Step 1: How to become the leader of the dog
A pack leader teaches, advocates, and protects the dogs in it pack. As owner, I will show you how to demonstrate yourself as a pack leader to your dog.

Step 2: How to reduce your dog’s stress
Gary refers to this as “stress reduction” to put a dog back to balance state. He explains that dogs go through numerous stressors daily and will teach you how to spot those and how to handle them through mental exercise with your dog.

Step 3: How to create a rewards system that your dog will understand
A reward system rewards your dog for good behavior and deeds

Step 4: How to teach your dog how to engage and pay attention to you
Gary explains that you cannot train a dog that doesn’t pay attention. He will show you how to engage your dog and keep your dog’s attention.

Step 5: How to train your dog with inpulse control
Dogs are not born with inpulse control but you as the owner can specific steps for making sure the dog is under control.

Step 6: How to handle instances when postiive reinforcement doesn’t work
Positive reinforcement doesn’t always work in every situation. As a dog owner, it is critical to have the tools and proven methods to still handle your dog, ensuring your dog pays attention at all times. There could even be situations where this may save your dog’s life one day.

Listen to Gary as he explains each of the 6 steps in his dog training courses.

The post Gary’s Six Step Dog Training Program Overview first appeared on Gary Maria Professional Dog Training.

These days there are many dog trainers available. As with any profession, there are some good trainers and some not so good trainers. A good trainer understands dog behavior and mannerisms. If you have a trainer that only uses treats, (strictly positive reinforcement) I would be very careful about having this person train my dog. The problem is this; when dogs are stressed they will not respond to treats under positive or negative stress. They do not want to eat when stressed.

Second, you do not want a dog trainer whose only strategy is yanking the dog around. The only thing this will accomplish is getting your dog to mistrust you. Dogs perceive leash yanking as a form of attack.

You do not want to correct fears and phobias.

You do not want to isolate your dog or punish it through isolation. Your dog will not understand the isolation with the behavior you are trying to correct; they are not hardwired that way. What most likely will happen, the dog will become unsure of you and your actions.

The best method of training is balance training. Balance training consists of positive reinforcement and reminders to get the dog refocused along with a lot of touch and praise. Remember, dogs want to please and they need a job they can do well.

I start with positive reinforcement. Understand that your dog’s number one motivator is food, as long as the stimulus is low. So why not start off using a high motivator? The pack leader is the only one who distributes high priority items so your dog views you as its pack leader. Understand that dogs are hardwired to follow a pack leader.

In our very first session I teach proper body language, positive tone of voice, facial expressions, and consistent delivery of treats, targeting, release commands and non-marks. What you want is to create a positive working relationship with your dog, getting you both on the same page.

The first session is done inside in a controlled environment; no corrections, strictly positive interaction and building up trust and respect.

During the second session and thereafter, I teach the owner how to give a reminder to the dog and not a correction. The difference is this:

• A reminder tells the dog he lost focus on you as the pack leader and that he needs to refocus on you

The old style of dog training was to give the dog a command and then start yanking on its’ leash. This intimidates the dog to listen through fear. Intimidation may seem to work somewhat on leash, but take the leash off and the dog will run away from you. Again, dogs perceive leash yanking as a form of attack.

In the wild, a pack leader does not behave this way. A pack leader is dominant but more important he is very compassionate, fair, and consistent with his pack members. Dogs have different cues, body positions, and verbal tones to communicate. If a pack leader attacked his pack every time there was a disagreement, the pack would be too wounded to defend itself from predators. After a pack leader corrects a pack member it is done and over. The leader moves on. He does not cop an attitude or put his pack on a ‘time out’. Remember the pack leader does not give his members liver treats but he absolutely will roll around, play and praise his pack.

With my method I teach you how to behave as a pack leader, which your dog is hardwired to understand and respect. As in the old saying: “A dog likes to play with its littermates but adores his pack leader,” Why? His whole survival instinct depends on his pack leader.

The post How do I Pick a Professional Dog Trainer? first appeared on Gary Maria Professional Dog Training.

What is Dog Training?

Dog training is teaching a dog a more ideal response to physical cues, verbal commands, or the performance of actions which are not necessarily natural to a dog. People generally start wanting to train their dog once they start noticing unwanted behaviors, such as going potty in the house, leash pulling, incessant barking, digging, jumping, mouthing or aggressive behaviors.

Dog training can also be described as the purposeful changing of a dog’s behavior and may involve socialization to the native environment, basic obedience training, or for specialized activities such as law enforcement, search and rescue or assistance to people with disabilities.

Training a dog can be one of the most arduous tasks of pet ownership or it can be a time of building a lifelong bond that is very rewarding.  Understanding the different methods available for you to train your dog is helpful and also necessary if you need to select a professional dog trainer to help you with your dog.

Training methods boil down to two main techniques: traditional dominance method, based off William Kohler, and the positive reinforcement method.

Traditional Dominance Training

The traditional dominance method of dog training became prevalent around World War II and was used by the military to train dogs and ensure that they followed commands. In this method, it is assumed that dogs behave badly because they are trying to gain higher rank and are placed in a conflict condition, where the dog is likely to make an error. Trainers correct the dogs by yanking a leash when attempting to get a dog to heel or using a shock collar to assure a dog stays within limits.

This type of training does not take into consideration the root cause of dogs’ behavior.  For example dogs who charge other dogs would automatically be strongly corrected without first understanding why the dog wants to charge.  The reason for the misbehavior could be dominant aggression, or more likely fear-based aggression.

This method is usually only successful for few to no dogs.  The relationship between the dog and person will be based on fear, which results in the dog not trusting the person in a stressful situation. If heavy compulsion is used for a fear-based negative behavior, the dog will not improve. In fact, the problem will worsen.

Positive Reinforcement Training

The positive reinforcement method of training is used loosely, but basically the trainer shapes the behavior of the dog by only rewarding the dog for the behavior the trainer wants.  Unwanted behaviors are ignored. This type of training works well for some behaviors, but does not equip the trainer to handle issues in a realistic way. For example, you can’t really ignore a dog that bites you!

So what is the answer for how to train your dog?

Gary Maria’s Dog Training Methods

I use the BALANCED TRAINING approach, which is a unique blend of positive reinforcement with some mild compulsion. Balance training consists of positive reinforcement and reminders to get the dog refocused along with a lot of touch and praise. Remember, dogs want to please and they need a job they can do well.

Mild compulsion is important to establish the leader/follower relationship.  Using mild compulsion is not used to punish the dog, rather it is a tool used by the trainer to let the dog know that the behavior is not acceptable.

Using a reward-based training method, I can speed up the learning curve significantly, and can train you in how to do the same.

The post How does Gary’s training method compare to other training methods? first appeared on Gary Maria Professional Dog Training.