EverythingYouNeedtoKnowAbout:

ECOLLARTRAINING

ByLarryKrohn

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TABLEOFCONTENTSIntroduction 4

Conditioningthedogtotheecollar 6

IntermittentPhase 10

MaintenancePhase 12

Nosuchthingasanecollarheel 13

Applyingtheecollarinrealworldbehavioralproblems 14

KeeseythePitBullmix(AggressionCases) 15

BanetheRottweiler(Reactivity) 18

Myworstfirstlessonever 22

Ecollarforfearfuldogs 24

ActofGodcorrections 25

Teachingclientsproperuse 26

Questionsandanswers 27

Makinggoodcontact 30

Conditioninginbusyplaces(LikeNYCandMumbaiIndia) 31

Fixingadogthathashadbadecollartraining 32

UsingtheEcollarforadvancedobedience 35

Tipsandreminders 36

Tipsforalltraining 37

Myoverallsummary 39

Mystatementtoalltrainers 41

Bonusmaterial! 43

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Whatyouareabouttoreadiseverythingyoueverwantedtoknowabouttrainingdogswiththeuseofanecollarorremotecollar.Wewillusethetermecollarthroughout.Theecollaristhegreatesttoolevercreatedfordogtrainingwiththeexceptionoftheleash.Yes the leash.Without the leash great e collarworkwouldbemore difficult.Unfortunatelytheecollarisalsothemostmisused,abused,andmisunderstoodtoolintheworldofdogtraining.ItisbasicallywhatthePitBullTerrieristothedogworld.Itisthetoolmostlyattackedbythepurelypositivecommunityandhasbeenbannedinsome countries as of today. If you are a bad dog trainer, an e collarwillmake youworse.Ifyouareagooddogtrainer,anecollarwillmakeyoubetter.Itisthatsimple,butpleasekeepinmindit isonlyatool.Onetoolinyourarsenalof tools,methods,andtechniquesthatisuselesswithoutanoverallgoodtrainingprogram.

Aswemoveforwardwewilldiscusseverythingrelatedtotheecollar.Wewillgooverstepbystepinstructionsonhowtoconditionthedogproperlytotheecollar.Basicallyhow we teach the dog to understand this very foreign stimulus that can be quiteconfusing to thedog.Wewill gooverwhatwedoonce thedog is conditioned andunderstandsthelanguageoftheecollar.Wewilldiscusshowweimplementthetooltoan overall training program. We will talk about how the e collar can be used toreinforceknownbehaviorsaswellashowitisusedtostopunwantedbehaviors.AlsowewillgooverthemostpopularquestionsIreceiveonadailybasisandIwillprovideanswerstothemall.Iwillalsoprovidealistofmanyusefultrainingtipsthatwillaidinyourtraininganduseoftheecollar.Attheendofourtimetogethermygoalisthatanyonethatreadsthiswillhavealltheinformationandknowledgetheyneedtogreatlyimproveyourskillswiththeecollarandasadogtrainer.

Almost40yearsagoIwasintroducedtomyfirstecollar.Iwasayoungkidandanavidpheasanthunter.Isawbirddogsoutinthefieldnotrespondingtotheirowner’scalls.Iwitnessedalotofyellingandscreamingfollowedbyapushofabuttononthee collar remotewhile their dogswould be yelping and screaming and runningbackwiththeirheadsdownandcowering.IhateditandIsworeIwouldneverusethattypeofcollaronmydogs.

Fast forwardmanyyears later. I sawmy first videoon the internet of a dog trainertraininghisdogusinganecollar.Thedogdidnotlooklikeitwasbeingharmed.Infactthedoglookedgreat.IbecameobsessedandstartedwatchingeveryvideoIcouldfind and researching anything related to e collars. There was not much out thereespeciallycomparedtotoday,butIfoundeverythingeverwrittenordocumentedandbecameevenmorecurious.

Mywifepushedme togomeetoneof the trainers Iwaswatchingwithallmy freetime.Iwasstillskepticalandwashesitanttoputanecollaronmyowndog.Iwouldneverdoanythingtocauseanyharmormistrustwithmydogs.NEVER.

Imetwith the trainer andwe talked.He asked if Iwanted him toworkmy dog. Ithoughtaboutitforasecondanddecidedtogiveitashot.Mydogtooktoitverywell.Instantfocusandhelookedsharp.IknewinstantlyIwouldbeaddinganewtooltomy

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toolbox.

FromthatdayontheecollarwasusedoneverydogItrainedexceptforpuppiesunder6monthsold.Ihadtremendoussuccesswith thetoolandmypopularityasa trainerwasrising.Istartedgettingcallsfromalotofothertrainersthatwantedtolearnfromme.Iworkedwithmanyandusuallyfreeofcharge.Itwasimportanttomethattheylearned the proper use so they would not be harming dogs. I knew a few of themalreadyweredoingsomeprettybadecollarworkandIfeltlikeIhadtochangethat.

BackthenIthoughtthetrainingwasperfect.Itwasnot.Itwasgoodbutnotperfect.Atthattimewewerestillusingtoomuchpressureandnotyetcombiningtheecollarwithfoodrewardaswedotoday.Sometimesthedogscouldlookdowninthedumpsforacouple of days. Unfortunately there are still many trainers that use the tool thisoutdatedway.Alsowhatpeoplehavetounderstandisalotoftrainerslearnedhowtouse the e collar fromwatchingYouTube videos. That is literally the extent of theirtraining.Mostneveraskwhattheirbackgroundisandpayalotofmoneyforalevelofservicetheycouldhavedonetheirself.

OvertheyearsIhavebeenfortunateenoughtohavetraveledandworkedwithmanyof the best in the business. I learned from all of them and still do. I have beenextremelyoutspokenaboutimproperuseofthetoolandhavetakenalotofheatforit.Itisimportanttomethatwekeeptherighttouseourtools,alltools,butifsomedon’tchangetheirwaysthereisaverygoodchancewewilllosethemjustastheyhaveinotherplaces.

Today e collar training is combined with positive reinforcement to create beautifulharmony.Whetherit is theuseofaclickeroraverbalmarker,combiningtheuseofbothispuremagic.

Let’sgetstartedontheconditioningprocess.

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CONDITIONINGTHEDOGTOTHEECOLLAR

HereIwilldiscusshowIstart the training. It isvery important to teach thedog themeaningorlanguageoftheecollar.Thestimulationiscompletelyforeigntothedogandifyouwantthehighestresultspossibleyoumustteachthedogthelanguage.IwillcoverhowIhandleboardandtrainsvsprivatelessons.Let’sgetstarted.

Let’s assume thedogknowsnothing.Weare starting from thebeginning. Iwant toteachthedogamarkerword.Itcanbeanyword.IuseYESasIknowmanyothersdoalso.Youcanalsouseaclickerbutmanyfinditdifficulttoworkaclicker,remote,andrewardwithfoodallatthesametime.

Iwill stand in front of the dog.Ahungry dogworks best. Iwill sayYES,with anemphasison themarkerwordand thengivea food reward immediatelyAFTERthemarkerword.Itisimportanttorewardafterandnotatthesametimeasthemarker.Iwilldo thismaybe10 to20 times.Just togive thedogan idea thatsomethinggoodhappenswhenithearsYES.

AtthistimeIhavethedogona10footlineattachedtousuallyaflatbucklecollar.Iused a 15 foot line for many years but I find that too many people have troublehandlingthatlongofalinewithoutgettingittangledupunderthedog.Atenfootlinegetsyouenoughdistanceforthedogtomoveaboutandiseasiertohandle.

UsingstraightlinepressurewhenthedogisawayfrommeIsayCOMEandwithverygentle straight line guidance assist the dog towardme.Youwant to use the lightestpressure possible andwhen the dog starts to turn towardyougive themarkerwordYES and reward with high value food when the dog gets to you. By straight linepressure I mean that the leash is parallel to the ground or lower from where it isattachedtothedog.Youwanttomarktheinitialbehaviorofthedogturningtocometoyou.Withthedogknowingthemarkerwordthisshouldmakethedogmovetoyouwithexcitement.Ifthedogdecidestoveerofforstopjustcontinuetoguidewiththeleash.

IfIamtrainingaboardandtrainIwilltakethefirstdayjusthangingoutandbuildingthe relationship with the dog. I will also use light leash pressure to communicatewhereIwantthedog.Iwillalsoworkalotofdoorways,orthresholds.Iwanttoteachthedogtojustbe.Beinagoodstateofmindandhangwithme.Putyourtrustinmeanddon’tworryaboutanything.

If Iamstartingaprivatesessionclient Iwillstart thestraight-linepressurewith theCOMEcommandandrewardimmediatelyafterthetenor20repetitionsofthemarkerword paired with the food reward. Also since time is limited, I start the e collarconditioningabouthalfwaythroughtheninetyminutefirstsession.

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Nowitistimetoputtheecollaronthedogandstarttheteachingprocess.

FirstIbrushthedog’sneckverywellwithaFurminatorremovingalldeadhair.Deadhairwillpreventgoodcontact.Next Iplace theecollaron thedog’sneck.Youcanplaceitanywhereontheneckbelowtheearsexceptonthelarynxofthedogwhichisundertheneckrightinthemiddle.Placeitofftoonesideortheother.Iactuallypreferitplacedveryhighjustundertheearonmostdogs,especiallydogswiththickcoatsorthickskin.Itjustseemseasiertomakegoodcontactuphigh.Makesureyourleashisattachedtoaregularcollar,not theecollar.Neverput theleashontheecollar.Youdon’twanttopullontheecollar.

Oneofthebiggestmistakespeoplemakeiskeepingtheecollartooloose.Youhavetohave it very snug or you will not make good contact and even worse inconsistentcontact.Youshouldbarelybeabletogettwofingersundertheecollarstrap,notthereceiver.

Nowthattheecollarisonthedogyouarereadytofindthedog’sworkinglevel.Thisis best to do in an area where there is little or no distractions if possible and onpavementinsteadofgrass.Toomanyodorsongrassandiftherearedistractionsyourdog’sworking levelwill be higher thanhe actually feels itwithout anydistractionspresent. Rememberwewant to use the lowest level possible that the dog can feel.Barelyfeeliswhatwewant.

Startonthelowestsettingofyourecollar.Youshouldhaveahighqualitynamebrandecollar.Don’t skimpherebecause a lowbudget e collar cancreatemanyproblemssuchasinconsistentstimulationandthelowestlevelscanbetoohighforyourdogtotrainproperlyandHUMANELY.

With your dog not paying attention tap the e collar. I keep my e collars set oncontinuousbutstill justuse itasa tapmeaningit isonlycontinuous ifyouhold thebuttondownwhichwearenothere.Continueraisingthelevelandtappingthecollaruntilyouseeasignthatyourdogfeels it.Thatsigncanbeverysubtlesopaycloseattention. It may be just a flick of the ear, a lick of the lips, or a dog may stopbreathingwithhismouthopen.Itcanbemoreobvious,likethedogmaylookbehindhimtryingtofigureoutwhatthatweirdfeelingis.Allofthesesignsarenormal.Oncehegivesyouasignthatiswhereyouwanttostarttheconditioning.Onceyoustartandthedoghasbeenfeelingit,youmayevenbeabletogodownalittlelowerinlevelsoncethedogbecomessensitivetothefeeling.

Nowweareready.Iconditionthedogtwowaysasmanyofyouknow.Herewewillusethecontinuousjustasatapafterthecommandandwewillalsousethecontinuousheld downbefore the command.Many askwhybothways. It is simple.Because itworks.Itworksverywell.YearsagoIstarteddoingitbothwaysafterworkingwithaverywell-knowndogtrainer.HewasdoingitthiswayandwhenIseethebestintheworld doing something I pay attention. Everything I do has come from people farsuperior tome.The trainersyouneverseepromoting themselvesbecause theydon’thave to. Actually when I started conditioning it this way it was an instant gamechanger. Incredible results even faster than I was already achieving and the dogslookedgreat.

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Justlikewedidwiththeleashworkandcomecommandwewillnowdothesamebutwiththeecollarinuse.Itdoesnotmatterwhichyoudofirst,butinthebeginningwewillseparatethetwowaystheecollarisusedmeaningafterthecommandorbefore.Let’sstartbeforefirst.

Withthedognotpayingattentiontoyou,pressandholdthecontinuousbuttondown,givethecomecommandandifnecessaryassistwithverylightstraightlineguidance.Assoonas thedogturnstomovetowardyou,releasethebuttonontheecollarandmarkwithabigYES.Rewardwhenthedoggetstoyou.Ifthedogstopshalfwaytoyouorveersoff,itisok.Justreapplythebuttonandassistthedogtoyou.Ourgoalistomakeiteasyandhelpthedogasmuchasneededtosucceed.Remembertomarkassoonasthedogturns,notwhenhegetstoyou.Knowingthemarkerwordshouldbuildspeedinthedogsinceheknowssomethinggoodiscoming.Continuepracticingthiswayfor5to10minutes.Keepitveryshort.Endthesessionwithanicewalkorplaybutnoecollaruse.Atthispointtheecollarwillonlybeutilizedwhentraining.Thedogwillhaveitonaslongasyouarewithhim.Ifheistohaveitonforseveralhoursmakesuretomoveittoanotherpartofthenecksothedogdoesnotgetirritatedwherethecollarsitsontheneck.Alsothedogwillnothavetheecollaronatnighttosleep.

Thisshouldgowithoutsayingbutmakesureyouhaveatreatpouchonandhighvaluetreats.Youhavetobesetuptoworksmoothlyandwithminimaleffort.IuseRedBarnandNaturalBalanceFoodRolls.Dogslovebothandbothareveryconvenient.

Nowafterthedoghasrestedforatleast30minuteswearereadyforanothersession.This time we will use the e collar, set on continuous still, but as a tap after thecommand.

With the dog not paying attention, give theCOMEcommand, tap the e collar rightafter the command even if the dog is coming to you while providing light leashguidanceifnecessary.AssoonasthedogturnsmarkwithabigYESandrewardwhenhegetstoyou.Ifthedogdoesnotcomeimmediatelyorveersoffjustuseataptaptapinasmoothandnotmachinegunrushedcadenceuntilthedogcomplies.Again5or10minutesandthenputthedoguptorestuntilthenextsession.

For the first day or two keep the sessions separatedmeaning only using the collarbeforeorafterthecommand.Afteracoupleofdaysyoucanintegratebothways.Oncethe dog is trained completely I never use the e collar before the command.At thatpoint,themaintenancephaseitisonlyusedafterthecommandwhenthedogdoesnotcomply. Also for the first couple of days I am only using the recall to teach themeaning of the e collar. Lots of repetitions, over and over. As the dog begins tounderstand thestimulationIwilladd theplacecommandalso. Iwill teach theplacecommand first through positive reinforcement. I like to teach opposite movementsmeaningteachthedogtocometoyoubutalsoteachthedogtomoveawayfromyou.Veryimportantintrainingandtoomanytrainersdon’tdothat.Iteachnothingwiththeecollar.EVERYTHINGistaughtthroughmotivation,foodmostly,buttoysandpraiseifneeded.

