of mind - not just existence or demand. Remove the unconscious, incessant petting and stroking. Make your dog work for his/her interactions. Become aware that unearned affection is one of the NUMBER ONE CAUSES for poor behavior. That it often creates wound up, edgy, entitled, bratty, neurotic, dependent, guarding, possessive dogs. And don't forget about heavy-duty separation anxiety.

-Don't allow disrespectful space invasions. This includes jumping on you, pushing you out of the way at thresholds, jumping on your lap uninvited etc. Instead, claim your space by using your body - not to hit or harm - but to have a calm, quiet conversation with your dog that your space is valuable and needs to be respected. For jumping you can do this by placing your knee forward when your dog jumps, so that he gets your knee and not you, and so jumping is not rewarding. At thresholds simply block with your body and then walk confidently INTO your dog's space (and your dog if need be) to move them back. As for jumping on your lap uninvited, simply say "no" and stand up when your dog jumps on you. This will remove him from your space and make this not rewarding. Then remove your dog from the couch. (Bonus points for initially keeping a bubble of space - say 10 feet - around you so your dog works on being more independent and less clingy.)

-Don't allow or reward demanding behavior. If your dog is barking at you for attention, for food, to play, to get access to a door, or to get out of the crate, don't reward the behavior with what the dog is looking for. Say "no" and ignore the behavior. If your dog demands something and you respond you've just taught your dog what works to get what he wants. Be careful not to unconsciously reward/allow this.

-Make your dog wait. Simply make your dog wait at moments of excitement or intensity. This could be feeding time, at thresholds, going in or out of the car etc. By teaching your dog to wait for permission from you you teach impulse control, respect, and to look for permission rather than be on auto-pilot. Conversely, by allowing impulsive behavior you teach your dog to ignore/disrespect you, to be impulsive, and that intensity and excitement gets him what he wants.

-Don't baby, console, pet, nurture, smother nervous, insecure, frightened dogs. This will only make them worse. Instead, treat them like normal dogs by asking more of them, challenging them to get out of their comfort zones, give them a firm human to lean on, not a soft one to feel alone/frightened with. (This is a super hard one for most, due to our desire to nurture and help, but the truth is, this behavior is responsible for creating so many completely dysfunctional dogs.)-Don't lean on your dog emotionally. One of the biggest advantages trainers have is being in an emotionally neutral space when interacting. For many owners, their dogs have become their place of solace in a world they often feel unfulfilled or unsafe in. This neediness presents you in a weak state that will cause pushy dogs to be more pushy and nervous/insecure dogs to become more nervous. For either mindset, the outcome is often the development of protective or aggressive or reactive behavior. By treating your dog like a dog - in the very best and positive sense of the phrase - you'll set you and your dog up to be in a much more balanced space.Once again, this is all the non-"training" stuff you can do that will help your dog's behavior tremendously. Just being aware and acting on these simple recommendations can change things DRAMATICALLY!!So even if you're not going to do any actual obedience work and teach commands, you can still make some MAJOR changes simply by first doing no harm.P.S. Now if you'd like to go even further and make bigger strides, change behavior more significantly, create reliability, and have a deeper, more healthy relationship with your dog, you can visit my website and watch the free do-it-yourself training videos. They're easy to follow and will help you make some amazing stuff happen.www.thegooddog.net

