What to Expect

We understand that you want what’s best for your dog, and we want to help you get there in the most efficient way. 

If your dog have any training or behavior problems, 

This is your Opportunity to change how you engage your dog. For The Biggest Impact. When you Learn How to do BIG THINGS HAPPEN. 

 Its Called  Simple Commination. 

We help understand what that is, So you Can STOP DOING IT,

STOP SENDING CONFUSING MESSAGES TO YOUR DOG. 

All of our sessions are made to be informative and fun, even if we’re working on tough behavior challenges, we make this to be as comfortable as possible for you and your dog. 

You are not a failure if you admit you need help with your REACTIVE  rambunctious, rude, shy, or wiz kid dog.  That’s our job!  

We tailor our sessions to suit every personality!

Foundational principle  

The foundation to a happy dog is a healthy relationship between dog and owner. This  might seem obvious, but understanding how dogs think is key. Because dogs are pack  animals, their nature is to assert themselves in the pack and make decisions about possession,  protection and ranking. As the human, you need to communicate to the dog that you are in  charge and that you "know better" such that they are relieved of the difficult decisions. 

Dogs  that are insecure with their "place in the pack" will exhibit inappropriate behaviors.

 Dogs that  know what is expected of them and understand that you make the decisions will be more  relaxed and better behave. 

Most of my clients come to me because they have a fearful or aggressive dog. And they  don’t know why. Many of them feel frustrated, confused, or defeated, because they don’t  know how to connect (or communicate effectively) with their dog. I will be highlighting ways  in which to communicate with your dog on dog-level. 

Many owners, I find, want to  treat their dog like a human member of the family. Dogs are a part of the family, but it is  important to connect with your dog on their level and not expect them to be on your human  level, this sets an unrealistic and unfair expectation for your dog that can lead to a lot of  miscommunication, and bad behaviors. Sending mixed messages to your dog It's very confusing to them. 

It takes 3 things to make a Good Dog.

80% is Exercise, Keep them Tired, When Training. 

Proper Communication Between Owner and Dog, 

SIMPLE COMMUNICATION is Key.

Proper Corrections when needed. 

That's It……..

Terms Used for Describing Behavior Modification 

“Good Bank, Bad Bank.”  

This is a metaphor to explain positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement.  Because your dog is a pack animal, it is always evaluating its place in the pack. 

You are  the Alpha, so it is looking to you for where it belongs in the ranking. If you (The Alpha) are  letting the dog make all of the decisions, (allowing it to come to you on its schedule not  yours) i.e. poor recall, petting or praising it when IT initiates contact, not when you initiate contact,  then you are giving up your place of Alpha and letting the dog be in charge.  

This is  very stressful for the dog and pays into its "Bad Bank". 

 Or - to put it simply – Bad Bank is a  bad choice or rewarding bad behavior. Bad Bank can happen when you are showering the  dog with praise when the dog has not done anything.

Good Bank is a good choice for using  praise for payment. Good Bank is all about giving affection only when it is earned. As an  owner you can ask the dog to do a task before rewarding her. 

“Inappropriate affection” 

This relates to Good Bank, Bad Bank.

Inappropriate affection is any affection that is not  earned.

Like we said in Good Bank, Bad Bank, a dog must be given a task before it is  rewarded. 

Changing our own behavior – and stopping inappropriate affection – is a very  

effective way to change the behavior of your dog because your dog starts to understand that  your expectations of it are important.

It will be more motivated to please you and  behave appropriately which is the goal.

The more you understand this the easier it is on the dog it lessens the need for Corrections make this part of it black and white as possible!

“Active ignoring” 

Any time a dog tries to initiate a conversation with you, you don’t engage. You only  engage the dog on your terms. This is really hard to do, but important. Your dog may come  up to you wanting to interact, and your instinct may be to interact. This will help reinforce  your dog's understanding that it needs to please you and that you are in charge of the  interactions. 

But to change behavior without shocking, this is what is necessary – even if it  doesn’t feel good. 

Active ignoring reinforces the rank of the dog, and helps it understand that  they are living in your world and must play by your rules.

Active ignoring also helps  develop trust, so your dog is not constantly reliant on you for love and attention. Over time it  will help the dog develop confidence and independence.  

“Umbilical cord” 

This is a toxic connection between you and your dog. We need to sever the toxic  connection or that umbilical cord in order to see your dog’s true personality. Right now, your  dog is confused by the job it thinks it has – which, for example, might be protecting you. If  we break this current connection, a weight is lifted off your dog. The dog’s life has now  become simpler, and she can be more open to engage in exercise and play. 

