Your New Puppy: Dog Training and Dog Behavior Lessons to Help You Turn Your New Puppy into a Well-Behaved Dog – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Why your dog isn’t listening depends on a bunch of factors including what your asking them to do, where they are, what you’ve taught them previously, and more.

It’s one of the most common questions I get but it’s also one of the hardest to answer.  I usually need ALOT more information.  

From my experience, I’ve narrowed it down to 5 reasons.  They are not mutually exclusive.  In fact, chances are it’s a blend of a few reasons.  

The five reasons are:

1. You haven’t taught them what you’re asking for.
2. You skipped some steps in their training.
3. You haven’t practiced in this environment.
4. They’ve already learned they don’t have to listen.
5. Today is just not the day. 

Once we can pinpoint the reason (or reasons) we can start to figure out what to do next. 

Enjoy!

In this episode I talk about:

• Expectations you should have for puppies.
• The five reasons your dog is not listening. 
• Examples of each reason.
• How to tell which reason your dog isn’t listening.
• What your next step is.

Enjoying this podcast?  Please rate and review it wherever you listen.  This helps other puppy parents find it.

Other resources mentioned and related to this episode:

YNP #057: How to Teach Your Dog to Listen With Distractions

YNP #064: The Downside of a Fenced-in Yard

YNP #080: Why I Don’t Teach “Off”

YOUR New Puppy:  My signature new puppy course that has helped hundreds of new puppy parents raise their puppies.

Just about every dog is going to have some trouble with the hot weather.  

For some dogs even a slight elevation in temperature will find them seeking out the shade and wanting shorter walks. 

The heat itself can be tiring for a dog so it tends to shorten walks and activity.  This will result in us having to find creative ways to entertain our dog and burn some energy. 

For this episode I reached right into my Enrichment Database (available with YOUR Perfect Puppy) to find some activities that are perfect for a hot day.  

I have you covered if you want to play with water, sit in the shade with a frozen treat, or stay inside and avoid the heat altogether.

Enjoy! 

In this episode I talk about:

• Dogs that are sensitive to the heat.
• How to recognize heat stroke in a dog. 
• Different types of water activities to try with your pup.
• Different types of frozen treats to make for your pup.
• Indoor activities to avoid the heat all together.

Press play and enjoy!

Other resources mentioned and related to this episode:

Articles on heat stroke in dogs:

• https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/heat-stroke-in-dogs
• https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/heatstroke-in-dogs/

Rover Round Robin:  A fun family recall game you can turn into hide and seek (request the step by step directions)

YOUR New Puppy:  My signature new puppy course that has helped hundreds of new puppy parents raise their puppies.

Socialization is the most important training you can do for your puppy.  It’s also the most overlooked and misunderstood part of your puppy’s training.

When done correctly as a puppy, socialization creates a confident, well adjusted dog.  And who doesn’t want that for their puppy?  

I’ve gathered the 4 most common misconceptions about socialization to help you better understand what socialization is all about.

Each topic has it’s own podcast episode where you can learn even more.  

As always, the resources I talk about in this episode are listed all below. 

In this episode I talk about:

• What socialization is. 
• How socialization is about more than dogs.
• How your puppy’s experience matters.
• How age matters.
• When socialization is about dogs.

Press play and enjoy!

Other resources mentioned and related to this episode:

YNP #074: How to Socialize Your Puppy Without Leaving Your House.

YNP #063: My 7 Guidelines for Socializing Your Dog

YNP #021: Balancing Vaccines and Socialization

YNP #013: Dog Park vs. Dog Daycare

YNP #058: How to Recognize Appropriate Dog Play

Playtime Paws Academy:  A membership for dog and humans no matter where you are in your training journey.

Indoor pads (or wee-wee pads) have a purpose but house training should not be one of them.

Indoor pads are one of those products that seem like a good idea and great tool to make house training easier but in the long run it does anything but.

Not only does it add more work in the long run but it is possible your pup may never get fully housetrained.  