AcoupleofotherthingsIliketododuringtheearlystagesofconditioningare:Standinfrontofthedog,withnocommands,notalkingandwiththeecollarontheworking

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leveljusttaptheecollarandrewardwithfood.Repeatseveraltimes.Clickandtreatexcept instead of a clicker you are using the remote collar. The other thing I callturnabouts.Whilewalkingatagoodpacedownthestreetwithalooseleash,dogcanbenext toyouora littleaheadofyou,doacomplete180degree turnand tap theecollar at the same time.Again, no commands no talking. Just turn and tap. This issendingyourdogasignaltojustfollowyouwhenthelightstimulationisfeltwithoutacommandtellingthedogotherwise.Fortheturnabout,Iamnotmarkingorrewarding.Justsilenceandnonverbalcommunication.Thisisaveryeffectivetechnique.

Therewillbedogsthathavezerofoodmotivation.Thatisok,wedowhatwemustdo.Usually theywillbemotivatedby foodonce theyarecomfortablewithyouand thetraining.Ifnotthenwejustusepraise.Itisok.Don’tstress.

Youshouldplanontrainingintheconditioningphaseforafewdays.OnceyouseethedogdoingwellandrespondingconsistentlywecanmovetowhatIthinkisthemostimportantphase,theintermittentphase.Thiscanbeanywherefrom3daystoaweek.Itdependsonyourabilityand theability for thedog to learn fromyou.There isnorightorwrongtimeframehereaslongasyougivetheconditioningphaseafewdaysatleast.Alsodon’tforgettousetheecollareverytimeinthisphaseandrewardeverytimealsofortherecallandplacecommandifitwastaught.

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INTERMITTENTPHASEThis is thephasewherewereallystartpushing thedoga littlemore in the training.Duringtheintermittentphasewewillstarttoadddistance,distractions,andduration.Thisisalsowherewestartpreparingthedogtorespondtocommandswhethertheecollarisonornot.Thatiswheremanypeoplefail.Iheariteveryday.Theysaymydogrespondswiththeecollaronbutwhenit isnotheblowsmeoff.Verycommonandmostlikelynotenoughtimewasspentintheintermittentphaseoractuallynoneatall.Youcannowalsostartusingtheecollaronallthebasiccommandsthatyourdogknowswell,suchascome,sit,down,andplace.Inthisphaseyouwillnotbeusingthee collar every time you give a command and youwill not be rewardingwith foodeverytimeyougiveacommand.Wewillworkthroughfourcombinationsofrewardandecollaruse.Thefourcombinationsareasfollows:

Ecollarwithreward:Example,Givecommandwithuseoftheecollarandgivefoodrewardwhenperformed

Ecollarwithout reward:Example, give commandwithuseof e collar but this timedon’tgiveareward.Thedogmustholdthecommanduntilreleased.

No e collarwith reward: Example, give a commandwithout using the e collar andrewardwithfoodwhenperformed

No e collar no reward: Example, give a command without use of the e collar andwithoutrewardingwithfood.Dogmostholdcommanduntilreleased.

Practice these four combinations in any order.You do not have to use any specificpatternhere, justmix itup.Youwillbe in thisphase foras longasyouneed tobe.Don’t be in a hurry tomove to the last phasewhich is themaintenance phase.Themaintenancephaseiswherethedogwillhavethecollaronandyouwilluseitonlyifyou need to. Practice in the intermittent phase as much as possible. Start addingdurationtothecommandsthedogknows.Startaddingdistancetothecommandsthedog knows and most important start training in different places around realdistractions.Adddistance,durationanddistractionsa littleata time.Don’tgofromgivingyourdogaplacecommandfromnext toanobject to trying tosendhim toaplacefrom30feetaway.Startfrom1footaway,thentwo,thenfivefeetaway.Thinkbabystepsandalittleatatime.Itisamarathonnotasprint.Samewithdurationanddistractions. A little at a time builds up very quick. Keep working in the fourcombinationsduring thisphase.This iswhereyoualsowant to spreadout the foodrewardsfurtherapart.Thedogshouldneverknowwhentherewardisgoingtocome.Itshouldbeabighappysurprisewhenithappens.Keeptrainingfunandproductive.

During the intermittentphase Ialso like topracticewith theecollaron longwalks.Thisisoneofthebestthingsyoucando.Youwillhaveplentyofopportunitiestotestyour ability and testwhere the dog is at in his training.During thesewalks I use agoodstructuredwalkattimes,wherethedogmustbeatmysidewithalooseleashandjust followingme.Duringa structuredwalk there isnopeeing,pooping,or sniffing

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until I find a spotwhere Iwant the dog to go.At that time, Iwill give the releasecommandandthedogcangoenjoyhimselfhoweverhewishes.

WhennotinastructuredwalkIwillusea20footormoreleashsothedogcanmoveaboutfreelyifhestayscloseenoughformylikingwhichisnofurtherthanthelengthof the leash. During the free walk I will practice the dog’s recall, especially whendistractionsarepresent.Thisissomethingthatmustbedonebeforeyouletyourdogoffleash.Ifyourdogblowsyouoffwhileonleashheisnotreadytobeoffleash.

Keep in mind that during these walks it is important to have the collar set on theappropriate level. Ifyourdogworksona level sixonaMiniEducator aroundyourhomewithoutdistractionsthenyoudon'twanttogoforyourwalkwiththeremotesetonasix.Youmaywantitona15or20,orevena30.Thenumberisnotimportant,theresponse is.You keep the e collar set on the number that your dogwill respond toaroundrealdistractions.Youdon'twanttowaituntilyourdogblowsyouofftostartsearchingfortherightlevel.BEPREPAREDFORWHATIF.

Here is an example ofwhatmay happenwhen you first start yourwalkswith realdistractions.Scenario:yourecollarissetontherightlevel,yourdogisonaleashbuta freewalkmeaningnot at your side.Yourdog spots anotherdog across the street.Action:giveyourdoghis recallcommand. Ifhedoesnot respondIMMEDIATELY,tap the e collar. It should be high enough that he comes quickly since he nowunderstandsthestimulationwell.Markandrewardthatresponse.Usuallythedogwillnottestyoumorethanonceortwiceifdonecorrectly.PracticethisALOT.

Agoodwaytoknowifyourdogunderstandstheecollarcompletely,whileonafreewalk, just tap-tap-tap the e collar. If the dog has been conditioned properly hewillcome to a heel positionwithout any commands being used, I promise.Reward thatbehavior.

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MAINTENANCEPHASEThemaintenancephase,yes,you’vemadeit.Youputintheworkandthetimetoteachyour dog awhole new language.An awesome language thatwill provide off leashfreedom for you and your dog.After all isn’t thatwhat every dog ownerwants?Awell-behaveddogonandoffleashathomeandawayfromhome.Ifthatisnotwhatyouwant itshouldbe.Itmakeshavingadogabeautifulexperience.Theamountoftime it takes to get to this phase varies. With my own dogs I have reached themaintenance phase in less than a week, but please remember I already have welltraineddogssoitisextremelyeasytoteachthemthemeaningoftheecollar.WithmyboardandtraindogsIstayintheintermittentphasefortrainingpurposesuntiltheendofmythreeweekprogram.ThiswaywhenIgivethedogbacktotheownerstheydonothavetodoanyofthework.Withthatbeingsaid,Itakeplentyoftimetoteachtheowners everything they need to know.With private session clients I also have theclientpracticeintheintermittentphaseforseveralweeksatleast.Itisimportantthattheownersanddogsgetplentyofpracticeandrepetitionsforthebestpossibleresultsbeforetheyareinthemaintenancephase.

Themaintenance phase simplymeans that the teachinghas beendone.Not that theteaching IS done but you put in all the work and now your dog has a fullunderstandingoftheecollarstimulation.Atthisstageyourdogisecollartrainedandoff leash reliable.Theecollar ison ifyougoout inpublicandyouplanonhavingyour dog off leash. I do not need an e collar on any ofmydogswhen off leash inpublic, but I always will. Again you have to prepare forWHAT IF. Dogs are notperfect.Theymakemistakes.Alwaysbeprepared.Yourdog’s lifemaydependonitsomeday.

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THEREISNOSUCHTHINGASANECOLLARHEEL

Someofyoumayreadthishopingtolearnhowtoteachyourdogbehaviorswiththeecollar. I am sorry but youwon’t find that here.Remember, I do not teach anythingwiththeecollar.Iknowthatmanystilldousetheecollarforthispurpose.Believeme,itisnotthewaytogo.Anyonecanforceadogintopositions.Whywouldadogownerneedtoeverhireatrainerifthattrainerwastojustpressabuttonandkeepondoingsountilthedogfiguredoutthenewcommand.Sorrybutthatisnotdogtraining.I think this paragraphmay rufflemany feathers but I really don’tmind.Thewholepurposebehindmewriting thishandbook is toshowpeople theproperway the toolshouldbeusedandallthebenefitsitcanprovideforanyonewillingtotakethetimetoeducatetheirself.Rememberfolkswewanttokeeptherighttousethisandalltools.

ImentionedseveraltimesupuntilthispointandprobablywilldosoafewmoretimesbeforetheendthatIteacheverythingthroughmotivation,andpositivereinforcement.I use the e collar to reinforce known behaviors, stop unwanted behaviors,make allobedience better, faster, sharper, andmost of all provide off leash freedom for mydogs.Itisthatsimple.

Ifyouwantaniceheel,teachit.Oncethedogknowsitwellthen,theecollarcanbeintroducedtomakeitmuchbetter.

Take a look at the best trainers on the planet. Bart Bellon, Ivan Balabanov, andMichael Ellis are just a few. They are some of the best in the world and they aresuprememotivators. They still teach throughmotivating dogs to the highest levels.Cananyofthesethreestickanecollaronadogwithoutdoinganythingelseandmakegreatthingshappen?Yes,butyouarenotthem.

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APPLYINGTHEECOLLARINREALWORLDBEHAVIORPROBLEMS

Manyareunsureofhowtoimplementtheecollarwhenfacedwithcertainbehaviorproblems. This can pertain to everyday dog owners or professional trainers.AggressionseemstobethesubjectthatIammostaskedabout.PeoplewanttoknowhowIusetheecollarwithaggressioncaseswhetheritbehumanordogaggression.Ihavesaiditathousandtimesbefore.Idonotaddressaggressionwiththeecollar.Idonotcorrectorpunishtheaggressionwiththeecollar,at leastnotonthefrontend.Iwill give a few examples to showhow I use the tool in differentways on differentdogs that have aggressionor reactivity issues.Letme also say that over theyears IhavechangedthewayIhandletrulyhumanaggressivedogs.IsaytrulybecauseIseealotofvideosofhumanaggressivedogssittingnexttoatrainerwithoutamuzzleandwithout trying tocauseharmto thehuman.That isnot truehumanaggression. Iamtalkingaboutadogthatwantstohurtyouandwilltrytodosoverytimeyougetclose.IhandlethosecasesfromadistancenowasmanyofyouhaveseenfromvideossuchasJediandBear.

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KEESEYTHEHUMANAGGRESSIVEPITBULLMIX

Keeseyismymostwatchedvideo.IbelieveIhaveaboutaquartermillionviewsonthatonevideo.Keeseywasanextremelyhumanaggressivedogthatwasscheduledtobeeuthanized.SeveraltrainersattemptedtoworkwithKeeseybutnotasingletrainermade itmore thana fewminutes.Once they sawwhatKeeseywascapableof theywereout.Ican’tblamethetrainershere.Keeseywasverydifficultanddangerous.

Whatyoudon't see in thatvideo is thaton theday I firstmetKeeseyhe rippedhismuzzleoff twiceandcameveryclose togetting tome.Younotice that forour firstlesson he has a high quality muzzle on. Let me also say that Keesey was the lasthumanaggressive case that I physicallyhandledondayone.AfterKeesey I startedusing a hands-off approach which I call Hands Off No Conflict AggressionRehabilitation.Manyofyouhavereadmyarticleorhaveseenmedoitinvideos.Imuch prefer the hands off approach now. The other way was creating too muchconflictandstressforbothmeandthedog.

WithKeesey,Icouldnot trainwithfoodbecauseofcourseIcouldnotgivehimmyhand,andnot that hewould take food anyway. I used the e collar here in twoverysimpleways.FirstKeeseywantedtoavoidmeatallcosts.HewouldblowupandgoaftermeasIapproachedormadehimcomeclosertome,inanattempttobackmeoff.Thisisverycommonwithaggressivedogs.IwillalsosaythatIdon’tcarewhattypeofaggressionwehadhere,itwasaggressionandhehadintenttodoharm.Thatisallthatmatters.OnceIhadtheleashIusedverygentlestraightlineleashpressurealongwithtappingtheecollaronKeesey’sverylowworkingleveltoguidethedogtowardme. Exactly what he did not want to do. Now of course he had no clue what thatstrange sensation of the e collar was and I think in this case it actually helped bygivinghimsomethingtothinkabout.ThesecondKeeseymovedtowardmetheleashpressureandthetappingoftheecollarstopped.Hisrewardwassimplystoppingtheweirdfeelingbutanevenbiggerrewardwasnothingbadhappeningwhenhewasnextto me. We did this for a short while before I quickly moved to using forwardmovement.ItookKeeseydownthestreetforawalk.IfheattemptedtonailmeIjuststopped himwith the leash and dominant dog collar,NOTTHEECOLLAR as somanydowhichwouldbe amistake.Onceweweremoving forward I starteddoingturnaboutstappingtheecollarasIturned180degreestowalktheoppositedirection.ThistaughtKeeseytojustfollowme.Lessontwowasmuchofthesameexcepttherewasonemomentthatyoudon'tsee.

AsKeesey’s ownerwas taking him through the front door tomeetme on the frontlawn,Keeseyexploded.Theownercameoutside.Isentherbackinandmadeherwaitatthefrontdoor.EverytimeKeeseyblewupIhadhergentlyandsmoothlypulluponthedominantdogcollarcontrollinghisneckandhisbreathinguntilheletup.Keesey

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literallylookedattheownerasiftobeinshockthatshewastakingcontrol.Hesettleddown quickly and I had hermove through the doorway and come outside. It is soimportantthatsheleftthehouseundercontrol,whichsomanyfailtodotoday.Nowwecouldstartthesecondlesson.Secondlessonwasboringanduneventfulandwejustrepeatedlessonone.

ThirdandfinallessonIbroughtBrunomyRottweilertohelp.Brunohelpedwithallmyaggressioncasesanditwassimplyamazingtowatchhowheworkedaroundthesedogs. To be honest, I brought Bruno to help with the training but I planned onremoving the muzzle for the first time, I think part of me needed the security ofknowing ifKeesey latched on tomeBrunowould be there. I never thought of thatbeforeuntilKeesey.

Somethingyoudon’tseeinthevideoisthatwhenIwenttoremovethemuzzletwotimes before the time I actually did,Bruno got a littleworked up.He became veryuncomfortable and he made sure I knew it. I listened to him. After a little morewalkingBruno finally acknowledgedKeesey, like itwas the firstmoment theymet.That’s how I knew it was time. I removed the muzzle and Keesey was beautiful.Happyandstressfreeandwalkedlikeanormaldogwithus.Theownercriedandwasoverjoyed.Iwassohappyandrelievedat thesametime.In thebeginningI told theownersIdidnotknowifIcoulddoitbutIwouldgiveitmybest.BackthenIonlydid3privatesessions.ItoldthemIwoulddoasmanysessionsasIneeded.Ittookthree.ThefollowingweekKeeseycametohisfirstgroupclass.Whatyougettoseeisnotjust a dog thatwas not trying to attackme or anyone else but a dog thatwas trulyhappyandnormal. IfKeeseywasnot tryingtoattackbut lookedbeatenat theendIwould consider that a failure. I haveNEVERhad a dog leavemy program lookingdowninthedumps.

