A new client brings her dog into my center and begins describing her dog’s problem behavior.

“He is constantly getting into things,” she says. “He sits at the window, waiting for any movement outside and then he’ll bark like crazy. When he goes into that mode, he doesn’t even hear me calling his name”

I nod in acknowledgment of her frustration.

“If he wants my attention, he’ll just start barking at me, and when I tell him ‘NO!’, he just barks more.”

“I see,” I reply. “How much exercise does he get regularly?”

“Well he spends time out in our yard every day.”

“What about walks?” I ask, “Do you ever engage with him in exercise so you can challenge him mentally and physically?”

“Well, we probably don’t walk him as much as we should”. . . . . . .

Which means “No.”

Believe it or not this is a very common scenario at our center. The dog in question was a young, healthy hound mix, with a med-high level of energy. The woman was looking for a training method to eliminate these behaviors. “Just do this, and he’ll never act that way again.”

I had to inform her that what she was dealing with was not a training issue, it was a fulfillment issue. Ask any high energy level human how they would feel if they were forced to sit still for a couple days, with no physical activity, and without being able to leave the house. Most would tell you that they would become very agitated. In fact, they would probably become physically uncomfortable as their energy became more and more pent-up, and their body began looking for ways to release it. It is not a good feeling, and would not be a happy individual.

Now imagine how your high-energy dog feels when he’s been stuck in the house all week. I’ll bet he’s literally crawling in his own skin, and its no wonder he’s getting into trouble as he desperately looks for ways to release his energy.

I have three dogs, but the one who is most often in the public eye is Lobo, my 2 1/2 year old Belgian Malinois (belgian shepherd). He is not a German Shepherd, although he looks similar. Most Malinois have significantly higher levels of energy than the average German Shepherd. Lobo is a very high-energy dog. People meet him and are always impressed. He has a great energy, he is stable and balanced. He holds down positions while I wrangle with aggressive dogs and doesn’t bat an eye. However, I’m always amazed at one thing: Many people see his behavior and say “Well, that’s just because he is shepherd.”

No.

Anyone who knows me and Lobo, also knows the amount of work that I do with him every day. Sometimes I’m tired, but I know that I am his steward, and he is my best friend. He does so much for me, the least I can do is keep him fulfilled. . . .

It’s Wednesday, April 18th, 7:00am

While I make coffee and eat breakfast, Lobo is on the treadmill. He does a steady 5 mph with no leash. He completes about 2 miles in just under a half hour. Then he gets a chance to go outside and slow his breathing before he eats his breakfast. Then we get ready to head down to the center.

8:30 am

We stop at a park that’s right around the corner from the training center. The treadmill is a good start, but Lobo doesn’t get to really run full boar on the treadmill. Lobo needs a chance at least once a day to really let loose!

The ‘Chuckit’ ball tosser provides the perfect solution. Lobo has a very intense ball drive. This is also why off-leash training is so valuable. Here we are, just outside of downtown Buffalo, and right next to the I190, but I can trust my dogs 100% off leash. After about 20 min of intense running, mingled with obedience exercises, we pack up and head to the center to check in on my staff, and get organized for the day.

10:00 am

Lobo and I meet one of my clients at the waterfront to help her learn how to walk her troublesome Olde English Bulldog past other dogs. Here Lobo did a lot of walking, and a lot of holding down positions while I gave instruction.

11:00 am

Lobo and I are back at the center working with the pack. Lobo is great at helping dogs become social. He’ll spend a good hour out here in the yard interacting with dogs.

And that’s just what happens before noon!

As the day wears on, Lobo helps me with various other appointments, and does a lot of pack work. Later in the evening, we do some more play and training with just the two of us.

9:00 pm

Lobo is able to settle down and chew a bone at home. He’s not exhausted, but he’s content. Believe it or not, without that much exercise, he would still be very antsy, pacing around the house and over all being kinda annoying. It’s not his fault, without exercise it is obvious that he is physically and mentally uncomfortable.

In short, Lobo is not balanced and well-behaved because he is ‘a Shepherd’. He is balanced and well-behaved because he is fulfilled. His life is enriched through exercise, discipline, structure, and fun. He has a job, and his life has purpose.

This is what it takes to own a high-energy dog. For some it is a dream come true, for others, a nightmare.

Before you bring a dog home, consider that dog’s needs. Pay close attention to their energy level. What will it take to keep that dog balanced. Many of the behavior problems that I see are simply the result of the dog being higher energy than the owner.

If your dog is displaying problem behavior around the house, ask yourself: Have I fulfilled my dog’s needs today?

Helping rescue organizations to rehabilitate difficult dogs is one of the many things I do to keep myself sane. With all the chaos of running a business, sometimes it’s easy to lose track of what’s important.

Kristy, the director of Buffalo Paws and Claws Animal Rescue, brought me a dog named Tobin, a shepherd mix, a few months ago because he was displaying some pretty serious food aggression.

Kristy and I worked together over a few sessions so I could give her some strategies to overcome this problem. The aggression however, proved to be too much for her to handle on her own, and she was growing increasingly afraid of Tobin. If Tobin couldn’t be rehabilitated, there was no way Kristy could safely adopt him out, so failure was not an option.

