In this episode I talk about training collars. Are they right for you? And if so, what kind of training collar do you choose for your dog, and just as important... what kind to choose for your dog/owner combination? For those who may be opposed to the idea of a training collar, I still urge you to listen. After training hundreds of dogs I have some ideas to share that might help with your decision on the matter.

Today's episode is sponsored by The Swiftest. Instead of doing all of the research yourself on what type of pet insurance to buy, consider clicking this link to rely on their extensive research. It's also a great way to support the show!

Martingale Collar: basic low level training collar. At a minimum I use a martingale collar like the one at this Amazon link (no plastic clasps, no chain loops) 
Here’s a link to find out more about this type of collar on Amazon.  They also have them in most Pet stores.   FYI – if you read the reviews of these collars, you’ll read some from people who left them on their dogs, while they were home alone all day, and they got the collar caught on things and choked themselves.  So … don’t do that – problem solved. Note: make the size selection that is appropriate to your dog. 

Herm Sprenger Chain Collar: Medium level upgrade for more rambunctious dogs (again, more info on this at this link)

Starmark Plastic Training Collar: Medium plus level of collar. (Note – these come with a redundant line slip collar that you use with this collar to guard against the possibility of an improperly fitted link coming apart and separating while you’re training – be sure to use this redundant safety collar when you’re using 
the Starmark collar.)  Click here to view on Amazon.com.
 

Herm Sprenger Prong Collar: The highest level of leverage and the collar makes it easiest for you to manage your dog in training and on walks.  We generally work our way out of this collar as a dog’s proficiency indicates that it’s not necessary anymore.

Here is the metal collar link http://amzn.to/29842kW

And an alternative http://amzn.to/29bLHVb

Note: I often use a redundant slip collar (like the one indicated above as an alternative) when I use a prong collar.  Because this training collar has separate movable pieces to it, there’s a possibility (usually human error) that sometimes results in the collar coming apart while training.

The redundant slip collar assures you that you don’t lose your dog if this happens. Also, it’s worth stating that they have decided to name this slip collar a “dominant dog collar”? I’m not really sure why.  It functions just as well for nondominant dogs that happen to have a training collar break and want to run across a busy road to play with another dog … guess they figured the name sounded cool? 
      
Full disclosure, this page contains affiliate links.  We’ll make a few dollars if you purchase through the affiliate links.

Additionally... we offer our online video course at TheDogsWay.com. If you'd like to refer others to it and make a few dollars at the same time, try our affiliate program!

Affiliates Resources - The Dog's Way (thedogsway.com)

This process will be very straightforward if you are familiar with the Click Bank Affiliate platform.  If you need help signing up with Click Bank and finding the course, there are a lot of videos on YouTube that will walk you through how to do it.

In this episode I talk about natural transitional rewards. Many may not have heard the term, but a lot of you may have used them in the training of your dog whether you realize it or not. If you want to do a real dive into the behavioral part of training, I encourage you to listen to my two episodes on conditioning - Session 73: Skinner's Four Quadrants Part One, and Session 74: Skinner's Four Quadrants Part Two.

I'll talk about the conditioning baked into every day interactions with your dog (like the feeding ritual). The same thing goes for when we are preparing for a walk. Those rituals can be a good thing. But it's it's more than simply the obedience skill you're teaching - it's the nervous system state that is occurring during that sit/stay and from the moment that you give the command to "break free" or say "all done". I'll describe how those commands and practices get embedded in their head, and how that fixation needs to be inhibited in certain instances.

Here are a couple of other instances where you might practically use this training;

• Preparing for a walk
• Preparing for feeding time
• The "Getting out of a car" ritual
• Going through the front door ritual
• Going through the gate at the dog park ritual

I'll talk about how sometimes we unintentionally signal to our dog when we reward certain types of gregarious responses is "I love it when you freak out and run around when I do this action!" Identifying those habits is a real eye-opener to what you might want to consider adjusting during these routines.

By the way, a couple of things that I wanted to mention to you. First, we have a new sponsor of the podcast! It can be so frustrating trying to find the right insurance for your dog! My new sponsor, The Swiftest, can help you compare different types of policies and quotes for your pet to make sure you get the best value for your pet! Click here for the 6 Best Pet Insurance Plans Compared for 2023. (full disclosure – this is an affiliate link, and we’ll make a few bucks if you decide that the pet insurance that the folks at The Swiftest have recommended is right for you.)

Also, I sincerely appreciate all of those who have referred my video series to friends! 

Here’s how you can make some money by referring the Online Video course to folks:

Affiliates Resources - The Dog's Way (thedogsway.com)

This process will be very straightforward if you are familiar with the Click Bank Affiliate platform.  If you need help signing up with Click Bank and finding the course, there are a lot of videos on YouTube that will walk you through how to do that.  If you need some assistance with the process, feel free to email me directly via the link below:

Contact Page - The Dog's Way (thedogsway.com)

On this episode I talk with Elaine Rosen, President and CEO of Dog Lodge, based in Texas. She also is the host of the podcast, Dog Lodge Radio. 

Dog Lodge is a great non-profit that deals with elderly and special needs dogs. It is essentially a senior dog retirement home and hospice care facility. They focus on providing a permanent home to dogs whose futures are particularly bleak. They concentrate primarily on dogs that may have come from shelters, rescues, and some private homes. Elaine and her business partner started the concept together after considering where the deficits existed in care for dogs and found that there were many rescues available but not a lot of help for senior animals. They found some land in Hempstead, Texas, and with a lot of support and dedication they have created quite an incredible organization.

Elaine talks about the initial fear prior to getting started - would anyone besides them would care this much about senior dogs? She and her business partner quickly found out that there was a lot of support for the effort.