Never.Ifthedoglooksbadbytheendofatrainingprogramthetrainingwasbad.Itisthatsimple.

Now let’s make one thing very clear here. I was successful with this dog for onesimple reason. THE OWNERS. They did everything I asked which includedcompletelychangingmanybadhabitsinsidethehomeandallowingKeeseytoprettymuchcontroleverythinginhislife.Mypartwassmall,buttheirpartwasenormous.

OnelasttidbitonKeesey.Inevercorrectedtheaggressionwiththeecollar.Throughthewholeprocessevery timeKeeseyblew,upI tookcompletecontrolofhimusingtheleashanddominantdogcollar.Nowwiththatbeingsaid,whenwewereattheendof the training, if Keesey was to show signs of the aggression I could have easilystopped it before it happenedwith a tapof the e collar andyes itwouldhavebeenhigher than his working level. Not a super high level but higher. Enough to havemeaning,butagainIneverhadto.RememberwhatIsaidearlier.Withgoodecollarworkyourarelyeverhavetoactuallyuseitbytimethetrainingisdone.

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BANETHEROTTWEILERBanetheRottweilerisadogthatIthinkmanywillbeabletorelateto.Banecametomewith his owner for private sessions not long ago. I have a video ofBane’s firstsessiononmyYouTubepage.BanewasatypicalyoungRottweiler.Steppedoutofhisowner’sjeepandwasanxiousrightfromthestart.Heneverreallypaidattentiontomeorhisowner.Hejustpulledfromspottospotlikealotofyoungdogsdo.

I had his owner take Bane by a few place boards I had laid out for that trainingsession.IhadBane’sownerwalkhimovertotheplaceboardsandrequestedthatheplaceBaneupontheplaceboard.Banewasverysuspiciousoftheboardsandrefusedtosteponanyofthem.NextIhadtheownerwalkBanethroughsomebasicobediencecommands.Banereallydidn’tdoanythingandwasnotengagingwithhisowner.

Wespentthenextthirtyminutesteachingamarkerword,workingonengagement(eyecontact),andstartedconditioningtotheecollar.WithinaboutthatfirstthirtyminutesIfilmedBaneworkingwithhisowner.Hewasalreadystartingtopayattentionandhewas executing some of the basic obedience commands nicely.Bane alsowas doingverywellwithhisintroductiontotheecollar.Asfarastheplaceboardsgo,IneverattemptedtogetBaneontheboardsagainduringthatsession.IcouldhaveveryeasilyforcedBaneontheboards,butthatwouldneverproducethedogthatIwant.Banehada tremendous fear of the boards. I mean truly petrified, not being defiant as manywouldlabelthebehavior.IfIweretoforceBaneontotheboardsthatwouldhavebeentofeedmyego,notbuildBaneintothedogIneedhimtobe.

AsIdowithallmyclients,IgaveBane’sownerverysimpleinstructionsonwhattodoforthenextweek.HewastoworkonengagementandcontinuetoconditionBanetotheecollar.

WithinthefirstcoupleofweeksBane’sownerstartedsendingmevideosofBane.Itwasawesome.Bane’sobediencelookedgreat,hewasfullyengagedwithhisowner,hewasnotonlygettingonplaceboardswithoutanyissuesbuthewasalsojumpingintheback of his owners jeep, and best of all Banewasworking off leash out in public.Bane’sownerisarockstarandputintheworkandmadeitapointtolearnwhatIwasteaching. He even started adding in a little bite work for Bane which Bane reallyenjoyed.

Let’smove forward to thecommonproblems Imentionedearlier.Manyofyouwillrelate to this. Bane started becoming very reactive to other dogs while on leash.AnyonethathaseverhandledaworkedupRottweilerknowshowincrediblydifficultitcanbetotakecontrolofthesepowerfulbeasts.Banehasafemaledogfriendthatheplayswith.Otherthanthathehasneverbeenaroundotherdogsexceptoncewhenhewas5monthsoldandthatwasabadexperience.TheadultdogwentafterBaneandtriedtoattackhim.Notwhatyouwantforyour5montholdpuppy.Nowthereisnowaytoknowifthatoneincidentiswhatcreatedtheissue,orifalackofexperiencingotherdogsearlyon,oracombinationofbothiswhatcreatedtheissueofthereactivity,

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butitdoesn’treallymatter.Thereactivityisthere.

Ihadtheownercomebackforanotherprivatesession.ActuallythiswastheweekIamwritingthissoveryrecent.IpointedoutmanylittlethingsthatIneededtheownerto change. The little decisions that the dog makes that many don’t notice or payattention to. The moving about while we are talking, the sniffing everything, thepeeingwhen not being released. Just a few examples of the things that need to becontrolledbeforeweaddressthebigissues.JustabouteveryclientImeetwithadogwith behavioral issues allow the little things that I do not want a dog to do. THETRAINING STARTS BEFORE THE TRAINING STARTS. Take care of the littlethingsandthebigthingswilltakecareofthemselves.

After taking control of Bane we started the lesson. First, we worked on the basicobediencecommands:come,sit,down,place.Ihadtheownerusetheecollarintheintermittent phase and sinceBane has been at this for awhile the rewardswere farapart.Ialsohadtheownerkeeptheecollaralittlehigherthanusual.SimplybecauseBane isatapoint towhereheknows thisstuffwell.Heneeds toknownowthathedoesnothaveachoice.Hemustcomply.Alsowearenotusingtheecollarbeforethecommandanymoreatthispoint,onlyafter.Banetestedusafewtimes,butwejustdidnot allow anymonkey business.OnceBane settled down itwas time tomove ontoengagement.

Bane was performing the commands but he was not dialed in to us. He was justlookingeverywhereelseandkeepinghisback tous.That isdefinitelyunacceptableandnotwhatIwant.IputBaneuphighonthetopofaplasticcrate.Icontrolledhimwithaleash.Iworkedoneyecontactforafewminutesusingfoodasareward,butnoecollaruseyet.Afterafewminuteshewascatchingon.IaddedaLOOKcommandtothe behavior. Now at times I would reward the second he made eye contact andsometimes I would make him hold the eye contact before rewarding. If he lookedaway before it was time I said Uh-Uh and gave a little leash pop. The second helookedbackIrewarded.

Nowit’stimetoaddtheecollar.IrepeatedjustwhatIwasdoingasmentionedabove,exceptthistimewhenhelookedawayItappedtheecollar.Atfirsttheecollarwassetataprettyhighlevel,upinthefifties.ThereasonfordoingthatisBaneknowswhatisexpectedhere.Heknewthiscommandpriortoourlesson.Iwasjustrefreshingitforhim.NowthefirsttimehelookedawaywhenIwantedhimtoholdtheeyecontactItappedtheecollaronetime,helookedatmequicklyandIrewarded.Itisimportanttoremember that Iamnotusing theecollar togethimto lookatmebut insteadIamcorrectinghimfor lookingaway.After thefirstecollar tapImoved the levelof thecollarintothe20s.OnemorecorrectionforlookingawayandIwasabletomovetheecollarbacktosingledigitsandBanewasnowdoinggreat.Istoppedassoonashewasnailingit.

Next,wemovedontosomebitework.NowIwantedtorewardBaneforhisworkinthepreviousexercisebutIalsowantedtoshowBane’sownerwhatIdidtoimprovehisbitingandfightingonthebitewedge.IletBane’sownergofirstthenIpointedoutthethingstochangetomakethegamebetter.

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Itookthebitewedgeandputinalittlework.TokeepthisshortBanewentfrombeinghesitanttobite,andbarelygrippingtobitingwithafullgrip,andfightingthecrapoutofme.ThatisallIwanted.IjustwantedtobringthebestoutofBane.

Nowitwastimetoaddressthereactivity.IhadBaneandhisownerwaitattheendofmydriveway. IbroughtLucaoutona leash.WhenLuca ison leashheunderstandsthatmeans it is time to relax. I instructed Bane’s owner to start walking down thestreet.BanewasstaringatLucawiththattypicalveryseriousRottweilerlook.WehadBane’secollarsettotheappropriateleveltocorrectBaneforanyunwantedbehavior.Notcrazyhigh,justenoughtolethimknowhisbehaviorwasunacceptable.

As the twowerewalking down the street I was behindwith Luca about 90 feet. IinstructedBane’sowner to tap the e collarwhen I said to.His jobwas to justkeepmovingforward.Bane lookedbackatusandIhadhisowner tap theecollarwhichcaused Bane to quickly look forward again walking nicely with his owner. Werepeatedthisasneededaboutthreetimes.

Next,IcameupalongsideofBaneandhisowner.ThefourofuswerewalkingnicelytogetherandBanewasveryrelaxed.WecametoanopenfieldwhereItookLucaoffleashandallowedhimtogotothebathroomandrunfree.ThenIproceededtoworkLucaalittle.Youguysknowhowworkeduphegets.IneededhimtodothattoseeifwegotareactionoutofBane.Wedidnot.Banedidgreat.TheactofcorrectingBanequicklywhenhewas lookingbehindhimatLucawasenough tomake itveryclearthatthatbehaviorwouldnotbeaccepted.Letmemakeoneotherpointhere.Iwouldnotmind ifBanewas lookingatLuca. In fact Iwanthim to. Idon’twant tocreateavoidance. I want to create a neutral acceptance. The problem isn’t looking it isfixating.Fixatingisnotallowed.IputLucabackonleashandwewalkedbacktomyhouse.Again,Banedidfantastic.Thisiswhereitgetsinteresting.

Westoodnexttomyclient’sjeepandjusttalkedforawhile.IhadLucastillonleashandhehadBane.This isanimportantpartof theprocessagainthatmanyoverlook.Whenyoucaninteractwithanotherperson,justcarryanormalconversation,theclienttends torelaxandtake theirmindoffof theirdog.Thisalsoallowsthedogtorelaxbecausetheownerisrelaxed.ItoldmyclienttojustdonothingtoBane.Don’tgiveanycommandsandallowthedogtobewithyoubutIalsomadeitapointtotelltheclient thatBane isnotallowed tomoveforward.Banemust justbewithyou. I alsotold the client to always be prepared for Bane to make a mistake. Guess what, asrelaxedasBanewashedecidedtotakeaquickleapforwardattemptingtogetLuca.Myclientreactedperfectlyandimplementedafirmecollarcorrection.Baneretreatedbacktowherehestarted.AfteraminuteBanelaiddown,whichwasaperfectsignandrelaxed for real this time.This iswherewe ended our session.Everythingwe havedoneupuntil thispointhaspreparedmyclient forWHATIF,butalsohaspreparedBane to be held accountable for any unwanted behaviorwithout any negative blowbackfromdoingso.Infact,itjustmadetherelationshipstronger.

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Nowwewill startworkingBanearoundmoredogsandmoredistractions.Knowinghowdedicatedhisowneris,IknowBanewillbecompletelyfinewithstrangedogsinnotime.

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MYWORSTFIRSTLESSONNot all dogs are going tobe easy.Not all dogs are going to complywithwhat youwantasanowneror trainer.Everynowand thenyouwillgetadog thatmakesyoufeelthatyouhaveverylittleabilityasatrainer.Moosewasthatdogforme.

About ten years ago Iwas called to startworkingwith a big beautiful lab thatwasadoptedfromashelter.TheownerlivedinabusyareaofNashville,Tennesseeandhereally wanted to get Moose trained properly. Moose was about two years old andabsolutelygorgeous.AbigathleticlookingYellowLabfullofpersonality.

We tookMooseoutsideandstarted trainingafter spendinga little time in theman’shomediscussingwhatcanbeexpectedfrommytrainingprogram.

IhadalonglineonMoose,anecollar,andaflatbucklecollar.Ihadhighvaluetreatsandwasplanningonusingallofitinthefirsttrainingsession.

Let’s just sayMoose had different plans.The first 30 to 40minuteswas absolutelyterrible. Ihadneverbeenmadeto looksobadbeforebyanydoginallmyyearsoftraining.ItwassobadatonepointthatIstoppedandlookedattheownerandsaid“Iswear I amactually reallygood at this, usually”. Itwasbad.Moosewas absolutelypsychotic. Icouldnotgethim toevenknowIwas there.Hepulledandbuckedandnoticedeverythingaroundexceptforme.Beforeanyofyouaskbelievemetheanswerisyes.Itriedeverything.Idideverything.Nothingcameevenclosetoworking.

ItwashotandIwasdrenchedwithsweatandMoosewasstillgoingstrong.WhatIdidnextIneverhadtodobeforeorsince.

IputtheecollaronahigherlevelthatIwouldnormallyeverhavetoatthisstageofthetraining.Moosewasjustthattypeofdogthatwassofocusedoneverythingaroundhimthatthelowestworkinglevelhefeltwouldhavebeenwaytoohighformostdogs.Itappedthebuttononetime.IfMoosereactedpoorlytothehigherlevelstimulationIwould have not continued, but in reality thiswasMoose’s lowest level that he felt.Moosereactedbutnotlikeadogthatwasjusttappedonahighlevelontheecollar.Hebarelynoticedit,butatleasthenoticedsomething.Ifinallygothisattention.Helooked a little confused but he responded to me. I started the normal e collarconditioningprocess.Iusedtheecollaratthehigherleveltwotimesbeforemovingthelevelinhalf.Icontinuedtoconditionthedogacouplemoreminutesonthislevelbutnot thehigher level likewestarted.Mooseactually lookedlikehewasenjoyingtheprocess.Withina fewminutesofworkIhadMooseworkingonnormalstartinglevels,singledigitsandhewasrespondingbeautifully.WeendedonagoodnoteandMooselookedgood.Hewasstillverywackyandstraightupnuts.

I included this lessonbecause I feel it is important forall trainers, especiallyyoungtrainersstartingouttounderstandthattherewillbedogsthatmakeyouquestionyourability.Thesedogswillmakeyoubetter.Thesedogswilltestyouandforceyoutostepoutsideyourcomfortzone.EverythingIdidwithMoosewasinfrontofhisowner.Iwill never do anything to a dog that I would not do in front of an owner, and

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sometimes there will be conflict. Youmust just work through it. It will get better.Mooseisafairlyraretypeofdog,buttherearemorelikehimoutthere.Bepreparedtotrysomethingdifferentifnecessary.WithouttheecollartoassistmeIreallybelieveMoosewouldhavewoundupbackintheshelterveryquickly.

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ECOLLARTRAININGFORFEARFULDOGS

Iknowmanyseasoned trainerswillagreewithmehere.Goodecollar trainingwithfearfuldogsworkswonders.Why, I reallyamnotexactlysure,but trustme itdoes.Notonlydoesitworkwondersbutitworksfast.Fearfuldogsaremyfavoritecasestoworkwith.Theyaredifficultandmustbehandledproperly.At thesametimeI findnothingmorerewardingthantakingaverytimiddogwithzeroconfidenceandmakingitahappyconfidentdog.Ilovethatfeeling.Idon’tknowthereasonorsciencebehindtheremarkableresultswithecollarsandfearfuldogs,butitworks.Itreallyworks.IfIhadtoguessIwouldsaythatgivingthistypeofdogsomethingthatitcouldcontrol,theecollarstimonandoffjustbringsoutthatconfidence.Againthatisjustmyguess.Idonottrainanydifferentlyasfarastheecollargoeswiththesecases.Ifpossiblejustbesure tousea lotofmovementandenthusiasmandgetting thesedogsuphighonobjectsworkswonders.Getthemuphighanditisdifficultforthemtokeeptheirheaddown.

