Bad Habits to New Habits

It’s time to make some new habits to help your relationship with your dog blossom (Photo: The word “NEW” painted on a coral-coloured wall)

It’s time for change. Can you feel it? 

This isn’t about New Year’s Resolutions, this is about your life and your relationship with your dog. 

You’ve got some bad habits. We all do. But these ones are hurting you and your dog, so it’s time to let them go. 

BAD HABITS THAT WE ARE KICKING TO THE CURB TODAY (NO MORE EXCUSES!): 

1. Backyard Freedom:

You let your dog out to “exercise” in the backyard, but you don’t walk her. 

When she’s outside, she barks at the neighbours, chases squirrels, barks at everyone who walks by your home, and when the neighbour’s dog is out, she runs the fence line with him, destroying your garden. She also digs holes. Sometimes she even guards the holes!  

She doesn’t come from the backyard when you call her, in fact, she comes partway and then takes off like it’s a game. This leads to you swearing, throwing on winter boots, stomping after her, and then giving her a time out in the bathroom or her crate. 

All of this stops today. 

Your dog is ALWAYS learning. If you’re allowing this behaviour, you are agreeing with this behaviour. 

What to do instead: 

-accompany your dog into the yard for all bathroom breaks

-walk her every day (loose leash walking, not her out in front leading you) 

-leave a longline on your dog when you’re in the backyard together to prevent her from blowing off your recall command

-teach your dog how to come when called (practice indoors and then work in more distracting environments with the longline until she is rock solid) 

Giving too much freedom too fast is a very common mistake made by dog owners. Keep the longline on until your dog listens to you the first time you call. (Photo: terrier carrying a tennis ball in her mouth. She is wearing a blue harness and blue long line.)

2.    Not Being Present: 

You walk your dog, but you’re on your phone the whole time. She’s out in front, zigzagging, tying you up with the leash, barking at other dogs, and yanking you into traffic. 

What to do instead: 

Leave your phone at home. Dogs are a gift that reconnect humans to nature. Accept the gift. 

Set down your phone and reconnect with yourself, your dog, and nature. (Photo: person cross country skiing with their dog in the mountains)

3.    Being Inconsistent: 

You mean to walk your dog every day, but some days (okay, most days) you’d rather snuggle and watch movies on the couch. You know you’re supposed to teach your dog how to be alone because you’ll be going back to work in the office soon, but it’s so much nicer to let her sleep on your feet or on your lap. You know you shouldn’t pet your dog when she puts her front feet on your chest, but she looks so cute that you do it anyway…and then yell at her when she does it to your Grandma. 

What to do instead: 

-be a consistent leader (Being a consistent leader takes stress off of your dog. If the only way she can self-soothe is be close to you/touching you, she is very unhealthy and can’t be left alone.)

-teach your dog to love placework

-teach your dog to love being in her crate 

-walk her every day (loose leash walking, not her out in front leading you — she isn’t equipped to be your leader and it’s stressing her out) 

-make rules (dogs aren’t allowed to put their front paws on humans) and make sure that everyone in your home follows the rules

This is the year that you are going to put in the work and see the results. 

This is the year that you’re going to learn how wonderful living with a fulfilled dog is. 

This is the year that your dog becomes your dream dog. 

She is smart. 

She can do it! 

And so can you! 

Kick those bad habits to the curb and schedule your free call today. Click the TAKE ACTION button. 

Taking action feels good. 

Have a wonderful weekend, Dog Leaders! 

Alyssa 

Photos by: Upsplash Images (The word “NEW” painted on a coral-coloured wall,) Upsplash Image ( terrier carrying a tennis ball in her mouth. She is wearing a blue harness and blue long line,) jasper guy

@jasperguy (person cross country skiing with their dog in the mountains,)

New Year’s Eve Tips

Read on for tips to keep your dog safe during your New Year’s Eve bash (Photo: dog wearing a party hat)

Are you hosting a party? Do you want to keep your dog safe during the party? 

Of course you do! 

No one wants their dog to eat a gummy and suffer through THC poisoning (AKA cannabis/marijuana intoxication.) 

No one wants their dog to feel so afraid that her only option is to bite your friend (who cornered your dog to try to pet her.) 

No one wants their dog to chew up their sister’s favourite boots — you will never hear the end of it AND your dog could need surgery to remove the pieces!! 

Crate, place, or on a leash with you prevents undesirable behaviours. Period. (Photo: Golden Retriever with a brown dress shoe in his mouth

All dogs are different. Some dogs are nervous and don’t like people invading their personal space. Advocate for these back-of-the-pack dogs by: 

-teaching your guests how to practice the correct way to greet dogs (no touch, no talk, no eye contact until your dog is calm and YOU say it’s okay for them to interact — and if your dog doesn’t want to interact, that’s fine. Advocate for their personal space.) 