In this episode, I talk about why I strongly discourage the use of indoor pads while housetraining.

If your intention is to eventually teach your puppy to only go outside these pads can be detrimental to this training.

If you plan to use indoor pads indefinitely, I give you a few reasons why that may not be a great idea either.

For some indoor pads are a great option but for most, they are not.

Potty training is a right of passage for any puppy owner.  It’s a time-consuming process that can be frustrating at times so it’s only natural for us to grab something that might make it easier.  However, I promise you if you put in the work now, it will be worth it in the end.

When your dog jumps on you, your family and your friends it can quickly turn into an annoying habit.

Luckily there are a few things we can do to prevent or correct this behavior.

Most of the time our dog jumps on us it is to get our attention. And if we are honest most of the time, that is exactly what we give them. Remember attention is attention, good or bad. So even if you are telling your dog no and pushing him off you, to your dog, that’s attention.

Why does your dog jump?

It usually starts when they are puppies because they are so darn cute and it seems harmless. Who can resist those big eyes, right?? Only, when our dogs grow up it may not be as cute and they don’t know the difference. If our pup has always jumped up on us for attention and if it works for them that is what they will always do, muddy paws or not.

In this episode, I talk about preventing, ignoring and redirecting your dog’s jumping. I use coming home as the main example but these tips can be used in whichever scenario your dog is jumping on you.

Links in this episode:

Episode 4: How to Get a Strong Recall: Three Things You Can Do Now to Teach Your Dog to Come Every Time You Call.

(I also want to mention I am very surprised I have gotten to episode 8 without my back up singers making an appearance.)

I had a lot of fun recording our first Q&A episode!  You asked some great questions that have influenced the topics of many episodes and now I want to answer some specific questions.

In this episode, I answer three great questions sent in by listeners.

Topics include:

• Multiple dog household
• Handing a new young dog with older dogs
• The difference between adding a male or female dog to your pack.  

If you have your own questions to ask we want to hear them.  You can email us directly at [yournewpuppy (@) playtimepaws.com] or if you sign up for our weekly updates you will not only get information when new episodes are released but you can reply directly to the email that is sent to you.

Links discussed in this episode

Episode #002:  Which Type of Dog is Right for You

Episode #005:  How (and Why) to Make Their Crate Your Dog’s Best Friend

Episode #006:  My Dog Steals my Stuff!! How to Protect your Dog and your Things

Episode #007: Why Dogs Dig and What You Can Do About It

Psychology Today – Aggression Between Dogs in the Same Household

If you are enjoying this Podcast head over to iTunes and leave us a rating and review!  This will help others find us!

Does your backyard look like someone has been digging for gold?  Having a crater filled back yard is frustrating, not pretty and can even be dangerous.  

Digging is one of those things that dogs just love to do.  It’s right up there with barking and chewing and being with us.

The most common reasons why a dog digs is boredom or has too much energy and he is looking to entertain himself.  Other reasons could be to cool dog, chase an animal or even escape.

Because this is such a natural behavior your best bet is to redirect or distract from the digging instead of trying to just stop it.

In this episode, I talk about the reasons dogs dig and some ways to help save your yard.

I talk a little about using a “sandbox” which is a designated place in the yard where your dog is allowed to dig.  This is what I do and it works well.  

In fact, here is Lucy sitting in one of her holes.  It’s her favorite because it’s nice and cool and she can watch the street.

What do we do when our dog steals our stuff?

We all know the scene: it’s gotten a little too quiet so you go searching for the little fuzzball that was just at your feet. You turn the corner and there he is, chomping happily away on the book you were reading earlier, or maybe it’s something that clearly came out of the garbage.

First, you panic because don’t know how much he actually ate. Once you know he’s ok, it’s time to clean up the mess or mourn the possession you are now tossing in the trash.

Dogs love to chew. It’s just a fact. It’s one of the basic things that all dogs do. But when our dog steals our things to chew on it can be dangerous and at the very least, frustrating.