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ACTOFGODCORRECTIONSActofGodcorrectionsrefertocorrectionsimplementedataveryhighleveltostopabehavior fast many times without being associated with the handler. Think of anunderground fence. Underground fences whether you like them or not work. Theyworkbecause the first time thedogattempts togopast thedesignatedboundaries itreceives an Act of God correction from the e collar that is programed to theundergroundwire.Usuallythedogneverattemptstopasstheboundaryagain.Usuallybutofcoursetherearealwaysexceptions.Oncethishappenstoadogthedogbecomessuspiciousoftheareathatisusuallymarkedwithflagsinthebeginningwhenthedogislearningtheboundary.

SomethingIneverdowhenintroducingadogtotheecollarisgivecorrectionswiththetoolbeforethedogfullyunderstandswhatthestimulationmeans.IhaveusedthistooleverywaypossibleovertheyearsandhaveseenveryexperiencedtrainersuseiteverywaypossibleandIcanpromiseyouthatyouwillgetresultsdoingthatbutnottheresultsthatagoodtrainingprogramiscapableof.WhenIgivethatfirstcorrectionwiththeecollarwhetheritbeahighlevelor lowlevelcorrectionIwant thedogtoacceptitandmoveonlikenothingeverhappened.

With that been said, there are somebad behaviors that youwant to correct on highlevelsandnotbeassociatedwithyouthehandler.

For example counter surfing, digging, chewing and fence jumping are just a few.Thesetypesofbehaviorsarebesttosetthedogupsoyoucouldseehimbuthecan’tsee you. Once the dog is conditioned to the e collar you can stop these behaviorsusuallywithonegoodcorrection,liketheundergroundfence.

If counter surfing is the issue, put a plate of food on the counter where your dogusuallycommitstheoffense.Gettoaplacesuchasoutsidewhereawindowprovidesyouagoodviewofthefoodonthecounter.Assoonasyourdoggoesuptoget thefoodgivehimacorrectiononthehighestlevelpossible.Iwouldprobablywaituntilthefrontpawshit thecountersohemakesagoodconnection.Chancesareyouwillnever have to do it again. You have just created suspicion of the counter that willbenefityou.Setupthesamescenariowithanyoftheabovebehaviors.Onceortwiceisusuallyallittakes.LikeIsaidIwouldonlydothisoncethedogisconditionedbutIamnotsayingthiswouldnotworkiftherewasnotrainingatallyetdone.Ifyouplanonusing theecollar foryourdogona regularbasiscondition first. Ifyouareonlywanting to stop those types of behaviors you may have success but I preferconditioningfirstalways.

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TEACHINGCLIENTSPROPERECOLLARUSE

This iscrucialforallmytrainersout there.Teachingourclientshowtouse the toolproperlyisextremelyimportant.Imadeavideoafewyearsagousingmydaughterastheclient.EssentiallywhatIdowithallclientsishavethemholdtheecollarintheirhand.Isearchforthelowestlevelpossiblethattheycanfeelit,justlikewedowiththedogs.OncetheyfeelsomethingIinstructthemnottomovetheecollarintheirhandatall because just likeon thedogsyouwill feel it differentlyondifferentpartsof thehand.Itmayfeelstrongeroryoumaynotfeelitatall.Thenwebegintheroleplaying.Ishowthemexactlywhatwedowhenwestartconditioningthedog.Iwantthemtofeel the timingbetween thecommand, leashpressure,markerandofcourseecollarstimulation.OncetheclientstartstounderstandIputtheecollarinmyhand.Ibecomethedog.IcomplyatfirstbutthenIstarttoaddalittlenoncompliance.Thingsthattheymayexperiencewith theirdog. I teach themhow towork through it.Once theyarerespondingcorrectlyandusingpropertiming,thenandonlythendoIallowthemtoworkthedog.

Ihavebeendoingthisformanyyears.Peoplejustgetitveryfastthisway.TherewasatimewhereIstoppedforalittlewhilebecauseIfinditsosillybutwhatIrealizedwaspeoplereallyhadamuchhardertimeunderstandingthepropermechanicsoftheecollar.Alsothiswayallowstheclienttomakethemistakesonme,notthedog.

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ANSWERSTOCOMMONECOLLARQUESTIONS

Q.Mydogdoesgreatwiththeecollaronleashbutassoonasheisoffleashheblowsmeoff.Why?

1. Thisisverycommonandusuallymeansacoupleofthings.Firstmostpeoplearewaytooquicktogetridoftheleash.Ifyourdogisblowingyouoffheisnotready.Useaverylonglinelikea30footlineandpracticeinnewplacesaroundrealdistractions.Oncethedogisrecallingeverytimenomatterwhat,thenandonlythenishereadytobeoffleash.Alsoifheisblowingyouoffchancesarethedogdoesnotunderstandasmuchasyouthink.Ittakesalotofrepetitionsandpracticebeforeadogtrulygetsit.Don’tbetooquickandaskfor toomuch or youwill just find yourself constantly correcting unwantedbehavior.Onelastthinghere.Manymakethemistakeofgoingoutinpublicwith the e collar set way too low. Make sure it is already set on theappropriate level before you need to use it or you will find that you aremissing great opportunities to stop unwanted behavior with good timing ifyouhavetosearchforthecorrectlevel.

Q.Howoftenshouldmydogweartheecollar?

1. Aslongasyouarewiththedog,especiallyduringtheearlystagesoftraininghavethecollaron.Youneverwanttoputiton,starttrainingrightawayandthentakeitoffwhenyou'redonetraining.Ifyouaregoingtohaveitonforseveralhoursmovetheecollartoanotherpartofthenecktoavoidirritationfromhavingitononespottoolong.Takeitoffifyouleavethehouseandthedogisstayinghome.Takeitoffatnighttosleep.

Q.WhatdoIdoifthedogwon’tleavemysidewhileconditioning?

1. Manydogswilldothis.Wecallthisvelcrodog.Notaproblem.Youdonotneedthedogtobefarawaytostartconditioningwiththerecall.Ifthedogisrightinfrontofyoujusttakeastepbackasyougivetherecallcommandandutilize the e collar. Same thing if the dog is right next to you. Use smallmovements.Justmakesuretogivethecommandandusetheecollarbeforethedog tries to followyourmovements.Whenpossiblebackup toward thedog’sbutt.Thiswillcausehimtoturnandmovetowardyou.Also,youcandotheturnaboutmovementslikewetalkedaboutearlier.Alsowhilewalkingforward use yourmomentum to get the dog going forward also and in onequickmovementstepbackquickly.Thiswillcausethedogtomoveforwardwithout you giving you some space to call him back. I have had a fewworking dogs includingmy own that never take their eyes off of you and

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won’t leave your side. For this type of dog teach the place command first.Thiswayyoucanusetheplacetocreatedistanceandcall thedogfromtheplace.

Q.Whatifmydogwon’tcometomeduringtheconditioningphase.

1. Thisiswhyitisimportanttoutilizetheleashthroughtheprocess.Don’tgetridoftheleashuntilthedogisreadyandthatcantakealittletime.Thelastthingyouwantistostartcorrectingyourdogonhighlevelsbecausehewon’tcometoyou.Somanymakethismistake.Usetheleash.Don’tgiveyourdogachancetoblowyouoff.

Q.Whatdoyouteachwiththeecollar?

1. NOTHING.Teachwithmotivationandpositivereinforcement

Q.CanIstopunwantedbehaviorswiththeecollar?

1. Absolutely.Wheremanygowronghereistheypurchaseanecollar,putitonthe dog, and then correct or punish the dog for the unwanted behavior. Iwouldneverdothat.Alwaysconditionthedogproperlyfirst.Thenoncethedogistrainedtotheecollarstoppingunwantedbehaviorsisabreeze.Infact,thereisnoeasierwayinmyopinion.

Q.Willmydoghavetowearthecollarforever?

1. Whywouldn’tyouwanthimto?Thisquestionisasigntomethatyouseethee collar as a negative thing. It is a fabulous tool that provides off leashfreedom for your dog. So tellmewhy youwould notwant him towear itforever.Mydogsdonotneedanecollaron.Never.Itdoesnotmatterwhereweare.TheylistenwithoutitbutifIamgoingtohavemydogsoffleashinpublicIamgoingtohaveanecollaronforthatWHATIFmoment.Youjustneverknow.

Q.Atwhatagedoyoustarttheecollartraining?

1. Ipreferthedogtobe7or8monthsold.Ihavedoneseveralat5monthsoldandneverhadaproblem.Iknowmanythatstartat12weeksoldbutIamnotabigfanofthat.AtthatageIprefertodoalotofworkwithfoodandtoys.

Q.WhatdoIdoifImakeamistake?

1. Youwillmakeamistake.Youwillmakemany.Itisok,don’tworryaboutit.Youarenotadog trainerand itcanbequitedifficult in thebeginningeventhough it looksveryeasy. Just continue todowhatyoushouldbedoing. Ifyoudomakeamistakesuchashittingthebuttononahighlevelbyaccidentandmakingthedogyelp,don’tmakeabigreactiontoit.Gobackdowntothecorrectlevelandcontinueworkingandrewarding.

Q.WhenandhowmuchshouldIdialuplevelswhenthedogisnotrespondingwhileoffleash.

A.Idon’tdialuplevels.Ialwayshavetheecollarsetontheappropriatelevelforthe

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situation.Also,ifthedogisnotrespondingtolowerlevelsheisprobablynotreadytobeoffleash

Q.Doesbreedorsizeofdogmakeadifferenceonhowtheyfeeltheecollar.

1. No,notatall.Alldogsresponddifferentlybutbreedandsizedoesnotmatter.Several years ago I was working with a Turkish Kangal. Easily the mostferociousandpowerfuldogontheplanet.BelievemeIknowfromexperienceandnoIcannotshareunfortunately.Thesedogsareflockguardingdogsandareresponsibleforprotectinglivestockfromsuchpowerfulhunterslikebears,wolves, and cheetahs. They make our most powerful Pit Bulls andRottweilers look like foo-foo dogs. TheKangal I was training had alreadykilledmultipledogsincludingtheownersPitBull.Iwasconcernedthattheecollarwouldhaveabsolutelynoeffectonadogthatcouldtakeonsomeprettyseriouswild animals.Well Iwas verywrong.On low single digits the doglookedlikeitwasgoingtojumpinmylap.Iwasreallyblownaway.AtthesametimeIwastrainingalittleBichonFrisethatworkedonveryhighlevelsandneverflinched.Ilearnedatthattimethatbreedandsizehadnoimpactonreactiontotheecollar.

Q.Can I use the e collar to correct reactivity toward other dogswhen out onwalks?

1. Absolutely, ifyoucondition thedogproperlyand teach likewehave talkedabout.Pleasedon’tlookfortheshortcuthere.Somanydogownersdealwiththisunwantedbehaviorandnevergetitundercontrol.Thisisaneasyfixoncethedogisconditioned,andthatdoesnottakelong.

Q.CanIuseittostopbarkingandwhiningespeciallyinthecrateorcar?

1. Again, of course. Just followwhat I said above.Youwill stop it very fast.Effortless.

Q. Can you use an e collar if your dog has already been trained with anundergroundfence.

1. Yes,youcan.InthepartofthecountryIliveinundergroundfencesareverypopular.Itrainmanydogsthathaveundergroundfences.Idon’tdoanythingdifferent.Theonlythingthatchangesisduringtheconditioningphasewhensearchingforthedog’sworkinglevel,justabouteverydoghasthesameexactreaction when they first feel the e collar. They freeze. They are scared tomove.Theydon’twanttogetblastedwiththeundergroundfence.Greatthingabout dogs is they move on very fast. As soon as they see nothing badhappens and the rewards start coming they catch on. Start away from thehomeifthedogistoopreoccupiedonwhatmayhappenduetothefence.

Q.My dog looks depressed since my trainer started using an e collar. Is thisnormal?

1. Unfortunately,yes.Notbecauseecollarsshouldmakeadog lookdepressedor down but because there are still a ton of trainers out there that have

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absolutelynobusinessusing this tool.That isnotanopinion. It isa fact.Alargepercentageof thedogsI trainhavebeen toat leastoneother trainer. Icanalmostguaranteethatiftheyusedanecollaritwastocorrectandpunishthedogfornotcomplying.That’snotdogtraining.That’sabuse

Q. I have seen you and others use two receivers on the dog. Is that for morepower?

A.No it is not formore power. Two receivers are used tomake better contact anddistributethestimevenlyonbothsidesoftheneck.Withsomedogsitcanbedifficulttokeepthecollarfrommovingandbecomingloose.Tworeceivers,oneoneachsidewillusuallyhelpandalsoallowyoutokeepthestrapnotastightasasinglereceiversetup.

Q.Doyouusethevibrationbutton?

A.NoIdonot.Hereiswhy.Manypeopletellmetheirdogrespondstothevibrationwhileoffleasheverytime.Theyrecalltothevibrationwithoutanyproblems.Thatisfine, but what happens when they don’t? If the dog is not trained to the e collarstimulation you can’t turn to it when your dog decides to chase a deer instead ofrespondingtothevibration.Itisjustnotfairandalsoitmaycausethedogtorunawayfaster not knowing what the stimulation is. There has to be a consequence for notresponding, especiallywhen the situation canput your dog inharm’sway.Thedogmustbeconditionedandtrainedtothestimulationifyouplanonhavingyourdogoffleash.Alsoifyouaresosetonusingonlythevibrationmostlikelyyoustillseethistoolasanegativethingwhichmeansyoushouldnotuseit.

On the other hand, now there are adjustable vibration only collars that can bepurchased. IknowECollarTechnologies ismakingone thatpeople likeverymuch.Anadjustablevibrationonlycollarwouldbefineifyouplanonkeepingyourdogonleash.Itcanalsoserveapurposeinsidethehomeforpeoplethataredeadsetagainstfullblownecollartraining.Idon’thaveaproblemwiththat,butagainifyourdogisgoingtobeoffleashinpublicpleaseusetrueecollartraining.

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MAKINGGOODCONTACTWITHTHEECOLLAR

Makinggoodconsistent contactwith the e collar isoneof thebiggestproblemswehaveasecollarusers.OneofthebiggestmistakesIseeispeopleputtingthecollaronwaytooloose.Inordertomakegoodconsistentcontactthecollarmustbeverysnugsothecontactpointsmakecontacttotheskin.Youshouldneverbeabletomovethecollararoundwithoutlooseningit.

Let’sdiscussafewtipstohelpwithbettercontact.Firstmakesurethedog’sneckisbrushedoutverywell.Deadhairwillpreventgoodcontact.Whenputtingthecollaronhavethedoginadownorstandposition.Thisputsthedog’sneckinagoodneutralpositionmakingiteasyforatruefitontheneck.Whenthedogissittinginfrontofyoutheytendtolookupordownputtingtheneckinabadpositionfortrueecollarfitting.Assoonastheneckgoestoatrueneutralpositionthecollarcomesloose.

