Back to Basics: Spring Prep. Dog Training

Dog Socialization & Communication, Dog Training & Obedience
March 15, 2026

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As our beloved dogs and puppies come out of the winter season and as the rains clear to bright and warm sunshine, our dogs often require a trainer and manners refresher.

Back-to-basics means refreshing commands like sit, sit-stay, come, down, and down-stay.

One dog I recently finished with is now prepared for spring and to have an enjoyable time with her human-parents and family. This dog is an American Chihuahua and her name is Penny.

I worked with Penny and her owner on dog obedience, checking-in, and stress reduction. She is now a much calmer and happier dog. Stress reduction is very important for dogs. Yes, dogs do get stressed! And they don’t know how to tell us so it’s a critical component to dog care and your relationship with your dog.

Penny can now enjoy the additional activity that spring brings and continue her journey being a more confident and well-adapted dog.

To learn more about the transformative benefits of basic dog training, please visit my site at https://garymaria.com/basic-dog-obedience-training/

About this Blog

Gary Maria enjoys empowering and inspiring people to build and strengthen their bond with their dog or puppy.

In his blog, Gary provides first-hand information on the topics of dog training, puppy training, puppy development and socialization, behavior modification, and aggressive dog training.

Take the first step towards unlocking your Dog's Potential with Gary Maria

Hear from our clients

						I wish we had met Gary years ago, we have had several German Shepherd and his training is simply amazing. Our rescued 1 year old German Shepherd Olivia LOVES Gary. His training program has greatly helped Olivia's issues. She can now walk nicely on a leash, great down/sit, and I could go on and on. He is the very best. Highly Recommend.			
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Nancy M.		
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Nancy M.

I wish we had met Gary years ago, we have had several German Shepherd and his training is simply amazing. Our rescued 1 year old German Shepherd Olivia LOVES Gary. His training program has greatly helped Olivia's issues. She can now walk nicely on a leash, great down/sit, and I could go on and on. He is the very best. Highly Recommend.
						Within 15 minutes into our initial consultation, Gary was already showing us what was possible to achieve with our puppy. Gary has extensive experience and is fun to work with. We just finished our 6-week class and only wish we had started sooner. We highly recommend Gary!			
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Rudy H.		
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Rudy H.

Within 15 minutes into our initial consultation, Gary was already showing us what was possible to achieve with our puppy. Gary has extensive experience and is fun to work with. We just finished our 6-week class and only wish we had started sooner. We highly recommend Gary!
						I reached out to Gary for help with my dog Peaches and her leash reactivity, and he was extremely prompt in responding. The initial consultation went very well, and I learned so much about dog communication and how to better support Peaches. I also learned that she is a highly anxious dog, which explained many of the challenges I had been concerned about. We enrolled in Gary's six-week program and finished with the tools and knowledge needed to keep Peaches on the right track toward recovery. Just like humans, dogs rehabilitate at their own pace, and over those six weeks Peaches made significant progress. We're looking forward to enrolling in advanced training once she's ready so she can enjoy more freedom off-leash. Gary is not like other trainers we've worked with. He doesn't rely on obedience-based shortcuts or gimmicks. Instead, he teaches you how to work through real situations and explains the theory behind his approach so you truly understand what's happening and how to handle stressful moments. Most importantly, Gary teaches you how to become the focal point for your dog, which has made a lasting difference for us.			
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J C.		
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J C.

