The Human Dog Team

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The Human Dog Team In Person family pet dog training in San Diego, options for virtual sessions available

09/14/2026

Students who continue maintaining their dogs’ training receive lifetime invitations to group adventures like this one get you more freedom, new places, good dogs, and great people.

My programs include private sessions, group classes, ongoing support, and much more. But one of my favorite parts comes after graduation: continuing to see the dogs and people I’ve helped and getting to share adventures like this with them.

09/05/2026

Dog attacks can happen incredibly fast, and once they start, our first instinct is often to reach in with our hands. That can make an already dangerous situation even worse.

Here are three things I think are worth considering before you ever find yourself in that situation:

1. Carry pepper gel.
Having a defensive tool available can give you another option when you need to create distance and protect yourself or your dog.

2. Carry an extra leash.
An extra leash can give you another tool for creating separation or gaining control without immediately putting your hands near a dog’s mouth.

3. Develop your footwork.
This one might sound strange, but I recommend soccer—or really any sport that teaches you to move your feet, stay balanced and react quickly. Soccer has helped me tremendously because I’m comfortable using my legs and positioning my body without instinctively reaching toward a dog with my hands.

None of these are about wanting to hurt another dog. They’re about being better prepared, preventing a bad situation from becoming worse, and protecting everyone involved.

08/26/2026

Ozzy has officially earned couch privileges. If he’s polite, keeps himself calm, and remembers his manners, he gets to hang out on the ottoman. The goal was never to keep him off the furniture, it was to teach him how to handle the freedom. Good choices earn more access.

I believe this is Ozzy’s third time back with me for boarding, and every time he comes back, he’s better behaved and more mature.

That credit goes to his owner. The work that happens at home between visits is what makes the difference. It’s really nice to see the consistency paying off and to be able to give Ozzy more freedom each time he comes back.

08/25/2026

I believe the last video I posted was from about a month and a half ago, when Archie was a lot smaller and finishing up his e-collar training.

The best part of proper e-collar training is that you won’t need to rely on it.

We’ve already trained here. We’ve already practiced these skills. We’ve already made expectations clear. The e-collar helped us reinforce what they already knew.

Now, they can do the same things without it.

I still like having the e-collar available when new situations come up. It gives me a way to redirect or correct when needed.

But today? We had the whole field to ourselves… except for a few owls. 🦉 So there was no reason to rely on it.

The tool helped with the training.

The training is what stays.

08/19/2026

One of the things I love most about the e-collar is being able to give dogs more freedom without losing communication.

These four had just chased a squirrel up a tree. I didn’t need to yell, repeat myself, or even get up off the ground. Just a small gesture and a calm whistle to say, “Hey, tune back in.”

But this doesn’t start with the e-collar.

I teach this first by creating engagement through movement, especially on a long line. I want the dog to learn to naturally check back in with you while they’re exploring and having fun. From there, we move into basic e-collar work.

It really doesn’t have to be complicated.

Build the engagement, then slowly build up the 3Ds. Then use the e-collar to keep that line of communication when the leash comes off.

06/26/2026

One of the biggest mistakes owners make is asking for behavior after behavior without ever giving the dog a chance to make a choice.

The goal isn’t to see how long your dog can obey, it’s to understand what they choose when they’re free.

After your dog completes what you ask, release them.

That release isn’t the end of training, it’s time for both of you to process information.

Does your dog choose to offer the behavior again? Do they stay engaged with you? Or do they need a moment to process something in the environment?

Those few seconds tell you far more about your dog’s state of mind than keeping them under command the entire time.

Out of all the markers I use, “Good” (Stay) is the only one that has duration. It tells the dog, “Keep doing what you’re doing.” It functions much like a stay.

Every other marker includes an implied release. I want my dogs spending as much time as possible making choices rather than simply remaining under command.

06/25/2026

With recall training, you have to reward whatever step you’re currently working on.