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By Sean O'SheaOk, first off, I know there are some amazing substitute teachers out there, so please no angry comments from those of you who are awesome!That said, I think most of us are familiar with the massive atmosphere shift our classroom would undergo when a substitute teacher would show up when we were in school. There was a palpable sense of relief (relief from the usual demands and accountability of our regular teacher/program), and a corresponding excitement about the perception of "looseness" and cracks in the rules that could be exploited.Now why on earth would a classroom full of the same kids - who just yesterday were respectful, obedient, polite, deferential, and happy to work within the framework of the rules of the classroom - suddenly turn into a bunch of pushy, bratty, opportunistic wild things?It's simple. We're programmed to follow believable leadership and authority, and we're also programmed to ignore and push against non-believable leadership and authority. It's in our survival DNA. It's also in our opportunistic DNA. What can be taken advantage of will be taken advantage of.The regular teacher, who has been doing the gig for years, has a sense of confidence, certainty, no hesitation, and an air of believability. Step over the bounds, act the fool, and surely consequences shall befall you. He or she exudes this vibe, and the children naturally respect it.The substitute teacher on the other hand is a part-timer. He or she is likely far less confident and sure. Not having done this for years and years as his or her main gig, he or she hasn't mastered the fine art of leading...of controlling the room, of being certain, of creating respect by way of presentation and confidence.And it shows. It shows in the hesitation. It shows in the self-doubt. It shows in the trying to make friends rather than establish rules. It shows in the lack of certainty in their words and movements. It shows in the inability to confidently issue consequences. It shows in the overall energy of the substitute - and it's this uncertainty, hesitation, and lack of confident energy the kids see. And it's what makes the the sub vulnerable.The kids see it, and the kids eat it up. They prey on it. And why shouldn't they? If you're not able to be a believable leader, you have to expect pushback. That's the law of the jungle. Uncertain leaders get led.And it's the same with our dogs. We've all heard about the dog behaving brilliantly with the trainer and then abominably with the owner the next moment. It's the exact same thing. The trainer is the experienced teacher. Confident, certain, not hesitating, sure of what to do and when and exactly how to do it. That confidence and certainty is obvious to the dog, and like the kids in the classroom, he or she tends to comply nicely, and most importantly, offers their best work and best selves. Like magic.The owner on the other hand smacks of the substitute teacher. They're part-timers. They're uncertain about the commands, the mechanics, the timing, the sharing of consequences etc. And of course, all this uncertainty and lack of confidence is super apparent to the dog. And so he or she naturally takes advantage of what can be taken advantage of, offering far less than their best work or their best selves.It's the substitute teacher syndrome.So if you're looking to get your dog and your relationship back into a great space, you gotta get out of the substitute teacher zone. You've gotta become the real deal. The experienced, certain, confident teacher/leader that naturally - by way of what you've earned, learned and cultivated - causes your dog to behave differently. There are no shortcuts to this. Just ask the substitute teacher. You only get the awesome classroom (and the awesome dog) by putting in the continuous hard work to become the awesome leader, the certain leader, the confident leader, the believable leader.Lots of practice and hard work is the only gateway to this promised land.

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 CONNECT WITH US ON Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube for more training insights, tips, our free weekly Q&A Saturday, and community interaction!Our groundbreaking do-it-yourself E-Collar training video/PDF training guide Learn to Train The Good Dog Way: E-CollarTraining is now available for order! Click HERE to order your copy!

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By Sean O'Shea

One of the aspects to keeping our dogs successful (and safe) on walks is the aspect I think that is most overlooked and misunderstood as a training tool...

Space. And how it creates and/or relieves pressure. 

If there's a crazy person loose in the state next to you, you're probably not very worried for your own safety. If you hear he's in your city, you'll be more aware, but not likely freaking out yet. If you hear he's in your neighborhood you're going to be freaking out and likely barricading yourself in your home. If you were outside and he was walking towards you, well, that's real PANIC TIME!!!

That's the magic of space. Get enough space and just about anything scary is tolerable. Get too close to something unnerving and panic sets in. Sometimes all you need is a foot or two to be cool, and sometimes it's a lot more. 

But here's the thing, it's not JUST space or proximity that creates the pressure cooker, it's also observable escape routes (can we safely escape if all hell breaks loose?), and either foreknowledge of the approaching trigger (it's that dog that always goes ape when we walk by), OR displayed behavior that is unsafe or could be unsafe (a barking, growling, pulling, lunging dog who's owner has no control).

All these factors determine the pressure your dog (and often you) feel, and can necessitate more space to keep the pressure tolerable, and your dog successful. 

Walking in an open field by a barking dog at 10 feet might be tolerable for your dog. Walking by the same dog (still at 10 feet) if you're next to a wall and pinned against it might be very different. Walking down your sidewalk and passing a calm, relaxed, polite dog with 3 feet between you might be totally doable. Walk that same sidewalk with a dog approaching that is stink eyeing your dog, tense, and pulling on the leash, and that 3 feet may cause WWWIII. Or, you might even walk by a dog that barks at your dog from across the street, and your dog may be totally cool with it. But if it's that darn Akita (no offense Akita owners!!) that has been hassling your dog since he was a pup, it might be a very different outcome. 

