board training

Montreal and Vaudreuil Dog Training

A Collection of video clips of recent in kennel dog training graduates

In-kennel dog training is a popular option for those seeking comprehensive and effective training solutions.

Understanding In-Kennel Dog Training:

In-kennel dog training, also known as board-and-train or residential training, is one fo family K9’s most popular services along with one on one lessons at your home or at the kennel as well.

During the in kennel program, your dog resides at the kennel receiving intensive training tailored to its individual needs.

Benefits of In-Kennel Dog Training:

Intensive Training: In-kennel training offers concentrated, focused attention, which can accelerate the learning process.
Consistency: Dogs benefit from consistent training routines and environments, which may be easier to achieve in a dedicated training facility.
Socialization: Boarding with other dogs and interacting with trainerand staff can improve a dog’s social skills and behavior.
Expert Guidance: Professional trainers have the experience and expertise to address a wide range of behavioral issues effectively.
Convenience: For busy pet owners, in-kennel training offers a convenient solution, sparing them the time and effort required for daily training sessions.

Not sure if in kennel training is what you want?

Send Family K9 Dog Training an email to discuss the In Kennel training option as well as the possibility of exploring other training options such as one on one private lessons if that is your preference for you and your dog!

Dog training road trip and shopping spree! Board & Train Montreal Family K9 Dog Training

Golden Retriever obedience

Dog reactive Great Dane. Montreal Dog Trainer Family K9 Dog Training.

Training changed dog’s life. Pitbull W/OCD. Montreal Dog Trainer Family K9 Dog Training

Labradoodle Puppy Training– Montreal dog trainer – Family K9 Dog Training

Helping former street dog go from reactive to relaxed and focused. A 2nd chance at life!

Will a dog listen to a whisper? Pitbull whisper obedience test!

How To Have The Best Behaved Dog

Montreal Board and Train In Kennel Training

Boarding school for dogs

Would you like professional help with your dog’s training and behaviour?

Want a well trained dog but lack the knowledge, expertise and perhaps time to get it done? Perhaps you just want to enjoy a well trained pet & would like professional guidance on how to get there? Here is the answer:

Boarding & Training.

K9 Camp.

K9/Canine Boot camp.

Experience Matters

When looking for a dog trainer, you should prioritize experience, results and professionalism. Seek out a trainer with a proven track record in handling various breeds and behavioural challenges. A highly experienced trainer will have the skills needed to adapt their techniques to meet your dog’s unique needs.

Every dog is unique, requiring a tailored approach to training. A trustworthy dog trainer will take the time to understand your dog’s personality, history, and your training goals. They will then customize a training plan that suits your dog’s individual needs and learning capacity. Flexibility is key when addressing specific behavioral problems, and a skilled trainer will adapt their techniques accordingly.

Once your dog is trained, the trainer should then be able to teach you what your dog has learned and how to maintain the training.

Board and train programs have two distinct parts:

Part 1 Teach the dog a skill set

Part 2 Demonstrate for the owner what the dog has learned, explain the importance of the specific dog training skills and teach the owner how to maintain it.

When those two parts are properly fused together, the dog owner and dog will be able to carry on where the trainer left off.

Montreal Dog Training Positive Reviews and Testimonials:

One of the best ways to gauge the effectiveness of a dog trainer is by reading reviews and testimonials from their clients. Positive feedback that highlights successful outcomes and happy clients.

Investing time and effort into finding the right dog trainer will not only shape your dog’s behavior but also strengthen the bond between you and your furry companion. So go ahead, embark on this exciting journey of training and watch your dog flourish under the guidance of a skilled Montreal dog trainer!

First trainer didn't get it done

After having tried another dog trainer and gotten nowhere I really hesitated to try working with someone else. I was so pleasantly surprised and impressed with Nick and the results that he got from our puppy.

