Philosophy

When I stand with a young or new dog bonding and gaining trust is my first goal. I begin in a quiet place with no distractions, (although any new area has its own built in distractions) I would never start in the middle of the dog park. Foundation consists of the sit, down, stay, here / come, watch (make eye contact with me), and off and take it. Starts with understanding the concept then progressing to prevent counter surfing; garbage can issues, etc.

I judge dogs on a ladder system with 10 rungs. Dominant behavior 7+ & shy / submissive a 3 and down. The first thing I must do is calm the dominant & build the shy. I ask them to do things with a leash and then I tell them how well they are doing by praising. My voice is first, then petting and food. I sometimes start with shy and submissive dogs that will not look at me, but instead prefer to look at the ground. Usually with lots of praise with voice and touch, I can get them to start by looking at me. I’ll offer food and maybe they’ll spit the food out; I’ve had dogs who would not take treats even from the owner, but once I establish trust through praise they will. Food can be a barometer for stimulus and stress. A handler can gain insight into where his dogs’ mind is at. Praise can raise the dogs’ position on the ladder, pressure reduces the position.

Once I am able to get a dog to work well with me as a team and enjoying the game of obedience, I will then work on desensitizing or perfecting, trying to duplicate calm obedience in more and more stimulating areas. Food can give the handler insight and distance can make the work easier for the handler and the dog. I prefer to use more distance which translates to more praise and fewer corrections and then gradually work closer & closer to stimulus & distraction. At distance, the dog can receive more praise & fewer corrections making the session much more productive. PATIENCE! It is miraculous to see the gains I can make after getting trust through praise during foundation. I am then able to guide the dog in and out of more and more stimulating situations. I guide them to be the best that they can be.