This video shows Drake, a Pit Bull mix who displayed aggression towards other dogs. Recently when his owner moved back with her family, he attacked one of the other dogs in the house causing severe damage. Drake had been to others trainers with no success. This footage chronicles Drakes rehabilitation. All footage was taken within less than 1 month.
Wood Chuck Ball Tosser
Lobo and I trying out our new Wood Chuck ball thrower. Looks like he gives it the seal of approval! I really like the Wood Chuck because not only does it work great, but it is made from eco-friendly materials as well.
You can purchase a Wood Chuck at our online store, Equip Your K9.
Playing and Training with Apollo the Doberman
This is the beginning of week 2 of a "Boot Camp" dog training program with Apollo the Doberman. I am using my own Dog Lobo, a Belgian Malinois, to help provide distraction and Apollo works on downs.
Contact us for your free, no obligation evaluation.
6 Month Old Rottweiler Brothers Learn Some Manners
This is some before and after footage of 2 young Rottweiler pups that were here for our 6 day 'Jumpstart' Boot Camp program.
2011 WNY Home and Garden Expo Highlights
Some highlights from the 2011 WNY Home and Garden Expo at the Hamburg Fairgrounds.
Contact us for your free, no obligation evaluation.
Fear of Hard Floors
Harley is a 10 yr old lab who has been petrified of hard floors for 7 years. Until now he has been isolated to standing on small carpets that were placed throughout the house.
This is Harley's second session with K9 Connection. No special collars were used for training, and no dog treats were given until after this video was shot as a reward for a job well done.
We do not nurture fear at K9 Connection. Calm leadership has set Harley free.
Contact us for your free, no obligation evaluation.
Small Dog Training - Off Leash Obedience
K9 Connection Dog Training client Marcy with her two shih tzu's Yankee and Dodger, making the transition to off leash obedience with the distraction of other dogs and people during one of our weekly group classes.
It is expected at K9 Connection classes that you will gain control of your dog both on and off leash, regardless of distractions.
Dog Training in Public
Tyler Muto of K9 Connection Dog Training and his dog Roscoe working on some obedience outside of Panera Bread on Niagara Falls Boulevard in Buffalo, NY.
If you want your dog to listen anywhere, you have to train everywhere!
Using Your Environment
This video shows Tyler Muto and his 2 yr old Malinois Roscoe using barriers in the environment to proof obedience exercises.
Puppy Training - Teaching the 'Stay'
Madison, a 5 month old Havanese, and her owner, working with Tyler Muto from K9 Connection to fix problems with the 'stay' command.
Rehabilitating Aggression - Part 1
This video shows the beginning stages of how we use low-level electronic collar training to rehabilitate a very aggressive dog. This first part shows Tyler Muto beginning to work with her aggression towards people, and in Part 2 we will show the same method applied to her aggression towards other dogs.
All of the footage was shot in a single session, during one of the free evaluations that K9 Connection provides for our clients. We wanted to show this client some real results before she commits to any of our programs. This is a service we provide to all new clients at K9 Connection Dog Training.
Contact us for your free, no obligation evaluation.
Rehabilitating Aggression - Part 2
This video shows the beginning stages of how we use low-level electronic collar training to rehabilitate a very aggressive dog. This second part shows the application of this method towards dog aggression. Part One showed the beginning staged of the training and the application to human aggression.
All of the footage was shot in a single session, during one of the free evaluations that K9 Connection provides for our clients. We wanted to show this client some real results before she commits to any of our programs. This is a service we provide to all new clients at K9 Connection Dog Training.
Contact us for your free, no obligation evaluation.
Steps for Competition Heeling
Tyler Muto (me) and my 1 yr old Malinois Dante, reviewing the steps used for teaching a dog competition style heeling.
I filmed this for some colleagues on a web forum as part of a discussion on getting a close heel, but I thought that my clients could find it interesting as well.
Dante was a little sloppy on some of the exercises here because we hadn't practiced in a while, so filming this gave him a much needed brush-up.
To be clear, this is not the type of heel you would use to take the dog for a walk, it is taught for ascetic and competition purposes.
Creative Use of a Square
This video shows my 2 year old Malinois Roscoe and I during a training session to help him distinguish between 'heel', 'come', and 'sit'. I use a square board to isolate his movement and give him a target to line up with my body.
K9 Connection Dog Training in Buffalo, NY offers comprehensive dog training and behavior programs to suit any client's needs.