He really cares about the dogs and understands how they think and how to get the most from them. He sets up realistic goals and teaches the owners how to use his training in every day situations and they have made the biggest difference to the way that we feel when we are with our dog.

We gave Nick a puppy that we were having a lot of trouble with and we picked up a dog that was so well behaved and pleasant to be around. He’s a completely different dog….its incredible that Nick was able to achieve this in a few weeks!

We are enjoying and loving every second with our dog and owe this completely to the time that he spent with Nick.

Nick truly is wonderful and was a real life saver for us 🙂

Beverley Sasson

Stanley - Lakeland Terrier

Making dog owners lives easier with good training

If you are hesitating in working with Nick, maybe I can help you make what is ultimately a really big decision easier. I booked a consultation with Nick for my 1.5 year old Kangal × Caucasian Shepherd girl.

Within 15 minutes I knew I would be working with Nick in the future. The consultation let me know that my girl was in good hands and she would make strides in her training to make both our lives easier. After 3 weeks with Nick in the board and train program, I had tons of questions which were answered in both the follow up sessions and online. Already my dog and I live a better life because of the foundation we have built. I feel like I myself have become an amateur dog trainer in what Nick has taught me. I have the tools and confidence now to continue working with my dog. I look forward to doing some advanced training with Nick in the future and so does my girl.

Luca-Xavier

Aia Kangal/Caucasian Shepherd Mix

Family K9 Dog Training Reviews (a small sample)

A small collection of Board & Train / In Kennel Dog Training Videos

Montreal dog trainer helping fearful dogs learn to enjoy walks – Family K9 Dog Training

Dog training test – six years after the training has been completed

Reactive dog training – Family K9 Dog Training Montreal Dog Trainer

Training tiny dogs!

Montreal Puppy training (with distractions!)

Dog reactive Husky training – Family K9 Dog Training Montreal & Vaudreuil Dog Trainer

Reactive Malamute mix – Montreal and Vaudreuil Dog Trainer Family K9 Dog Training

Training Dogs and Teaching Humans -the transfer lesson process

How to calm an anxious dog

Dogs are wonderfully resilient, adaptable creatures!

A big birthday party for a big (!) Great Dane

Teaching dogs not to jump up – building belief systems in dog training – montreal dog Training

Playful puppies and reactive dogs focused heeling. Family K9 Dog Training Montreal Dog Trainer

Dogs are amazingly resilient and wonderful creatures. Training blind dogs – Montreal Dog Trainer

Montreal Dog Training – structure, play and clear communication in training

Montreal Dog Training with Distractions!

Dog training with distractions

Teaching a dog to focus especially under distraction is a cornerstone of good dog training. If your dog cannot focus and be obedient when distracted it renders your training ineffective.

“Handling a dog that cannot focus under distraction is like driving a car whose brakes only work under 30KM/H”

Here we have Popeye, a young poodle who is full of life, very sweet and playful.

He hasn’t seen his owners in 3 weeks and has completed his training program. I have been demonstrating his new skills for his owners in order to explain to them what he know and how to get the best out of him.

Among their many requests and issues withPopeye there was some concern about his behaviour around other dogs. Popeye is a very excitable dog, not unlike many others and they would lose control around others dogs on a walk

Teaching a Dog the “On/Off” Focus switch

This is the owner’s first time working with Popeye and as you can see in the clip Popeye did great and so did his humans!

How to help your anxious dog

in person dog training private behavioural consultations

How to help an anxious dog

Each year countless dogs are diagnosed with anxiety disorders and prescribed medication. As a Dog Trainer for over 25 years I am contacted daily with inquiries on how to calm an anxious dog. In Many cases a consultation is required to figure out the best course of action. Let’s take a look at a dog who came in for a consultation and whose owners enrolled in Family K9’s Board & Train in kennel training program named Stang.

Does my dog need anti-anxiety medication?

In this video, we will take a look at a young dog named Stang.