The point is, the pressure your dog feels, and how he reacts is absolutely situational and contextual. You can't expect your dog to have a one-size-fits-all reaction. He's a complex emotional creature, and he's going to determine the level of pressure he feels - and how he reacts - dependent upon lots of factors. (My hope with this post is to help you understand how all these factors can be in play, so that you're aware and not bushwhacked (or confused) by them.)

As you're working through reactivity issues, remember your dog is reacting to perceived pressure/danger/arousal, and your job is to navigate them as best you can in order for you both to be successful. 

Some tips:

-More space equals more comfort. Sometimes just 1, 2, or 3 feet of movement away from the trigger can alleviate the boil-over. 

-Dogs that your dog has developed a grudge with will be the toughest challenges.

-Dogs see and feel being trapped, so be keenly aware of not putting yourselves in no-escape, high-pressure spaces. 

-Dogs see/feel the intent, attitude, nastiness, posturing of other dogs, and act accordingly. 

-Dogs see whether owners have control and whether they are confident or freaked, and act accordingly. 

The ultimate goal is to get you and your dog to the very best space possible, so you're both able to successfully navigate close encounters of the worst kind -  without having to avoid, use a football field length space to keep cool, and not have a melt down when the neighborhood bully starts barking. But as you work towards this goal, remember to utilize all the information above and be aware of all the possible factors in play so hopefully you and your dog can avoid the pressure cooker. 

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CONNECT WITH US ON Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube for more training insights, tips, our free weekly Q&A Saturday, and community interaction!Our groundbreaking do-it-yourself E-Collar training video/PDF training guide Learn to Train The Good Dog Way: E-Collar Training is now available for order! Click HERE to order your copy!

CLICK THE PICTURE BELOW TO WATCH THE DVD TEASER!

By Sean O'SheaOk, so here's an interesting thought. What if even without any actual "training" (meaning all the usual sit, down, place, heel, recall etc) you could massively impact your dog's behavior and state of mind? What if by simply NOT doing or allowing certain things you could make some great stuff happen?Well, the good news is, half of our success as trainers isn't even in the actual "training" we do, it's in all the stuff we don't do or don't allow.Here's a quick list for you to enlist to help your dog and yourself be in a better space:-Simply cut back on all the unearned affection. Play hard to get. Only reward awesome choices and states of mind. Remove the unconscious incessant petting and stroking, make your dog work for his/her interactions. (This is almost always the single biggest contributor to neurotic and poorly behaved dogs.)-Don't allow disrespectful space invasions. This includes jumping on you, pushing you out of the way at thresholds, jumping on your lap uninvited etc. Instead, claim your space by using your body - not to hit or harm - but to have a calm, quiet conversation with your dog that your space is valuable and needs to be respected. For jumping you can do this by placing your knee forward when your dog jumps, so that he gets your knee and not you, and so jumping is not rewarding. At thresholds simply block with your body and then walk confidently INTO your dog's space (and your dog if need be) to move them back. As for jumping on your lap uninvited, simply say "no" and stand up when your dog jumps on you. This will remove him from your space and make this not rewarding. Then remove your dog from the couch. (Bonus points for initially keeping a bubble of space - say 10 feet - around you so your dog works on being more independent and less clingy.)-Don't allow or reward demanding behavior. If your dog is barking at you for attention, for food, to play, or to get access to a door, don't reward the behavior with what the dog is looking for. Say "no" and ignore the behavior. If your dog demands something and you respond you've just taught your dog what works to get what he wants. Be careful not to unconsciously reward/allow this.-Make your dog wait. Simply make your dog wait at moments of excitement or intensity. This could be feeding time, at thresholds, going in or out of the car etc. By teaching your dog to wait for permission from you you teach impulse control, respect, and to look for permission rather than to be on auto-pilot. Conversely, by allowing this you teach your dog to ignore/disrespect you, to be impulsive, and that intensity and excitement gets him what he wants.-Don't baby, console, pet, nurture, smother nervous, insecure, frightened dogs. This will only make them worse. Instead, treat them like normal dogs by asking more of them, challenging them to get out of their comfort zones, give them a firm human to lean on, not a soft one to feel alone/frightened with. The way you view your dog emotionally - as a victim who is helpless and in need of rescuing, or as a dog who's previous rough road necessitates strong leadership for healthy forward motion - will absolutely come out in your behavior towards him, and will be the largest determiner of whether your dog makes positive progress or remains stuck and/or declines. (This is a super hard one for most, due to our innate desire to nurture and help, but the truth is, true help rarely comes in the form of pity, coddling, and feeling sorry.)-Don't make your dog responsible for replacing that which you should be getting in the human world. One of the biggest advantages trainers have is being in an emotionally neutral space when interacting. For many owners, their dogs have become a place of solace in a world they often feel unfulfilled in. Oftentimes dogs are replacing the absence of friends, family, lovers, or simply feeling alienated or lonely in the human world. Although we might find using our dogs as an emotional crutch as helpful, this ultimately presents you in a needy, weak state that will cause pushy dogs to become more pushy, nervous/insecure dogs to become more nervous, and neurotic dogs to become more neurotic. The ultimate outcome is often the development of protective or aggressive or reactive behavior. By treating your dog like a dog - in the very best and positive sense of the phrase - you'll set you and your dog up to be in a much more balanced space.Once again, this is all the non-"training" stuff you can do (or not do!) that will help your dog's behavior tremendously. Just being aware and acting on these simple recommendations can change things DRAMATICALLY!!So even if you're not going to do any actual obedience work and teach commands, you can still make some major changes simply by first doing no harm.P.S. Now if you'd like to go even further and make bigger strides, change behavior more significantly, create reliability, and have a deeper, more healthy relationship with your dog, you can visit my website and watch the free do-it-yourself training videos. They're easy to follow and will help you make some amazing stuff happen. www.thegooddog.net______________CONNECT WITH US ON Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube for more training insights, tips, our free weekly Q&A Saturday, and community interaction!Our groundbreaking do-it-yourself E-Collar training video/PDF training guide Learn to Train The Good Dog Way: E-Collar Training is now available for order! Click HERE to order your copy!

