Well.. You’ve made your first step in changing your relationship with your dog. Congratulations! It’s not easy to admit when we are the ones that need changing but personal responsibility is what lead you here and personal responsibility will be what gets you the true results. The results of the testimonials you were reading about before you purchased this program; those results are typical (No asterisk needed here).
So how does this program work? First and foremost.. Don’t get ahead of yourself. The worst thing a dog trainer or behaviorist can do is go too quickly. Remember not only are you learning how to communicate with and re-introduce yourself to your dog you are also teaching your dog what is and isn’t appropriate behavior. So.. Both YOU and your DOG are learning! Don’t move too quickly or think that this will be an overnight change. We will get results! We will get them relatively quickly! But it’s not overnight either. Be patient with yourself and with your dog. Please be your dogs advocate!
Not all dogs are the same. Not all dogs can achieve the same thing. Lets not be “breedist” here and treat all breeds of dogs as if they do the same thing. Even the same breed has many different personalities and that’s one of the reasons we fall in love with them. They are unique. We need to remember this and if something isn’t working know that my best tool is my tool bag, not just one tool and way. The majority of dogs do respond in a very predictable way but there are those outliers and those dogs who just need a different path most times.
This program moves in a series of checkpoints. Don’t move to another checkpoint till you’ve achieved the previous goal of the previous checkpoint. If you move too quickly your dog won’t be set up for success in the final checkpoints and you will most likely have to go back and re-do certain weeks of training.
If you have purchased the program with me personally guiding you.. know that video feedback and checkpoint checks are required to move on. I will be your dogs advocate when working personally with you.
It’s about YOU asking questions when something doesn’t make sense. But it’s about YOU asking, not me asking you how things are. I understand life gets in the way of training. I understand having children and other responsibilities so I can help problem solve for you when things get tough. Reach out and ask for help. Think of me as you and your dogs sponsor throughout this process. While your dog is going through Alcoholic’s Anonymous and you yourself are going through Al Anon I am here to help guide you and remind you that you can do this.
Part 1 of the program consists of “How to Correct Correctly” and “The difference between Correction and Redirection” This should take about an hour to cover both sections.
Part 2 is learning the foundation of our schedule that we will be building upon the remainder of the program. You will learn your first checkpoint and terminology that goes along with the schedule. Most achieve this first checkpoint in the first 24-72 hours of the program.
Part 3 is learning how to condition your dog to the electronic collar. Teaching your dog where its coming from, how to stop it and how to avoid it. This will be the first time in the program you are actually working with your dog. Parts 1 and 2 is the classroom work so to say while Part 3 and on will be field work with your dog.
Part 4 is amending from the 26ft leash to the 6ft leash once we have conditioned the dog to the electronic collar. You will learn how to master the walk, your new checkpoint and what your new schedule looks like.
Part 5 of the program is learning how to teach your dog the “place” command and the new schedule for the week as well as the new checkpoint. This will set us up for success in the future when it comes to proper introductions.
Part 6 will consist of another schedule change. We will start the reincorporation of your dog back into the daily life of your house. You will learn how to teach your dog the rules of your home and you will learn your new checkpoint.
Part 7 is learning the off-leash training portion of the program. This is where you learn how to teach your dog to reliably follow your direction off leash with distractions around in an outside environment. You will learn your new schedule and checkpoint on how to achieve this.
Part 8 is learning your maintenance schedule. The training schedule is not our “living life” schedule. You will learn what is needed to maintain what has been achieved.
I know this might already seem intimidating. I believe the beginning of anything new can be. That is why I have designed this program to move at a pace that makes sense for both you and your dog. If you need to stay on one portion of the program longer don’t worry about doing so. Life gets in the way sometimes but we just keep the same schedule going till we can amend and move on. This won’t be detrimental to the training but we also don’t want to live on this training schedule either. This program was designed to be completed in 30 days but that doesn’t mean once completed we are done working with our dog. Now life begins. What you will have learned during this program will help you communicate what is and isn’t appropriate for the remainder of your dogs life. Yes. Dogs aren’t robots and will need reminders. This is totally normal, but you will now have control of your dog because of the perception we just created.
So how does this program work? It works in checkpoints and markers that you follow. If you have any questions along the way you need to ask or find me answering the question you have in one of the “podcast” archives. There will be a series of tests along with the program coinciding with each section before you’re able to move on. Be patient with yourself and your dog while you are both learning. Remember not all dogs are the same.. is yours being defiant or is he/she just confused? And lastly, this is about you doing the work here. I will guide you but you need to put in the work. Your dog needs to see you as the rule maker; not me! I have the program to those six-pack abs, but if you eat pizza at nighttime that is all on you!!