I reached out to Gary for help with my dog Peaches and her leash reactivity, and he was extremely prompt in responding. The initial consultation went very well, and I learned so much about dog communication and how to better support Peaches. I also learned that she is a highly anxious dog, which explained many of the challenges I had been concerned about. We enrolled in Gary's six-week program and finished with the tools and knowledge needed to keep Peaches on the right track toward recovery. Just like humans, dogs rehabilitate at their own pace, and over those six weeks Peaches made significant progress. We're looking forward to enrolling in advanced training once she's ready so she can enjoy more freedom off-leash. Gary is not like other trainers we've worked with. He doesn't rely on obedience-based shortcuts or gimmicks. Instead, he teaches you how to work through real situations and explains the theory behind his approach so you truly understand what's happening and how to handle stressful moments. Most importantly, Gary teaches you how to become the focal point for your dog, which has made a lasting difference for us.
						Gary was incredibly responsive when I reached out for help with my dog Peaches and her leash reactivity. The initial consultation went great, and I learned a lot about dog communication and how to better support her. I also learned that Peaches is a very anxious dog, which helped explain many of the challenges we were facing. We enrolled in Gary’s 6-week program and saw real progress. Peaches has come a long way, and we now have the knowledge and tools to keep her moving in the right direction. Just like people, dogs recover at their own pace, and we’re excited to enroll in advanced training when she’s ready. What really sets Gary apart is his approach. He doesn’t rely on obedience-only methods or gimmicks. Instead, he teaches you how to work through real situations and explains the “why” behind everything, helping you become the calm focal point your dog needs. Highly recommend.			
Read MoreRead Less
Christian E.		
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Christian E.

Gary was incredibly responsive when I reached out for help with my dog Peaches and her leash reactivity. The initial consultation went great, and I learned a lot about dog communication and how to better support her. I also learned that Peaches is a very anxious dog, which helped explain many of the challenges we were facing. We enrolled in Gary’s 6-week program and saw real progress. Peaches has come a long way, and we now have the knowledge and tools to keep her moving in the right direction. Just like people, dogs recover at their own pace, and we’re excited to enroll in advanced training when she’s ready. What really sets Gary apart is his approach. He doesn’t rely on obedience-only methods or gimmicks. Instead, he teaches you how to work through real situations and explains the “why” behind everything, helping you become the calm focal point your dog needs. Highly recommend.
						We just completed both the introductory and advanced training programs with Gary and we could not have had a better experience. Gary helped our high energy dog (GSP) and more importantly, helped us to understand the fundamentals of training and dog behavior. We are now able to take our dog on off leash hikes with total faith in his recall which we couldn't have dreamed just a few months ago. Thank you so much Gary!!!			
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Andrew B.		
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Andrew B.

We just completed both the introductory and advanced training programs with Gary and we could not have had a better experience. Gary helped our high energy dog (GSP) and more importantly, helped us to understand the fundamentals of training and dog behavior. We are now able to take our dog on off leash hikes with total faith in his recall which we couldn't have dreamed just a few months ago. Thank you so much Gary!!!
						We worked with Gary Maria for six weeks to help our 3-year-old rescue, Giorgi, who struggles with fear and anxiety. Honestly, Gary was incredible. From day one, it was clear he knows his stuff and loves what he does. A lot of the time, Giorgi was too overwhelmed to participate. On day 1, Giorgi hid under a table the whole session. But that’s ok because Gary was really training us. By the last session, Giorgi was walking around, watching other dogs and people walk by, and still listening to commands. Gary taught us how to help Giorgi feel safe, calm him down when he’s stressed, and build trust. We’ve already seen such a difference at home. Gary is knowledgeable, patient, direct (in the best way), funny, and available when you have questions. He celebrated every little win with us! You can tell he truly cares about the dogs he works with. We still have more work to do, but thanks to Gary, we know how to keep moving forward. If you have a dog with anxiety or fear, seriously, go to Gary. He’s the real deal.			
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Amber L.		
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Amber L.

We worked with Gary Maria for six weeks to help our 3-year-old rescue, Giorgi, who struggles with fear and anxiety. Honestly, Gary was incredible. From day one, it was clear he knows his stuff and loves what he does. A lot of the time, Giorgi was too overwhelmed to participate. On day 1, Giorgi hid under a table the whole session. But that’s ok because Gary was really training us. By the last session, Giorgi was walking around, watching other dogs and people walk by, and still listening to commands. Gary taught us how to help Giorgi feel safe, calm him down when he’s stressed, and build trust. We’ve already seen such a difference at home. Gary is knowledgeable, patient, direct (in the best way), funny, and available when you have questions. He celebrated every little win with us! You can tell he truly cares about the dogs he works with. We still have more work to do, but thanks to Gary, we know how to keep moving forward. If you have a dog with anxiety or fear, seriously, go to Gary. He’s the real deal.