-placing your dog in her crate in a quiet room (be sure to fulfill all of her needs beforehand — structured exercise, so she’s ready to go into a resting and relaxing state

-placework — If you’ve been practicing placework with distractions (i.e. your dog has relaxed on place when you’ve had small gatherings of people, rowdy kids over to your home, and dinner parties,) you may decide to work on place during this party. If you’re working on place, you’re sober and in training mode (this doesn’t mean you can’t have fun — dog training is fun, remember?!) This mindset will make it easier for you and fair for your dog. You may need to use a leash, even if training without one is going well on an average day at home. There will be way more distractions tonight, so a leash is always a helpful tool.  

*Remember: Place is a do not disturb zone. Drunk friends (or sober friends) are not allowed to lie down beside your pup on her cot. Period. 

Place is your dog’s safe space to relax and be calm. (Photo: brown pitbull puppy sitting on a dog bed)

Sad because you’re going to be training instead of fully engaging with your guests? Look at it this way: Once your dog learns how to behave at parties (go to place and be calm when guests arrive; calmly lay around and be petted by guests; play with guests without jumping/mouthing/biting etc) your life and your dog’s life will be awesome. You’re doing this training to be kind to your dog. Your dog deserves to be taught how to live calmly alongside you and your friends and family. 

Puppies and rescue dogs don’t come pre-programmed to know how to behave calmly in the human world. By adopting them, it becomes your job to teach them. It is a gift. 

Advocate for your dog around people who are under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Keep your dog safe. (Photo: eight people doing cheers with fancy drinks)

A lot of bites happen when people have been drinking. Set your dog up for success if she is nervous or has a bite history — use the crate. Do not let anyone bother her when she’s in her crate. 

If your dog is happy-go-lucky and attending the party, there’s still lots to do to keep her safe. 

-make sure THC gummies are not left lying around

-don’t allow counter surfing tonight if you don’t want her to continue this in the future

-your rules are your rules — if you don’t allow jumping up, don’t make exceptions for anyone. “You may pet my dog when she is calm and has all four paws on the floor.” It’s okay to have rules. They keep your dog safe and prevent Great Aunt Mary from breaking a hip next time she visits because the dog now thinks jumping up on people is fair game. 

To help you with your guest greetings, be sure to check out this post: 

https://beyonddogtraining.ca/news/guest-greetings

Happy New Year, Dog Leaders! 

Alyssa 

Photos: Yvonne Assen @yvonneassen (dog wearing a party hat,) Upsplash Image (Golden Retriever with a brown dress shoe in his mouth,) Upsplash Image (brown pitbull puppy sitting on a dog bed,) Helena Yankovska @helenayankovska (eight people doing cheers with fancy drinks,)

"Leave it" vs. "Drop it" Holiday Edition

Want your dog to leave that ornament or decoration alone? Read on! (Photo: dog wearing a Santa hat yawns at the camera)

Last week’s blog post was filled with tips to help us teach our dogs not to chew our holiday decorations. 

If you have a puppy or rescue dog, you need to teach them these important life-saving commands: “leave it” and “drop it.” The important part of that sentence is “teach them.” Many new pet parents follow their puppy around yelling “leave it” when the puppy grabs a shoe, starts chewing a couch cushion, or snags a Christmas ornament. Yelling doesn’t help. Imagine if math teachers simply yelled at their students: “wrong” every time they answered a question incorrectly. There’s no teaching going on there and no one would learn anything, other than “this human yells a lot.” 

“Leave it” and “drop it” are different from each other. Read on to learn why you should teach your dog both of these commands.

When your dog knows “drop it” or “aus,” fetch becomes a lot more fun for both of you (Photo: Golden Retriever holding a spiky blue ball in his mouth)

Do you know the difference between “leave it” and “drop it?” If you’re not sure, then you’ve come to the right place. After all, if you’re confused about which is which, then your dog may be confused too. 

These two commands, along with recall (teaching your dog to come to you no matter what) are three of the most important things you should teach your dog. 

Leave It communicates to your dog “don’t touch that with your mouth.” It could be toxic for your dog (joints, edibles, grapes, chocolate) or simply something you would like to enjoy later on yourself (like the steak on your countertop or the butter tarts on your kitchen table.) This same command applies to dead things on the ground, bunny poops, goose poops, and, you get the idea. 

“Leave it” allows you to pick up the ball, without your dog snatching it up and playing keep-away (Photo: Border Collie lying on the grass looking at a tennis ball a few feet away from her)

I’ve been working with a lot of people who have new puppies. They are walking behind a twelve-week-old puppy yelling “leave it” as the puppy investigates the leash, the shoe on the floor, and the children’s toys. 

When I ask: “Does she know what you mean? Have you taught her how to “leave it?” the answer is always, “Isn’t this how you do it?” 

