Training Methods
Boot Camp: Three to four weeks-dog is with me 24-hrs a day in my home. After Boot Camp, private follow up sessions are free for the life of your dog.
1 free phone session for any adopted pet within three-weeks of adoption date.
Dealing With Fearful Dogs
I teach the dog, step-by-step how to deal with the fear instead of avoiding what they are afraid of. If the dog learns how to deal with it, it goes away.
The techniques that I teach are to watch the dog's body language. As it starts to go into being fearful, I stop the fear before it overwhelms the dog. If the dog is not allowed to be in that fearful place consistently, the dog can't practice being fearful. Soon, the fear goes away and the dogs build confidence.
A fearful dog can easily turn into an aggressive dog. Fearful behavior usually gets worse instead of better. However, with a little work, it can be corrected.
Dealing With Aggressive Dogs
Dogs are aggressive to other dogs because the dog forgets or never learned how to act with other PACK members. If you look at a pack of wolves the pack is very stable. There is one boss. Every animal has his or her place. They learn to watch the other PACK members’ body language and eyes. The dogs learn to respect each other. If one dog acts out, one of the other dogs will put in its place. This is done with the understanding that if the pack is not stable or organized, the pack will die.
For the most part, all dogs do want to relate to each other. If your dog is aggressive with other dogs, you may have asked yourself, why? Sometimes when a dog is taken away from the litter too early, they don’t get a chance to socialize with other dogs: Therefore they don’t learn how to interact with each other. Once the animal instinct is taken away, the dog becomes insecure, unstable and aggressive. People raising dogs do not use their body language or eyes. They use their voice. It is better to relate to the dog as an animal, and not as a human. This makes it easier for the dog to understand the commands.
Building trust
There are no bad dogs, just confused owners
"Our new program seeks to educate all types of dogs, puppies and their owners to get what each other truly desires from the relationship, which is simply love and companionship. It's not just about training the dog, it's about building trust and a relationship that will bring many happy memories for both the owner and their dog,"
Leadership
When I go to retrain your dog, I take an 'animal approach' that "gets the dog back to being a dog."
During a typical day, I walk about my ranch-style Menifee property trailed by a pack of eight to ten canines, most of them dog-fighters and people-biters. From the largest, a poufy 5-month-old Chow, to the tiniest, a Chihuahua that weighs 1½ pounds, there is peace in the ranks. I rely on my understanding of dog psychology and ancestry when training all my animals.
Your dog loafs on the lawn with other dogs, seemingly lulled by the trickle of a bird fountain, but I am always supervising them. The reason the group of once-unruly canines is so relaxed, is they have come to recognize me as the leader of the pack, trusting me to keep all the other dogs in line.
I establish myself as the dominant figure within the first five minutes working with your dog. My only physical tool is a piece of rope looped into a leash.
During my 25-plus years of dog training, I have learned to read your dog's body postures, especially ears and tail positions, body alignment, positions of the mouth, back position, and I also watch their feet, which communicates your animal's mental state -- fear, aggression, calm, pleasure. I then respond with my own body language that tells the dog I am in charge and I will take care of it. Remember if the dog trusts me. The dog will follow me. And if the dog will follow me. The dog will listen to me. I want to become one with the animal.
Within the first five minutes of putting a leash on your dog(s), they may get stiff and pin their ears, or they may start to shake. When I see your dog going to that aggressive place, I don't push the dog any further. The idea is to get your dog to stop posturing. And when the dog calms down and realizes I'm not going to hurt him, he'll start responding to my cues and doing what I want them to do. Then I will show you, the owner, how to read your dog's body language and how to respond to your cues.
Trust then respect
I know that my dog training approach is not mainstream. But in many respects, that is also why these methods are so successful. I don't like using rewards to coax good behavior from your dog, because my ultimate goal is to have the animal obey out of respect for you as the leader.
The majority of dog problems, from barking to biting, originate because the owner has failed to establish him or herself as the leader. Once your dog gives you the leadership position, everything else is simple. The dog loves that space. Keep in mind its less work for the dog and less work for you. You and your animal will be in balance.
The only reason your dog takes the lead position is because you are not doing it. I will show you how. It is something you can learn. Your dog is thinking that if he cannot trust you to be a strong leader, then he is going to have to do it. It's easier on your dog for you to be the leader. If you look at a pack of dogs, the dominant dog has a shorter life span and has more stress.
Oftentimes owners have been to two or three other trainers unsuccessfully before finding me.
The most common problem I see is that the owner is feeding into the dog's anti-social behavior by allowing it to demand to be petted and only obey when he or she wants to. In the dog's mind, they perceive themselves as the one in control and really do not have a master. It's not a good place for your dog to be.
Some of the dogs I have worked with, that were so people and dog aggressive that they could not be out in the world, now are therapy dog, visiting children's hospitals and senior homes. Recently one of the dogs in boot camp, which was child aggressive, accompanied young athletes in the Special Olympics. He learned to walk with and around wheelchairs, can be poked in the face, have his ears played with and he doesn't get aggressive.