Stang is a young German Shepherd, whose owners were told that the dog suffered from anxiety and needed to be put on medication.

This video represents a grand total of three days of training for Stang.

At this point we are only just beginning and the progress she has made is nothing short of remarkable.

Rather than calling her anxious, I would say she’s exactly what a young German shepherd should be:

Energetic.
Driven.
Intelligent.
Needs a job.

Is my dog Anxious ?

Give your dog a job, mental stimulation, exercise. Setting up a routine and building a bond will go a long way towards keeping your dog out of trouble.

How to calm an anxious dog

Of course people immediately think of physical exercise as a key component. There is merit to tiring out your dog on a physical level. However, do not overlook the mental side of things. Your dog has a mind (and in the case of a dog bred to work) a powerful processor and this energy and focus needs to be directed and spent as well.

Here are some tips for tiring out your dog mentally:

Obedience training
Nose work
Hide toys or treats and ask your dog to search and find things
Play hide and seek
Teach/Practice trick training

Finding balance between the physical & mental stimulation, providing routine, rhythm and building teamwork and bonding will go a long way to help keep your dogs anxiety at bay.

High quality dog training for all types of dogs

Dog training is a language. It is a system of communication, expectations and ultimately allows us to enjoy our dogs to the fullest. Whether that means getting a handle on your puppy’s wild energy, getting an older dog to change some lingering bad habits or even learning how to manage your reactive or aggressive dog.

Dog training equals a healthy and balanced relationship with your dog

Take a look at these dogs in the video. Each has its own distinct personality. Over the course of training each dog comes to a nice balance point where they are playful, cooperative and easily manageable. This is what we are after.

A well trained dog is cooperative and focused – not a robot

I make a point of emphasizing this to both the dogs in my training and their owners. We play, hug and act silly with our dogs. We should be doing this.

We enjoy doing this.

So do our dogs.

Dog Training is a win/win for K9 and Human

You’re likely doing this already – the difference here is that we are showing the dogs that by working for us they will earn all the things they enjoy and the things we enjoy giving them.

Win/Win

Reactive dog training Vaudreuil

doberman learning to focus montreal board train reactive dog

Training reactive dogs brings its own unique set of challenges. Jack is a young male Doberman, who was incredibly dog reactive.

According to his owners, he would start barking, getting wildly out of control and lunging from well over 100 feet away from even a passive dog.

His owners brought him to Family K9 Dog training for a consultation in order to see what can be done to help Jack’s anxiety (as well as their’s) while out on walks together.

Training reactive dogs

It was apparent right from our consultation that Jack is a very trainable dog and just needed someone to harness his energy and focus.

Once his board and train program was complete, I taught his owners what they needed to know in order to maintain the training and they’ve been doing great ever since.

The Key to Dog Training: Teaching dog owners how to communicate with their dogs effectively

Here is some video footage of Jack in training, as well as Jack working with his owners for the very first time in our transfer lesson in which I brought out multiple dogs in order for them to practice with.

Dog Training necessities: focus and cooperation

I always place high emphasis on a dog’s ability to focus and his willingness to cooperate.

Take a look at Jack in this video both while he’s working with me (his trainer) as well as with his owner.

His focus as well as his cooperative, joyful nature is unmistakable.

Jack even bounces around a lot while he works, this is wonderful to see if any dog and we should foster our dogs love for working with us and understand what it symbolizes.

It really is the same thing like being a manager of a team of employees, and if they are able to be productive while whistling a tune. Why wouldn’t you want them to work happily?

I guarantee you that productivity will be up, when your employee (in this case the dog) is in amazing spirits and enjoying their work.

Wow! Nick has worked miracles with our dog. We opted for the board / train program, for our 4 year old Dobermann, and Jack has come back a changed dog.
Nick’s approach works wonders. He truly understands dogs and it shows in the results.
Highly recommend!!

-David Lambert

Science based dog training

Understanding the science of how dogs learn.