If your dog needs obedience school, or if you are looking for dog training, a dog trainer, or dog trainers in the the Buffalo, NY and WNY area, than K-9 Connection Dog Training is right for you!
We proudly offer dog training services in the following areas: Buffalo, Tonowanda, North Tonowanda, Kenmore, Amherst, East Amherst, Lancaster, Depew, Orchard Park, Hamburg, West Seneca, Niagara Falls, Lewiston, Lakawana, Cheetowaga, East Aurora. . . . In fact, we serve almost all of Erie County! If you don't see your town on here, just call and ask.
Working in Straight Lines
These are the beginning stages of a drill that I will be using for Dante (10 1/2 month Malinois) to help him understand to always work in straight lines regardless of obstacles or distraction. This exercise has many direct application into various dog sports where being able to send your dog away from you is essential. However I also find it very helpful for pet dogs as it will inevitably increase your ability to communicate with and control your dog even at distances.
In general, anytime you can increase the clarity of communication between your dog and yourself it will improve your bond, and increase your overall level of obedience.
10 Month Old Bella Learns Self Control
This video shows 10 month old Bella learning to use self control by staying on a place, even with another dog in the room. With the help of K9 Connection lead dog trainer Josh Moran and his Pit Bull King, she is making excellent progress.
This is Bella's third session of an obedience program at K9 Connection Dog Training in Buffalo, NY.
Practicing Heel Around Distraction
My new 2 yr old Malinois Roscoe and I working on heeling around distraction. I've had Roscoe for about 1 month at this filming. I had the neighborhood boys help with the distraction on their mini-bikes.
The heeling still needs some work (I have to get my left hand moving more naturally next to his head), but I'm pretty proud of were he's at for just under 1 month of hard work!
Beginning Remote Position Changes
This video shows trainer Tyler Muto from K9 Connection Dog Training in Buffalo, NY and his 8 month old Malinois puppy ‘Dante’ beginning an exercise for remote position changes (moving from sit-down-stand, at a distance.) Tyler is using a platform to help keep Dante from creeping forward as he learns how to do this.
The foundation for this work has been done using positive reinforcement and marker training. The prerequisites that the dog needs to know are: All of the individual positions, how to transition those while next to you (sit to down, down to stand etc.) and some variation of a ‘place’ command (keep all four feet on an object). The word “no” or “nope” here is not being used as a correction, but rather as a way to communicate to the dog that he made a mistake and he has to try again.
8-yr old Sarah Trains the Family Dog
One of our K9 Connection Dog Training Clients, Sarah Giansante, is seen here with her young dog 'Munson." I was amazed when I found that Sarah, at 8 1/2 years old had taken over the responsibility of training the family dog. Sarah has done an excellent job of giving consistent leadership and guidance to Munson, so he can develop into a well mannered family companion.
Aggressive Doberman
This is a clip from this past winter of “Lola” a 5 year old aggressive Doberman. Lola’s owner was told that she either had to get rid of her dog, or move, due to the fact that Lola had attempted to attack several dogs in her building. Luckily, she contacted K-9 Connection Dog Training first.
This video was shot durring her free evaluation,and this is the first time that we met the dog. It is our policy at K-9 Connection to always show the effectiveness of whatever training approach we reccommend, before the owner commits to anything. Needless to say, Lola’s owner signed up for training, and we are happy to tell you that only a few months later Lola is now an accepted member of her building!
Thanks to Nancy, Lola’s owner, for all her hard work and commitment to her dog.
Dog Training Around Severe Distractions
This is footage from the recent event we did at Bounce Magic on Niagara Falls Boulevard. Having a dog who listens in the face of real world distraction means you and you family can take them virtually anywhere with you. An environment like this with hundreds of screaming kids in costumes is about as tough as it gets.
Golden Retriever, Afraid of The Car
This clip shows progressions in a behavior modification dog training program for fear based behavior. ‘Bob’ was terrified of the car, and despite all their efforts, his owners could not get him in without excessive force. During the training sessions, we used a ball to motivate the dog to overcome his fear. We also used an electronic training collar to help him stay focused through the fear. Many people think that electronic collars are always used negatively, and will create fear. However, as you can see, with proper guidance, the electronic collar can be a very positive tool, that works to help a dog overcome fear, and become happy and confident.
