Through my dog training journey, I have continually seen that dogs respond best to calmness, boundaries and consistency. It is our job to provide that for them. I, and many others, often compare a young dog to a toddler, as their brain is soaking up everything in their environment and they are learning the ways of life. If a toddler finds that throwing their sippy cup off their tray results in mom or dad picking it up for them, they have just found an amusing game to play.

Similarly, dogs find their own games in day-to-day activities. While some games are harmless, the more control we allow the dog to have over its everyday life, the less they listen to our direction, and the less they WANT to listen to our direction especially without the promise of a treat. Say you have a dog that likes to play “keep away”. Normally this is not a problem because your fenced yard provides a safe place for your dog to play in, but, one day you forget to latch the gate. Now your dog has run outside the yard and is playing “keep away” next to the road. While you can see the danger in this, your dog cannot. They are only focused on the fun of the game while being completely oblivious to the danger. Your dog knows “come here” but, because you have just chased your dog around (playing their game), they think they are in control of the situation and you struggle to take over control of the situation. By starting dogs off young, with clear and strict boundaries, it allows us to ease up on these rules as they develop and mature. For each client, I work hard to create a balanced plan based on the individual dog to enhance the relationship they already have with you.