The expense and work involved is intense; determining intake criteria, medical care needs and costs, and more. Sean and Elaine also talk about the owners of pets who are near the end of their frustration with their pets and are considering re-homing. 

One of the cornerstones for taking in animals is a determination of the quality of life that they can provide based on it's medical needs. If they cannot provide a high standard of care for the animal, they have no business taking it in.

They help arrange foster homes as well. It really is an incredible non-profit organization.

They started a podcast called Dog Lodge Radio: Animal Issues That Matter. It focuses on their organization, but also animals other than dogs - they find and share fascinating stories about various sanctuaries for different animals, including horses and elephants!

To learn more, to reach out for help, or contribute to the organization, you can visit their website DogLodge.org. They are perpetually in need of contributions. You can visit their website and donate by clicking here, or visit their Facebook page here. They also accept in-kind donations. For information about that, contact them here.

I interview Mandy Pleshaw from Pet Partners. Pet partners is the largest therapy dog organization in the country. We discuss the steps you can take to begin volunteering and doing therapy work with your dog. In this session: In this episode: Have you ever wanted to do therapy work with [...]

The post Session 19: How to become a registered therapy dog team appeared first on The Dog's Way.

In this episode, in the puppy section, I take answer a listeners question about what to teach a puppy and when – sort of a puppy curriculum. In the training section, I give you a step by step plan to teach two dogs to not go after each other’s fetch toy. This solution also applies [...]

The post Session 18: The overview of what to teach a puppy and when, and teaching two dogs to not go after each other’s fetch toys appeared first on The Dog's Way.

In this episode, in the puppy section, I give you a step by step protocol to teach your older puppy to meet and greet people without jumping, mouthing and going crazy. In the adult dog training section, I give you a step by step plan to teach your dog to be brave around objects that [...]

The post Session 17: Teaching your puppy to greet people, and teaching your adult dog to learn to be brave around things like vacuum cleaners and lawn mowers appeared first on The Dog's Way.

In this episode, I give you a step by step plan to teach your older puppy nose work games to help burn up some of that bouncy energy. In the training section, I give you some reasons why you may want to do some muzzle conditioning with your dog and a step by step protocol [...]

The post SESSION 16: Nose work games and how to condition your dog to using a muzzle. appeared first on The Dog's Way.

In this episode, I give you a step by step plan to help with grooming procedures. In this example of the 3 phase protocol we go through, I look at how to make nail clipping easier for you and your dog. In the puppy section, I give you some tips on teaching your puppy to [...]

The post Session 15: Step by step plan to help with grooming procedures. appeared first on The Dog's Way.

In this episode, I catch up on answering questions from the email bag as well as go over the protocol for solving problems when your dog is at the office. In the puppy training section, I teach how to progress through Phase 3 and Phase 4 of teaching your puppy to sit. [...]

The post SESSION 14: Protocol for solving problems when your dog is at the office. appeared first on The Dog's Way.

In this episode, I catch up on answering questions from the email bag as well as answering a caller’s question about letting her dog jumping up on her couch. In the puppy training section, I teach you how to start your younger puppy in intermediate training for sit. In this session: [...]

The post SESSION 13: Questions from the email bag appeared first on The Dog's Way.

In this episode, I interview Michael and Elizabeth Kohl, Owners of Candle Hill Shepherds. Michael and Elizabeth breed some amazing German Shepherds in Idaho. In our discussion we give you some great tips on finding a reputable breeder of any breed of dog and of course there’s lots of info in this podcast about the [...]

The post SESSION 12: interview with Michael and Elizabeth Kohl appeared first on The Dog's Way.

In this episode I interview Laura Tonkin, Executive Director or People United for Pets. Laura gives you great tips on making the transition for your new dog as easy as possible and she gives you three key things you should know before adopting a dog from a rescue shelter. In this [...]

The post SESSION 11: In this episode I interview Laura Tonkin appeared first on The Dog's Way.

In this week’s episode, I answer a caller’s question who wants a clarification on something they heard in podcast #7 about not picking up a small breed dog too much. And if that applies to her new smaller breed puppy. Also, in the adult dog section, I give you the steps to make training with [...]

The post Session 10 appeared first on The Dog's Way.

On this episode, I sit down with Brad Bevill, who is an incredibly talented dog behavior expert. Brad's focus for dogs is teaching them to be in a follower mindset and balanced emotionally. Brad's focus for people is teaching them to be fair, and consistent leaders for their dogs, and to teach them how to fulfill their dog's lives more profoundly. Brad and I talk about how he discovered this passion of his, how he transitioned from the corporate world, and what his mission has been since 2013.

Brad owns and operates Bevill Dog Behavior with his wife in Dallas, Texas, and operates multiple locations in the area.

Brad's focus is on a broader approach to training, and one of his priorities is to help owners find a true connection with their dogs. Their mission is to educate humans, train dogs, and rebuild relationships.

Brad's company can be found on the following platforms;

• His website, BevillDogBehavior.com
• on Instagram @BradBevill
• His Facebook page, here

In this week’s episode, I discuss some of the results of our 21 day New Year’s behavior challenge! And, in our puppy segment, I answer a caller’s question about what to look for when you’re choosing a puppy. Also, in the adult dog section, I give you the steps to make bath time much easier [...]

The post SESSION 9: Puppy Stuff: How to pick a puppy from a litter | Adult Dog Stuff: How to condition your dog to like having a bath appeared first on The Dog's Way.

In this week’s episode we talk to, Dr. Jake Tedaldi, the author of one of the best dog first aid books out there. His book, What’s Wrong with My Dog, has helped many dog owners more accurately assess the symptoms they’re seeing in their dogs, and has helped them more accurately communicate with their veterinarian [...]

