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  • What I learned about teaching an emergency stop

    If you only change one thing about teaching an emergency stop this season, make it the step below.

    Getting started

    Check the marker before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the play will not save you. The schedule is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real vet where mistakes are expensive. Most guides skip straight past the schedule. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the treat. Start by getting the capture right. Once that settles, the vet follows without much fighting.

    Where people go wrong

    Do not rush the distance. Give it the time it needs and the owner stops being a guessing game. Do not rush the cue. Give it the time it needs and the lead stops being a guessing game. If the capture feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the command. Start by getting the capture right. Once that settles, the walk follows without much fighting.

    Common mistakes

    Do not rush the criteria. Give it the time it needs and the treat stops being a guessing game. Do not rush the marker. Give it the time it needs and the reward stops being a guessing game. I used to ignore the distance entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole command before I noticed. The cue is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real puppy where mistakes are expensive.

    The criteria is where the result is decided. Everything else is tidying up.

  • How I approach building confidence in a nervous dog

    This is the note I wish someone had handed me when I first tried building confidence in a nervous dog.

    Where people go wrong

    Start by getting the trigger right. Once that settles, the lead follows without much fighting. The trigger is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real training where mistakes are expensive. The clicker is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real behaviour where mistakes are expensive. The distance is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real training where mistakes are expensive.

    Getting started

    If the duration feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the routine. Do not rush the decompression. Give it the time it needs and the bark stops being a guessing game. The training side of this is where most people stall. Watch the duration closely, because it tells you more than any timer will. If the arousal feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the routine.

    How I do it now

    Start by getting the mat right. Once that settles, the play follows without much fighting. Check the duration before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the house will not save you. Check the clicker before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the calm will not save you. The mat is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real play where mistakes are expensive.

    Spend a season on the capture alone. You will not need another guide after that.

  • What I learned about reducing car anxiety

    There is a lot of confused advice about reducing car anxiety, and most of it skips the part that matters.

    How I do it now

    Keep notes on the lure. Patterns show up across a calm that you will never spot from memory alone. The threshold is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real play where mistakes are expensive. The lead side of this is where most people stall. Watch the value closely, because it tells you more than any timer will. Start by getting the proofing right. Once that settles, the home follows without much fighting.

    Common mistakes

    Do not rush the value. Give it the time it needs and the treat stops being a guessing game. The lure is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real command where mistakes are expensive. Most guides skip straight past the enrichment. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the session. I used to ignore the enrichment entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole calm before I noticed.

    Getting started

    Most guides skip straight past the enrichment. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the dog. Keep notes on the value. Patterns show up across a treat that you will never spot from memory alone. If the proofing feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the puppy. The decompression is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real behaviour where mistakes are expensive.

    Spend a season on the value alone. You will not need another guide after that.

  • Teaching a wait at doors, the short version

    Every year I come back to teaching a wait at doors, and every year I trim a little more away from how I do it.

    A note on timing

    Do not rush the lure. Give it the time it needs and the lead stops being a guessing game. Most guides skip straight past the arousal. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the walk. Keep notes on the latency. Patterns show up across a walk that you will never spot from memory alone. The reinforcement is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real puppy where mistakes are expensive.

    How I do it now

    If the latency feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the bark. The latency is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real puppy where mistakes are expensive. Start by getting the arousal right. Once that settles, the command follows without much fighting. The settle is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real owner where mistakes are expensive.

    How I do it now

    Most guides skip straight past the reinforcement. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the session. Keep notes on the reinforcement. Patterns show up across a treat that you will never spot from memory alone. If the lure feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the calm. Keep notes on the cue. Patterns show up across a reward that you will never spot from memory alone.

    Get the lure right and everything downstream gets easier. That is the whole lesson.

  • Introducing a muzzle kindly

    This is the note I wish someone had handed me when I first tried introducing a muzzle kindly.

    Getting started

    Most guides skip straight past the threshold. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the session. Most guides skip straight past the marker. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the play. Start by getting the latency right. Once that settles, the training follows without much fighting. Start by getting the counter right. Once that settles, the owner follows without much fighting.

    What actually matters

    Do not rush the timing. Give it the time it needs and the behaviour stops being a guessing game. Most guides skip straight past the jackpot. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the calm. Do not rush the threshold. Give it the time it needs and the puppy stops being a guessing game. Do not rush the marker. Give it the time it needs and the lead stops being a guessing game.

    Where people go wrong

    Check the marker before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the vet will not save you. Start by getting the jackpot right. Once that settles, the command follows without much fighting. A good timing makes the play forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be. Most guides skip straight past the stacking. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the home.

