Snowbound Kennels

Snowbound Kennels Professional training for retrievers, pointing, flushing and companion dogs.

The first time Sophie stayed at the kennel I was headed up to Burlington so at the end of her visit I gave her a ride ho...
06/25/2026

The first time Sophie stayed at the kennel I was headed up to Burlington so at the end of her visit I gave her a ride home.

She did this the entire way.

Cutest dog in America.

Sophie has been visiting snowbound kennels for over 11 years now.Every dog gets a kennel name when they're here and her ...
06/24/2026

Sophie has been visiting snowbound kennels for over 11 years now.

Every dog gets a kennel name when they're here and her kennel name was, cutest dog in America.

06/24/2026

This couldn't possibly be anything productive, clearly nothing more than playing with a dog.....?

Or, maybe something else is going on?

And a very very smart friend suggested that I should put my ramblings on video here because it might be easier for peopl...
06/23/2026

And a very very smart friend suggested that I should put my ramblings on video here because it might be easier for people to understand than my frequent rambling disjointed posts so I will try that.

06/23/2026

I'm currently working with a dog teaching it to ignore pressure.

Why on earth would I want a dog to ignore leash, traditional neck collar or electric collar pressure you ask? What madness is this you ask?

 I get a fair amount of dogs in whose lives have really been totally self-directed. They've honestly never really had to do anything they didn't want to do but their behavior has been overwhelmingly voluntary.

Some of these dogs can be pretty accurate their behaviors because they have a good foundation that has been taught in reward based marker training.

Others don't have that foundation but in either case, the dogs both have the, I want to do this and none of the I have to do this.

 Using leash or electric collar pressure right away to show them they have to do it can be very traumatic for some dogs leading to compliance but frequently extreme apprehension or fear on the dogs part.

Yeah, you could make them do it but it could be at the expense of the dogs attitude about training and command compliance. It's actually not hard to make dogs do things if you don't care about that Training experience and the dogs overall attitude.

Get to your point Alec!

Many of these dogs can be hypersensitive to Training pressure and I introduced Training pressure at such a low level they quickly learn it's no big deal and they could ignore it.

Then when I escalate to higher levels of pressure leading to formal reinforcement and behavior change the dogs don't seem to have any problem with that gradual transition because they have already learned how to deal with pressure from that low level, I can ignore this, introduction.

Back in the Stone Age when dinosaurs roamed the Earth and I was learning my formal Training doctrine, the idea back then, was you had to start it high levels where the dog would become desensitized as you gradually escalated pressure.

I questioned it back then but I was told like so many things that, that's the way it has to be done "because" and I have never taken because as an answer.

As I worked with more dogs myself and I realized that their because answer was really because that's what they had been told to do.

Anyone that knows me knows I'm not a big fan of doing what I'm told to do.

Never take because as an answer and always try to think really really critically about any explanation that follows the word "because."

You will probably be more successful getting command compliance with your dog if you give it a plan rather than try to c...
06/22/2026

You will probably be more successful getting command compliance with your dog if you give it a plan rather than try to change its mind.

You're out for a hike off leash, you see some form of distraction in the distance and think, my dog will come.

Then your dog takes off, it doesn't come because you are trying to change its mind.

It's already decided it's gonna run ahead to that distraction, person, Dog, Sasquatch, etc., that's what it's thinking about and now you have to change its mind.

Far easier to call your dog, give it a plan, before it takes off, tell it to sit before it starts lunging at the end of the leash or any command that gets you what you will require that you may not get if you have to try and change the dog's mind.

My little mantra when I recall a dog is here/come, as they approach, heel and as they come to the heel position, sit.

I want my dog to return to me, it can return to me but that isn't indicative of stopping, it could just do a drive-by but now I've given it a plan to come to the heel position.

As the dog is moving into the position I give it to command sit.

Because the dog could come to the position and not sit but of course only say sit if you want the dog to sit and you aren't then planning to move forward with the Dog heel position.

The original recall might be before the dog takes off after distraction. The heel gives a dog a plan as it arrives to me and then the sit is yet another plan for the dog.

All given slightly before I might be having to now change the dogs mind because it has something else in mind.

From the archives, I don't even know who that dog is!

I hear it on regular basis, my dog is great 90% of the time.You know that 10% of the time your dog isn't great, that's p...
06/21/2026

I hear it on regular basis, my dog is great 90% of the time.

You know that 10% of the time your dog isn't great, that's probably actually the time you need to be great.

Nice they come with they're called when there is something in it for them but I like my dogs and the dogs I train to come when they're called when there are higher arousal distractions, not just when they want to.

Frequently heard on hiking trails in Vermont as a dog races towards you after the owner is unable to get recall compliance:

MY DOG'S FRIENDLY.....

Generally then followed by talking a complete sentences to the dog.

Rover you know better than that we've talked about this at home you need to come when you're called and be a good boy like I want you to OK?

If anyone's interested I have a podcast saved from a veterinary behaviorist in New York City that actually calls out fr...
06/20/2026

If anyone's interested I have a podcast saved from a veterinary behaviorist in New York City that actually calls out front attachment point body harnesses and the muzzle device/gentle lead as causing enough physical discomfort in dogs it's sometimes manifested as aggression.

I will never tell a client what they should do with their dog.I will point out the advantages and disadvantages of what ...
06/19/2026

I will never tell a client what they should do with their dog.

I will point out the advantages and disadvantages of what they want their dog to do or perhaps not to.

Ultimately their dog and if they want to let their dog lie on the hood of their car it's totally fine by me.

Roscoe demonstrates.

06/18/2026

This from a client whose dog just transitioned home and posted here with their permission.

"I thought you’d appreciate hearing that "Rover" has been off leash for most of the time since I picked him up from you, he hangs out at the barn, when he doesn’t want to come around the fields with me he hangs in the tack room, he helps me teach, checks in constantly and is a happy happy boy. Everyone around has commented on how much more relaxed and confident he is. I think I’ve had to bump him with the collar exactly twice, both times about the fox that dared to cross the driveway in front of him. He came right back to me. Thank you Alec, this has been fantastic education for me too."

"Bump" is remote collar activation to reinforce a command.

Twice in two weeks because of a very high level distraction.

The goal of training a dog to understand contextual command reinforcement within an electric collar is to not use the collar!

The collar is used to create new habits and behavior through contextual and fair reinforcement and only used in an ongoing protocol to reinforce if necessary with the continued goal of not needing reinforcement.

If someone is pushing buttons every day they are managing behavior, they have not changed behavior.

If the cop pulls you over every day to get you to slow down through the school zone he is managing your behavior his previous stops have not changed your behavior.

Address

189 Jersey Street
Addison, VT
05491

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Monday 8am - 7pm
Tuesday 8am - 7pm
Wednesday 8am - 7pm
Thursday 8am - 7pm
Friday 8am - 7pm
Saturday 8am - 7pm
Sunday 8am - 7pm

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+18023490417

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