The post SESSION 8: Interview with Dr. Jake Tedaldi, author of What’s Wrong with My Dog appeared first on The Dog's Way.

In this session of the podcast, I go through the steps and tips of how to introduce a new puppy into your home when you already have an existing dog. And I discuss some of the problem solving I suggest to a listener who has a question about his dog who has been aggressive with [...]

The post SESSION 7: How to introduce a new puppy into your home when you already have an existing dog. And, Sean goes through some of the problem solving in a question from an email when a dog has shown aggression. appeared first on The Dog's Way.

In this session of the podcast, I talk about what to do when your puppy loses awareness of you when going up to, and interacting with, other dogs.  ALSO:  For those of you that have a dog older than 7 months, I issue you a New Year’s resolution, 21 day behavioral, challenge for you and [...]

The post SESSION 6: Puppies meeting, greeting and interaction with other dogs and puppies and our for dogs over 7 months old: Try our New Year’s 21 day behavioral challenge! appeared first on The Dog's Way.

In this session of the podcast, I follow up on homework from session 4. We’ll answer a listener email about house breaking with puppies and then we go through a game plan to prepare your dog to be better behaved during parties. In this session: EMAIL BAG SECTION: Front [...]

The post SESSION 5: House breaking for puppies and preparing your dog to be better behaved during holiday parties. appeared first on The Dog's Way.

In this session of the podcast, I follow up on homework from session 3. I answer some email questions from listeners and teach you how to “redo” your dog’s “front door ritual”. ALSO: I switch gears a little bit in the second half of today’s show and talk about how to train younger puppies. [...]

The post SESSION 4: Follow up on homework from Session 3 & switch gears to learn how to train younger puppies. appeared first on The Dog's Way.

There are three things that make anything harder (or easier) for your dog;

1. What you’re doing while your dog does a task: This is usually measured by how connected (or disconnected) to you. For example, on leash versus off leash.
2. What’s going on around your dog while they do a task: These are sometimes called “distractions”

• Distance
• Movement
• Surprise
• And number of distractions
• How long you expect your dog to do a task

Get your dog’s freedom/responsibility quotient back into balance

Structure your dog’s everyday life more

Here’s a link to an article on our blog that will give you some things to change around your house to structure your dog’s life more during this training phase. This article was originally written as a response to people who asked what to do after their newly adopted dogs started acting up, but it’s good advice for anyone trying to tune up their relationship and training with their dog.

Here’s an article on the blog that has a short video clip showing you what I mean by loose leash walking

Leash pulling article from the blog

Let me know how this experiment goes with your dog! 

For more of The Dog's Way podcast follow us on Twitter @TheDogsWay Subscribe on Facebook, and listen to all of our episodes on our website.

Leave me a voicemail and hear yourself on a future show! I'd love if you'd leave me a brief message to let me know how these tips worked for you! Call (844) 364-7929. And if we use your comments in the show, we’ll send you a free video training series! OR if you don’t like free stuff … Email your questions to me: sean@thedogsway.com

All the Best,

The post SESSION 3: Learn how to structure your dog’s lifestyle more. appeared first on The Dog's Way.

In this podcast episode I discuss the start of training. In my “in -person” lessons we all start out at the same place. Whether someone just got a rescue dog a few weeks ago or whether they paid tens of thousands of dollars for a “fully trained” dog, we all start out assessing three things.

First, relationship, then basic “core” skills (including the one core skill that makes any dog a “good dog”) and lastly we address “policies”. One of the challenges in starting with a new client is that everyone calls me with what I label a “policy disagreement” with their dog. That is, their dog has one set of default rules and their owner would like them to have another.

Before throwing down the new policy manual, (to be fair to your dog) we have to see if they have the basic “core” skills to do the kinds of policies that you want them to do and before we address basic skills, we have to clarify the relationship. At the end of this podcast, I leave you with some “observational” homework so you can start assessing those three areas right away (relationship, basic skills, and policies).

For more of The Dog's Way podcast follow us on Twitter @TheDogsWay Subscribe on Facebook, and listen to all of our episodes on our website.

Leave me a voicemail and hear yourself on a future show! I'd love if you'd leave me a brief message to let me know how these tips worked for you! Call (844) 364-7929. And if we use your comments in the show, we’ll send you a free video training series! OR if you don’t like free stuff … Email your questions to me: sean@thedogsway.com

All the Best,

The post Session 2: Starting out – Are you having some “policy” disagreements with your dog? appeared first on The Dog's Way.

In this podcast, I go over what you can expect from our podcast on a weekly basis as well as who I am and where I’m coming from with regard to dog behavior and training. I give you some idea about how I got started in training (which is likely very similar to how you [...]

The post Session 1: (Introduction Podcast) So, Who’s This Sean Mcdaniel Guy? appeared first on The Dog's Way.

Andi Brown is the author of The Whole Pet Diet, an interesting book on dog and cat nutrition. It's been a bit of a theme for the last few episodes. This is the end of that "mini-series" on nutrition for now, but I felt this story was a great way to round that all out.

Andi's story about her interest in pet nutrition that set her on this course starts with a personal account from the 80's of her own cat who had a host of health issues. Told that it was simply a genetic disease that had no cure, she felt she had no options until she met a friend whose focus was nutrition and natural health. After some exploration and her friend preparing a recipe that contained chicken and vegetables, a four-day transformation of her cat occurred and revolutionized the way they thought about diet as a part of their pets' overall health.

Andi talks about the standard for manufactured "pet" food, and some of the horrific discoveries she learned about them. She equates some of what the finalized product becomes (she calls it "vitaminized cardboard").

Part of her approach is something she calls "The 8-week challenge", and it outlines a direct approach to quality food as the core approach to your pet's better health.