Together, we decided that it was best to enroll Tobin in my Boot Camp program.

Under the supervision of myself and my staff, Tobin turned into a model student. In fact, while he was here, he even helped us train other dogs.

Tobin, looking proud while he acts as a distraction for Lucy and her human (background)

At the end of a two week bootcamp, Tobin was showing no signs of aggression and, as the stars aligned, there was a human ready and waiting to adopt him.

I told Kristy that on the adoption day I would meet her and Tobin out at the new adopter’s home so I could show her the exercises that we had been working on, to ensure a smooth transition into her home. Everyone agreed, and as a team we were ready for Tobin’s big day.

I arrived at Tobin’s new home at 3:00 Friday afternoon, it was a gorgeous sunny day; the perfect day for an adoption. I peeked into the backyard and saw Kristy and Theresa, Tobin’s new mom. Tobin saw me and began dancing around on his hind legs, as if he was saying “Thank you!”. I looked around the yard, and was blown away. Tobin literally hit the Jackpot. Theresa’s home was equipped with a giant yard enclosed by a picket fence, a waterfall, a pool, beautiful landscaping, and Tobin even had his own dog house. Once we were all there Tobin began sprinting around the yard at top speed with a smile on his face that I had never seen. I took one look at him and said “He’s happy because he finally made it home.”

Tobin and Theresa, home at last.

We brought Tobin inside, and prepared some food for him. I briefly demonstrated for Theresa the exercises that we used to help him overcome come his food aggression, using a balance of reward and correction. I explained that he had a lot of rehearsal in the past of being successful with acts of aggression, and although he was doing great, I wanted him to have more rehearsal of doing it the right way before he could be completely trusted around food. Theresa understood, went through all the exercises like a pro, and Tobin showed nothing but his gentle side. Kristy was blown away with the progress in just two weeks, as the last time she saw, he was snarling and biting if you came anywhere near him while eating.

Sometimes owning a business can wear you down, it’s easy to lose track of yourself. I am so proud of Tobin. I left Theresa’s house with a giant grin, grateful that I was able to be a part of Tobin’s life. These are the days that drive me. Thank you Tobin for breathing life into me. 

Last week I had the pleasure of hosting a couple professional trainers at my center to offer them some education and insight on some of the training programs I offer, and some of the concepts that I have been developing.

Let me just start by saying how overwhelmed I am with the success of my training philosophy. When I founded K9 Connection nearly 5 years ago, I had in mind a simple, common sense approach to training. At that time I never would have thought that the simplicity of my approach would have created such a buzz.

Now at 28 years old I am humbled that professionals from around the country are seeking me out to help them improve their techniques, and the services that they offer to their clients. In my mind, what I am offering is still just a common sense way to improve our communication and relationships with our dogs.

That being said, last week myself and my staff were honored to have Jeff Gellman of Solid K9 Training in Rhode Island, and Sean O’Shea of The Good Dog Training and Rehabilitation in LA come to visit for a very fun and informative couple of days.

Sean and Jeff at my training center while we give all our dogs a bathroom break.

One of the topics that I was able to teach was a concept of leash work that goes beyond the typical leash correction. I call this “Conversational Leash Work” because it involves not only us as the humans using the leash to guide the dog and tell them things, but it provides a framework for using the leash to feel the dog and “listen” to them in a sense, and then respond. In fact, when done properly, there is very little “correcting” in the traditional yank and crank sense. The idea is to use very subtle pressure on the leash to give the dog information, and a very active release of that pressure to respond to him and tell him that he is making a good choice. Personally I love this type of leash work because when practicing it I feel connected to the dog in a way that is particularly unique. In all my years of dog training, I have not experienced a technique that works as fast and as universally to establish trust and respect with a dog.

The following video is a very rare glimpse into the private demonstration that I provided for Jeff and Sean. The dog Jack, is a foster who I just met, and who had no previous training. You can hear Jeff and Sean’s commentary in the background. Some of the information may be too advanced for some folks, but it is too good to edit out. I should also note that this is the first time Jack has ever worn a prong collar, and this video demonstrates how prong collars can be used in very gentle ways.

Incidentally, Jack was brought to me because he was showing aggression to other dogs. In fact, he couldn’t even be within sight of them while out on walks without starting to lunge and bark. Here is a picture taken the day after we shot the video. Within one day of my leash work program, Jack showed tremendous improvement.

Jack in the foreground with his foster mom, Sean O'Shea and Josh Moran helping out with some dogs from our pack.

About 15 minutes after this photo was taken, we were able to socialize Jack, off leash, with a group of 6 stable dogs from our pack. The rapport, trust, and respect that was created through the leash work is what facilitated the whole chain of events.  

The idea of conversational leash work involves a lot of give and take. The goal is develop a sensitivity with the dog whereby the more he knows you are sensitive and aware of him, the more sensitive and aware of you he becomes in return.
This is a cooperative approach to dog training that aims at establishing a high level of mutual trust and respect very early on. The end result is a dog who works with you because he enjoys the process, and any external rewards and consequences serve simply to amplify that foundational relationship.

The quote in the beginning of the video is taken from Chad Mackin’s article: Relationship: The Hidden Motivator, you can view that article Here

I truly feel that work like this is the future of pet dog training, and Dogmanship.