Success Tips

Get the most benefit from The Basics, Plus course by following these tips.

Training Tips

How well your dog learns depends on how well they are taught. Click through the slide show (orange boxes or arrows) for tips to become an outstanding teacher!

Be Consistent

It's hard enough to communicate clearly with other people when words have different meanings. If humans struggle to communicate with language, imagine what it's like for a dog who isn't even a verbal species!

It doesn't matter what word(s) you use. Dogs all over the world learn in different languages. Make up your own language, if you want! It only matters that the same word(s) mean the same thing every single time.

Examples:

Down can't mean 'lay on the floor' sometimes and 'get off the furniture' other times. Down can only mean one thing. Off is good for telling your dog to get off the furniture (or you).

Come can't mean both walk with me and come to me. Let's go is a good one for telling your dog you're walking together.

"Training often fails because we expect way too much of the animal and way too little of ourselves"

- Bob Bailey

Read Everything

There isn't enough time in class to talk about everything, so we have packed tons of useful information in the weekly guides and articles. None of it is frivolous.

Show Up

There are only 6 classes. Miss one, miss a LOT. Unless it cannot be avoided, come to every class. If your dog is sick and can't come, you can come without them so you don't miss any instruction.

Practice!

Schedule a few minutes a day to practice with your dog. It only takes 5-15 minutes a day to train your dog well. If you don't have 5-15 minutes a day to spend with your dog, why do you have one?

Sense of Humor!

Bring your sense of humor and leave your ego at home. Dogs will be dogs just like kids will be kids. They will NOT be perfect and they WILL do something to embarrass you. Laugh about it and move on!