CLICK THE PICTURE BELOW TO WATCH THE DVD TEASER!

By Sean O'Shea

Even with all the high falutin training tools and time tested training approaches, there's still one factor that is the wild card. The one factor that can often override tools and techniques: the animal in you. 

Even though we like to think of ourselves as operating from (and in) a higher place - a place of intellect and complex problem solving - when it comes to living and interacting with our dogs, even great tools, techniques, and smart minds can be overridden and ignored when there's an animal to animal imbalance. 

Here's how it works: Your dog is taking in all the information you're sharing. You're asking him to heel, to place, to recall, to listen, and if you're using good tools and techniques, you'll share consequences for your dog breaking established and known rules. But all these commands and consequences are only part of the conversation you're sharing. 

You're also sharing who you are fundamentally. The animal in you, all the time. 

And if the animal in you is softer/weaker (nervous, insecure, anxious, fearful, unsure, overly-soft, lacking confidence, or emotionally needy) than your dog's animal (who might be confident, assertive, pushy, strong-willed, secure, certain), you can run into serious problems. 

Sometimes the imbalance is that the human is seriously compromised in the elements listed above, and the dog takes advantage, and sometimes it's simply a matter of poor luck. This occurs when a seriously assertive dog shows up in your life. And of course there are all sorts of degrees in between. 

Dogs, like kids, will push what are obviously weak boundaries - because we're all programmed to push them to see how strong/dependable/safe they are. The parent can't be weaker than the child, attitude wise, and expect to have the child listen, respect, or adhere to the parents rules and guidance. And so it is with dogs as well. 

All the best parenting tips in the world won't create a respectful relationship if the parent isn't able to muster a believable, fundamental strength and balance that the child can buy into. Same with our dogs. 

When I see owners who struggle with dogs that flourish with other handlers, (and if the owners have been sufficiently educated on tools and techniques), I know that there's an imbalance that the dog is perceiving. A fundamental animal to animal imbalance. 

And that's the final, and usually the most challenging frontier. To do the hard work of resolving and shoring up our own inequities - the stress, the anxiety, the lack of self-confidence, the uncertainty, the worthiness issues, the emotional holes that make us needy - so we can present a believable and strong enough animal to our dogs, so that listening to us makes sense. 

______________CONNECT WITH US ON Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube for more training insights, tips, our free weekly Q&A Saturday, and community interaction!Our groundbreaking do-it-yourself E-Collar training video/PDF training guide Learn to Train The Good Dog Way: E-Collar Training is now available for order! Click HERE to order your copy!

CLICK THE PICTURE BELOW TO WATCH THE DVD TEASER!