You can find more information at TheWholePetDiet.com. 

Her book is available wherever books are sold. Click here to find it on Amazon.

She features some great recipes on her website as well! Click here for options.

Sean McDaniel interviews Dr. Gary Richter, a veterinarian from Oakland, California. Dr. Richter is an author and a designer of pet nutritional products and has a lot of interesting approaches to veterinary medicine as well as dog and cat nutrition.

The Ultimate Pet Health Guide, written by Dr. Richter, was originally approached to focus on the health benefits of fresh, whole food nutrition, but as he wrote it, it soon went into some of the common health challenges that he sees with pets. He addresses those individually, and his suggestions for pet nutrition take on a lot of the same form as if you saw him for a visit in his practice in Oakland, CA.

After a few years in practice, Dr. Richter started seeing limits for treatment for his patients. He was frustrated with not offering help beyond traditional limits. He began to explore more holistic approaches that were less traditional to treat chronic problems. Acupuncture, chiropractic, herbal therapy, and other treatment modalities became a part of his overall approach.

His website at DrGaryRichter.com

Link to buy his book on Amazon

Information to learn more about Gary and contact info for his practice at HolisticVetCare.com

This new book by Michael Wombacher is an incredibly illustrated and interesting book that I felt warranted another conversation! Michael's book has just been released and we sat down to discuss it.

Making a photo rich book that used the images as so much of the story was something he really wanted to do, but he talks about the intense challenges that come with it! It was over two and a half years in the making and has just been released.

We go in depth about what "integrated dog training" means, and how it covers obedience training (not necessarily puppies).

The book is available on Amazon by clicking here, or you can go to this cool Indie Bookstore Finder for an independent bookstore in your area.

Sean and Michael talk about the book and the balanced method of training contained within. Michael also talks about different methods for the same command. This accounts for dogs of different breeds and sizes, etc.

We talk about training equipment and the pros and cons as well as how to use it all.

It's an incredible interview and body of work. It's absolutely worth checking out both!

Jen Sotolongo joins us on this episode to talk about her Adventure Dog Camps! What they're about, how she got started, and who the camp is designed for (dogs and humans).

Sean and Jen discuss some of the unique things that many don't realize are essential for a dog to learn prior to going on an adventure like this. Jen shares some interesting stories about different types of challenges and wonderful learning and bonding opportunities exist with these adventures.

Jen focuses on the following adventures with your dog;

• Camping
• Cycling
• Flying
• Hiking
• Traveling
• Running
• and Gear Guides and Reviews

Jen's mission is for everyone to experience the joy of taking their dogs on adventures, and created the ultimate sleep-away camp style retreat! She talks about open this is for all skill levels, and a camp retreat that is coming up this September!

• Learn advanced dog handling skills specific to outdoor adventures
• Trying new activities with your dog
• Become part of the adventure dog community
• Connect with other like minded pet owners
• Create lasting memories with your companions.

To book a spot on the upcoming camp on September 19-22 in the Central Oregon area go to LongHaulTrekkers.com/adventure-dog-camp to learn more, or visit https://longhaultrekkers.com/adventure-dog-camp-application-form/ to go straight to the application!

Mike has trained dogs for over 25 years, including dogs of celebrities, and is an author and lecturer. He is the author of Good Dog, Happy Baby: Preparing Your Dog for the Arrival of Your Child, There's A Puppy In The House: Surviving the First Five Months, and has another coming soon.

We discuss how he got started in the dog training business and what methods of training inspired him to explore more in the business.  We talk about some key factors for people who are trying to find a good trainer. What to ask, what to look for, etc.

We talk about how social media has changed the judgement for how trainers approach critical training scenarios such as how they respond to babies, and considering options for rehoming. We talk about recent belief in "purely positive" methods. 

Mike cites a few interesting examples and talks about misinformation regarding studies; whether it's a summary that over simplifies or flawed studies that then become spread as fact.

It was a fascinating interview and you'll find lots of wisdom in his approach.

Dr. Lori Cesario is a leader in the field of veterinary oncology. We've spoken before, but you won't want to miss this follow up interview. It's packed full of useful tools - case studies for specific breeds, where to find the best solutions and preventative steps you can take to keep your dog's risk of getting cancer low.

Lori talks about steps to take to gain a better understanding of some of the characteristics - where we live, how our dog compares in size to their breed, when and whether they were spayed or neutered. 

Dr. Cesario talks about the best ways to verify the claims made online - she talks about PubMed.gov, a database for studies published in veterinary and human medicine.

The resource page she mentioned about breeds in the episode is located here.

To visit Dr. Cesario's website, visit https://www.caninecanceracademy.com or click here.

Her podcast can be found on multiple platforms. To find it on your favorite platform click here.

We have a new conversation with Eric Letendre, a great trainer based in the Massachusetts area. Last time I spoke to Eric (in episode 66) he'd published his first book, The Deadly Dog Training Myth.

There is so much conversation about remote training collars, but specifically a lot of misunderstandings about what they are for and what they can do. And it is important to note that a lot of understanding can be gained with this technology by understanding Skinner's Four Quadrants. I talked about this in podcast sessions 73 (part 1) and session 74 (part 2). Note that these will open in new tabs so you won't lose your place here.

I ask Eric about some of the mistakes people make when it comes to choosing a collar. We talk about "lesser"/"cheaper" collar types. I tell a funny story about a client who had a very interesting experience and why he gave up on it. Misuse and misunderstanding are a very big factor when considering this training method.