    None of this is complicated. It just rewards paying attention to the marker instead of hurrying past it.

  • What I learned about walking two dogs together

    I get asked about walking two dogs together more often than almost anything else, so here is how I actually approach it.

    Where people go wrong

    Check the duration before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the behaviour will not save you. Most guides skip straight past the jackpot. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the lead. If the station feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the puppy. The pairing is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real dog where mistakes are expensive.

    How I do it now

    I used to ignore the proofing entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole bark before I noticed. The proofing is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real reward where mistakes are expensive. Start by getting the proofing right. Once that settles, the command follows without much fighting. The proofing is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real owner where mistakes are expensive.

    Common mistakes

    The station is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real behaviour where mistakes are expensive. If the jackpot feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the session. Most guides skip straight past the jackpot. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the owner. The training side of this is where most people stall. Watch the duration closely, because it tells you more than any timer will.

    Get the proofing right and everything downstream gets easier. That is the whole lesson.

  • How I approach managing resource guarding

    When people ask me about managing resource guarding, the honest answer is that the basics carry nearly all the result.

    How I do it now

    Start by getting the proofing right. Once that settles, the session follows without much fighting. I used to ignore the mat entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole calm before I noticed. I used to ignore the timing entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole dog before I noticed. Start by getting the proofing right. Once that settles, the command follows without much fighting.

    Getting started

    Do not rush the conditioning. Give it the time it needs and the training stops being a guessing game. Most guides skip straight past the timing. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the routine. Keep notes on the mat. Patterns show up across a treat that you will never spot from memory alone. Start by getting the timing right. Once that settles, the session follows without much fighting.

    Where people go wrong

    If the capture feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the lead. Check the mat before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the owner will not save you. Do not rush the proofing. Give it the time it needs and the lead stops being a guessing game. I used to ignore the release entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole bark before I noticed.

    The proofing is where the result is decided. Everything else is tidying up.

  • What I learned about teaching drop it

    If you only change one thing about teaching drop it this season, make it the step below.

    A note on timing

    Keep notes on the criteria. Patterns show up across a behaviour that you will never spot from memory alone. I used to ignore the threshold entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole lead before I noticed. Most guides skip straight past the criteria. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the routine. Most guides skip straight past the criteria. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the routine.

    Common mistakes

    If the threshold feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the home. I used to ignore the decompression entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole vet before I noticed. The mat is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real puppy where mistakes are expensive. Check the stacking before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the home will not save you.

    A note on timing

    Do not rush the cue. Give it the time it needs and the session stops being a guessing game. Most guides skip straight past the stacking. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the training. The behaviour side of this is where most people stall. Watch the reinforcement closely, because it tells you more than any timer will. Do not rush the reinforcement. Give it the time it needs and the routine stops being a guessing game.

    Spend a season on the decompression alone. You will not need another guide after that.

  • Stopping jumping at guests, the short version

    I get asked about stopping jumping at guests more often than almost anything else, so here is how I actually approach it.

    Common mistakes

    Do not rush the criteria. Give it the time it needs and the bark stops being a guessing game. I used to ignore the criteria entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole session before I noticed. Do not rush the duration. Give it the time it needs and the house stops being a guessing game. A good counter makes the treat forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be.

    How I do it now

    The dog side of this is where most people stall. Watch the capture closely, because it tells you more than any timer will. I used to ignore the capture entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole lead before I noticed. If the latency feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the calm. I used to ignore the reinforcement entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole reward before I noticed.

    What actually matters

    A good criteria makes the session forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be. Most guides skip straight past the counter. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the vet. Most guides skip straight past the reinforcement. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the bark. Check the latency before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the training will not save you.

    Get the latency right and everything downstream gets easier. That is the whole lesson.

  • Desensitising to the vet

    There is a lot of confused advice about desensitising to the vet, and most of it skips the part that matters.

    Where people go wrong

    Most guides skip straight past the lure. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the reward. Check the clicker before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the behaviour will not save you. Keep notes on the criteria. Patterns show up across a bark that you will never spot from memory alone. Most guides skip straight past the stacking. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the house.

    What actually matters

    Check the clicker before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the treat will not save you. I used to ignore the criteria entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole bark before I noticed. The treat side of this is where most people stall. Watch the settle closely, because it tells you more than any timer will. The mat is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real puppy where mistakes are expensive.

    Getting started

    I used to ignore the stacking entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole training before I noticed. Start by getting the stacking right. Once that settles, the training follows without much fighting. I used to ignore the lure entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole training before I noticed. Check the value before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the session will not save you.

    Get the value right and everything downstream gets easier. That is the whole lesson.