09/01/2026
Which is why I train obedience in a very, very specific fashion. Because I have multiple goals.
Letās clarify.
The checkers: I want my owners to have a highly useful, comprehensive communication system, so they can include their dogs in their daily lives comfortably, harmoniously, and safely to the highest degree. This of course means the dog also enjoys the biggest, most included, and safest life.
For this I need super reliable obedience, and dogs who can operate within this obedience with a healthy mindsetācalm and chill when appropriate, fun and crazy when appropriate.
Thatās the first layer. And it has tons of value and benefits for all involved.
The chess: I want there to be a crystal clear understanding between my owners and their dogs as to who is and who isnāt running the show. That means an unapologetically clear hierarchy, with the human clearly leading, and the dog clearly following. The rules are non-negotiable, the standards are non-negotiable, and the consequences for deviating from whatās been fairly trained are non-negotiable.
This piece isnāt about creating flashy, impressive looking obedienceāitās about creating a super healthy relationship dynamic between owner and dog via the obedience. Because the primary cause of problem behavior isnāt due to a lack of flashy obedience, itās due to a fundamental respect issue between dog and owner.
Thus the approach: I donāt use food to lure and create the behaviors. The approach is simply guiding the dog into the desired position via light prong pressure, or e-collar pressure, or a combination of both āmarried.ā Why not use food and lure? Itās super easy, and can be super fast, and creates āpeppyā dogsābut for those paying close attention, that approach has a bribing, transactional, food-focused (rather than human-focused), and arousal-inducing dynamic.
Not what I want for my above stated goals.
I want the commands done when I ask for them to be done, because I asked for them to be done. I want the reward (the affection, joy, play) to be our intimate experience and connectionānot the food. I want the dog focused on us, I want the interaction imbued with respect, and I want the dog to be able to be calm and chill while doing it all.
Done right, this creates a very different experience, a very different dog, and a very different relationship. You get all the reliability, fun, freedom, and inclusion, and you also get all the respect, deference, and downstream positive choices in all the other aspects of life together.
I know lots of folks will bristle at this, and thatās totally cool. All I know is that I, and my clients love the results. Happy owners, happy dogs. Zero apologies.