Eric talks about dog owners basic use methods;

1. As a low level negative reinforcement (or pressure and release)
2. Using it as a positive reinforcement (at a comfortable level)

We'll talk about how it can be an incredibly good or bad tool to use depending on the type you use, and your understanding about the psychological approach that you take when training your dog with it. Imagine a dog's response when you get certain things out and the positive response you receive. When you bring out the remote training collar, what association do you imagine the dog having? After listening to this podcast, it won't surprise you to know that dogs (trained properly) have a positive response to an e-collar!

Eric will talk about his philosophy about when the collar is applied during a real life training session and why that is. We talk a bit about each of our philosophies and the importance of that timing.

Eric's YouTube Page

The Deadly Dog Training Myth on Amazon

On this, our 100th episode, I am going to give a consolidated answer to a question that comes up a lot. When and why I use food as a trainer, when and why I don't use food, and when and why I do or don't use corrections or dog collars. It's all connected, and it's time we dive in on this particular subject.

So much of the confusion about this group of topics is that, like everything, for every trainer there is a different opinion. And it's easy to take one specific episode (of the previous 99) and think that I either am or am not a "food treat" trainer based on the topic at hand. Different situations dictate those circumstances and I will explain why.

It's important to understand that one of the drawbacks (or at least an observation you should consider) is that the treats become "the point" for why they obey a command.

For example; find an opportunity to evaluate the process when you do and another when you don't. Was their willingness to obey tempered when they saw that you did not actually have a treat for them? There are several ways to evaluate this - we'll talk about a lot of ways to determine the best way for you to train your dog in a way that works best for your situation.

In this episode, I dive into the world of teen puppy training, and exploring the challenges and rewards of raising a well-behaved canine companion. Whether you're a new or experienced dog owner, join me as I discuss some tactics for a successful training journey.

During the teenage phase of puppy training, expect your dog to undergo significant changes in behavior and temperament. This phase usually occurs around 4 to 8 months of age and can be characterized by increased independence, occasional rebelliousness, and a surge in energy levels. Recognizing these changes is crucial, since it allows you to adjust your training approach and provide the guidance and structure your dog needs to mature into a well-rounded adult dog. By understanding that these behaviors are a natural part of their development, you can navigate this challenging period with patience, consistency, and positive reinforcement.

It's essential to set realistic expectations and reinforce the fundamental principles of teen puppy training. Remember that every dog is unique, and the training journey may have its ups and downs. Consistency is key: establish clear rules and boundaries from the beginning, and ensure everyone involved in your dog's life follows them consistently.

Positive reinforcement, like rewards and praise, is a powerful tool for shaping desired behaviors and building a strong bond with your dog. Remember that training is an ongoing process. Be patient, stay committed, and enjoy the journey of watching your teen puppy grow into a well-behaved and happy adult dog.

On this episode I talk to Brooke Mihajlovich, a dog trainer who has recently started her practice to Washington state from Indiana. Brooke focuses on remote training collars to help with training without a leash. 

She and her husband both shared a love of Doberman's, and part of their passion to make sure that their new dogs were well trained. Her participation in training her dog sparked her love and talent for training dogs herself.

Brooke's philosophy focuses on changing the relationships with their owners at a fundamental level. It's important to create a relationship that focuses on their "humans" as leaders more than just owners. Her primary focus is to give them tools to create a relationship bond that creates very positive results for both the pet and the owner.

We get into some of the other areas of training including 

• Spatial awareness
• Loose leash training
• movement on leash (rather than simply pulling)
• "auto sits" when stopping
• Shoulder movement and eye contact
• Controlling and managing the environment
• Off leash training

This is a particularly controversial training with some, but Brooke and I talk about how to do it the right way. It's important to understand that once humans understand that it's not what some might conjure up in their mind about a typical shock they understand that it is subtle, and is designed for a minimum threshold for creating a behavior pattern.

Her website is K9CommunityMovement.com, and you can find her on social media at the following destinations;

• Facebook
• Instagram

I hope that you enjoy this episode, and if you have more questions for Brooke, I hope you'll reach out!

In this episode I speak to Dr. Lori Cesario, a board certified veterinary oncologist. We discuss her passion about being a vet as a child, and her appreciation for the role a certain oncologist in her life played that influenced her decision to specialize in that field.

Lori talks about some early detection techniques, and what owners can do to find problems before they become serious.

There are dozens of possible manifestations that could be symptoms of cancerous cells. 

Lori also talks about some newer testing procedures, like BRAF gene mutation tests that can be good check up tests that can be done every six months. She also discusses some interesting upcoming tests coming to the marketplace.

We discuss specific breed related risks, learning about the normal baseline for your dog's health, and her new podcast called,
Your Dog Wants You To Know This! (iTunes | Spotify | Google Podcasts)

Dr. Cesario's website is loaded with content and is a helpful resource for pet owners. Visit her site at CanineCancerAcademy.com.

On today's episode I talk with Cat Matloub and Dr. Judi Stella of Good Dog, Inc. We'll talk about some of the reasons that the company was founded, and what the company mission is today.

Cat Matloub is the Head of Partnerships and Community Legal Affairs and talks about the overall mission of the project and what their focus is to date.

One challenge that they found was that families were having  difficulty finding reliable information online when trying to add a new dog to their family. Between disreputable groups who were trying to sell something and the difficulty navigating between responsible information and an enormous amount of disinformation, the founders decided to apply their experience from the technology field to create a resource that was available to the public.

Dr. Stella is the Head of Health, Standards, and Research, and discusses healthcare treatment options, socialization practices. One of her key objectives includes knowing what the standards are for their listed breeders, and maintaining accountability to consistent standards.

Among many interesting insights in this interview is what they learned during this process about how many truly extraordinary dog breeders there are, and how they are in a way some of the unsung heroes of the process. 

I hope you enjoy!

Sean

In today's episode I sit down with Ian Grant, a fellow dog trainer with Vermont Dog Training, based (of course) in Vermont! Ian also has a podcast called Vermont Dog Trainer Show. 