If I’m at the stage where I say “Come” and the dog is moving slowly or hesitating, then my goal isn’t anything fancy yet, I’m simply trying to build speed and enthusiasm.

“Come.”

The dog comes in front of me, gets paid, and we repeat.

We’re building a simple connection: when you respond quickly, it’s worth it.

As soon as the dog becomes more reliable and enthusiastic at that level, we can start asking for more, sitting at front position and collar grab for a release.

At first the dog comes in, gets rewarded, and then immediately gets released back to whatever they were doing.

The release is important because it teaches the dog that coming to you doesn’t always mean the fun ends.

If the dog doesn’t come back after being released, don’t keep pushing forward with more advanced training. If this foundation isn’t solid, there’s no point in trying to teach advanced skills or change more difficult behaviors.

Step one is always building a great recall. Once that looks really good, we can begin introducing what I call the Team Recall.

The dog comes directly into position in front of me. I can drop the leash or collar, and the dog chooses to stay engaged.

One of my favorite signs that a dog understands the exercise is when they look away at something interesting and then voluntarily choose to look back at me.

In this example, the people the dog wants to visit are behind me. The reward isn’t that the dog ignores them forever. The reward is that the dog notices them, thinks about them, and then chooses to reconnect with me first.

That’s the beginning of my team recall.

06/24/2026

This clip is from Ozzy’s first few days with me back in April. Once we had worked on these basics in my backyard, it was time to see how he responded to distractions in the real world.

One of the things we were working on was the difference between obedience and requests.

A request is a way of checking in on your dog’s state of mind. For example, if you’re unsure whether your dog wants to play fetch, you can simply ask with a cue like, “Play.” There is no consequence if the dog chooses not to engage. Their response gives you valuable information about their mental, emotional, and physical state.

Two of my favorite request cues are “Touch” (nose to hand) and “Focus” (eye contact, non verbal). These simple behaviors create connection, help you gather feedback, and allow your dog to participate without feeling pressured to obey.

Using request cues before a walk, training session, or play session can build focus, optimism, and engagement because they often predict access to something the dog enjoys. It’s a simple but powerful way to strengthen the relationship and create a better human-dog team.

06/23/2026

Ozzy first came to me in April as a 7- to 8-month-old puppy for a Board & Train focused on confidence, social skills, and puppy foundations.

Now, a couple of months later, he’s back for boarding, and it’s always fun to see how much a young dog has changed.

He’s more confident in urban environments, more comfortable around people and dogs, and much better at navigating distractions without feeling like he needs to be involved in everything.

Like most teenage puppies, though, he’s still learning how to handle excitement, frustration, and those big emotions that show up when life gets overwhelming.

That’s the part many people forget about puppy training. Confidence is important, but learning self-control, emotional regulation, and appropriate social skills takes time, repetition, and maturity.

Overall, I’m really proud of this little guy and excited to watch him keep growing up.

(Just as long as he doesn’t spend too much time in piranha mode.)

06/21/2026

A lot of people end up managing their dog all day long, and management absolutely has value. It prevents bad behaviors from being rehearsed and keeps everyone safe while you’re working through a problem.

But if all we ever do is manage the dog, we’ll get stuck in a loop of management. We’ll always need the crate, the gate, the leash, the routine, or whatever system we’re using just to keep things under control.

What we really want to do is train the dog. Training teaches the dog what to do instead.

First, you teach the behavior. Then you practice it. Then you add the right management so the dog has the opportunity to succeed while learning when and where that behavior is expected.

Management protects the training. Training creates the change. If all we do is manage, the dog never learns. If all we do is train without management, the dog rehearses the problem. The best results come from using both together.

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4414 33rd Street
San Diego, CA
92116

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Monday 9am - 7pm
Tuesday 9am - 6pm
Wednesday 9am - 7pm
Thursday 9am - 7pm
Friday 9am - 6pm
Saturday 9am - 7pm
Sunday 9am - 7pm

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(619) 919-1099

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