Thanks for visiting our Training Page!  We hope you like what you see and decide to become part of our Training family.  Training never ends at the completion of any program.  K9 Tailshakers offers maintenance classes, study hall and Alumni options and we love hosting fun events geared just for our clients to keep them actively involved in training all while having fun!   

​

While K9 Tailshakers understands various methods of Training, we feel the Balanced approach with repetition and consistency are the best ways to help clients communicate with their dogs. Balanced is being able to communicate to your dog "Yes" I like that and "No" I don't like that. We also focus on educating the client on having healthy relationships with their dogs through a balanced amount of love and structure.

 

To begin teaching a dog what we want, we either use food to lure the dog into the position and/or use a modeling technique by simply manipulating the dog into the position with our hands and/or leash and collar if you do not want to use food.

 

To reward the dog for doing what we want, we use food, and/or play and praise if we do not want to use food. Once the dog has demonstrated that they understand what we are asking, then can we begin holding them accountable by applying correction in the form of a simple collar correction and withholding the reward.

 

While using these techniques, it is important to remain consistent. For example, do not tell your dog to lay down, if you are not in a position to follow through if they choose to ignore you. Each time your do not follow through, you are teaching your dog they do not need to listen, there is no consequence.

 

Repetition is also important when teaching. For example: Each day when you put on your shoes or grab your keys, your dog already knows you are leaving. You did not teach him that, it is just something that you repeated every single day, sometimes multiple times a day. Many people feed their dog a cookie after they potty so now when you let your dog in he/she runs right to the cookie jar. Why? Because you did that every single day multiple times a day.

 

Just imagine if you put that much effort in being consistent, every single day with training, how quickly your dog could be trained! IT'S THAT SIMPLE! Instead of just giving them a cookie every time they come in, make them sit at the door every time before they go out. Soon your dog will be sitting every time you open the door instead of bolting out the door.

 

Happy Training!

​