In a word: no. 

If I were your piano teacher and you were a brand new student, it wouldn’t be very effective for me to yell at you when you begin to innocently press the keys. You didn’t even play a wrong note yet, but I’m yelling at you with all these big piano-genius words that you don’t understand. Not exactly an effective teaching style. 

If you would like to learn to teach your dog to “leave it,” I have three videos on TikTok right now to help you. Find us on TikTok @BeyondDogTraining. 

Side note on “leave it”: I have heard a lot of trainers using “leave it” for passing by a dog, cat, squirrel, or bunny as well. Personally, I use “on by,” but “leave it” seems quite effective for them. Choose your own adventure. 

You may wish to use “leave it” for squirrels as well. Whatever you choose, be consistent. (Photo: a black squirrel and a grey squirrel eating nuts on a lawn)

Drop It: Drop it, or Aus (which is German for drop it/out,) is the command you teach so that your dog knows to drop things out of her mouth when you ask. This could be a dead thing she picked up on a walk, your children’s toys, her ball (during fetch, so you can throw it again,) her bone, another dog’s toy, your remote control, etc.)

If your dog knows “leave it” and “drop it,” your cat and rooster will finally be able to play in peace (Photo: a calico cat and a rooster looking at a bb-8 droid toy on the kitchen tiles)

The earlier you teach these commands the better. It’s far easier to teach your dog to never touch steak on the counter from day one, than it is to train them not to once they’ve developed a habit of it (and get a very tasty reward of steak every time they do!) 

All dogs can learn these commands regardless of how old they are. It’s never too late to begin training your dog. I promise you, he’s smarter than you think. 

It’s never too late to teach your dog these life-saving commands (Photo: senior Collie holding a dirty tennis ball)

Have a wonderful Christmas Eve, Dog Leaders! 

Alyssa 

Photos by:Danny Bezak @harvison (dog wearing a Santa hat yawns at the camera,) Elisa Kennemer @elisalou (Golden Retriever holding a spiky blue ball in his mouth,) Robin Jonathan Deutsch @rodeutsch (Border Collie lying on the grass looking at a tennis ball a few feet away from her,) Claudia McMahon @scmcmahon (a black squirrel and a grey squirrel eating nuts on a lawn,) Daniel Tuttle

@danieltuttle (a calico cat and a rooster looking at a bb-8 droid toy on the kitchen tiles,) Tadeusz Lakota

@tadekl (senior Collie holding a dirty tennis ball)

Dogs and Decorations

Does your dog chew things he’s not supposed to? (Photo: French Bulldog lying down with colourful lights)

Do you love the holidays? Do you love decorations? Are there a few decorations that you feel you can’t bring out because your dog will chew them up? Has your dog already chewed up your favourite decorations? Let’s put a stop to this, shall we? 

Here are a few tips to help you teach your dog what he’s allowed to chew and what he is not. 

What you allow, you agree with. Read that twice. (Photo: French Bulldog chewing red ribbon)

1. What you allow, you agree with: If you allowed your puppy to take Christmas ornaments off of the tree because it was “cute” you accidentally taught him that he was allowed to take ornaments off the tree. Oops. Remedy this by teaching your dog the “leave it” command, so that you can let him know not to touch things you don’t want him to touch.

Dogs are always learning. What are you teaching in this moment? (Photo: Chihuahua mix sitting on a chair with a red cushion)

2. Consistent Boundaries and Rules: If you accidentally allowed your dog to chew your sheets, couch cushions, shoes, and bath towels, he will not know to leave your Christmas decorations alone. Dogs need consistency from us in order to succeed. If your dog has no idea that he shouldn’t chew your bed sheets, he should not be allowed on your bed. Obstructions can sometimes be repaired by your veterinarian, and sometimes they can’t. Don’t risk your dog’s life. Teach them what they can chew (dog toys and bones) and what they can’t (your couch, bed, shoes, table legs, cat’s toys, baseboards, purse, kid’s toys, etc) Supervise your dog at all times so you can teach him what he can and cannot chew.

Crate Time: Dogs are den animals. If you take the time to teach them to love their crate, they will. The crate provides a safe place for your dog when you need to shower, do groceries, or go to work. When your dog is in his crate, he can’t eat your couch, the remote control, or your holiday decorations.

Braxton used to shriek in his crate and was on medication that wasn’t working. His first trainer didn’t help. So grateful that his owner refused to give up and found me. (Photo: 14-week-old Braxton the Frenchie X enjoys his first nap in his crate with the door closed)

Be sure you are consistent outside your home as well. I recently helped a family with a Labrador Retriever who chewed up an outdoor decoration made of plastic and lights. They were unable to get the decoration back from him. He ran around and around the yard playing keep away and then ate the decoration. If your dog doesn’t have rock-solid “drop it,” “leave it,” and recall commands, do not let them off the leash. Longlines are amazing. Think of them as training wheels for dogs. You and your dog need to practice together until the training wheels come off. You get out what you put in. You must do the homework to see the results. 