If you don’t understand the basic science of how dogs learn it’s like driving somewhere without a GPS or perhaps more accurately like trying to drive with your eyes closed.

Dogs are intelligent, highly trainable creatures, and if we understand how they connect darts in training, we can be clearer communicators to our dogs about what criteria we want to see from them.

When people don’t understand or utilize, some key principles are often referred to the dog as “difficult or stubborn”.

Learning how to effectively communicate with your dog.

Basic principles of reinforcement go along way and helping our dogs learn tasks from simple to very complex. It’s amazing how we can speed things up and getting so much more focus and cooperation from our dogs when we are clear communicators.

Understanding how to work with a driven dog

Drive is a living breathing entity.

It cannot be cured/fixed/squashed or extinguished.

When working with drive ideally, we want to find a balance of teaching, the dog a limit of how it is allowed to express the drive and channel it into an appropriate outlet.

Maya’s owner thought Maya had a stick obsession when in reality, she is looking to satisfy her drive, and if we play tug-of-war with her this is absolutely a win-win for the dog and owner.

Hang around until later in the video and you’ll see my lovebird Clarence illustrate how we have to direct drive.

Her timing couldn’t be better and I was so glad I had her out with me this morning while I finished my breakfast and then sat down to film this video.

Hang around until later in the video and you’ll see my lovebird Clarence illustrate how we have to direct drive.

Her timing couldn’t be better and I was so glad I had her out with me this morning while I finished my breakfast and then sat down to film this video.

Board and train test six years after the dog was trained

Does the Board and Train work?

The dog in this video is an excellent example of several things:

First of all, she’s just a wonderful dog everything you could hope for when bringing a young puppy home and imagining your future with your grown-up dog.
Second of all her owners contacted me when she was young and we’re serious about having a well trained dog.
She was well trained at the time we finished our program.

All of that is well and good however what you’re seeing in this video is six years after I did my work, so what you’re really seeing is how well the owners maintained the training.

Angel was back at the kennel for boarding while her family was away on vacation and while I was spending some time with her, I thought it would be fun to play around a little with her training and see how sharp she was.

Off leash obedience, focus and a huge willingness to work

I was expecting nothing less yet at the same time super pleased to see how they’ve preserved the work we’ve done together and how focused their dog is.

The whole experience from beginning to end was truly enriching, enlightening and always fun

Too often we let good deeds and good people get pushed aside in the swirl of the day-to-day activities of life. While understandable, we believe that a general lack of acknowledgement faintly supports the idea that positive interactions are no different than negative interactions.

With that in mind, we wanted to share our experiences working with Nick Zevgolis owner of FamilyK9.

As parents of a severely autistic boy, we wanted to ensure our dogs transition in the family unit, would be a happy, healthy and balanced experience that would not disrupt (only assist and support) the inherent delicate life dynamics of a household with a handicapped kid.

We enrolled in Nick’s private intensive In Home Obedience – On and Off Leash training course hoping he could teach us how to work with our dog as well as help guide and train our young Shiloh Shepherd named Angel for our complicated lifestyle.

From our very first training session, we’ve been amazed at how professional, knowledgeable, caring and discreet Nick has been with all of us. Throughout the training course, we’ve become quite fond of Nick as has Angel. He has treated us as something other than just a customer and he has given Angel a steady dose of love and effective training.

Nick has been honest, forthright, kind and professional with us, in every interaction we’ve had with him.

We would highly recommend Nick to anyone who is looking for a dog trainer; he is hands down one of the best out there!

In closing we would like express our gratitude to Nick and let him know that our support goes beyond kind words, the whole experience from beginning to end was truly enriching, enlightening and always fun.

-Angel's Family

Training a dog reactive dog

training dog reactive anxiety leash pulling

Passion Fruit’s owner contacted me with a request to help with their dog primarily due to dog reactivity. It was clear from speaking to her that she had major issues with walking him.