Ian has a really interesting story before he became a trainer, having been a professional golfer for a number of years before finding that the world of training dogs was a fascinating study. He shares his story of watching The Dog Whisperer and following some of Cesar Millan's shows with the sound off to get a better feel for the body language between a trainer and the dog.

Ian and I talk about his dogs Lula and Maddie, and how they became so important in the process of boarding other animals. We get into a bit of a deeper dive in the concept and practice of dog's behavior in crowds, our collective take on dog parks, and what you might want to think about before venturing into the park yourself.

I also wanted to let you know about our new referral program! After quite a bit of testing it's finally ready to roll out. I'll explain who might be eligible, and you can decide if it's something you'd like to participate in. You can complete a form at TheDogsWay.com/affiliate to learn more.

I've been contemplating whether or not to introduce some "mini" episodes that are with clients and dog owners that have some specific questions about there pet concerns. Would you like to hear these or participate in them? The plan is to create a few of these that are about 20-30 minutes. Contact me to let me know what you think or to participate!

Vermont Dog Trainer Show Podcast (if you want to check out the episode where I was interviewed click here)

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First, I hope that everyone has stayed safe and healthy through what may have been the worst of the stay-at-home orders that you may have been subject to. We went through a sort of "emergency sessions" period where the podcast episodes focused on specific things to do with your dog - and as a result we put some of the interviews we had scheduled on hold. Today is the first episode of one of those interviews.

I sat down with Ruth Elliott and talked about a very unique type of training. Ruth is based in Australia, and got into her unique style of training, how she got started, and some of the interesting restrictions to training methods that exist in Australia.

Ruth is a greyhound specialist (although she trains all types of dogs). Her business is called Formal Dogs, and she trains and escorts people's dogs to attend their owner's weddings! This is the first I've heard of this and think you'll appreciate her story and her methods as a trainer.

We discuss some of the differences in our training style and talk about some of the fundamental teachings in training.

Amelia in Atlanta, Georgia asks about her dog "Beau" and the fact that he is experiencing a bit of stress her departure when going back to work that he didn't exhibit before. It's a great question, and I'll talk about some transitional elements to use when going from the shelter in place environment to going back to work.

I also answer some questions about P.U.P. Dog Rescue, why they haven't been mentioned on some of the emergency sessions, and when that will be starting up again.

Oh, and if you want to see a cool video, check out this slow motion video of a greyhound running.

In this episode we move to phase TWO of the "down" challenge for food motivated and non-food motivated dogs. I'll talk about an interesting discovery from listeners from the Czech Republic and Sweden and how their "crazy stay in place" situation is nothing like that! Life is proceeding pretty much the same there as it was before March.

So we we talked about sweeping the leg and your proximity to the floor in the phase one of the training. The goal in this phase is to wean yourself off of that proximity to the floor. We'll go back to those phase one elements of time first, then distraction.

• Train in different contexts
• Train through the whole arc of behavior with distractions
• Use natural transitional rewards as you do small snippets of practice throughout the day

• Cheryl from Ann Arbor, Michigan - She got her dog Oscar introduced well to the sit and the down. But he is confused between both sit and down. I'll talk about how to help your dog distinguish between them.
• Sandra from Texas has an interesting question - and apparently has my voice from the podcasts in her head (Sorry, Sandra!)

"Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others."

Click here for a closer look at the book on Amazon.

In this episode we'll jump to a critical point with the "down" challenge, that uses no food and instead focuses on the "say and show" method. It's not unlike the say and show version of sit; but some there are some angles and positions that are distinctly different.

There are two categories of people who may be the best for this type of training;

• Non-food motivated dogs
• People with dogs who give signs that they see these lessons as "optional"

The idea is that we teach this as a necessary part of functional obedience. It's also good to train their dogs this way to "overlap" the food-based approach.

I am also linking this to an excerpt I posted on YouTube from our video training series that provides a bit of a visual guidance for the lesson.

• (07:58) Lara and Tim (and "Kona") from Arizona ask about requirements with puppies and food training
• (10:11) Ellen asks (on behalf of "Duke") where you should be in a progression and types of treats

Part of our Emergency Series includes a brief quote about resilience; this one comes from Jocko Willink, who has published two very interesting books;

Extreme Ownership

The Dichotomy of Leadership

In this episode we're going to jump into another obedience skills challenge. This one is focused on the 'down' command.

This is an important lesson for small puppies as they develop, and even rescue adult dogs in instances where they may not have received much training, or were last trained years ago when they were puppies themselves.

I answer an email from Rachael asking about her puppy and (based on her age), whether she should stick to just the introductory training or if she's ready to move to some of the more intermediate and advanced training. I'll talk about the three phases for training puppies to use as a general guide for your dog.

Enjoy the episode! I have included some links below as well for other sessions that may be related to this one.

Session 18: The overview of what to teach a puppy and when, and teaching two dogs to not go after each other’s fetch toys

Session 22: using an air sprayer to stop barking and stubborn puppy “downing”

SESSION 27: How to coach a new dog to play better with your existing dog and how to get a puppy out of crate calmly

Session 31: Preventing resource guarding in puppy raising and what to do about a dog’s mid-life crisis?

Session 32: What are the best chew toys for puppies? And, how to stop an older, larger puppy from

Session 44: Prevent Your Puppy from Chasing Your Kids

Session 57: Train your Puppy to get along with Baby better

Session 58: Fetch! – Teaching your Puppy the rules

And another quote/thought about resilience. I mentioned the author, Carol Dweck earlier in the episode, so I thought I'd quote her here. It's about the best thing you can teach your kids about resilience. Here's a link to her book. MINDSET, Carol Dweck.