Placethecollarhighontheneckofftoonesideortheother.Placingthecollarhigherupbehindtheearhelpswithdogsthathavelonghairorlooseskin.Onceyoupullthestraightendofthecollarstrapthroughthebuckleloopbesuretotakeyourfingerandpullthedog’shairoutfromthebuckle.Pullallthehairoutoryouwillthinkyouhaveatightfitwheninrealitythehairispreventinggoodsnugcontact.Manytimeswhenyougetthecollarbuckledandthedogrelaxeshisneckyouwillhavetogobackandmakeitoneortwoholestighter.Whenfittedproperlyyoushouldbarelybeabletogettwofingersunderthecollarstrapontopoftheneck.

Alsobesuretousetheappropriatelengthcontactpoints.Shorthairdogscanuseshortcontactpoints.Longerhairdogsmayneed longer contactpoints.Don’t assume thatusing the longest contact points will make for better contact. Very long points cancausethereceivertobepushedonitssidewhentightenedproperly.Thelongerpointscanpushthereceivertoapoorpositionandthatisnotwhatwewant.

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CONDITIONINGTHEDOGINBUSYPLACES

Noteveryonelivesinthesuburbsoronafarm.AlotoftrainersanddogenthusiaststhatIspeaktoondailybasisliveinverybusyplaceslikeNewYorkCityorMumbai,India.Sometimesitisnotfeasibletofindaplacewithnodistractionstoconditionthedogaswenormallydo.Inthiscasewehaveacoupleofoptions.

Firstoptioniswecanconditionthedogoutdoorsinanareawiththeleastamountofdistractionspossible.Iknowthatmaystillbeaverybusyareabutthatisok.Youwillconditionthedogaswealwaysdo.Theonlydifferencehereisthatthedog ’ slowestworking level perceived most likely will be higher than a dog that is conditionedwithoutdistractionsaround.Thatistotallyfine,itisnotaproblem.Thelowestlevelperceivedis thelowest levelperceived.Onceyoufindthelowestworkinglevel it ispossible that once the conditioning starts you may have to go lower on the levelsbecausethedogmanytimeswillbecomemoresensitivetothestimulationoncetheymakeaconnectionwithwhatisgoingon.Rememberwealwayswantthelowestlevelfeltduringtheteaching.

Anotheroption is toconditionyourdog inside thehome.Ofcourseyoumaynotbeabletousealongerleashandthedogmaynotbeabletomoveveryfarfromyoubutagain this is ok. We are only wanting to start conditioning the dog to that weirdsensationthatiscompletelyforeigntothedog.Theproblemwiththisisthatifyoudodecidetoworkoutsideyouwillhavetoadjustthelevelsanywaysowhynotjuststartoutdoorswhereitisbusy.Iwouldstarttheconditioningoutsidewhereitisbusyandyoucanalwayspracticeindoorsafterthefactonthedog’struelowestlevelperceived.

Bothoptionsarefineandifyouconditionthedogproperly,fairly,andhumanelyyouwillendupatthedesireddestination.Awelltrainedoffleashdogthatunderstandstheecollarasabeautifullanguagethatprovidesfreedomandoptions.

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FIXINGADOGTHATHASBEENTHROUGHBADECOLLAR

TRAINING

AfewyearsbackImetwithawomanatherhometoworkwithher femalePitbull.Thedoghadaggressionissues towardotherdogs.Thewomaninformedmethatshehadrecentlyspent$4700atanotherNashvilletraineronlytohavethedogcomebackworse than shewas before. I knew the trainer. I knew this trainer had no ability toworkwith difficult dogs, and I also knew that this trainer had no abilitywith the ecollar.InfactthistrainerhaddestroyedmanydogswiththeecollarthatIwouldendupwithatmyhome.Ieventuallyworkedwiththistrainerafterheaskedforhelp.Ididnotcharge.Itwasimportanttomethatthemisuseoftheecollarstoppedandthattheharshtacticsonthedogshewastrainingalsostopped.

We sat down and discussed what the woman’s expectations were for her dog. Shemadeitveryclearthatshedidnotwanttouseanecollar.WhenIaskedwhyshetoldme about the problems with the other trainer I just mentioned above. I said noproblem.Ineverpushanyone towardecollar training if theydon’twant itbutoncetheyseehowIuseittheyalwaysdecidetoaddtheecollartothetraining.

Thisclientwasnodifferent.Wehadagreatfirstlesson.Thesecondlessontheclientsaystomeshewantstogivetheecollaranothershot.WhenIaskedwhyshesaidafterseeinghowIhandledherdog,seeingwhatmydogslooklike,andmeetingafewofmyclientsintheneighborhoodshewascomfortablewithmedoingso.SheaskedifIcould fix theproblems the last trainercreatedwith theabusiveecollarwork. I saidabsolutely.Idoitallthetime.

Sheaskedme toshowherhowthedogwouldrespond to itafterhavingaverybadexperience.Thisdogalreadytrustedmeandwasworkingwellwithmebecauseoftheworkwedidatthefirstlesson.Iputtheecollaronthedogandwestarted.Thedogworkedonanumber2onacollarwith100levels.Verysensitiveasmanydogsare.Atfirst,whenshefelt itshefroze likeadog that is trainedwithanundergroundfence.She did not have experiencewith an underground fence but did have experience ingettingblastedonhighlevels.IworkedasIdoanyotherdog.Atfirstshewouldnottakefoodasarewardbutthatchangedafter5minutes.Thedoglookedgreatandwasmoving about beautifully. She almost seemed relieved that nothing bad happened. IstoppedafterafewminutestoinstructtheownerasIalwaysdo,exceptIusuallydothatfirst.

Westartedtheroleplaying.TheownerheldthecollarandIstartedteachingherjustlikewehavediscussed.Shewassurprisedbyhowlightthestimulationwas.AftershewasunderstandingthetimingandthemechanicsIplacedthereceiverinmyhand.Shesearched formy level. I didnot feel the stimulationuntil the collarwas in thehigh

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30’s.Shepracticedonme.Shemadesomemistakeswiththetimingasmostdobutweworked through it. I became less compliant as the dog and once the client wasrespondingproperlyitwastimetoputtheecollarbackonthedog.

Iwalkedherthroughtheprocess.ShegavetheComecommand,guidedthedogwiththe leashasshe tapped theecollar rightafter thecommand.Thedogyelped loudly.Werealizedthattheremotewasleftonthehigh30’sfromwhenshewasworkingme.Thewomanwasdevastatedandgetupset.Itookherbythearm,lookedherstraightintheeye,andsaidit’sok,watchme.Itookthedogandputtheecollarbackona2.Thedogwentrightbacktonormalandwasstilltakingfood.Theterriblemistakewasnotthat terrible. Even though this dog had been through bad e collar training sherecoveredfromjustafewminutesofpropertraining.

Thiscaseisaperfectexampleofhowalldogsrespondthathavehadbadexperienceswith theecollar. Iworkwithmanydogs thathavebeen through thesamesituation.They all come around and come around fast. I do not do anything different. I treat

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everydogwithcareandcompassionandworkonbuilding thedogup,notbreakingthemdown.

You also saw thatwemade a bigmistake here. It ismymistake not the client’s. IshouldhavedoublecheckedbutIdidnot.Youwillmakemistakes.Wealldo.Don’tdwellonit,justmoveforwardandeverythingwillbealright.

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USINGTHEECOLLARFORADVANCEDOBEDIENCE

There are no limits to how you can improve your overall training program if theconditioninghasbeendoneproperly.Iknowyouareprobablysickofhearingthatbynowbut it is thatsimple.Take the timeto teach thedogthemeaningof theecollarstimulationandyoucanimplementthetooltostopthethingsyoudon’tlikeandmakethethingsthedogknowsbetter,faster,andsharperunderallcircumstances.Itisthateasy.

Ihaveworkedwithcountlesscompetitorsfromdifferentdogsportbackgrounds.Manyofthemhavebeensuccessfulforalongtimeandhaveavoidedecollarsbecausewhentheystartedin theirsport,ecollarsweremostlyusedforpunishment.Unfortunately,manystillthinklikethat.Oncethesecompetitorslearntheconditioningprocess,theyareabletoelevatetheirdogsevenhigherthantheywerebefore.Thereisalwaysroomfor improvement. Inmanycases it just takes theadditionof theecollar toadd thatlittlesomethingthatwasmissingbefore.Noothertoolcanprovidethat.

Teachingtheecollartoahighlevelgivesyouthatabilitytocommunicatewithyourdogfromadistanceevenwiththehighestlevelofdistractions,andstillholdthedogaccountablewhencomplianceisnotmet.Forexample,let’ssayIamworkingoneofmydogsfromadistance.Wearepracticingpositions,Sit,Down,Stand,andReverse.As I am calling out the different commandswhilemy dog is in a down, I give theStandcommand.ThedogdoesnotperformtheStandcommandimmediately.ItaptheecollarrightafterIseethatthedogdidnotcomplyandthedogwillpoprightupintoastandeverytimewithoutrepeatingthecommand.Ifthedogistrainedproperlytheywillalwaysrevertbacktothelastcommandgiven.Theecollartapisnotdeliveredatahighandpunitivelevelbutratherthedog’sworkinglevelinthatenvironment.ItisareminderthatsaysIaskedyoutodothis,youknowthiswell,andyoumustdoit.Noothertoolcanprovidethat.

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AFEWQUICKREMINDERTIPS

1. Teacheverythingthroughmotivationandpositivereinforcement.

2. Buildtherelationshipandearnthetrust.

3. Conditionthedogproperlybeforeeverusingitforcorrections.

4. Teachthedogthelanguageandtakeyourtime.

5. Dogslearnthroughrepetitionsnotduration.Keepthesessionsshort,5to10minutesafewtimesaday.

6. Keepthedog’sneckbrushedwelltomakegoodcontact.

7. Makesurethecollarfitssnuganddoesnotmove.

8. Neverattachtheleashtotheecollar.

9. Find the appropriate working level without distractions present whenpossible.

10. Usefoodtorewardduringtheearlytraining.

11. Donotgetridoftheleashprematurely.

12. Nevergivethedogachancetoblowyouoffduringthetraining.Keeptheleashtheretopreventthis.

13. Cheat if youmust,meaningmake it simple for the dog. Set them up tosucceed,notfail.

14. Keeptheecollaronthedogifyouarewiththem.

15. Move thecollaron theneck if itwillbewornforseveralhours toavoidirritation.

16. Takeitoffatnighttosleepandkeepthecollarcharged.

17. Practiceeverywhereyoucan.

18. Planontrainingwiththeecollarforatleastafewmonthstotrulyteachthedogthelanguagefluently.

19. Mostofallenjoytheprocess.Themoreyoudowithyourdogthebettertherelationshipbecomes.Thebettertherelationshipbecomesthemorethedogwilllearnfromyou.Repetitionsbuildcompetence,competencebuildsconfidence.

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19.

TRAININGTIPSFORANYTYPEOFTRAINING

1.Beinchargebutalsobuildtherelationship.Structureisveryimportantduring the early stages of training.Youmust provide the guidance your dogneeds to learn how to thrive and succeed in the household with the family.Rules and boundaries are very important and must be consistent but so isbuildingastrongbondandrelationship.Yourdogisexactlythat,adog,notachild.Treatyourdoglikeachildandyourdogwilltreatyoulikeadog.Itjustdoesnotwork

2. Rewardgoodbehavior.Whenyour dogdoes something right, let himknow.Ifyouwanttogiveaffection,dosowhenyourdogisintherightstateofmind,calmandrelaxed,notwhenheorsheisexcitedordemandingattention.Paying attention or giving affectionwhen your dog is not behaving properlyonlyencouragesbadbehavior.

3.Correctunwantedbehavior.Ifyourdogdoessomethingwrong100timesand you correct it 99 times theywill continue to take that chance.Youmustcorrectunwantedbehavioreverytimeoryourdogwillnotstopthatbehavior.

4. Showyourdogwhatyouwant.It isnot fair to justexpectyourdog tounderstandwhatyouwant.Youmustshowherandshowherclearlywhatyouareasking.

5.Motivateyourdogtodowhatyouwant.Onceyoushowyourdogwhatyouwant, thenyoumustmotivatehimorher todoso,with food,or toys,orpraise.Whateverworkstogetthedogexcitedandwillingtolearniswhatyouneedtouse.

6.Makeyourdogdoit.Onceyouhaveshownyourdogwhatyouwantandthedog100%understandsthecommand,thenandonlythencanyoumakeyourdog perform that command. It is not fair to try tomake a dog do somethingwhenheorshedoesnothaveafullunderstandingofwhatyouareasking.On

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theotherhand,whenyourdogtrulyunderstandswhatyouareasking,thenthedogmustdowhatyouask.

Dogsdonot understandpeople psychology, so donot try to put human thoughts inyourdog’shead.Youwillnothurtyourdog’sfeelingsbytakingchargeandprovidingconsistencywith rules and boundaries. In fact, theywill love and respect you evenmoreforitbecausenowtheycanputtheirtrustinyouastheirleaderandyouremovethatstressfromthem.

Makeyourdogwaitateverydoorwayduringthetrainingprocessgoingoutandin.Idonotcareifmydogsrunoutthedoorwhenwegooutsidebutmydogsarealreadytrained.WhentheywereyoungandinthetrainingprocessIpracticethisalot.Itgoesalongway.

Keeptrainingshort,nomorethan10or15minutesatatime.Youcoulddothisafewtimesadayanditcouldbedone inyourhome.Youdonotwant themtogetbored.Keepitfunandincorporateplaywithtraining.Whenyoustop,yourdogshouldwanttokeepworking.Thishelpskeepthedogwantingtowork.Makeyourdogworkforhisfood.Insteadofjustputtingthebowldowngiveafewcommandsfirst,thenrewardwiththefood.Dogtrainingisverysimple,remember….

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MYOVERALLSUMMARYItraindogsbecauseIwanttonotbecauseImust.Idon’thavetotraindogstomakealiving.Idoitbecauseitismypassion,itismyobsession.Iamandwillbeastudentofdogtrainingfortherestofmylife.

OvertheyearsIhaveseenthelevelofdogtrainingimproveagreatdeal.Traininghasbecomeeasieronthedogs,morepleasantforthedogs,andtheresultsarebetterthaneverforthosethatcommittoimproving.

Youngtrainershavetheinternet,socialmedia,andYouTubeattheirfingertipswheretheycanwatchandlearnfromwhereasyearsagoyouhadtofigureitoutthehardway.Manymistakescanbeavoidedtodaythankstoalltheinformationavailable.

Withthatbeing,saidthereisstillplentyofbadinformationoutthere.Itisuptoyoutosee through the bad and seek out the good.Are the people you look to putting outbeautifulworkorareyoufallingfortheUsedCarSalesmanPitch.

Thedogistheproof.Dogsdon’tlie.Thebeautifulthingaboutdogsisthattheychangetheminutewechange.Theyarenotlikeus.Theyarebetter.NoHangups.

Treat theanimalwithrespectandcompassion.Treat theownerwith thesameifyouarea trainerandgive themeverythingyouhave.Behonest.Don’thideanything. Ifyouwouldnotdoitinfrontoftheclientdon’tdoitbehindtheirback.