What do we do to protect our dog and our stuff?

In this episode, I talk about a few things that you can start doing to stop your dog from stealing your stuff. I also go over how to teach him what he is allowed to chew on.

To give you an example I have a case study for you to give you an idea of how I handled this in a real world situation.

Links and Info in this episode:

Episode 5 (Crate Training)

When we think of crate training, we usually think of potty training our puppy.  It makes sense because these two things go hand and hand.  Using a crate is the best and most efficient way to potty train our dogs.  

In this episode, I want to convince you that crate training goes way beyond potty training.  If done correctly a crate can be an essential training tool and a way to give you peace of mind long after potty training is over.  

In this episode of Your New Puppy I will go over:

• Benefits to crate training your dog (and keep them crate trained).
• Pros and cons of the main types of crates.
• Where in your house your crate should go.
• How to make your dog LOVE his crate.
• Tips if your dog doesn’t love his crate right now.

Press play to listen to this podcast episode or subscribe to Your New Puppy where ever you listen to your podcasts.

Resistance to Crate Training

I understand a lot of new dog owners can have resistance to using a crate altogether.

A lot of people see it as a cage or think it’s unfair to the dog.  Especially if you adopted them from a shelter. I hear this a lot that, “they were in a cage in the shelter. I don’t want to have them in one at home…” 

I want you to look at it from a different perspective. We have cribs and playpens for our children to give them a place where they can play or sleep.  We have peace of mind knowing that they are safe while they’re in there. A crate is for a dog is no different.

That’s why I’m going to give you some tips and pointers to make this a great oasis for your dog. That way your dog’s going to love it and you’re going to have peace of mind. It’s a win-win situation.

Benefits to Crate Training Your Dog

The most common reasons for crate training is to help with potty training and keep them safe (and our stuff safe) while they are still in the chewing stage. 

What happens is, once he’s house trained and you trust him to be in the house unsupervised, then we come away from the crate and we stop using it altogether.

There are a lot of reasons to keep them used to and loving their crate way beyond puppy-hood.

When you have to board your dog. Especially if you go with a traditional boarding where they’re going to be confined, even if it’s only at night, if your dog already has a good association with the crate with that, there’s an extra peace of mind knowing that he’s going to be comfortable there.

When I used to board dogs in my house I didn’t require a crate (with the exception of puppies not yet potty trained)  But if they were crate trained, I highly recommend bringing their crate because the dogs who slept in the crates at night made the best transition to the new environment. I very rarely had any kind of whining or anxiety.

If your dog ever has to stay at the vet, either overnight or just during the day, they’re going to keep them in a kennel or crate.  Knowing that they will be comfortable in the kennel can take away some of the stress that you will probably feel from having to leave them there in the first place. 

The few times Lucy had to stay at the vet they commented to me on how comfortable my she was while staying there.  She just curled up in the kennel and went sleep. 

If you have people coming in and out of your house. They could be professionals working on your house or if you have a cleaning service that comes in a few times a month. 

If you have visitors. Not everyone likes dogs (I don’t understand it, but I respect it).  Or everyone is dressed up. Maybe it’s a child that’s a little scared of dogs.  It’s great to have an option where you can give your dog a bully stick or a really great toy and he can chill in this crate for a little bit and be perfectly content.

If there is an emergency. It’s something we don’t always want to think about but if we ever need to evacuate our home if your dog can be kept in a crate, the options of where you can go and bring your dog with you, increase. 

These are things that aren’t going to happen every day, but when they do happen, it’s really, nice to have that option. 

Once your dog is an adult you don’t have to keep them in their crate every day but just enough that they are used to it. 

For my dogs, what I do is every single time I give my dogs a bully stick, they chew on it in their crate. Now as soon as my hand goes into the bully stick bin, they both run to their crates and that’s where they chew on it.  Lucy, my younger girl, still sleeps in her crate every night (I’ll talk about her crate more in a minute).  

