Teaching your dog to be comfortable with restraint is an important life skill for them that can be very helpful, especially in an emergency. The goal is to slowly work up to the point where your dog is comfortable with you holding them against your body. This is a great Read More
When playing with your dog it is helpful to remember that play derives from our dog’s desire to chase and hunt things. This means when you are playing with your dog with a toy you want to move the toy so it behaves like it’s trying to get away from Read More
Give Me A Break is a game you play with your dog where you purposely disengage from them and wait for your dog to find you and reengage. How they reengage may look different with different dogs, but basically you are looking for your dog to be searching for your Read More
A default behavior is a behavior you and your dog choose (usually sit or down) as a way for your dog to politely communicate with you a request for something they want such as going outside, saying hello to a person, or a special toy you need to get for Read More
A ‘whiplash turn’ teaches our dogs to automatically turn towards us quickly. Over time the distractions out in the world become the cue for your dog to turn back to you with their whiplash turn. Some examples of the “distractions” include the door to go outside, at the top of Read More
We teach our dogs a release word to let them know that they can get up from whatever position we left them waiting in. You can make your release word anything you want. At BlueDog, we recommend that you use the word ‘free’ but you can get creative if you Read More
Teaching our dogs to follow us as we walk backwards (and then pivot) is one of the beginning steps for training loose leash walking. Additionally, having your dog understanding to walk towards you as you walk backwards can be a useful tool for getting your dog to move from the Read More
Stationing is sending your dog to a visual target such as a mat or dog bed and having them stay there until they are released. How to Teach: Start by building value for the station. Load some treats in your hand. Toss a treat, while your dog is getting the Read More