Use a leash or a longline as you teach your dog what he is allowed to chew and what he is not (Photo: Running dog catches a tennis ball. He has a leash trailing behind him on the ground)

Have a safe holiday season, Dog Leaders! 

Alyssa 

Photos by: Karsten Winegeart @karsten116 (French Bulldog lying down with colourful lights,) Jakob Owens

@jakobowens1 (French Bulldog chewing red ribbon,) Camila Camacho

@camilasbeing (Chihuahua mix sitting on a chair with a red cushion,) Alyssa Foulkes (Braxton the Frenchie X enjoys his first nap in his crate with the door closed,) Upsplash Image (Running dog catches a tennis ball. He has a leash trailing behind him on the ground.)

Place Command: Construction Edition

Find out how to keep yourself and your dog calm with this on your front lawn (Photo: Backhoe digging gravel.)

Welcome to Place Command: Construction Edition. Read on to learn about the place command and how it can help you and your dog through all sorts of chaotic and loud situations.

As long as all four feet are off the ground and your dog is calm, you’re teaching the place command properly (Photo: Labrador Retriever puppy lying on a dog bed)

If you’ve never heard of the place command, you’ve come to the right place…pun intended, since it made it past the editing stage. Sorry not sorry. 

When we live with dogs, we sometimes end up telling them to stop barking out the window, or stop chasing the cat, or stop stealing food off of the countertop. What we don’t do, is provide direction to our dog of what we would like them to do instead of that undesirable behaviour.

Sometimes, we do ask our dog to do something else. How many of you have asked your dog to lie down on the floor or their dog bed, only to find they get up two seconds later and head straight back to that undesirable behaviour they were doing before?

We’ve all been there. 

Didn’t I just tell you to go lie down?!?!? What are you eating? (Photo: black pug licks a mat on the floor while a toddler wanders in the background)

Your dog’s state of mind is more important than you think. When you only address the dog’s body position, “Go lie down,” they lie down, but it doesn’t last because they are not in the right state of mind — calm. They are often still fixated on the noise they hear outside, or rip-roarin’-ready to chase the kids up the stairs again. As soon as you walk away or sit back down on the couch, they’re off like a rocket. It can be very frustrating. 

Ready for some good news? Once you properly teach the place command, this “getting up and heading straight back to business” won’t happen anymore.

Why? 

Because place is an implied down-stay that your dog has to be released from. No more strolling away to pester the cat, searching for shoes to chew on, or stealing the kid’s socks. You’re giving her a job: stay here until I say so. Read on to find out why that job actually feels good to your dog. 

Here’s how it works. 

The place command provides your dog a safe, quiet place to go and relax. It’s very natural for dogs to be calm. It feels good to them, so your dog will actually want to hang out there. In fact, sometimes they’ll go to place all on their own and take a nap. 

The easiest way to teach place to your dog is on an elevated dog cot. Because it is raised off the floor, it creates a clear boundary to your dog. 

You can use an elevated dog cot, or a nice thick bed like this one (Photo: pitbull puppy sitting on a thick dog bed)

The elevated dog cots prevent this — your pup’s feet shouldn’t be touching the ground while teaching place (Photo: terrier on a dog bed with his two front feet touching the floor)

You can use the place command: 

-to greet guests at your front door (your dog stays in place, and no one gets jumped on or nipped —YAY!) 

-to add structure to your regular day — send them to relax on place after mealtimes and after training sessions

-to keep your dog safe — if you break a glass in the kitchen, send them to place while you clean up the pieces

To learn more about place, head to Instagram and check out our highlighted stories and our most recent Live https://www.instagram.com/gobeyonddogtraining. The Live brings you into my home on a day when there is construction right outside our front door. There’s a Badger digging up dirt for hours. Learn how your own mindset is connected to your dog’s mindset and how to achieve a quiet home even when outside is LOUD!

There’s also a helpful video about Place & Construction on our TikTok. Visit us there at BeyondDogTraining.

Happy training, Dog Leaders! 

Alyssa 

Photos by: Gerold Hinzen @geroldhinzen (Backhoe digging gravel,) Taylor Kopel @taylorkopel (Labrador Retriever puppy lying on a dog bed,) Charles Deluvio

@charlesdeluvio (black pug licks a mat on the floor while a toddler wanders in the background) Jordan Bigelow @jordanbigs (pitbull puppy sitting on a thick dog bed) Mitchell Orr

@mitchorr (terrier on a dog bed with his two front feet touching the floor.)

I WANT MY DOG TO LISTEN TO ME

Ever feel like your dog doesn’t listen to you? (Photo: Dachshund with one ear up and one ear down)

Does your dog race to your back door only if you have a treat? 

