If you are looking for the greatest gold-mine of easy to use "change your dog's behavior" advice ever crammed into a newsletter series then read on!
Also, make sure that you check out our 100% authentic testimonials from people who have bought Secrets to Dog Training and find out the massive difference it has made to their owner-dog relationship!
"I would just like to tell you about my experience with my dog and how Secrets to Dog Training has changed our life. While researching training techniques on the internet I came across the Secrets to Dog Training method and was really excited.
Here was a simple, effective method that really worked without any cruelty or punishments. Our 2.5yr old dog, Tiggy, is a beautiful little cross breed that we rescued from Battersea Dogs Home in London when she was 12 weeks old. She has always had a lovely disposition but she was very nervous and this affected her behaviour at home. We have been training her for obedience since she was 6 months old. All the techniques we learnt in the Secrets to Dog Training book we reinforced at our local class that uses the same methods.
Everything was going great until 9 months ago when our dog suddenly regressed. We couldn't figure out what has sparked it off and went through 2 months of trial and error with different ways of helping her. Finally after our vet said we would have to live with her as she was. I thought to try something different. By this time I had been receiving the Secrets to Dog Training newsletter regularly and knew that the consultants there had helped loads of people and their dogs to overcome problems. I e-mailed the staff at Secrets to Dog Training and received some advice from them within days. We followed their advice and I am delighted to say it worked!
When nothing else worked Secrets to Dog Training methods solved our problems within weeks of implementing them. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Our beautiful little dog is a much loved and very well behaved member of our family. Thank you Daniel and your team."
-- Beverley Thrower (Great Britain)
Hi there,
I'm taking advantage of your free consultation. My family and I have recently rescued a Boston Terrier named Zane. Zane is 6 years old and we don't know much about his history. He has been a pretty well behaved addition to our family and great with my two boys (ages 4 and 6). We've had him for about two months now.
My problem has come when I've taken him out on walks( on lead). I walk him everyday. On two occasions he has bitten someone. I've been fortunate that the people he has bitten have been very forgiving but I'm now nervous about walking him and terrified at the possibility of him getting out off leash. We just got through the Holidays with many people coming and going and he did a great job... indoors. I'm not sure what it is that set him off those two times. We definitely cannot have a third. Thanks for your help,
Barb
Hi Barb,
Thank you for your email regarding your 6 year old Boston Terrier. From what you have told me, no you cannot really afford for this behavior to carry on any longer. In fact you are very fortunate those that have been bitten have been as forgiving as you say. It is very important for us to tackle this problem right now and stop any more situations like this occurring again.
Firstly I think it is very important (at least for the next little while), to make Zane wear a muzzle in public. You can buy these relatively inexpensively from pet stores and they will be able to help you find one for the short faced terrier breads. By making Zane wear this will ENSURE that something similar doesn’t happen again while you are re-training him.
From what you have stated in your email and from the nature of his behavior it sounds as though the two times he has bitten people on walks could be due to a territorial aggression problem that has also spread to include aggression to dogs and people he sees in the neighborhood during walks. Perhaps you should try to avoid the problem to begin with by choosing ‘quiet’ times to walk your dog – i.e. early mornings and late evenings.
From your email it sounds as though Zane is generally very well behaved. Despite this I would recommend that you start re-training him on a regular basis and under a variety of conditions. The progression below is a useful one that many people have used to get better results from their dogs. The first step is to have your training session in an environment where Zane is comfortable and not threatened. You can decide where you start on the progression if you feel that you would get a good response out of the earlier progressions and do not need to do it again.
You will also be the best judge of when you should move on to the next progression, but I would recommend that you move on when your dog completes a 5 to 10 minute sit-stay and a 5-10 minute down-stay. This may require you to go back to the beginning to quite basic commands but you are better to take things slowly and complete this program over a number of weeks.
1. inside, on-leash, with no other dogs or people present,
2. outside, on-leash, with no other dogs or people present,
3. outside, off-leash, with no other dogs or people present,
4. outside, on-leash, gradually introducing dogs and people to the vicinity,
5. outside, off-leash, gradually introducing dogs and people to the vicinity.
Try to minimize the contact Zane has with strangers and those people he meets during his walks – even if he has been muzzled. The more exposure your dog gets to confrontational situations the harder your problem will be to fix.
Outside of training it may be worth trying to socialize your dog a bit more preferably with friends and family who would be forgiving if there was a slight nip! In saying that, if you think that your dog may react badly by biting then consider using a muzzle even in these socializing situations.
Again, this will have to be a gradual process where the new person/people is/are introduced at a neutral venue and from a distance. By that I mean you should get Zane to sit and have the person in his sight but a long way away. You want to keep your dog’s focus and attention on you as your friend gradually comes closer.
By reprimanding all bad behaviors Zane exhibits and rewarding behaviors where he would otherwise have been bad usually, his all round behavior should improve. Use the commands you have taught him when walking him, use a muzzle and short lead if initially and resist tightening your grip on his leash when you see another dog or person approach.
Best of luck with Zane. It sounds like ultimately he is a very well behaved dog that for some reason has lashed out on two occasions. You should be thankful that no further action was taken, and act quickly now to nip this problem in the bud, before it either gets worse or leads to any bites. Ensure that you and your family are "Alpha" over Zane also, by reading or re-reading the bonus book "Secrets to Becoming the Alpha Dog". This may also help the problem, however I still believe it has something to do with a territorial aggression and the methods above will help the most in aiding this particular problem.
Thanks again for your email. Let us know how you get on with Zane over the next couple of months.
Kind regards,
Daniel Stevens and the Secrets to Dog Training Team
"Secrets to Dog Training - STOP Dog Behavior Problems!"
I've been a professional dog trainer for well over 20 years, and in that time I've helped thousands of dog owners just like you to get the friendly, well behaved, slipper fetching, best pal they always wanted.
But it didn't start out that way. I've always loved dogs, some things never change. But when I first started my professional dog training career I relied on the so-called 'best practices' when it came to dog behavior training. It was only when I heard people tell me over and over again that they just weren't seeing results that I started to question the old accepted wisdom. So I started a journey, a quest to search out the best, most effective, techniques, tips, and tricks that really work.
And that's how I came up with Secrets to Dog Training. Year after year I found new techniques that achieved the results I wanted. Eventually I had a whole book worth of great resources: Secrets to Dog training...
So, if you want to:
Then Secrets to Dog Training is just what you've been looking for!
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