​Main Types of Crates 

The first thing that you have to think about is which type of crate is going to work best for you. Let’s look at a few of the most common ones. 

Wire (Life Stages) Crate:

The most popular one is the one that looks like a cage. It’s the wire crate also known as the Life Stages Crate. 

The biggest advantage to the wire crate is it has a divider where you can make the crate smaller when your dog is a puppy and then you move it out and the crate grows with your dog. Eventually, you can take it out and the dog has the whole crate.

The reason this is important is when it comes to potty training, the size of the crate matters.  You want to come give him enough room where, he can stand up, turn around, and lie down, but no more.  If you give them too much room they may go to the bathroom in one corner and then sleep in the other and you DO NOT want that. Once he learns he can go to the bathroom and the crate you use lose the crate as a tool then house training just becomes a whole lot harder.  

(I go into potty training in detail in YNP #010: Complete Guide to Potty Training Your Puppy)

They’ll also fold down easily for storage and travel. They can be a little heavy depending on the size.

With the wire crates, I also recommend putting blankets over them to kind of give them a snug feeling (I’ll talk more about this in a moment).

 

• Most versatile.
• Divider to change the size of the crate to grow with the dog.
• Folds down for storage or transport.
• Looks the most like a cage.
• Needs towels or blankets on the outside to make cozy.

Plastic Kennel (Enclosed Crate)

The second most popular one is the plastic Kennel.  What’s nice about this one is that they’re already kind of enclosed. So they already have that nice snug feeling.

The drawback is, is that they don’t fold down nicely. So if you have a large crate for a large dog they can get big and bulky to store and travel with.   

They also don’t have a divider where the crate grows with the dog.  So you might have to buy a small one when they are a puppy and get a bigger one later.

If you have a small dog, it’s really easy to carry them around in these crates.

• Already enclosed and snug.
• Airport approved.
• No way to adjust the size for growing puppies.
• Can be bulky to travel with.

Soft (Travel) Crate

Another one that they have is called a travel crate or a soft-sided crate. It’s incredibly light and it’s already enclosed. A lot of them have zippers on the sides where you can open up a flat and vent it but still have a nice cozy feeling. They fold down super easy to take up very little space for storage or travel. 

It doesn’t have the life stages option where it will grow with the dog. The other downside is because it’s only a canvas material, puppies and big chewers can chew through the material. 

This is my favorite option if you plan to take your dog on adventures with you. 

• Folds down and is light for easy travel.
• Already enclosed and snug.
• No way to adjust the size for growing puppies.
• Puppies and heavy chewers can chew holes in the material.

“End Table” Crate

The last type is these really nice crates that look like furniture. It’s essentially this really nice piece of furniture that your dog can sleep in. 

They are expensive and there are no travel options with them. It can be a good option if you are limited on space so your end table can also be your dog’s crate.  Or if you just want a nice looking crate.

• Attractive ​
• Can second as an end table.
• No travel or storage option.
• Expensive

To pick which one works best for you it all about how it’s going to fit into your life, how it’s going to work with your dog, and what you think the dogs gonna enjoy the most.

There are different options out there because everybody’s situation is different.

Location in your house

Another decision to make is where in the house you should put the crate. This is another one I can’t answer for you. 

When they’re a puppy and they’re going to be in the crate more often because of potty training or you simply can’t supervise.

During this time, it’s nice to have them in a high traffic area, like a kitchen or a living room because then the dog will still be with the family even if he’s hanging out in his crate napping or chewing on their bone during the day.

That being said, I also know that a lot of people like their dog to sleep in the bedroom with them.  And your new puppy with adjust better at night. I have also seen a lot of puppies adjust just fine not being in the bedroom at night.

So…

Do you keep the crate in the bedroom? Do you keep the crate in the main family area? Do you have two crates? Do you move the crate?

It might be something you might have to play with to see where the dog’s going to be the most comfortable and where it works best into your schedule, your family’s lifestyle.