Do they ignore your commands when they’re outside? Especially if they’ve found some yummy bunny poop? 

Ever feel like your dog has no idea that you’re actually at the other end of the leash? 

Here are three tips to help: 

1. EYE CONTACT: You need to become relevant to your dog. You know the way you feel when your friend is on her cellphone and completely ignoring what you have to say even though you’re sitting right beside her? You’re not relevant to your friend in that moment. You don’t have her eye contact. It’s the same with dogs. Before you leave the house for your next walk, wait for your dog to look up at you. You are the gatekeeper to the outside world. Calmness and eye contact are the price of admission to a fun walk outdoors with you.

   Pro Tip: The key to eye contact is patience. We’re not waving food around our eyes and talking excitedly. Stay silent. Your dog will naturally look up. It’s worth the wait.

Be patient and wait for eye contact from your dog (Photo: Beagle giving perfect eye contact)

2. CONFIDENCE: Dogs require leadership. A coach. Someone they can trust to help them safely navigate the human world. Someone who pays attention during walks, is aware of traffic and other hazards, and will advocate for their safety. Put your phone down, tell yourself that you are awesome (because you are), pick up the leash and call your dog over. If they are jumping all over you, (that is disrespectful in the dog world) put the leash away and try again in a few minutes. It doesn’t take long to teach a dog that jumping on you is no longer tolerated. If your goal is a dog who listens to you outside during walks, you must teach them to listen to you inside first.

3. CONSISTENCY: If you allow your dog to jump all over you on the couch, she will be confused when you don’t want her to jump on you while you put her leash on. The key is consistency. Be the leader at all times. You’re not her littermate, you’re her boss.

Dogs are pack animals who are designed to listen to calm and confident leaders. If you allow her to practice behaviours that would be disrespectful in the dog world (like allowing her to jump on you, nip you, nudge you for attention 24/7,) she won’t view you as a leader. If she doesn’t view you as her leader, she will continue to blow off your commands.

Pro Tip: Keep a leash on your dog inside your home. It can trail along behind her on the floor. If you ask her to do something (come, leave the food on the counter alone, or sit) and she ignores you, calmly pick up the leash and follow through until she does what you asked. Always supervise your dog when she’s wearing a leash in your home (so she doesn’t chew it up or get caught on anything.)

If you reward this behaviour, you will see more of this behaviour. (Photo: Shiba Inu being rewarded with a treat for putting her front paws up on a person’s legs)

If you’ve never owned a dog before and you find your dog isn’t listening, be sure that you’re being clear and consistent. Keep a list of commands on your refrigerator and ensure that everyone who lives with your dog uses the same commands. This avoids confusing your dog.

If you need a little help, find a behaviourist who understands how to coach dogs AND people across the finish line.

Schedule a free call with us and find out how we can help you become a better leader for your dog.

Have a wonderful weekend, Dog Leaders!

Alyssa 

Photos by: Erda Estremera @erdaest (Dachshund with one ear up and one ear down,) Marliese Streefland

@marliesebrandsma (Beagle giving perfect eye contact,) billow926

@billow926 (Shiba Inu being rewarded with a treat for putting her paws on a person’s legs,)

Dogs and Babies

Do you see what I see? Look closer. This poodle is uncomfortable. (poodle laying on the floor with a baby)

Congratulations! You’re about to grow your family with a baby — the human kind. 

There’s so much to do to prepare yourself and your home for this exciting new addition, that we often forget to prepare our dogs. 

Here’s why you should take the time to prepare your pooch for living with a baby BEFORE you bring your baby home. 

1. Future you is tired and sore. If your dog currently invades your space, just think of how irritating it will be when you’re trying to change a diaper on the floor and your dog will not leave you alone. They may step in poop and track it all over the house for you to clean up later. Even worse: they might step on the baby. Teach your dog to give you space now, so that they understand what you mean when you ask for space for your baby.

2. Future you pushes a stroller. If your dog currently barks and lunges at people and dogs who pass by, this will endanger you and your baby. If you’ll be pushing that stroller through winter on black ice this is exponentially more dangerous. The time to teach your dog a beautiful loose leash walk is now.

Teach your dog to walk beside you with a nice loose leash before adding in the stroller (Photo: two strollers in the snow)

3. Future you now holds a baby when opening your front door to houseguests (and there will be droves of them.) If you currently rely on pulling your dog’s collar back to open your door to prevent jumping up, nipping, mouthing, humping, etc, it’s time teach your dog what to do when the doorbell rings. The answer is: go to their place and wait calmly until you release them.

4. Future you is going to talk baby talk and snuggle with a little baby. If your dog currently loses his mind with jealousy when you pick up your friend’s baby or your niece, it’s time to prepare him to share you. If your dog sees you as his resource (guards you, growls at people who approach you, sits on your feet, leans on your legs, won’t “let you” pet other dogs or your cat, sleeps in your bed, etc) seek professional help immediately. Balance your dog before you add a baby to the mix.