He would lunge and bark at dogs – and some people too.
He was difficult to walk due to his size, strength and intensity.
When he would focus on something they would not be able to control him during an outburst.

Reactive dogs make life challenging for their owners

Many owners of reactive dogs find themselves planning their routes carefully in order to avoid triggers. They plan their walks at times when there is less chance of activity outside. They learn to become very strategic and specially alert – trying to always be a step or two ahead of the dog to avoid problems and outbursts.

Reactive Dog Training

While training Passion Fruit (nicknamed Dan) I made sure to build his foundation training to the fullest. This was done so that when we started to add in his triggers he would have a wealth of experience and understanding to draw from.

As we began to work in more challenging situations – all that was required to bring him back into focus was a little reminder. You can see in the first video that he has an easy time working with me – remains focused and calm throughout our session. Even when I slip on the ice – he continues to walk right next to me without missing a beat.

Board & Train transfer lesson – teaching owners how to maintain a trained dog

IN the second video I am working with his owner Anne – for the first time. She hasn’t seen Fruit in three weeks.

I kept her update don his progress via email and now is time to teach Anne what she needs to know in order to capitalize on Fruit’s training.

Anne did a wonderful job in our lesson and I was really happy with just how enthusiastic she was about Fruit’s training.

From Passion Fruit's Owner

Having Nick train our dog has been life-changing – and I’m not saying that lightly. Our husky mix, Fruit, is an anxious, reactive dog. He would pull a lot when we were walking him- especially if he saw another dog or even just a person walking towards us.
Nick not only did an amazing job training Fruit, he also helped me understand what I needed to do to help ease Fruit’s anxiety. I am more confident because I am in control. Fruit senses that and this allows him to relax.
There is such a difference in his behaviour, that I have actually looked down a few times to make sure he was still there!
Fruit’s attention is on me now, so he is less concerned with other dogs and people. The odd time he does start to react, I use the “leave it” command that Nick taught him and Fruit snaps back into place. Frankly, we are BOTH less anxious now on our walks!
I highly recommend Family K9. If you’re on the fence about it, just do it. You won’t regret it.

Anne Franco

Dog reactive Husky training – Family K9 Dog Training Montreal & Vaudreuil Dog Trainer

Reactive Malamute mix – Montreal and Vaudreuil Dog Trainer Family K9 Dog Training

Puppy training test

Puppy Training Test

Can the young, trained labrador retriever puppy follow around and listen to someone who is not a dog trainer?

This is a test of the dog’s training and gives me great insight to just how easily he will work for his family comes time for our transfer lesson.

Training a young puppy to be an obedient, happy Canine Companion

Biscuit is a 5 month old Lab puppy. he is a happy, sweet and silly pup. My daughter Nina came by the kennel to hang out and I offered her to test biscuit. She did a great job handling him and Biscuit was so obedient for her. I was so proud of both of them.

Puppy Board and Train

Training puppies in Montreal in kennel boarding school

The above photo was snapped during a play and training session. these dogs are from different families, are close in age & all have a very similar social drive to play with one another. This is very useful in training.

Puppy Distraction Training

Of course it is also tons of fun for them – but we reap the benefits of using their playful nature and friends as distractions and also as a reward for a job well done – driving the incentive to focus and work higher.

Teaching puppies to control themselves when excited

Starting training young, ideally close to the 8 week mark (Puppy Pre School) goes a long way to aid in dealing with distractions for the rest of their lives.

I am contacted by dozens of owners of reactive dogs weekly whose dogs would have benefitted from early training. in some cases the dogs were already trained but the methods were not very productive. it is important to understand how your dog’s mind works and what is important to them and how to clearly communicate if you want to be productive in training.