Enjoy,

Sean

While you're all stuck at home, hopefully you've all stayed safe - and hopefully you've been working on parts one and two of the "sit" command with your dog! In today's episode we'll work on sit by moving toward the "stay" progression; and I'd highly encourage you to go back and listen to the previous two episodes if you haven't already before jumping into this lesson! Here are the links;

• Episode 89: The Sit Challenge Part One
• Episode 90: The Sit Command Part Two: Say and Show Method

So we'll start with a competency check of sorts - a very important part before progressing to "stay".

Margie asks about the sit command, but asks about the age appropriateness for this command as it applies to her two dogs (but a bit more specific to my video training series version of this lesson). I'll talk about the age differences and I also have a brief edited version of the video clip from my dog training series to give you a bit of a visual idea of the sit lesson!

Direct link to the video clip on YouTube (new window)

Direct link to the video training series (new window)

Tim asks about recalling that Sean would teach the "puppy version" of some of these emergency sessions. I'll go over what version of the exercises apply to his age of puppy.  

In the first you were in the "luring" phase one - while you were down on a knee and weaned your way off of needing to be there and you knew you were out of phase one when you knew you could do the following;

1. Stand up say "sit" command;
2. Your puppy understood the command and would perform a sit 80-90% of the time;
3. Your puppy would hold that for at least 5 seconds at a time;
4. Say the "release" command and your puppy knew that they were done.

You started to challenge your puppy with the "two treat" method by working on two parts of the process;

1. Increasing the amount of time your puppy would hold;
2. Performing those instructions with an increased amount of distraction elements during that time.

For those with older/adult dogs that had difficulty doing the command without treats as a motivator, you would have gone through the "say and show" method I taught where you used 50-75 repetitions, and you increased the amount of time, and the number of distraction objects that they could do the "sit" around in phase two.

Quote on Resilience

"Our greatest glory is NOT in never falling; but in rising every time we fall." - Confucius

In today's episode I'm ramping up the "sit" command in part two of this series. This is also a good step for adult dogs who have a pretty good grasp already.

I'll answer some emails that are timely and play into this specific type of obedience training and talk about a very good question that I did not answer in my part one!

And I've been making a habit lately of leaving you with an interesting quote about resilience. I won't let you down this time either. In fact, I've included the quote here along with a link to Viktor Frankl's book;

"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom."

- Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning

You can download the Audible book here, and also get a free trial of audible with the same link.

In this episode, I talk about using a modified version of the approach I talked about in session 115 so that you can train a puppy. Just like you'd teach your children differently than you would teach them as an adult, there are incremental parts of the process that apply differently to a puppy. As I mentioned with adult dogs, this is fundamental training that is typically one of the first lessons I teach in person. To review the session for adult dogs, check out session 115 here.

The reality of training any social mammal is that it requires different approaches based on age. In all development, small progress markers for are clarified to help create a foundation of understanding for a younger brain. I talk about some of those concepts and how to apply it to training a puppy. Additionally, I'll point out the counterproductive approach to continuing to teach a dog as a puppy, the same way that it might seem odd to teach a teenager the way you'd teach a small child. I'll also cite some examples where you might apply a small version of some of those with older dogs in certain instances.

We'll apply similar principles from session 115, where we use a two-step approach. For puppies, we use it to help with a first stage (away from humans) to remove them from a setting where the puppy may just absolutely lose their mind when approaching a person. Once they've understood that, a second step involves interaction with people.

With a puppy, it's not phrases, but general noise making to draw their attention. I'll demonstrate techniques to enlist help of people you may encounter with your puppy, demonstrate the approach, and specific verbal markers to relay to your puppy during each stage of the process.

This process can be fun and is a key fundamental part of the training process.

Enjoy this episode, and go have fun with your dog!

Sean

In today's episode we're going to work on our obedience skills challenges while we're still confined inside with our dogs! Today's skill at first glance may seem like one you think you already know...but there are some key components to this command - whether your dog is "food" motivated, adult dog or puppy - there are some great tips to go beyond what I call the "phase one" version of the sit command.

I'll give you a primer on what is involved with the command and how to progress further. I'll also talk about phase two and lead into things to come for this week and next!

This is part two of the lesson on teaching the "place" command. We're going to take it up a notch from yesterday's work. We'll look at increasing levels of difficulty.

We'll also talk to those with older puppies and adult dogs, and those that aren't as "food motivated". The goal being to learn to apply a more advanced set of skills to get the results you're looking for.

Hopefully, after episode 87, (which you can click here to check out) you have gone through a few progressions with your puppy to establish their baseline competency level and acceptance of the idea of using their bed. I'll talk to you about evaluating their skills in this episode; this will help you move forward in the right way or correct any bad habits you might not have thought about.

There are some great beds that you can use for this. I've included some links below. In full disclosure, these links are affiliated with me on Amazon and I see a small piece of it if you click through. I believe in what I promote, but I just wanted to be clear about what you were clicking!

A raised cot or bed like this makes the place command much more defined and easier for dogs to learn the skill.

And A quote about resilience from this episode

“One form of perseverance is the daily discipline of trying to do things better than we did yesterday.”

― Angela Duckworth, author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance (Audible version | Paperback version)

Sign up for an Audible monthly membership, click here.

Today's emergency session 87 is a fun exercise, and part one of a session to help your puppy learn the "place" command. As part of this exercise we'll talk about teaching him/her to use their dog bed.

We'll go over how to analyze and learn about the personality of your puppy based on the skills exercises I demonstrate, and then tailor your training based on what you observe. It can be a great step in ongoing obedience between you and your new pet.

I also touch on housebreaking (more in-depth training with this in session 5) and how that fits into this training.