If this drives your pup into a frenzy of jumping and whining with your nieces and nephews, it’s worth training now before adding in your own bundle of joy (Photo: woman snuggling a baby)

5. Future you is up to her eyeballs in laundry, rocking a crying baby, nursing the baby, and hoping for naps that never come. Teach your dog all of the commands that can save her life to make daily life with her and tired-you a breeze — come, leave it, drop it, stay, place, crate. Future you doesn’t want to drive to the vet at 3 AM because “come” didn’t work and your dog’s face is full of porcupine quills or “leave it” didn’t work and she ate a dirty diaper and three hair scrunchies. Future you wants to be stress-free when guests come over, not driving your grandmother to the ER for stitches after your dog bites her. Teach your dog the place command now, so that you and your dog can enjoy calmness when guests come to visit.

Prevent sleepless nights and the stress that comes with worrying about your dog’s behaviour around houseguests, your baby, and strangers on the street. The time to train is right now. (Photo: person covering their face and lying in bed #stress)

Dogs are designed to follow calm and confident leadership. Tired people tend to raise their voices when their dog doesn’t listen the first time they say: Come. Yelling your command won’t make your dog listen. Screaming it because you see a skunk in your yard ten feet away from your dog also won’t help. Do you really want to be buying Skunk-Off shampoo at 10 PM on a Tuesday? It’s time to teach your dog a rock-solid recall command. 

It’s time to prepare your dog for all things baby. Think of it as preparing for game day. Your dog needs to practice all of these things without distractions so he has a chance to get really, really good at them. Then, we add in a doll, the sounds of a crying baby, the babies’ funny-looking furniture (unless you think a dog should just know what a jolly jumper is…) 

We teach your dog to walk on a loose leash with no pulling, and then we add the stroller so he has time to get used to it. 

A loose leash heel takes time. Give yourself time to learn this with your dog before adding in the stroller and before adding a baby to the stroller (Photo: people walking with a stroller while people behind them walk another dog - both dogs are heeling)

We teach your dog the place command so he learns how awesome it is and then we add people knocking on your door as a distraction. 

We practice before the real baby arrives, so that you’re not stressed out, tired, and worried. 

We practice before the real baby arrives because it is the kindest thing to do for your dog. 

When to begin: 

-the moment you begin planning to grow your family

-the day you find out you are pregnant

-or today, because you didn’t realize how difficult this would be for you and your dog to navigate on game day 

What to work on: 

-place

-loose leash walking

-threshold training

-crate training

-come

-leave it

-drop it

-stay 

Schedule your free call today. I can’t wait to get started! 

Schedule your free call here: https://beyonddogtraining.ca/take-action or click the TAKE ACTION button below.

Happy training, Dog Leaders!

Alyssa 

Photos by: Picsea @picsea (poodle laying on the floor with a baby,) Charlotte Karlsen

@charlottemsk (two strollers in the snow,) Austin Wade

@austin_wade (woman snuggling a baby,) Anthony Tran

@anthonytran (person covering their face and lying in bed #stress,) Upsplash Image (people walking with a stroller while people behind them walk another dog - both dogs are heeling,)

Your Relationship Inside Your Home

Are you rewarding this inside your home? (Photo: two dogs wrestling on the grass,)

Your relationship with your dog begins inside your home. A dog who does not listen to your direction inside your home will not listen to your direction outside your home. It really is that simple. 

If your dog lunges, growls at, tries to nip, and/or barks at your houseguests, how could we be surprised when they behave this way on walks as well? It’s all connected to your relationship. 

Ask yourself how often you reward your dog for being excited inside your home each day? 

Do you encourage the zoomies (even when your dog flies across the couch overtop of your children’s legs and steps on your cats - ouch!)? 

Do you reward your dog with praise and affection when she’s invading your personal space, whining, leaning on you, or nudging your hand (demanding affection)? 

Do you toss toys for her when she’s barking at you? 

Are you rewarding your dog for barking at you during fetch? (Photo: dog barking in the water)

Do you talk in a baby voice and pet her when she greets you with excitement when you come home? 

Do you feed her when she’s excited? 

Now, ask yourself: How many times a day do I reward her for being calm and relaxed inside the home? 

For many people, that number is much lower than the excitement number. Oftentimes we don’t ever reward our dog for calmness at all. You don’t know to do it until you know — and now you know. 

If all you practice is excitement, your dog doesn’t get a chance to practice being calm. If he never practices calmness inside your home, how can you expect him to practice it on the walk? 

The walk begins inside your home. If you leash up a hyper dog and he pulls you outside, you have already signed the contract of being his follower. Following an excited dog and pulling back on the leash leads to all sorts of bad behaviours and is also damaging to your dog’s trachea. 

