Smart Dogs K9 Training

Whistle Recall

Join us to learn how to layer over a whistle on your recall. I decided to try this with our youngest dog, so you will see some practice with us and what we’ve accomplished in two short sessions. Whistles are a great option for recalls for those of us who don’t have very loud voicesContinue reading “Whistle Recall”

Say It Once! Always?

This is something you will hear a lot when training dogs. Only ask the dog once, for a known command, and if they don’t do it, follow through. So, essentially, if I say SIT, and the dog doesn’t sit, it’s either physical placement or a correction that follows. I get the premise behind it. We’dContinue reading “Say It Once! Always?”

What Attracts You?

I often wonder this. What attracts people to the particular breed or mix that they get. It’s a typical question I ask during many private sessions, especially with puppies. The answers vary from someone liking the look of the dog, to someone knowing someone with the same breed and they loved it, to the lesserContinue reading “What Attracts You?”

Dog Training Classes and What Ours Are All About

I love dog training classes – teaching them and going to them. I’ve taken multiple dogs through multiple (I can’t even count how many) classes over the course of my lifetime. I’ve taken some good classes, some mediocre classes and some great classes. I still take classes now, and have run the newest dog throughContinue reading “Dog Training Classes and What Ours Are All About”

Basic Dog Obedience Class

Still some spots left in our January Basic Obedience Classes in Milton, Ontario .Contact us to register your dog for training. If you take no other class, this is the one to take. Learn all the basics plus so much more and build a better relationship with your dog. Our classes are small, fun, entertainingContinue reading “Basic Dog Obedience Class”

Be Responsible and Respectful

There was a dead rotting skunk, 50 meters or so from where we played ball.The ball was more motivating than the skunk … for the time being.But every now and then she’d get a whiff and veer off course.You could see it in the way she scented the air.If that skunk had been alive, IContinue reading “Be Responsible and Respectful”

Puppy Classes

… and why I don’t like them. Or something like that. Don’t get me wrong, I love training puppies. Puppies are awesome little sponges that are a blast to work with, so fun, so innocent and in general, just hilarious. But I’m not a fan of puppy classes. I’m not a fan even though IContinue reading “Puppy Classes”

A Discussion on Place

I like the place command. I teach it, I used it, I do believe it is practical in certain situations. But I use it for seconds or minutes, rather than hours on end. For things like answering the front door, when guests come in, eating a meal, taking boiling water from one side of theContinue reading “A Discussion on Place”

Find It – End Game

In this final stage we have incorporated a toy, specifically a Kong. You do not have to move to this stage if you do not have a toy motivated dog. However, Kongs give us the option of adding food inside of them, which can help both the motivation for the toy and the ability toContinue reading “Find It – End Game”

Find It Step Four

In this stage we are making hides more challenging, requiring the dog to work to make the find, use their nose and their independent skills. Here we can also start to transfer to a toy – I love Kongs for this as you can fill the Kong with food for a stronger scent and highContinue reading “Find It Step Four”