Thisbookisontheproperuseoftheecollar.Itisanincredibletoolwhenintherighthands,butitisstilljustatool.Youmustbeabletotraintoahighlevelwithouttools.Reachthisandwhenyoudoaddtoolstheyarethatmuchmoreeffective.

Firstandforemostyoumustdeveloptherelationshipandhavethetrustfromthedog.This does not take long. Again dogs change instantly. Take advantage of that.TRAININGSTARTSBEFORETHETRAININGSTARTS.THESECONDYOUTAKE THAT LEASH YOU ARE SPEAKING TO THE DOG. NOT WITHWORDS BUT WITH YOUR INTENTIONS. DOGS GET IT. THEY DON’TSPEAKPEOPLE,THEYSPEAKDOG.

Learntospeakthroughtheleash.Thisis100%necessaryforhighleveltraining.Learnleash pressure, gentle straight line leash pressure. Once you do this any tool youchoosetousewillworkasitismeantto.Prong,choke,andecollarsallgetmisusedwhenleashpressureisnotunderstood.Properleashworkallowsthesetools toworkthewaytheyweremeantto,withverylittleeffortandconflictandhumanely.

Teach everything through motivation and positive reinforcement. Those that areagainstusingfoodintrainingarejustflatoutmissingtheboat.

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Teachbehaviorsthroughrepetitions.Keepsessionsshortandfun.Dogslearnthroughrepetitionsnotduration.Oncethecommandis100%understoodbythedogthenyoucanreinforcewiththeecollartomakebetter,faster,andsharper.

Stopunwantedbehaviorsfast.Don’tmakethemistakeofbeinganagorstartinglowwithcorrections.Starthighandstopitfast.Youwillbeabletogolowveryfastwhendonecorrectly.Startinglowandkeepgoinguponlevelstocorrectwillallowthedogtoadapt toyournaggingand takehigh levelcorrectionswithout flinching.Don’tdothis.

Teachasmuchasyoucan.Youcouldneverteachtoomuch.Themorethedogknowsthebetterandthemoreyouteachthebetterthebondarelationshipbecome.

Obedienceiseasy.Amonkeycantrainadogtodothings.Whatyoudoordon’tdointhehomecreatesthedogyouhave,goodorbad.Thisdoesn’t’ttakemucheffort.Youaredoingsomethinganyway,justdotherightthingbyyourdog.InevertoldmywifeIwasgoingoutsidetotrainmychildren.Wejustraisedthemalongtheway.Showingthemrightfromwrongandwhatwasexpected.Itisthesamethingwithyourdog.

Setrulesandboundariesinsidethehomeandfollowthem.Beconsistent.

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FORALLTRAINERSFirst Iwould like to thank everyone that thinks enough ofme as a trainer and hastakenthetimetoreadwhatIhavewrittenaboutmyuseoftheecollar.

Mygoalisnotonlytoshowtheproperandhumaneuseofthetoolbuttoalsobringtrainersfrombothsidestogetherwithabetterunderstandingofhowourdogtrainingtoolsareusedbyresponsibletrainers.

Bothpurelypositiveandbalancedtrainershavesomuchgoodtooffertoeachother.Ibelieve thebestonbothsidesultimatelywant thesame thing…what isbest for thedog.

ThefollowingisacommentfromavideoImade.ItwasaRottweiler’sfirstecollarsessionandthisindividualwenttomyvideotomakenastyremarksduetothefactshewasantiecollar.Thisiswhatshesaid:

“ThishastobethebestvideoIhaveeverseen.BTWIwatchedwantingtohateyoubecauseIneverbeenafanofecollarsbutyouwonmeover.Clearlywhateveryouare doing works and it isn’t hurting the animal. I’mgoing to subscribe. Thanks for the humor and brutalhonesty.Weneedmoredoglovers/trainerslikeyou”.Thatcommentmademydaythemorningitpoppeduponmyphone.Notbecauseofthecomplimentsbutbecauseitshowedapersonwithaverynegativeviewofecollarsadifferent side,agoodside.Thispersonhadabelief system thatmostantiecollarpeoplehave,butwhenshownadifferentwayshehad the intelligenceandability toseewhatcanbe.Thewonderfulpossibilitiesthistoolprovideswhenintherighthands.TherearemanymorelikeherandIhavebeenluckyenoughtohavemetandworkedwithalotofthem.

Ihavehadpptrainersattackmebefore,butithasbeenrare.TheonesthathavecomeatmebackoffprettyquickbecauseitisimpossibletosayIevercauseharmtoadog.Compassionfortheanimalisapriorityformeandisformanybalancedtrainers.

Fear,force,andpainshouldnotbepartofatrainingprogram.Thatisnotdogtraining.Trainers that use fear, force, andorpain to teach adogarenotbalanced trainers,they are individualswith little or no ability to train any otherway. Purely positivetrainers arenotwrongwhen they target these folksbut at the same timepp trainersneedtounderstandreputablebalancedtrainersarealsoagainstthistypeoftraining.

Hopefullythebestonbothsidescansitdownsomedayanddiscussthesubjectopenlyandhonestly.Ithinkbothsideswillseethatwehavemoreincommonthannot.

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BONUSMATERIAL!

THEPOWEROFTHRESHOLDSThepowerofworkingthresholdswithadogintrainingisatremendouslypowerfultoolbutsooftenoverlooked.Manytrainersdiscountthisexercise.Icouldnotdisagreemore.ItisoneofthefirstthingsIdowhenstartinganewdog.

Itisaverysimpletaskyetwillsetthetoneinstantly.Idon’tspeak,Idon’tusecommands,andIdon’tblockthedoorway.Idon’tcareifthedogissitting,standingorlayingdown,itjustdoesn’tmatter.Itrytouseverylittleleashpressure,ornoneifpossible.

HereiswhatIdo:Iapproachacloseddoorwiththedogatmyside,andIdon’tsayanything.Iopenthedoorandwhenthedogstartstomoveforward,whichtheyusuallywill,Igivealittlebumpwithmyleg.Possiblygivean“uh-uh”thefirsttimewhichismy“no”command,butonlydothatonceifatall.Iwillstandofftothesidegivingthedogalltheroomintheworldtomoveforward.Again,ifthedogattemptstomoveforwardagiveabumpoftheleg.WhenthedogisrelaxedandnolongerattemptingtomovethroughthedoorwayIdon’tsayanything,Idon’tlookorwaitforthedog,Ijustgothroughthedoorwayandthedogfollows.Itisthatsimplebuttremendouslypowerful.

Whenyoucangetanuntrainedandunrulydogthatisusedtopullingwithallitsforceandrunningthrougheverydoorwaychangingitsusualbehaviorsothatthedognowlookstoyouforguidance,withouteverutteringaword,itisabeautifulthing.Thatconnectionallowstherelationshipandlearningtobegin.Itspeaksvolumeswithoutanywords.

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MYNEWFRIENDLOKIItwasabeautifulspringweekendinSouthCentralKentucky.Perfectweathertobeoutsideworkingdogs.ItooktheFridayoffworkandmywifejoinedmeandLucaforafunfilledtrainingweekendatMohawkMalinois.

SincethistrainingwasbeingheldatMohawk’s,ofcoursealmostallthedogstherewereBelgianMalinois.IdonotgettotrainmyowndogsveryoftensoIthoughtthiswouldbeagreatopportunitytogetLucaoutandexposedtoallkindsofdistractionswhileworkingonthethingsheknows.LucareallyimpressedStephanieandmebynotonlyhowheperformed,butbyhowunbelievablycalmandstableheisaroundtotalchaos,becausewithdozensofMalinoisaroundsometimesitischaos.Apparently,manyotherswereimpressedalsosinceIhavereceivedsomanyemailsandincrediblykindwordsabouttheworkthatLucaandIdotogether.IappreciatethatverymuchandIamhumbledbyitagreatdeal.

Onthefirstday,InoticedawomanworkingabeautifuljetblackGermanShepherdpuppy.Icouldtellshewastryingtoexposehimtonewthingsandworkhimaroundnewdistractions.IofferedtoletLucahelpinthesocializationandshetookmeupontheofferandtrainedherpuppyuponatablewithLucasittingbyhisside.Thepuppydidfantasticandmadeanewfriend.TheownersnamewasCarol,asuperniceladywithatremendousloveforherdogs.Carollaterexplainedthatshealsohadthepuppy’sdadwithherandplannedonbringinghimoutalsotodosometraining.

Alittlewhilelater,IlookedupandsawCarolwithwhatlookedexactlylikeherpuppyexceptabout60to70poundslarger.Abreathtakinglookingjetblackadultsizeversionofherlittlepuppy.ThatwasLoki,herpuppy’sdad.

IwatchedasCarolworkedwithLoki.Youcantellhewasanextremelypowerfuldog,andalthoughCarolisveryhumble,shedoesanamazingjobwithhim.ItwasobviousthatLokilikedtoworkanditwasalsoobviousthatLokilikedtowinandwouldchallengethehandlerwhenplayingafungameoftug.

AtonepointwhileIwasworkingLuca,CarolcommentedtomethatLucahadabeautiful“out”.Fornon-dogpeoplethatjustmeansthatLucareleaseswhateverhehasinhismouthwhenIaskhimtowhetheritissomeone’sarmoratugtoy.Carolsaid“IwishLokiwouldoutlikethat”.“ItistheonethingIhaveahardtimewith”.Irepliedthathecan,itisactuallyveryeasy,towhichCarollaughedandsaidsomethingtotheeffectofyeahright.Iunderstandwheresheiscomingfrom.Intheworkingdogworld,aswellasthepetdogtrainingworldyouseealotofconflictbetweenhandleranddog.Thehandlerpushesandthedogpushesback.Thehandlerpullsandthedogpullsback.Itisanever-endingbattlebutitdoesnothavetobe.

LaterthatweekendIsawafewdifferentpeopleworkwithLoki.Ididnotpaymuch

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attentionbecauseIknowhowIam.IfIseesomethingthatcanbedoneabetterwayIhaveahardtimekeepingmymouthshut.Plus,mywiferemindedmeseveraldozentimeswhenshesawmewatchingsomethingIdidnotliketoLETITGO.Sheisgoodlikethat.

Laterinthedayseveralofuswerehangingaroundtogether.Mykidswerealsothereatthispointsoitwasgreatfamilyfun.CarolaskedmetoworkLokitowhichIdeniedher.NotbecauseIdidnotwantto,butbecauseIknewIhadthepotentialtokeephimforawhileandmaybenotgiveupuntilhewasperforminglikeIwouldwanthimto.Carolaskedagain,wellactuallyshedemandedandpushedhimonmeinawayIcouldnotrefuse.Carolhasagreatpersonalityandisjustverylikablesoitishardtosaynotoher.

IagreedandtookLokiandhistugtoy.Nowthosethatknowme,knowdamnwellthatIamgoingtoworkhis“out”sincethatiswhereCarolishavingtrouble.IletLokibitethetug.Wefoughtalittle.Weplayed.Webattled.Hestaredrightintomyeyeswithahardlook,achallenge,daringmetowin.IaskedLokitoout.Hedidnot.Imadethetuggodead.IhadtowaitalongtimeandLokididnotwanttoout.Carolwasright.NowthisiswheremostpeoplewouldyellorscreamorpressureLokiwithaprongcollarorachoker.ThatwouldjustmakeLokifightharder.Heisatoughguy,awarrior.HewillfightforcewithforceeverytimeandCarolwillnevertrulyhavethatharmonyandthatflowthatsheandLokideserve.

Lokifinallyreleasedthetug.Onlyafterhehadfeltthathewonthefight.NowitwastimeformetoshowLokiabetterway.IheldthetugandwhenLokitriedtotakeitIverycalmlylookedhimintheeye,shookmyhead,andsaid“uh-uh”.Ididnotsay“NO”becauseIamsurethatmanyofthedogsouttherethoughttheirnamewas“NO”.Lokibackedoff,lookingmerightintheeye,butnotwithawarriorlook.Helookedatmewithasofteye.HiseyeswereaskingmewhatIwanted.NowIcanbegin.

VerysubtletyIbackedup.Noleashpressure,andLokifollowed.Imovedtotheside,andLokifollowed.Imovedtowardhim,andhebackedup,allthroughthiskeepingexcitedeyecontact,waitinginanticipation.Ilightlytouchedhisface,thenhishindquarters.Ispitinmyhandandheldhisnosegently,lettinghimlearnwhoIam.Idon’tthinkanyonenoticedthelittlethings.ThedopaminewasrisinginLoki.Theanticipationofwhatistocomemakesthebodyreleasedopamine.Thatmakesthedogworkhardtogetwhathewants.Theanticipationismuchstrongerthantheactualreward.

Nowwewerereadytoplaytogether,notagainsteachother.IletLokihitthetug.Iaskedhimto“out”.Hehesitated,IheldhisleashwithonehandjustasIdidwhenIhadhimfollowingme,nopressure,andoutedquitequickly.ThesecondheoutedIsaid“yes”andhehitthetugagain.ThistimewhenIgavetheoutcommandhereleasedimmediatelyandindoingsoIrewardedhimimmediately.Wecontinuedourgame.Lokistillstaredintomyeyeswhileweweretuggingbutthistimeitwasnotindefiance,butwithlove.Ijustmetthisdogandalreadyweweredevelopingarelationship.AsItoldCarolearlier,itiseasy,itreallyis.

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SeveralpeoplecameuptomeafterwardswantingtoknowwhythatdogoutedsoeasilyformeandIdidnothingtohim.Seethatistheproblem.Ididplentywithhim,nottohim.Theaveragedogownerordogtrainerdoesnotseeordothelittlethings,thethingsthatmatter.Notonepersonnoticedmetouchhisfacewhenweweremovingtogether.Notonepersonsawmetalktohiminaverysubtleway.Notasinglepersonrecognizedthemomenthiseyeswentfromhardtosoftwhilewewerestaringateachother.Thesethingsmatter.

Forcecreatesoneoftwothings:Moreforceorsubmission,andneitherarebeneficial.Relationshipandengagementscreatesharmony.

Ican’tthankCarolenoughforlettingmeplaywithLoki.Carolthankedmeforworkingwithhimbutreally,Iwastheonethatbenefited.IdecidedtowriteaboutmyshortexperiencewithLokibecauseIfoundmyselfthinkingofhimalot.ThereissomethingaboutabeautifulShepherd,thatlookofintelligenceandconfidencethatgetsmeeverytimeandwhentheygiveyoutheirheartthereisnobetterfeelingasadoghandler.

IamsurethatCarolandLokiwillbefriendswiththeKrohnfamilyforaverylongtime.

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BRUNO,THEULTIMATEROTTWEILER

Mywifewasseveralmonthspregnantwithourfirstchild.WewereflyinghometoNewJerseyearlyinthemorningforourbabyshoweratmyparent’shouseinNewJersey.Cyrus,our6-year-oldRottweilerstartedcryingoutloudlyinthemiddleofthenight.Ijumpedupandrealizedthathecouldnotgetupfromthefloor.Hislegswerenotworking.WecancelledourtripandrushedCyrustoourvetfirstthinginthemorning.Itwashorriblenews.Hehadbonecancer.Wecamehomedevastated.Wedecidedtotakehimbacktothevetthatdaytoputhimtosleep.Therewasnowaywewouldallowhimtosufferthroughanothernight.Iwillneverforgetthattripbacktothevet.Iwasinthebackofourlittlepick-uptruckandStephaniewasdriving.Cyrusheldhisheadhighwithhisearsblowinginthewind.Itwasanextremelydifficulttime.Weheldhimonthefloorashefoughtandthrashedtryingnottogotosleep.Wewerebroken.