Create yourDog’s Oasis

Okay. So let’s get down to how we’re going to make this the best place for your dog to be. Your dog’s little oasis.

Our goal is to give him a good association with his crate.  We can do this in a few ways.  

To start, never ever, ever, ever use the crate as punishment. It’s really easy, when the dog’s jumping around, really active, he’s nipping and he kind of gets out of control, to get a little frustrated and put them in this crate. You want to avoid this. The crate is not a timeout tool. The crate is somewhere for him to rest and relax.

What IS a good idea is to get him nice and tired before putting him in the crate. Then he’s just out and he’s sleeping and it becomes the place where he gets to rest without being disturbed.  You can also scoop him up and put him in his crate whenever he’s taking a nap during the day. 

You can have special treats that are only for the crate. Having that special treat for just in the crate gets makes the crate an extra special crate.  I mentioned before that I use bully sticks.  This can also be a deer antler or a favorite toy.   

Feed him in his crate.  You can put his food bowl right in the crate with him. I recommend using a Kong.  You can stuff a Kong with their food, maybe a little bit of peanut butter or some other healthy treat like yogurt and mix it in there. It’s great because he’s occupied in his crate, he’s happy because he’s eating this fun, treat and he’s also taking more time and more energy just to eat his meal

I talk about using a Kong for mealtime in more detail in Episode 18: Ditch the Bowl and Make Mealtime an Event

Make it cozy!  When I talked about the different crates above I mentioned making the crate snug and cozy.  This is the most important step.  You want to create a little cave.  This is a picture of Lucy’s crate.  I have to pull other dogs out of her crate all the time because everyone wants to sleep in it.  I have all sides covered with a blanket to make a little cave.  Then inside is a fleece bed and soft blankets to curl up in.  

Note: Young puppies will probably chew on the bedding.  Using an old towel or possibly no bedding at all may be necessary at first. 

Each of these things you can do at first just to get them to love his crate. You don’t have to do it forever (or you can!). You can anything that’s gonna be enjoyable, safe and he’s in his crate.

Pro tip: If you give them a squeaky toy, take it out before you go to bed.  Especially if he’s going to be in your bedroom because sometimes they don’t know that at 2:00 am it’s not the time to play it with that squeaky toy.

Introducing your puppy (or dog)

If you just have a puppy or if you’re bringing a new dog home this is relatively easy.

Follow these steps to introduce or reintroduce your dog to their crate.  Only move onto the next step when your dog is comfortable with the current step.

1. Set up the crate and leave the door open.  Don’t ask them to go in, just let them get used to the crate’s presence. An option is to feed him near the crate.
2. Play with your dog and throw toys and treats into the crate.  Continue to leave the door open. Let your dog run in and get the toy and treat and come right back out. 
3. Continue to throw his toy or treats in the crate.  When he goes in close the door and immediately open it.
4. Continue to throw his toy or treats in the crate.  Close the door for longer and longer periods of time (1 second, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, etc.).  

If you’re dog already doesn’t like the crate

First we want to see why your dog is uncomfortable and it could have nothing to do with the crate.  These are the most common reasons that a puppy or dog doesn’t like their crate.

Something “bad” is happening when they go in their crate.  If you only use the crate when you leave the house then your dog is associating his crate with you leaving.  Or if you put them in the crate and then use the vacuum.  Be aware of what is happening while your dog is in their crate.  Remember we want make sure it’s a positive experience. 

They don’t hate their crate, they are getting some kind of attention for whining.   Most of the time when a dog, especially a puppy is continually whining in the crate it isn’t that they hate the crate, they are trying to get your attention.  Walking back into the room, a quick “it’s OK”, or worst of all, letting them out will encourage them to do it again.  You need to completely ignore them whine you are initially crating training a puppy.  

I talk more about why puppies will whine in the crate in Episode 28: 5 Reasons to Use the Crate When You’re Home.

Big picture

Crate training your dog has lots of benefits.  When done correctly it will become a multi functional training tool.  

