Tag: Dog Training
Invisible Fence for Dogs: Good, Bad or Ugly? Lots of people ask for an opinion about invisible fence for dogs and the system. Do they work, are they necessary, will they make a dog aggressive? If you’ve been following this blog for any length of time, you are already familiar with my general stance that it is never so much about the tool as it is about the person doing the training. As the old saying goes “It’s the fool, […]
Understanding Dog Behavior A couple months back I shared some of my sentiments on training with a remote collar and speculated what my dog’s might say if given a choice in the matter of training tools. Then I posed a question that caused a bit of a stir. That April blog post received over 100 comments and a lot of emotional feedback. It gave birth to the idea that I wanted more input from other dog owners who have trained […]
Effective Dog Training Methods How do you define effective dog training methods? I know in the professional world we often get caught up in the scientific discussions of punishment and reinforcement and what constitutes effective use of each. That path of discussion can often lead to heated opinions of the necessity of punishment and for me that brings up the topic of the versatility of a remote collars. Are they only a tool of punishment as some assert? More importantly, […]
To our dog loving friends across the globe; Our wish for you is to enjoy a long and happy life with your dog. Our wish for your four-legged companion is to know the joy of running with abandon (while still returning safely when called). 🙂 To all of our working dogs handlers and partners, thank you and stay safe. As we approach the end of another year, keep training and always challenge yourself to learn more. My gratitude to those […]
Shock Collar Trainers: The Truth! It is time, my pretties, for the truth. The TRUTH. That some have been dying to hear! My confession. The “Shock Jock” does exist!!!…the transformation occurs with each full moon….but the fullest revelation comes each Hallow’s Eve when the witch electrifies her beasties with the mighty wand. Beware, to go further reveals the terrifying truth… Behold the horror of pain, fear and intimidation…so much juice that the learned helplessness of my darlings’ is unmistakable! (please […]
A remote collar is not magic. I say that just about every time I meet with someone for a dog training evaluation. And then I explain what it can do for enhancing the dog and owner relationship if used properly. The key being, it must be used with knowledge. Electronic collars are not one of those tools that someone can purchase and “do it yourself”. At least most people will not be successful because the commonly held perception is that […]
Linda C. of Lincoln Park, Michigan shares her story of how her dog Lexie (before training with Michael Burkey, a Michigan Professional Dog Trainer) use to jump up to greet people and cause injuries. Her sister had received bloody noses and she had her lip split by Lexie’s friendly but overly excited greetings. Previously, Linda had tried to teach Lexie to sit instead of jumping up by using only food treats (positive reinforcement). However, this was unsuccessful due to
Dog Training with Positive Reinforcement: Reconsidering the Methods The following letter was sent to me from Kaat (pictured above with her dogs, including Blooper) after we exchanged e-mails discussing dog training with positive reinforcement. The main focus of our discussions were some of the petitions to ban e-collars and a video clip I have on YouTube that demonstrates using a remote training collar to work with a dog that is having aggression issues. I’m posting the e-mail in it’s entirety because […]
Those are the actual words MacKenzie spoke about 15 minutes into our first lesson with her Labrador Retriever pup, Jasper, early Friday morning. In the discussion that followed
“Just as with any product that sounds too good to be true, I was at first skeptical about remote collar training. When my dog began to