Testimonial from Denis - Owner of Teddy - white fluff ball above

Nick is not just the finest dog trainer you can find, he is a fantastic human being and a very good psychologist! He understand human behavior as much as dog behavior and this critical to create a perfect communication between your dog and yourself. You know your dog is safe and happy when it is in the hands of Nick and his team. He was also able to put our dog in contact with other “buddies” and they had a great time while getting trained. Their set up is great , clean , extremely professional while family oriented . I can’t recommend Nick enough. When my dog got home I was almost expecting him to answer my phone…..he almost did 🙂 All said Nick help us us turned a pretty excited , unfocus nice, gentle, goofy puppy into a more mature and “able to exercice a certain level of self control” dog! Of course we have to do our part and reinforce the dog learnings but i believe it will be so much easier to do that now. You can also see that the whole training was done with gentle method. Thank you so much Nick!

Denis Martineau

Training montreal reactive dogs

Dogs can be reactive for all sorts of reasons, ranging from over excite ability, and a lack of focus, being overly social and having learned bad habits early on in life to fear and outright aggression.

Over the years, I’ve worked with tons of reactive dogs, and every single case they can be taught to have better focus and control if we use the right techniques, and we are also respectful of their limitations.

Teach your reactive dog to focus on you

Sounds like a good concept and it is but your obedience and understanding of how your dogs mind works is going to need to be next level.

Nick can’t change a dog’s DNA, but he can help give you and the dog confidence to deal with anything

This is our sweetest little/giant boy, Rove. We adopted him from Lebanon about 8 months ago. We were told he was amazing with dogs/kids/people….turns out wasn’t so true. We found Nick and family K9 as a reference from a friend and let me tell you, this man does magic! We were so skeptical and worried to leave him for 3 weeks but Nick is so gentle and kind (and I happened to know his wife, who is just as sweet and lovely) so we trusted them. When we came to pick our dog up, the transfer lesson was a revelation. It was a DIFFERENT dog (yet the same sweet soul we know) but suddenly he’s listening to our commands, heeling at our feet while walking so calmly.

Remember, Nick can’t change a dog’s DNA, but he can help give you and the dog confidence to deal with anything. Rove is very aggressive towards other dogs and I am sure he will never change, but now we have the proper skills to correct his behaviour with confidence and to the point of him being able to sit and lie down near another dog (MIND BLOWING). If you have a problematic fur machine at home, Nick is your man. The follow ups have been so great too, anytime we have a question, his responses are so fast and informative. Worth every penny. Thank you, Family K9 <3

rescue dog Lebanon montreal reactive nervous timid dog

Matti McNicol

Perfect heel and it is much easier to manage her reactivity

Our extremely reactive doberman, Bailey, has been such a joy on walks ever since she did the 3 week train and board program. Taking her outside was once such a nightmare. I would get stressed thinking about the upcoming walk and tried to adapt by taking her out during unusual hours. We live in a neighborhood full of dogs so severe reactions were more likely to occur than not. Now I can’t wait to get outside with her. We can enjoy long walks without worrying about the other dogs around us. She walks in a perfect heel and it is much easier to manage her reactivity. Everyone that has seen her before and after Nick’s training is shocked at how well-behaved she is. Thanks to Nick, Bailey is happier and less anxious – and so are we! He’s also been incredibly supportive via email whenever we have questions.

Joshua Gordon

All beyond our expectations!

We were looking for a hero to help us with Indy, our collie/lab puppy. We were at the point of thinking we would have to re home her because of her extreme reaction to cars, bicycles, dogs etc. After meeting Nick for a consultation, it was clear, he was the hero we were looking for. Nick’s customer service, professionalism, dog training knowledge, passion, and his commitment to getting it right and getting results, was all beyond our expectations! Indy did the 3 week in kennel training and we couldn’t be happier with the results. He helped us to understand what drives our puppy and how to have a successful relationship with her. We are grateful and thankful to have found Nick and have recommended him with out hesitation to friends and family. Once again, thank you Nick.