AfewmonthslaterwedecidedwecouldnotbewithoutaRottweiler.Westartedoursearchbutcouldnotfindtherightlitter.WefoundafamilyinEasternKentuckythathadalitterontheground.Thisfamilyhadneverbreddogsbeforeandthiswastheirfirsttime.IlikedwhatIsawinthepicturessowemadethefour-hourdrive.

Wearrivedatahomefaroutinthecountry.AsweparkedinfrontofthehomeaRottweilerwaslayingonthefrontstepsofthehome.Whenthedogsawusshejumpedup,openedthefrontdooronherown,disappearedforafewseconds,andranoutwithatoyinhermouthtogreetus.Iwasveryimpressed.ShebarelyresembledaRottweilersinceshehad13puppiesandwassuckeddowntonothing,butthatbigRottypersonalitywasstillthere.

Wemetwiththeownersandtheytookoutallthirteenpuppies.Iaskedtoseethedad.Themanofthehousewasveryhonestintellingmethatthedadwasalunaticandwashardtocontrolaroundnewpeopleandthelivestockthatwasroamingaround.Thatconcernedmealittlebutthemommadogmadeupforit.

StephanieandIwatchedandinteractedwithallthepuppies.Webothdecidedthatonewascapturingbothofourattentionandwedecidedtomakethedrivehomewithhim.WecalledhimBruno,andourliveswereabouttochange.

WequicklyrealizedthatbabyBrunowasmorethanahandful.Infact,hewastheworstpuppyweeverhad.Hewasalunatic,amonster,ademon.Heneverstoppedmoving,barking,biting.Weaskedourselves,“whatdidwedo”?

WebroughtBrunohomeinMayof2005.Ourfirstchild,SophiawasborninJuly2005.Herewego,nowitwastotalchaos.Anewbornbabythatdidnotsleepbecauseshewassickandanewpuppythatwebelievedwaspsychotic.

Justwhenwethoughtitcouldnotgetworse,Ihadtoleavefor6monthsoftrainingfor

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work.IamaFederalAgentandsometimesthathappens,butthetimingcouldnotbeworse.

Nowmypoorwifereallyhadherhandsfull.TherewasatimewhenIthoughtthatwithoutmetherewemayhavetogetridofBruno.Mywifebeingtherockstarsheis,wasagainstthatandreallysteppedupanddidatremendousjobhandlinganewbaby,anewpuppy,andBenour3-year-olddog.EverydayStephaniestrappedabackpacktoBrunoandloadedbothsideswithbagsofrice.Shewouldruneveryday,Brunoononeside,Benontheother,andpushingSophiainababystroller.Thatishardcore.ShehadtodothatjusttodrainenoughofBruno’senergytobeabletocontrolhiminthehouse.

OnceIreturnedhomefromtrainingIsawhowmuchmybabyandpuppyhadgrown.Wehadanawesomefamilywithababyandtwodogs.Weweresohappy,butitwasstillalotofwork.

FastforwardacoupleofyearsandBrunowasadifferentdog.Hewasextremelydrivenandenergeticbutnowweputallthatenergyintotrainingandheexcelledateverythingwedid.

Ataround3yearsoldBrunowashelpingmetraindogs.Hetravelledwithmeeverywheremeetingpeopleanddogsalloverthecountry.Helovedeveryoneandwoulddropatennisballatatotalstranger’sfeetjustwaitingforthemtothrowtheball.

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Brunowasbornin2009andpassedin2016,rightbeforeSophiawasborn(MyDaughter).HetaughtmemorethanIevertaughthim.HewastrulythegreatestdogI'veeverknown.Brunohadfansallovertheworld.ThispictureiswhatIlovedmostabouthim.Hewastheultimatefriend.Hewillnevertrulybegone.

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WEGOTODENVERWhenBrunowas4yearsoldwetraveledtoDenver,Coloradotogether.Ipurchasedadogtrainingfranchiseandspentafewweekswiththecompanytolearnaboutthebusiness.IknewBrunowasaspecialdogbutIguessIdidnotknowtowhatleveluntilotherdogtrainersmetBruno.Hewassuchabighitwitheverythingwedid.VeryquicklyeveryonerealizedthatifwewereworkingwithanaggressivedogBrunowasthedogthatweneededtohelpus.Hehadanincredibleabilitytoprovidewhatthetroubleddogneeded,makingourjobsomucheasier.Itwasanamazingthingtowatch.Irememberonemorningduringoneofourmanygroupclasses.TherewasanotherRottweilerthathadabadattitude.HewasalittleaggressivetootherdogsbutreallyhatedBruno.HewouldgoafterBrunoeverychancehehadandBrunojustignoredhimandstayedfocusedonme.ThenonemorningIguessBrunoknewitwastherighttimetotake-action.ThissameRottweilerwentintohisnormaltoughguybullyingandBrunojusterupted.ThebiggestdeepestbarkwhileraisinghistwofromlegsandlandingwithhischestblownupwithalookonhisfacethatIhadneverseen.HelookedrightthroughthatotherRottweilerandthatbignastyRottweilerquicklyturnedintoapussycat.Allthegroupclassattendees,mostlywomen,letoutallkindsofgaspsandlaughsandonewomanyelledout“Bruno,Ididnotknowyouhadthatinyou”ItwasawesomeandthebestpartwasthatBrunowentrightbacktohishappystableself.ThemeanRottweilernevermisbehavedagain.

AnothergreatmemoryIhaveinColoradowasBruno’sfirstswim.Hehadneverbeeninthewater.MyselfandafewothertrainersdroveuptoalakeintheRockyMountains.ARottweiler,twoBelgianMalinois,aBlackLabandaPitbullallcrammedintoonevehiclewith5trainers.Whatasightbutthinkabouttheleveloftrainingofthosedogstobeabletodothatwithoutanyproblems.Prettyimpressive.

NowitwastimetogetBrunointhewater.HewouldnotfollowtheotherdogsinsoIhadtoconvincehimthathecoulddoit.Itossedhistennisball,whichhewouldrunthroughabrickwallfor,justafootintothewater.Justaboutsixinchesofwater.Brunoretrievedtheballandcamebacktome.Irepeatedthisseveraltimeseachtimegettinghimdeeperintothewateruntilhewaschestdeep.ThenIgavetheballagoodtossoutfarintothewater.Brunostartedtogoafterituntilhesankandhisheadwentunderwater.Hedidanaboutfaceandcamebackwithouttheball.Hisexpressionwashysterical.WesentoneoftheMalinoisintogetBruno’sballandoncehesawthathebecameMichaelPhelps.Heswamasfastashecould,gottohisball,gotoutofthewaterandtookhisballfarawayfromthelakehidingbehindavehicle.Itwaspriceless.IhavereallybeautifulmemorieswithBrunoinColorado.

OncewereturnedfromColoradoBrunowasmyfull-blownpartnerandrighthandman.Hetraveledallthetimewithmeandimmediatelystartedbecomingaveryimportantpartofmysuccesswithaggressioncases.Hehadsuchacalmingeffectonthesedogsandknewjustwhattodoandwhentodoit.Ididnotteachthat,hewasjust

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beinghimself.ShortlyafterourColoradotripIbookedourfirsttradeshow.Irentedatablefor$60atagunshowinSmyrna,Tennessee.IdidnotknowwhattoexpectandwhenIarrivedthatSaturdaymorningwithmywife,Bruno,andbabySophiaIwasdevastated.ItwasnotaBeverlyHillsBoatshowtosaytheleast.InfactwhenwewalkedintosetupIalmostleft.Ididnotwantmywifeanddaughtertobeinthatenvironment.Mywifeconvincedmetostayandtalkedmeoutofmynegativethoughtswhichshedoesquiteoftentothisday.ThatSaturdayourtablehadpeoplegatheredaroundthewholetimewewerethere.EveryonewantedtomeetBruno.Hewalkedaroundlikedheownedtheplacegreetingeveryonethatevenlookedathim.That$60investmentmadeusover$7000thatday.ThatwasallBruno.DogownersthatsawhimtherewantedwhatIhad.Ahappyandwellbehavedoffleashdog.Itwasthatsimple.Wecontinuedtohavegreatsuccessatanyshowwedid.

ForthenextseveralyearsBrunocontinuedtobeahugepartofourfamilyandthedogtrainingworld.Wetrainedhundredsofdogstogether.Iwatchedasheagedandtravelingbecamemoredifficultforhim.Hislegsweregoingbuthestillhadtheloveanddesiretodothingstogether.Itwashardformetoleavethehousetoseeclientsandmustleavehimbehind.IfeltguiltyashewouldwatchmeknowingwhatIwasgoingtodoandthenseeingmeleavewithouthim.

Icouldtellstoriesabouthimallday.Therearemanywonderfulmemories.OutofallmymemoriesofBrunotheloveandinteractionhehadwithmykidsisbyfarwhatIlovedmostabouthim.Itwasabeautifulthingtowatch.HewatchedoverthemwithsomuchloveandcareandIalwaysknewthatifhewaswiththemIneverhadtoworryaboutanything.

Fastforwardtothatweekendbeforewelosthim.ItwasaSaturdaynight.Iwassittingonmycouchdrinkingaglassofwhiskey.IaskedmywifetotakeapictureofmeandBruno.Itoldmywifethathewouldnotbearoundmuchlongerandthatthoughtbroughtgreatsadnesstome.Iknowmydogsverywell.Iknowwhentheyarenotright.Ialwayshave.Iguessitcomesfromthestrongbondthatwehave.

ThatMondaymorningwhenIawokeItoldmywifethatitwouldbesoon.Brunowashavingtroublebreathing.Ithoughthemaybegoingintoheartfailure.Itookhimtothevetthatmorning.Thenewswasdevastating.Hislungswerefilledwithcancer.Wecried.Wecriedalot.IamcryingasIrememberthis.Icouldnotimaginelifewithouthim.StephanieandIdecidedtodowhatneededtobedoneatthatmoment.Iwouldneverletmydogssuffer,never.Ourvetsedatedhimsohewouldbealmostsleeping,veryrelaxed.Iwasonthegroundwithhim,holdinghimandtellinghimhowmuchIlovedhimandthankinghimforeverything.IthoughhewasoutwhenIwenttostandup.HegrabbedmewithhispawonelasttimesoIstayeddownwithhim.Wewatchedandheldhimashewentpeacefully.

Thehousehasnotbeenthesamesincewelosthim.Wehaveallforgottenattimesandhaveexpectedtobegreetedwhenwewalkinthehouse.Itisaconstantreminder,butthisisthebadpartofhavingdogs.Iwouldnottradethetimewehadtogetherforanything.WeweresoluckytohavetheloveofthegreatestRottweilerthateverlived.

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Thankyou,Bruno,foreverything.Weloveyoualways.

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WHYIGIVEFREEGROUPCLASSESLastyearIgaveafreegroupclasstoanyonethatwantedtoattend.Ithoughtthreeorfourpeoplewouldshowup.Iwasdrasticallywrong.Alotofpeopleshowedup.Alotofawesomepeople.Thatfreegroupclassturnedintoafive-hourminiworkshop.

TherewasawomanfromashelterthatshoweduptowardtheendwithabigbeautifulPitBull.Shetoldmethattheycan’tplacehiminahomebecausehe’sextremelydogaggressive.Itookthedogfromherbutkeptherwithmeaswespoke.Thetraininghadstartedbutshejustdidn’tknowit.OutofallthedogsthereIsawthatthePitBullwasfocusedonabigpowerfulRottweiler.IknewtheRottweiler.He’sawell-balancedbigbeautifulRottywithanownerthatlovesdogsasmuchasIdo.

ThePitBullwaswearingaprongcollar.Wrongtoolforthissituation.Aprongcollarisusedtocreateactivityinthedog.Whenusedinthissituationitcancreatealotoffrustrationandmakethingsworse.I’mnotagainstprongcollars.They’regoodtools,butjustusuallyusedincorrectly.

Iaskedtheshelteremployeetowatchfromthesidewithalltheothers.IaskedtheRottyownertowalktowardmeandlistentomyinstructions.AshemovedforwardthePitBullstartedtargetinghim.IinstructedtheRottyownertostoprightwherehewasanddonothing.Ididnothing.ThePitBullwasfocusedonhimwithaseriousintensity.After20or30secondsthepitbulllookedupatme.IinstructedtheRottyownertomoveawayfromusbacktowherehewasatthestart.Thenwerepeated,eachtimegettingtheRottweilercloser.

Afterabout10minutesandseveralrepetitions,withouteverutteringasinglecommandorimplementingasinglecorrection,thePitBulllaiddownandrelaxedwiththeRottweilernexttous.

Theshelterworkercried.Wellworthafreegroupclass.FORME.

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MYFAVORITETRAININGDAYAND14IRISHWOLFHOUNDS

ItallstartedwhenIreceivedacallfromawomanaboutherIrishWolfhoundthatwaslabeledaggressive.Thewomantoldmethathervetandeventherescuethedogcamefromrecommendedthatthedogbeputtosleepduetohisaggressionissues.ThisladylivedinanareathatIdonottravelto,butIhadtomakeanexceptionbecauseIjustcan’thandlehearingaboutapetbeingputtosleepwhenIknowmostlikelyitcanbefixedveryeasily.

WhenIarrivedatthehomeImetwiththewomanthatcalledme,herhusband,andhertwoboysweretherealso.Iwasshockedtohearthatthedogwouldnotletanyoneinthehomedealwithhimexceptthewomanthatcalledme.WesatinthekitchenandwhatIsawwasnotanaggressivedogbutratheradogthatwasscaredtodeathofeverything.Theopeningofacabinetwouldsendthisdogrunning.Thisdog’snamewasFletch,andFletchhadaWolfhoundsisternamedFiona.

DuringmymeetingandconversationwiththefamilyFletchremainedoutoftheroombutwherehecouldkeepaneyeonme.FionahoweverwasupinmyfaceanddemonstratingveryrudeandpushybehavioreventhoughIneveracknowledgedherpresenceasIneverdowhenmeetingnewdogs.AtonepointFionabecamesopushythatIstoodupandsentheraway,notwithwordsorcorrectionsbutjustgoodoldfashionbodylanguageandenergy.Fionagotthepictureandwalkedawayandlaiddownlikeawell-behaveddog.

AtthatmomentFletchcameintothekitchenandlaiddownnearmewithoutacareintheworld.AsIwasspeakingtotheownerstheyinterruptedmeandsaid,“Ican’tbelievewhatI’mseeing”.Isaid“whatisthat”?TheyrepliedthatFletchhasneverbeenabletorelaxaroundanyonebuttheladyofthehousebefore.Yousee,whathehadherewasaveryinsecuredog,andadogthatfearedeverything.Fletchhadnofaithinhisleadership.Hisownerslovedhimandhelovedthembutthatsecurityjustwasnotthereforhim.OntopofthatFletchhadasisterthatwasrudeandpushyandwasrunningthehousehold.Bymecominginandtakingoverwithoutanger,excitement,orfear,Fletchhadsomeonethatmadehimfeelalittlemorecomfortable.OnceIstoodupandputFionainherplace,Fletchhadfoundwhathehadneededforalongtime.Atrueleaderthatwaswillingtotakecontrolofeverythingaroundhim.