Flat collars and even some harnesses can damage your dog’s trachea if the dog is allowed to constantly pull (Photo: large brown dog lunging on the leash wearing a flat collar)

Many people believe that the harness will change this relationship and make the walk better. I have seen harnesses:

-ride up and put pressure on the trachea causing all of the same trachea damage as a flat collar

-putting pressure on puppies’ necks and causing them to vomit

-ruin the gait of the dog (think shoulder injuries from constantly walking in this “pull sideways away from my human” way that you’ve seen or are living with)

Harnesses were designed for pulling. (Photo: sled dogs pulling a sled on the snow)

Often when we walk our dog on a harness we are not relevant. Meaning, if we dropped the leash, our dog would not care. They would just toddle off toward whatever distraction they were originally pulling you toward without even glancing back at you. This is a relationship problem. No matter what tool you walk your dog on, you should be relevant on the walk.

All dogs have opposition reflex and will pull away from whatever is trying to hold them back (Photo: pug wearing a harness pulling away from its human handler)

I’ve helped lots of owners who have hit a plateau with their reactive dog to overcome leash reactivity. Almost all of them have come to me with a harness and a habit of using a lot of high-value treats, neither of which were helping them to reach their walking goals.

If you’re struggling with leash reactivity and you’ve been working on this for months and the issue isn’t resolved — schedule a free call with us and find out if we’re the right fit. We love helping owners learn how to enjoy calm walks with their dogs.

Feeling overwhelmed? Wondering where to begin? 

-Placework in the home: start small and build up to longer durations, distances, and distractions

Placework is all about providing your dog with a job (calmness) so that they can retire from window barking and counter surfing (Photo: Retriever laying calmly on a dog bed,)

-Positive mindset: Yoga, meditation, positive self-speak. Breathe and believe. You can do this. Calmer you — calmer dog. 

-Heeling (teaching your dog to walk beside or even slightly behind you on walks on a nice loose leash): begin teaching this inside your home 

-Thresholds: calm dogs are allowed to go through doorways (front door, back door, stairs, car door, crate door, elevator door, etc.) Excited dogs need to wait until they are calm before being given the reward (the walk is the reward.) 

It’s never too late to change your relationship with your dog. He’s waiting patiently for you to take the leadership role. He doesn’t want it anyway. 

Have a wonderful weekend, Dog Leaders! 

Alyssa 

Photos by: David Taffet @invisibleman_photography (two dogs wrestling on the grass,) Angelo CARNIATO

@angelocarniato (dog barking in the water,) Upsplash Image (large brown dog lunging on the leash wearing a flat collar,) Sandra Seitamaa

@seitamaaphotography (sled dogs pulling a sled on the snow,) yang miao

@yangmiao (pug wearing a harness pulling away from its human handler,) Upsplash Image (Retriever laying calmly on a dog bed,)

Posted November 2021. Updated March 24, 2022.

Guest Greetings

This is not how you greet guests at your front door (unless you want them to get bitten.) (Photo: Person wearing army fatigues holds/pulls back on a German Shepherd’s collar)

If you’re already worried about how your dog greets your houseguests and you’re freaking out about hosting Christmas dinner, it’s time to start preparing your pup now. 

It’s not just pandemic puppies (who are now reaching adulthood) who don’t know how to politely greet guests at our front doors: it’s pretty much all dogs. Why? Because we humans often feel: 

1. excited to greet our guests

2. badly about taking our time to calm our dog down BEFORE opening our front door to our guests

We also think that six weeks of puppy classes should somehow prepare our dog for real life. It doesn’t. 

Puppy class doesn’t prepare you for this (Photo: little boy entering a home through a front door)

Or this! (Photo: two boys having a pillow fight on a bed - feathers everywhere!)

We must practice polite door greetings many times in order for our dog to become good at them. Think about it: you didn’t just attend soccer GAMES, you had practices all week in order to prepare for game day. We must begin to take this mentality when training our dogs. We are putting in the necessary repetitions to prepare our dogs (and ourselves) for game day. 

If you don’t like that analogy because you’re not an athlete, compare it to dance, piano, or becoming a dentist. 

A lot of work goes in before game day. Practice, practice, practice. (Photo: stadium full of people watching a soccer game)

One of the biggest mistakes dog owners make is to hold their dog back. Please read this blog post to understand that holding your dog back makes other people a target. Just like police dogs. https://beyonddogtraining.ca/news/who-is-protecting-whom

The other missing piece of the puzzle is direction. What do you want your dog to do when you open the door? 

Most people say: I want him not to jump up. I want him to stop barking and trying to nip people. I want him to be calm. 

If you want your dog to be calm, you have to be calm. Raising your voice and pulling his collar aren’t helping. 