Kathy Prophet

A+ teacher (both for dogs and humans)

We have a 1.5 year old goldendoodle named Saint who has a lot of adrenaline and was incredibly difficult to deal with. We were unable to walk him without him dragging us down, and his reactiveness to other animals (dogs, cats, squirrels) was very high. He spent 3 weeks with Nick and came back with a whole new set of fundamentals that have allowed us to gain his focus and manage his behaviour. It was absolutely incredible the change we saw in the dog, and the respect our dog had for Nick. During our transfer session, Nick showed us everything, and it felt like a tv show seeing how well trained and behaved our dog was.

Nick is a true professional in every single interaction you will ever have with him. He is diligent in his responses, he is always on time, he takes as long as needed to train your dog (and you) and he genuinely cares about your objectives for your dog. He gave me regular updates while my dog was gone, and he spent hours with us for transfer training over several sessions to make sure we had continuity.

What’s most important above all else is that Nick is an absolute wealth of knowledge. Speaking with Nick for a few weeks, and watching him engage with dogs taught me SO much that I never would have learned from any other source. He is an A+ teacher (both for dogs and humans) and I can’t imagine what more he could have done to help us.

montreal reactive golden doodle training

Alex barrett

Have a look at the dogs in these videos – all of them were highly reactive before training, and I, along with her owners are so pleased with their newfound focus and adaptability.

Dog reactive Husky training – Family K9 Dog Training Montreal & Vaudreuil Dog Trainer

Reactive Malamute mix – Montreal and Vaudreuil Dog Trainer Family K9 Dog Training

Montreal in kennel boarding and training for dog reactive, leash pulling golden retriever

Car chasing border collie – montreal dog trainer

Training a reactive dog – montreal dog training. Directing energy and focus in a positive way.

Montreal dog trainer – client from NYC -dog with Separation Anxiety and Leash Reactivity

Resource guarding, dog reactive sweetheart!

Playful puppies and reactive dogs focused heeling. Family K9 Dog Training Montreal Dog Trainer

Montreal dog aggression and reactive dogs – Family K9.com

Shelter told owner “Dog is Untrainable“ Family K9 Dog Training – Montreal dog trainer

Training blind dogs

Luna is a French bulldog who cannot see.

Her owner brought her to me for a consultation with hopes of having her trained.

It was very apparent to me early on that Luna was very capable, and able to focus in great detail, despite the fact that she’s blind.

After working with her a little bit in our consultation, her owner and I were chatting while I was holding the leash and Luna was just sitting on my foot.

As I shifted my body weight, purely out of comfort on my part, Luna immediately turned ready to follow me.

Dog trainers need to “listen” to a dogs feedback

Prior to this Luna was following me during a little training test.

As we paused so the owner and I could have a chat, Luna’s brain was still active, ready and engaged.

This is a huge sign from a dog whether the dog is cited, blind is irrelevant.

A dogs adaptability is one of his greatest strengths and this is something I try to teach all my clients so that they can make the most out of their dogs.

Teaching your dog to heel and not pull on leash

Teaching dogs to heel goes far beyond the basics of them not pulling us around on leash.

Heeling in its purest form is symmetry, focus and communication.

Anyone can strong arm a dog into walking by their side if they are strong enough however, this is not a true heel.

Training dogs to have a focused heel and pay attention to their owners

In this video, we have two very different young dogs:

We’ve got Luca who is a young Italian water dog and a very bouncy one at that.

He is capable of great focus as you can see, and I’m even able to enjoy a cup of coffee while walking him in training, and then the other hand, I’m actually holding a selfie stick with a camera attached which is the camera that is following us around while we walk.

Dog number two is also a young dog, a black German shepherd named midnight.

Midnight came in as a very wild, untrained dog, and she was huge Lee dog reactive.

I purposely set up the video so that we would have a dog right near us, barking at her the entire time to demonstrate how cooperative and focused, even a very reactive dog can be after only two weeks of training.