NowitwastimetogetFletchtoaccepttheotherfamilymembersandlivelifelikeanormaldog.Foralongtimethemanofthehousehadtriedthenormalthingsthatmostpeopledowhentryingtogreetadogorgetadogtobeyourpal.Thehandout,the

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babytalk,andtheuseoftreats.Allofthisisbadwhendealingwithaninsecuredog.Thetrickistogetthedogtowantandaskforyourattention,nottheotherwayaround.

So,thehusband’staskforthatweekwasthis:IgnoreFletch.Fletchnolongerexiststoanyoneinthishome.Therewillbenoeyecontact,therewillbenotalking,andyouwillnotapproachoracknowledgethatFletchiseveninthehome.WhatIdidwantthemanofthehousetodoiswhenFletchiswithineyecontactofhim,justdropsomethingveryappealing,likesteak,orchicken,Fletch’sfavoritetreats,andjustkeepwalkingaway.Don’tlooktoseeifhetakesit.Don’ttrytogethisattention,don’tshowhimwhatyouaredropping.Justcontinuetodothisafewtimesaday.ThiswillcreateapositiveassociationwithoutputtinganypressureonFletch.

WithinacoupleofdaysFletchwaslookingforsomethingtofallfromtheowner.Gettingcloserandmorecurious,thefearhadnowturnedintoanticipation.AtthispointIdidnotallowtheownertopushhimselfonFletch,IwasstillwaitingforFletchtobethepushyonedemandingmorefoodfromthemanjustacoupleofdaysagohewouldnotgonear.WithinoneweekofdoingthisFletchwasgoingonwalkswithJohn,hisownerandlifewasgood.ThisiswhenIstartedworkingwithFletchsowecouldtakehimtothenextlevelasateamwhichwewereabletodoveryeasily.

Thisdogwasjustpurelymisunderstoodandlabeledbypeoplewholacktheknowledgeorabilitytodoanythingaboutit.Fearneedstobetreatedverycarefullyandadogcannotovercomesuchpsychologicalissuesthroughobedienceorcorrections.Ittakesapsychologicalapproachtohealthemind.

AfewmonthslaterIwascontactedbytheownerandaskedifIwouldcomespeaktoagroupofWolfhoundownersandworkwiththeirdogs,manyofwhichwererescueswithissues.Iacceptedtheofferandthatledtomyfavoritedayoftraining.

Iarrivedatmyclient’shousetofindabunchofpeopleand14giantIrishWolfhoundsinthelivingroomtowhereIwouldbegintospeakandanswerquestionsaboutmyphilosophyofdogtraining.Asyoucanimagine,itwasanimpressivesighttoseethesedogsinonehouse.WespokeforawhileandIansweredquestionsabouteverythingdogrelatedbutofcoursebehavioralissueswerethemaintopic.

Oneownerhadalotofquestionsaboutherfemalethatwassupposedlyveryaggressiveandwouldattackfornoreason.First,thereisnosuchthingasfornoreason,thereisalwaysareason.Iaskedwheretheaggressivedogwasandshepointedtotheonlydogsleepingonthefloorinthemiddleofthisgiantpack.Ijustlaughedthinkingtheywerejoking,buttheywereserious.Iexplainedtoallinattendancethatthedogbeingblamedforthesefightswasbynomeansaggressive.Shemaybestartingfightsbutitisnotduetoherbeinganaggressivedog,orthereisnowayshewouldbecrammedintothissmallspaceandfallasleep.

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Manydisputedmyclaim,especiallytheowner.Atthistime,myclientsuggestedthatwegooutsidesoIcouldmaybedemonstratewhatIdowithallthedogsintheyard.Weallhungoutintheyardwatchingthedogsinteractandjustbethemselves.WheneverIspottedsomethingIdidnotlikeIwouldpointitoutandstopthedogthatwascreatingthebehaviorandcontinuetospeak,andwatch,andspeak,andwatch.Yougetthepicture.NothingmajorwashappeningbutwhatIdidnoticewasmostoftheownersjustoblivioustothelittlethingsthatmatter.Thebehaviorandthewaythedogsinteractedwitheachotherandthehandlersbutthisiscommonamongstdogownersandevenmosttrainers.Manyofthesedogsifnotallwererescuesandabigmistakepeoplemakewithrescuedogsisfeelingsorryfortheirpastanddwellingonitinsteadofmovingforwardandprovidingtheleadershipthatalldogsneed.

AsIworkedwithallthedogs,theownerwiththesocalledaggressivefemalecontinuedtodisagreewithmeabouttheaggressionissues.Iinformedherthatsomethingsheisdoingornotdoingiscausingthebadbehaviorinherdog.AssheisgettingmoreannoyedandarguingherpointhertwootherWolfhoundsareveryrudelypushingherfrombehindforherattentionandsheisgivingit.AstheycontinuetopushherhandshecontinuestopetthemasshetalkstomeandnowIamseeingtheproblem.Onceagain,theotherdogs,notthesubjectdogiscreatingleadershipissueswithinthehousehold,butIamnotsayinganything.

Theninafrustratedtone,theargumentativeownertellsmethatallsheknowsisthatwhensheacquiredthefemale,thedogwasinsuchbadshapeshehadtogiveheragreatdealofcareandshecontrolledeverythingaroundthedog.Shedidnotlettheothertwogetawaywithanything.Atthatmoment,Iturnedaroundwithmyeyebrowsraisedlookingatalltheotherownersastheyallletoutalonghaaaaa.Ilookedattheownerandsaidrepeatwhatyoujustsaid.Shelookedatmeandinamorepissedofftonerepeatedwhatshesaid.Atthatmoment,thelightbulbwentoffandshestartedcrying.Shefinallyunderstoodthatherlackofboundariesandleadershipwithhertwootherdogswascausingthefemaletohandlethingsonherown.Itwasabeautifulmoment.

Shortlyafterthatwewereendingourday.Everyonewasthankingmeandseemedsoappreciative.Ireallyfeltblessed.AsIwasleavingjustabouttoexittheyard,Iheardabigfightbreakoutandtheownersscreamingandpanicking.Iranbackinandstartedtryingtofigureoutwhatwasgoingonandseparatingorstoppingdogsfromattackinganythingaroundthem.Inoticedadogthatwasattackedinthefarcorneroftheyardbeingheldandcoddledbytheowners.Itwasayoungdogandwasattackedbadandwasshakinginfearastheownerswerehuggingandtellinghimthatit’sok.Isnatchedthedogfromtheownersandwentbackintothegroupofdogs,literallykickingorpunchinganythingthatcamenearhim.Youcan’tcoddlethisdogfromwhathappenedorthereisagoodchanceitwillcausehimbigproblemsinthefuture,fearbaseaggressionorjustplainoldfearofotherdogs.Itallhappenedsofast,butthepurpose

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herewastoshowthedogthatitdidnotneedtofearanything.Ihadcontrolofhim,myself,andeverydogaroundus.Justasimportantalltheotherdogshadtoseethesamething.Therewerenogrudgeshere,everythingsettleddownatwentbacktonormal.

WhathadhappenedwasthatwhenIwasleaving,thisyoungdogputhisfrontpawsuponthebackofanotherdog.Whenanotheroldermalesawthat,andnoneoftheownersaddressedthatbadbehavior,thedogssteppedinandtookcareofbusinessthemselves.Itisthatsimple.Ifyoudonottakefullleadershipandcontrolinthattypeofsituationthedogswill,anditwillneverbegood.Ifanyoftheownerswouldhavecorrectedtheyoungmalethiswouldnothavehappened,buttobehonestitwasatremendouslearningexperienceforallthatwitnessedit.

IamproudtosaythatrecentlySuzanne,Fletch’sownersentmepicturesofFletchandinformedmethatFletchisnowcompetingandwinningintheshowring.Thesamedogthatthefamilycouldnotbearound.It’sabeautifulthingandIamforevergratefulforSuzanneandJohnforallowingmetobepartofthis.

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LookingbacknowonthatincredibledayIjustrealizedthatallthatprogresswasmadewithoutevergivingacommand.Powerfulstuff.

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HANDSOFF,NOCONFLICT,AGGRESSIONREHABILITATION

WhatisHandsOffNoConflictAggressionRehabilitation?Itisaformofworkingwithdogsthatareextremelyaggressivetowardpeople,andIstarteditbycompleteaccident.

OnedayIshowedupforafirstlessonwithamalemixedbreedthataccordingtotheownerswasveryaggressivetowardpeopleanddogs.Ithasbeenmyexperiencethatpeopleusuallythinkthattheproblemismuchworsethanitreallyisbutinthiscase,itwasbad.TheylivedinabusyapartmentcomplexinNashville,Tennesseewhichmadethesituationevenworsebecausetherewerepeopleanddogseverywhere.WhenIarrived,Isawayoungcoupleexitthecomplexwithadogpullingthemonaleash.Assoonasthedogspottedmefromacrosstheparkinglothewentcrazy,barkingandlungingandtryingtogettome.Thiswasmynewclient.

ItwastoodifficulttotalktotheownerssoIhadthemputthedogawaysowecouldgooverthings.TheownersweredeterminedtodoecollartrainingeventhoughItoldthemIdonotrehabilitateaggressionwiththeecollar.Tobehonest,atthispointIwasjustreallyburntoutfromdealingwithaggressionsoIdecidedtotakeadifferentroute.UsuallyIaddresstheaggressionseparatefromtheobedienceandecollarwork,butnotthistime.

First,asIdowithallclients,Iteachtheuseoftheecollarbyroleplayingwiththeowners.IhavethemholdtheecollarintheirhandandIteachasiftheywerethedogsotheyunderstandthetimingandpropermechanics.ThenoncetheyunderstanditatthatlevelIholdtheecollarandIhavethemworkmeasifIamthedog.ThisworksgreatbecauseIcanfeeliftheyaredoingwhattheyshouldbedoingandifthetimingiscorrect.Also,itallowsmetonotalwayscooperateandteachthemhowtoworkthroughit.Thisallowsthemtomakemistakesonmeandnotthedog.OnceIwascomfortablewiththeirecollaruseIhadthemplacethecollaronthedogbutIheldtheremote.

FirstIhadthemdosomeluringwithfoodandstartedthedogonamarkerwordthatwouldbeusedduringthetraining.Oncethedogcaughtontothatitwastimetostartconditioningthedogtotheecollarandcombiningtheuseoftheecollarwiththemarkingandrewarding.Wedidthiswithmecontrollingtheremotefromasafedistancethatdidnotgetthedogworkedupbymypresence.ThedogdidfantasticandbytheendofthesessionIwasclose,about10yardsawaywithoutthedogwantingtohurtmeandhisfocusontheownerwasgreat.

Theownerscontinuedthetrainingforthatweekuntilwemetoneweeklater.Duringthesecondsession,weworkedontherecallalittlemoreandaddedthesendawayor

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placecommand.Again,thiswasdonebymeverballyinstructingtheownersonwhattodoandagainitwentverysmoothlywithoutthedogevergettingaggressivetowardme.Duringthatsecondweek,theownerscontinuedtoworkonwhatwewentoverandstartedusingtheecollarforallthebasiccommands.

ItwasnotuntilourthirdandfinalsessionthatIintroducedmydogandworkedtheclientdogusingacombinationofBehaviorAdjustmentTrainingandConstructionalAggressionTreatment.BytheendofthesessionIwasgettingwithin5feetofthedogwithmydognexttomeandtheonlyreactionfromtheclient’saggressivedogwaslookingatmyclientwaitingforareward.ThefollowingweekthisdogcametohisfirstgroupclassandIsquatteddownafterafewminutesoflecturewiththisdogcomingtomeforalickandahug.Whatagreatfeeling.Irehabilitatedthisdogwithouteverplacingmyhandsonthisdogandavoidingallconflict.Thebestpartaboutthiswasthatthedogwasnotonlyacceptingtomebutfromthatdayonwasacceptingtoallstrangers,eveninhishome.

Istillworkwithmostlyaggressivedogs.TheonlydifferenceisnowwhenIhaveaseverelypeopleaggressivedog,Iusethishands-offapproacheverytimeandsofar,ithasnotfailedme.ItisalotlessstressonbothmeandthesubjectdogandIloveit.Giveitatry.

FortrainingvideosvisitmyYouTubechannel:

https://www.youtube.com/user/lklenchoorvisitmywebsiteat:

http://www.Pakmasters.com

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THEECOLLARISACELLPHONE

THEPRONGCOLLARISA

STEERINGWHEEL

THECLICKERISABIGFREAKINPARTY

CALLYOURDOGANDSTEERHIM

TOTHEBIGFREAKINPARTY

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Thankyoutoeveryoneinthedogworldthathasinfluencedmeovertheyears.Thankyoutoeveryclientthathasputtheirtrustinmewithsuchahugeresponsibility.Ihavenever taken that lightly. Ihavemadeandkeptbeautiful friendshipswithsomanyofyou.

Thankyoutoallthedogfolksouttherethathavegivenmetremendoussupportoverthe years. I owe you all so much. I never dreamed I would have a voice in thisbeautifulindustry,butbecauseofyouIdo.I'lldomybesttoneverletyoudown.

MostofallImust thankmyfamily.WithoutyouIhavenothing.SophiaandRenzo,beforeIamaSpecialAgent,beforeIamaDogTrainer,Iamyourdad.Thegreatestprivilegeonearth.

Sophia,therearenotenoughwords.Youaremysidekickandthebesthelperanyonecouldeveraskfor.You'realwaystheretonotonlyfilmbutkeepmegrounded.Youradvice and opinion are cherished by me. I know one day you will be famous atwhateveryouchoosetodo.

Tomywife,Stephanie.It issimple.EverythingIhavetodayisbecauseofyou.Youhave sacrificed fromdayone andpushedme to chasemydreamswhile never oncelettingup.YouaresimplythebesthumanbeingIhaveeverknown.THANKYOU

IAMABLESSEDMAN

HappyTrainingEveryone!

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TableofContents

CONDITIONINGTHEDOGTOTHEECOLLAR 7INTERMITTENTPHASE 11MAINTENANCEPHASE 13THEREISNOSUCHTHINGASANECOLLARHEEL 14APPLYINGTHEECOLLARINREALWORLDBEHAVIORPROBLEMS 15

KEESEYTHEHUMANAGGRESSIVEPITBULLMIX 16BANETHEROTTWEILER 18MYWORSTFIRSTLESSON 22ECOLLARTRAININGFORFEARFULDOGS 24ACTOFGODCORRECTIONS 25TEACHINGCLIENTSPROPERECOLLARUSE 26ANSWERSTOCOMMONECOLLARQUESTIONS 27MAKINGGOODCONTACTWITHTHEECOLLAR 31CONDITIONINGTHEDOGINBUSYPLACES 32FIXINGADOGTHATHASBEENTHROUGHBADECOLLARTRAINING 33

USINGTHEECOLLARFORADVANCEDOBEDIENCE 36AFEWQUICKREMINDERTIPS 37TRAININGTIPSFORANYTYPEOFTRAINING 38MYOVERALLSUMMARY 40FORALLTRAINERS 42BONUSMATERIAL! 44

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