You have to decide what you want your dog to do. Here is a list for you, so that you can choose something that will work: 

-I want my dog to go to her place (elevated dog bed) and practice calmness

-I want my dog to be on leash beside/slightly behind me and calm

You must provide clear direction (a job) for your dog so they know what TO do (Photo: brown and white puppy sitting on a dog bed)

Where to begin? 

Practice door greetings often. Practice with family members and friends who are capable of being calm around your dog. 

As you practice, remind yourself: 

-I can do this

-My dog may need a few repetitions even with a family member, but that’s part of the process. 

-I have to be calm to teach calm

Question: I have a huge family event coming up and I won’t have time to teach my dog placework with large distractions (because this event is only one week away.) What do I do? 

Answer: You can teach your dog to love his crate in a week. Practice at every mealtime. Start with very short sessions and build up the time gradually. If your dog is really stressed greeting guests in your home, the kindest thing you can do for him is to teach him to love his crate. He can relax in his crate during your event if you fulfill his mental and physical needs before the event begins. 

When taught correctly, crates represent a wonderful, safe space that dogs enjoy resting in. They are den animals. (Photo: Border Collie lies calmly in a dog crate)

If you’re worried about hosting holiday parties, dinners, and Christmas day festivities, schedule your free call today. You still have plenty of time to teach your dog how to politely greet visitors at your front door. 

If you’re feeling worried about hosting events because of your dog’s behaviour, I’m only a free phone call away (Photo: a young woman sitting on the floor, shoulders hunched, leaning against her couch - worrying)

If you are struggling with crate training, how to teach your dog to be calm, or how to be calm yourself, I’m only a free phone call away. Find out if we’re the right fit for each other. 

Are you thinking about placework training but don’t know where to begin? Call me. Place is amazingly easy for dog owners to teach when they have a great coach. 

Looking forward to helping you and your pup succeed with guest greetings, Dog Leaders! 

Alyssa

Photos by: Upsplash (Person wearing army fatigues holds/pulls back on a German Shepherd’s collar,) Peter Idowu @peteridowu (little boy entering a home through a front door,) Allen Taylor

@allentaylorjr (two boys having a pillow fight on a bed - feathers everywhere!) Mitch Rosen

@focusmitch (stadium full of people watching a soccer game,) Upsplash Image (brown and white puppy sitting on a dog bed,) Ayla Verschueren

@moob (Border Collie lies calmly in a dog crate,)

Joice Kelly@joicekelly (a young woman sitting on the floor, shoulders hunched, leaning against her couch - worrying,)

Winter is Coming

A Dire wolf would have been too on the nose ;) (Photo: black dog covered in snow)

Your dog is reactive to other dogs on the leash. She pulls so hard that you can barely walk her. She’s pulled you off your feet multiple times (your have the scars to prove it) and last time she pulled you into traffic. 

This situation seems like it can’t get any worse, but it can. Just add ice. 

I have helped clients who have suffered brutal injuries from being pulled to the ground in the summertime. When you add ice, the risk of injury is that much worse. 

Schedule your free call today and get started on a path to better dog walks with your dog. No more pulling. No more broken promises (such as “Get a no-pull harness. It will fix everything.”) 

Harnesses were designed for pulling. (Photo: Siberian Huskies pulling a sled beneath a sky filled with beautiful Northern Lights)

Imagine you and your dog walking in harmony with no pulling. You can do it. Let us help you…before you get a concussion on the ice. 

If you’ll be pushing a stroller this winter, but your dog currently: 

-lunges at dogs

-tries to bite strangers

-yanks you toward cars

-pulls you toward every bush, tree, hydrant, and pole

We still have appointments available in November. Schedule your appointment now to prepare your dog to walk calmly beside you and your stroller. 

Here is a tip that will get you started before you work with me one-on-one: 

Your leash-up routine matters. If your dog currently jumps all over you, bites the leash/harness as you’re trying to put it on, or plays tug of war with the leash try this simple tip. 

Your puppy is ALWAYS learning. What are you teaching in this moment? (Photo: puppy biting his collar)

Go to the place you keep your leash. Pick it up. If your dog comes running and acting very excited (which is the mindset that leads to jumping up, mouthing, biting the leash behaviours) simply set the leash down and walk away. Dogs are extremely smart. Before you know it your dog will learn to associate your picking up the leash with calmness. It is way easier to walk a calm dog than an overly excited one. 

Give it a try and let us know how it goes in the comments below. 

It’s time to change your walks for the better. 

I can’t wait to get started! How about you? 

Alyssa 

Photos by: Yuki Dog @adventure_yuki (black dog covered in snow,) Thomas Lipke

@t_lipke (Siberian Huskies pulling a sled beneath a sky filled with beautiful Northern Lights,) Nat Chen

@nat0408 (puppy biting his collar,)