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When your dog reacts to another dog or a person on leash, it can become very stressful, embarrassing, and exhausting. Many of the people I work with have leash-reactive dogs, and I have extensive experience addressing leash reactivity. It does take a long time to improve leash reactivity. It's not an overnight process. There's no quick fix. If your dog barks, lunges, freezes, growls, or completely loses their mind when they see another dog or a person, that is considered leas

Many new puppy owners think walking their puppy once per day or a few times per week is enough. It’s not! How can you or your puppy learn anything by doing it a few times per week? You can’t! I suggest 3-8 walks per day for effective leash training of the loose-leash walking techniques that I teach in my puppy training program. I got my dog, Spaulding, at 3 months old and had him for 12 years, until he passed in April 2020. I estimate we went on an average of 6 walks per day

Many people would love to have their dog walk beside them on a loose leash, never pulling or moving from side to side. Most dog owners never achieve this goal for a variety of reasons, including the wrong equipment, no formal training, and bad habits started early. It takes skill and practice to get your dog to walk on a loose leash and never react to anything. In my book “Leash Training Your Puppy,” I include a step-by-step process to achieve this goal. The book also include

A lot of new puppy owners want to teach their puppy all these extravagant obedience commands and training too soon, which can create problems for the puppy down the road. It also creates problems with the puppy learning the foundational skills effectively. Why It's Best To Keep It Simple You don't want to overwhelm the puppy too early. You wouldn't want to try to get a 10-year-old kid into college. They are in elementary school, and then they need to go through junior high s

These are the same tips that we give all my clients when they hire Top Gun Dog Training for the Puppy Training Program. Use a slip lead (one-piece leash) in the house at all times to prevent potty accidents, jumping on people, jumping on furniture, and counter surfing. Keep your eyes on the puppy at all times. You would not leave a baby unsupervised out of the crib, so don’t do that with your puppy Your puppy should NOT be free to roam around the house. They will get into tro

When I work with a new client, I structure the program to focus on the puppy's house manners first, their leash training second, and their socialization third. We will spend about three or four weeks working on the house manners, about two or three weeks on lease training, and then we take it on the road and go to Lowe's, Home Depot, Hobby Lobby, Tractor Supply, and any other pet-friendly stores that we can find for the puppy to get socialization practice. Depending on the p

All new at 10 tonight. A 9-year-old is recovering after a vicious dog attack in Hansville. Left her with severe injuries on her face. Delilah McKay was sitting outside on her apartment steps when a dog that was being walked by another child all of a sudden attacked her. The family shared photos that show her injuries, and we want to warn you, some of those photos may be graphic. Delilah's mother tells us a nearby teenager managed to get the dog away from her daughter. Delilah

Training a dog can come with a huge set of challenges. If you have a high-energy dog that engages in destructive behaviors, gets bored easily, and makes life harder, you know what it's like. What makes it harder is trying to train a dog that you also have a hard time keeping up with. A high-energy dog may be a unique challenge, but fortunately, this challenge is far from impossible. Breeds are a good determiner Dog behavior is often genetic, and you'll find that many dogs of

When you're out and about, you may see other dog owners with off-leash dogs. Sometimes, they keep in pace with their owners, heeling with great obedience. Other times, they run back and forth, unruly, causing chaos wherever they roam. You may be wondering what is best for your dog, whether you should keep them on or off the leash. Here are some reasons that you'll want to consider keeping your best friend on-leash and living their best life. 1. Your dog stays safe: Without yo

The most important tip for starting a loose-leash walking journey with your puppy is to stay in the moment. Learn to connect to your...

Is there even such a thing as a perfect dog walk? Yes, there certainly is, but unfortunately, most dog owners will never experience it...

One of the most common discussions I have with clients is about leash training equipment. The dog stores will tell you that you must get...

Leash training your puppy is an essential part of obedience and discipline. Leash training will get your puppy out of the house to learn...