If you find that  your dog is hiding behind you, or barking or snapping when someone or another dog comes  close, you are seeing the toxic umbilical cord at work. The dog is showing you that you are a  possession in need of protecting and this can be dangerous for you, your dog, and anyone  who comes too close. (We use a term, called invisible Circle)

it could be 2 ft it could be 30 ft anybody or dog comes into the circle it could be a problem!

(The invisible Circle) 

“Dog poker” 

When you make these changes in your communications with your dog, it opens up the  door for a game of dog poker. Your dog thinks it’s a professional poker player now and may  try to manipulate or test you. 

All dogs are different and this could not happen at all or it  

could be done to an extreme. This can look like not eating for as much as 2 days, sitting in a  corner, not looking at you, seeming depressed or angry, or generally lashing out in ways that  you have never seen.

Your job is to ignore this behavior and go about your day as if nothing  has changed. This behavior is unpredictable. In a game of dog poker, if the owner gives in,  you end up taking 10 steps backward. We have to be strong. 

“Dog battery”  

This is the energy level of your dog. We want the battery of your dog to be between 10  and 60% at all times. If the dog’s battery gets to 70% and above, they tend not to listen or  take direction. They will have a harder time comprehending you. So, we want to keep the  dog battery in that sweet spot – exercising the dog twice a day is one way to do that. When  your dog has not been exercised, they are preoccupied with how energized they are and will  likely be unable to sit still and learn.  

9 Tips for Effective and Lasting Behavior Modification  Do not submit to your dog. 

This is the cardinal rule and you’ll see that the other tips stem from this. I am going to  share a number of specific ways not to submit to your dog, but the main point here is that we  want you to become the alpha. The reason why you have trouble with your dog, You have submitted to them SO much and given the Dog  the power, your  dog has taken possession of you and you need to take control of the reins again to get to a  healthier spot. We want to do this without the use of shocking or any extreme negative  interactions. 

The more you make these steps black and white the easier it is on the dog. 

It will Lessen the need for Corrections, this is so important you understand this,

and it is not for the lifetime of the dog, this is just temporary but we get the reins back, and get the dog under control. 

This tends to look like giving unearned affection – or what we would call inappropriate  affection – to your dog. 

Inappropriate affection could be as simple as eye-contact or looking  at your dog or giving verbal or physical praise when they have not earned it. It’s anything  that gives your dog positive energy from you that is not earned by them. 

Submitting to your dog can also look like allowing your dog on the bed or the couch,  letting your dog walk in front of you.

 These are all  ways that you might be giving up control to your dog. 

2) Do not allow your dog on the Bed or the Couch 

When the dog is on the bed or the couch, they have the feeling of being an equal to  you. The physical position gives them superiority over you and lowers your status. This  sounds like a simple thing, but it is truly the core of what we are trying to change. I am not  saying this has to be done for all dogs, but if you have a dog with behavioral problems this is  what we do to change it. So, here’s how you make this change, and ask them to get off the  couch or bed: 

◦ I recommend that you get 3 to half a dozen squirt water bottles. You want  water bottles on either side of the couch or the bed. Because this is new, you  want to give the dog ample warning. You’ll ask the dog to get off the bed or the  couch. If the dog is persistent about staying on the bed or couch, the first squirt  of water goes into the shoulder. If the dog is still persisting, the next squirts of  water go into the neck, mouth, nose, and face. If the dog is still being persistent,

you can physically take him off the couch or the bed. 

◦ All dogs are different. Some dogs will respond to the water willingly,  others will not. If you stay strong with this method, you will start seeing  behavior changes in your dog right away – likely within the first 24-48 hours. 

Sometimes, the behavior change is positive and what you were hoping to see to begin with.

Your dog could try to push  back on the changes you are making. I often see this come across stronger with female dogs. But both may totally ignore you, show signs of depression or Give you Dirty Looks, choose not to eat for a couple of days. They could dig something up or chew something up that they've never done before.

Remember: this won’t feel good, but you can’t play into it. If you give in to the dog at this point in the process it will make us all take 10 steps backwards, it is no time to submit. you are not hurting the dog you are changing Behavior now, this is what's going to help your Dog. And lessen the need for Corrections.

Continue to hold your ground  and keep them off the bed or couch. And continue to do the steps. It’s up to the dog how long dog poker lasts. It could go on for hours, days, or weeks. 

Dog poker will not last for the rest of your  lives, the dog will eventually give in, and allow you to gain the alpha position and  keep it. 

3) Do not let your dog claim the space around you 

Allowing that dog to claim the space is feeding into the inappropriate behavior. If  something invades that space, it could be 2' or 30' your dog could feel threatened itself or it may feel it needs to  protect you. More likely the second.  We call it,(The Invisible Circle).

What does this inappropriate behavior look like? 

It  could be rushing, lunging, barking, or biting. 

Regardless of why the dog is doing it, this is a job that doesn’t need to be done.