I also have a few pens that you can use for training your pet at night and have included links to each;

And near the end of the recent episodes I've begun to say a few words about resilience, with the hopes that you'll take it to heart and perhaps to cheer you and your family up during these challenging times. I hope that you'll enjoy them. Today's philosopher is a bit more modern than yesterday's quote from Horace (a first century poet).. A brief quote from Sylvester Stallone in a speech to his son about perseverance.

In today's session I'll give you a few tips for creating some fun and interesting mental and physical exercises for your dog while "sheltering at home". 

I've also decided to outline the entire subject below and put in a few links for items that might be useful during these sessions;

Work on teaching fetching rules though (if you’re out at the park – be sure to use a long line on your dog to prevent any mishaps in social distancing rules and keep everyone safe.

Make sure you’re teaching some rules with this.

1. Teach your dog that you start and end the game.
2. Teach Drop it and stick a treat to your dog’s nose (after getting your dog to drop the ball where you want it with your food lure and work – you can get two identical toys and reward the dropping of ball one with the throwing of ball two. This is a great way to get your dog doing some wind sprints and tire them out completely.)
3. Progression: Work obedience into your fetch – sit or down then say your release command and then immediately throw the ball or toy.

1. Teach your dog that you start and end the game
2. Teach your dog drop it in drive and;
3. Teach them to come down out of drive by giving them a small break between bouts of tug

Toy Suggestion:

K9 Dog Bite Tug Toy with 2 Strong Handles (by Bull Fit)

• Made of Durable & Tear-Resistant French Linen
• Perfect for Tug of War, Fetch & Puppy Training
• Ideal for Medium to Large Dogs - Firmly Stitched Pull Toy 

If your dog has a high "prey" drive and you have the room in your yard or house.  See if your dog likes the idea first, by attaching a toy to a string or line to see if your dog likes chasing it, before investing a bunch of time or money into getting or making one.

The same as the last two game’s goals.

Puppy Prey Drive Building Flirt Pole Tug Toy Redline K9 

by REDLINE K-9

or "DIY" it with an old broom handle or relatively sturdy piece of lighter wood (1x2 pine work pretty well), duct tape a handle and drill a hole in the top... run a light line through and tie a cloth tug toy to your line (depending on your dog’s tenacity). I’ve used old shoelaces strung together in a pinch for these DIY versions BOOT laces are better cuz they’re longer. 

StarMark Bob-A-Lot Interactive Dog Toy

by StarMark

PetSafe Busy Buddy Twist 'n Treat, Treat Dispensing Dog Toy, X-Small, Small, Medium and Large Sizes

by PetSafe

Caveat:  Don’t leave this with your dog as a “chew toy”.  They’re not really designed for that.  If you want something for their alone time.  I’d use a black rubber Kong (note: there are different sizes – Get one large enough that your dog can’t mistake it for something to swallow!)

Back Rubber Kong (Note: The black rubber is denser and more durable than the red rubber Kongs)

Super geeky reference for more info on the Roman poet Horace 😊

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Horace-Roman-poet

Core foundational skill building is critically important, and practical application of that in today's new "social distancing" environment is essential. I'm going to talk about training exercises that you can run through with your puppy to help determine the type of instinctive response your puppy has, and how to establish some good fundamental behaviors.

I think about socializing in three different categories;

• Socializing to things
• Socializing to people 
• Socializing to other animals

I usually use that order to establish skills by relative difficulty (since each step in order above is progressively more challenging to establish.)

And by the way, if you want a more in depth understanding of what I'm putting into practice today I'd suggest listening to specifically to episode 73 and episode 74 on Skinner's Four Quadrants.

Puppy aptitude testing involves sight, startle, sensitivity, and sound, and I talk about how you'll want to consider this when going through these exercises.

The first will include the ability to manage their nervous system, recover from stimuli, get back to neutral, so they can get back to a "thinking mode" rather than a more systematic nervous system response mode.

The second core skill is helping them stay mentally connected to you during different experiences you both encounter.

I'll talk about two specific training exercises you can try!

It's a strange time for sure in the midst of all of the COVID-19 concerns worldwide. I've received a lot of questions about their pets and I wanted to publish a few brief episodes to not only answer questions that I've received but to give you some fun things to do with your dog along the way while you're sheltered in place, or stuck at home. In this episode I'm primarily talking about the following;

• Can my dog catch Coronavirus?
• Risks associated with your pet being a "conduit"
• What kind of exposure should I allow with my dog?
• Can I take him/her for a walk?
• Should I use any product to clean my dog's paws?

CDC page

Description of sheltering in place with CNN

USA Today

U of Illinois and Urbana pet care

Thanks for listening and stay safe! I'll give you more tomorrow.

Sean

In our training session for today I'll help design a game plan for training a puppy that likes to bite and nip. I'll show you how to design an environment that is optimal for training for this type of behavior. It is very much requires a 'relationship based' type of approach.

Other trainers use a "behavior centric" approach. I referred to a previous episode I published (episode 76 if you want to check it out) where some veterinarians published an article about whether or not dog's were "pack animals". That study and many like it are done in a vacuum so-to-speak, and lack the broader view of the total approach to behavioral training for dogs. The approach I describe in this podcast uses a comprehensive technique. I think you'll appreciate the broader lesson in this method.

I'll break the plan down in a few parts;

• Principals and Mental Constructs
• Systemic Setup and Structure
• Pro training versus anti-training

Enjoy! 

Also, as always, thanks so much to P.U.P. Dog Rescue for sponsoring the program and today we're featuring Skylar. He's a 1 year old chihuahua pomeranian mix, and currently is homed with a cat.

Thanks as always for your support and comments about the show! Be sure to follow us on Instagram @thedogs_way for latest info and fun stuff about your best friends.