Pick the crate and location that works best for your family.  Then create a good association by making it cozy, making all good things happen in the crate, and never use it as punishment. 

Press play to listen to the full podcast episode.

What’s Next?

Want crate training to actually work — without the stress, the guilt, or the constant second-guessing?

That’s exactly what we do inside YOUR Perfect Puppy, my digital program that gives you a clear, practical plan for every stage of puppyhood and direct access to me to ask questions like:

 “Am I doing this right?” “Why won’t he stop crying?” or “How do I know he loves his crate?”

You’ll also get ongoing support through Playtime Paws Academy — with weekly live calls, a private community, and real-life solutions to help you feel confident as you raise your well-mannered pup.

👉 Click here to check out YOUR Perfect Puppy.

Let’s make that crate your dog’s favorite spot and give you the peace of mind you deserve.

In today’s episode, we’re going to talk about your recall command; most commonly known as “come”. 

I’m not going to be talk about teaching your dog the actual command.

What I am going to talk about is building a few everyday habits so when it comes time to teach your dog the command, it’s going to be a heck of a lot easier.  In fact, if you do this right, a formal command may not be necessary.  Your dog will always want to come running when you call them.

If you have a brand new puppy you are going to start these habits from day one. 

If you’ve had a dog for a while and maybe aren’t doing some of these things, that’s okay, because you’re just going to make today day one!

In addition, I have a bonus that teaches you how to play a game with your dog that reinforces everything we are going to talk about.  It’s also a great way to tire out your dog and create some family bonding!  More on that in a minute.

The three habits I’m going to go over are:

1. Never call your dog to you for ANYTHING your dog sees as negative.
2. NEVER chase your dog.
3. Add a collar grab.

Each of these 3 habits is based on the fact that we are always training our dog, whether we realize it or not. If you have noticed that your dog knows you’re leaving the house an hour before you actually do, you know what I’m talking about (sometimes I’m a little disappointed at how predictable I am).  That’s because they are ALWAYS paying attention to our body language, actions, and habits.

We’re going to use this to our advantage. Let’s get started.

Psst: Don’t miss out on the free tool I tell you all about at the end!

Press play to listen to this podcast episode or subscribe to Your New Puppy where ever you listen to your podcasts.

1. NEVER call your dog to you for ANYTHING your dog sees as negative  (and every time they do come to you make it a good thing)

This is where you need to be aware of your own actions. Sometimes we have to change our own habits first, which we all know isn’t easy.

The recall command isn’t about getting your dog to listen; it’s about you being in competition with their environment.  We don’t want him to have any idea in their head that coming to you is the wrong decision.  Every single time he comes to you it’s a good thing because one day it’s going to be a choice between you and that squirrel across the street and you want to give yourself a fighting chance.

For example, he’s running around, he’s playing outside, you call him to you and you bring him inside. From your dog’s point of view, he was playing and having fun and when he came running over to you he had to go inside (boo!).   

How about when she’s playing with something she shouldn’t have. You call him to you and then you take it away from her. Well, all she knows is she came running over to you and she got him new fun toy taken away.  

This goes for bath time, or clipping their nails, or giving them medicine (unless it’s wrapped in peanut butter, then feel free to call them to you).   Anything that your dog is going to see as not fun, you go to your dog, do not call him to you.

Before you call your dog to you, look at it from his point of view and decide can I call him to me or should I go to get him. 

It’s gonna take a little practice to start seeing things through your dog’s eyes. It’s something to practice and to always, always keep in mind.  We want to be doing this every single day so it becomes a habit for us too.

14 Days to a Stronger Recall

Teaching your dog to come to you in any environment is the key to your peace of mind and your dog’s freedom.  In just 14 days you’ll be on your way to feeling the pride and joy that comes with having a strong, reliable recall with your dog. 

But did you know teaching your dog to come when called isn’t just teaching your dog another command. It’s developing a day habit with your dog.  Your own behavior is the most powerful tool you have when teaching your dog a strong, reliable recall. 