Dante's Early Protection Training
This is Dante's first bite session after finishing teething at 5 months old. It is also his first time transitioning from a jute or burlap rag to a bite pillow, and first time working around a blind.
The Helper is Marcus Hampton. Marcus is an excellent trainer and decoy. His role in Dante’s early training is crucial for proper development. If you do not have experience training protection dogs, do not try this work yourself. It can be dangerous for the dog, you, and others. Always seek the help of a professional.
Training Position Changes With Gia
This is a video clip showing Tyler Muto and ‘Gia” training position changes (heel, front, under.) This is a typical training session where a specific behavior is chosen and isolated for repetition. There are some minor variations thrown in to keep thing dog from anticipating too much which could cause problems down the line. These variations are important to keep the dog from thinking too much during training. When a dog thinks too much they stop listening to the handler. We always want to make sure that the dog is responding to the commands given, not just performing out of habit.
Fun With a Pit Bull
Seen here is Josh Moran, one of our lead dog trainers with his dog 'King', having some fun in Delaware Park. Josh found King less than one year ago on the side of the road. At that time King was so out of control that he broke the metal hardware on several leashes and harnesses! In a short time Josh has transformed King into a happy, confident and obedient dog, both on leash and off. King is now a true ambassador for his breed, showing that with proper training, Pit Bulls can be excellent companions.
Puppy Obedience
This is a quick video of my new Belgian Malinois puppy ‘Dante’ taken at 10 weeks. He has only been training for about 1 week but you can see that he has already learned quite a bit. Right now Dante and I do our obedience training exercises 3 times a day for about 10 minutes when he gets his meals. He pretty much works for every bit of food that he gets, only occasionally eating out of the bowl if there is some left over. I believe that this helps to instill a very strong work ethic in the dog at a young age.
Dante is being raised to be a working dog, so I am not too concerned with control right now. I just want to start imprinting the meanings of these basic commands. So far we are working on sit, down, stand, heel, and come with food for motivation. Dante has also already begun his Bite-work training with helper Marcus Hampton. We’ll get some video of that too and post it as soon as we can.
Our Clients, Bob and Zoe
This is Bob and his 8 yr old Jack Russell Terrier 'Zoe'. She had no previous training at all at 8 years of age, and was very out of control in the house. Now Bob has complete control of her both on leash and off, and has taught her a few fun tricks too. It has also been a pleasure watching as their bond strengthened dramatically with the training. Zoe is a super happy little dog, who now has the freedom to be just that, a dog! Pardon the shaky footage, it's hard to film and walk!
Free Shaping The 'Place' Command
This is a short clip demonstrating how to do a training exercise called free shaping with markers. Free shaping means that you are progressively marking behaviors that are closer and closer to the end behavior that you are trying to achieve. We use marker training to do this, the most common form of marker training is clicker training, however, I prefer to use my voice. I use the word “yes” in a consistent, happy tone to mark the behaviors that I want. The mark, lets the dog know that a reward is coming, and thus allows us to precisely mark the behavior we want, even if it takes up to a few seconds to get the actual reward to the dog. The most important thing to remember with marker training, is that a reward ALWAYS has to follow the mark, even if you gave the mark accidentally.
In this video I am teaching Dante the ‘Place’ command, which means to have all four feet on an object. Dante has never done the ‘place’ command before nor has he ever done free shaping, so this is an entirely new concept to him. ‘Place’ is a very simple command to teach and for the dog to learn because there are not too many progressions to mark, and it is very black and white: Either you are on the place, or you are off. This is why I chose this exercise to introduce Dante to the game of free shaping, it is easy and fun. I will film more complex free shaping exercises in the future!
All Creatures Animal Hospital Open House
These are a few clips from a recent open house we did at All Creatures Animal Hospital in East Amherst, NY. We showcased several of our dogs and the high degree of training that our unique dog training method is able to accomplish. Most importantly, having a dog who can listen even in the face of severe distractions, like crowds of people, other dogs, and monkeys!
Dante's Morning Workout
Dante at 15 weeks during his morning bitework session. This is his fist time on a harness and tieback. I am very pleased with his intensity and commitment to the bite. I would like to see him barking a little more, but we can work on that more in the future.
The Joy of Off Leash Obedience
This is a clip of me just having some fun with my dog "Gia" in the park. There's nothing better than being able to let your dog off leash to stretch their legs, while still knowing that they will respond when you need them to.