Inside 14 Days to a Stronger Recall you’ll learn the skills your dog needs, the habits you need and the mistakes to avoid to have your dog coming to you in any environment. 

2. NEVER chase your dog (and teach games where your dog chases you) 

Chase is one of those fundamental games that dogs love, love, love to play. If you watch a group of dogs playing, you will almost always see a game of chase happening.

Your dog has probably tried to play this with you.

DO NOT CHASE THEM.  Even in play.

If you play the chase game with them, you know the one, he has a toy maybe you’re running around the yard.  It is a fun game to play, but you don’t want him to decide to play that game when he has something dangerous or he just got off-leash and he’s in the middle of the street. 

If it’s a game that he’s never played with you, then he’s not gonna think to play it in those times.

What I DO encourage you to do is flip the game and get him to chase you.  You get him all excited and then you run in the other direction.  Then if he knows the game of chasing YOU,  when he get’s off-leash, you can get him all riled up and run back to the front door. He’ll be like, “oh yeah, I know this game. We play this game all the time!!”

Test this out. Next time you call your dog to you, shuffle back a couple of steps you’ll notice him pick up his speed.   It’s a natural instinct for dogs to chase something that is moving away from them.  Any time we can work with their natural instincts, let’s do it!

It’s a great tool and a great game to have in your back pocket when you need to get your dog off the street or back on his leash or away from the fence, or the unfriendly dog that might be walking down the street.

3. Add a collar grab

The last thing I want you to do is incredibly simple and you will thank me for it one day.  I want you to include a collar grab into your dog’s everyday training.  

To do a collar grab is simply slip two fingers under your dog’s collar and then immediately release. 

A good time to start this when you‘re training him to sit.  Before you give him the treat, reach down grab his collar and then give him the treat.   You can also do this when you are playing with their toys or scratching their belly, or anytime you are handling them.  Do this a few times a day so it’s something they are used to you doing and even have a good association with it.

There are a couple of reasons this will help you. When the time comes and you get them to come to you, she’s not going to think twice about you reaching around and grabbing a hold of his collar to put his leash on because you’ve done it a hundred times.

Any of us who has that dog that will grab a treat and run or just sit out of arm’s length from you or try to play keep away you know how this can help.

If we make it part of his everyday training, then it’s something that he expects.

A second, and equally important, reason why I like to have my clients do this is because it’s the most common for a dog to bite someone he knows is when you grab his collar. 

The reason this happens is when two dogs fight, the first thing they do is go for their neck. And when we want to get a hold of our dog we grab the collar.  Think about if you saw a dog running around the street and you want to grab them for safety, whether you knew the dog or not, you’re probably going to grab his collar cause there’s nothing else on them to grab.

So we want to desensitize him to it and associate it with something good.  I like doing it when you teach your dog to sit because treats are usually involved. It doesn’t have to be every time, but enough where he’s used to it and he’s being desensitized to it. So when it does happen, he doesn’t get defensive.

Freebie

The very last thing I have for you is a PDF download that is all about a game that will help you reinforce everything we talked about.  I’m always very excited to teach this game to all of my clients.

I call it Rover Round Robin (for the young ones you can also call it Puppy Ping Pong). The general idea is that you have the whole family and your friends participating and you’re going to have the dog running from person to person each in turn.

It’s great exercise, it’s great bonding, AND it reinforces that running to whoever is calling him is SO MUCH FUN!  It’s a win, win, win!

But that’s not all…there’s different ways to modify the game to teach him additional skills and up the challenge. You can start to teach your dog everybody’s name (including his own). You can turn it into a game of hide-and-seek.  The possibilities are endless. I give you a whole bunch, but you can make up your own.

Free Tool: Rover Round Robin

This bonus includes step by step instructions on how to teach your dog and your family and friends to play the game. It also includes options to add challenges and new skills to the game. It’s a bonus that you can come back to again and again to continue to teach your dog and involve your family and friends…it doesn’t get better than that.