Godiva, a 10 month old Pocket Beagle, is one of the most adaptable dogs I know. One of the biggest keys to a well balanced dog is getting clear direction in combination with exposure to as many people, dogs, places, and things as possible.

Godiva has a serious head start compared to most puppies her age. She came to her San Diego Dog Training Camp this time to move her along in her quest to be an excellent therapy dog and she proved to be one of the best candidates ever to sign up.

She traveled to That’s My Dog located in Wisconsin to assist me with our Advanced Professional Dog Trainers Business & Personal Development Course as well as E Palooza in it’s 5th year hosting professionals bringing fresh ideas to professional dog trainers.

Godiva traveled by plane with me and managed to get even the TSA crew to smile. She was my teaching assistant and sat on her “park it” spot or dog bed while I presented. She was introduced to agility, met the neighborhood cows, went downtown and walked in the distraction of lots of people, dogs and activities. She learned to “stay” in the distraction of about anything and even mastered a few tricks like “give 5” and “play dead”. She’ll rival that dog on the Letterman Show any day of the week!

Sit, stay, a strong recall, and walking nicely on a leash allows a dog like Godiva to go and do just about anything a dog or her family can imagine. She’s ready to go back to her family, soccer games, rides in the car, and much more as well as being the entire family’s best friend.

Godiva went home today from dog training camp after returning to San Diego from our trip to Wisconsin. I miss her terribly. She’s become my little protege and has gone so many places with me its odd not to have her around. Yet, I know back at home with 4 kids and two parents with a very active lifestyle, she’s fallen right into stride and has a fabulous life.

Good girl Godiva… and I look forward to updates of her great life.

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And for your own dog’s exclusive dog training camp, private training lessons, or online programs contact us at www.SitK9Sit.com

Honestly I think that is one of the reasons we have dogs… they make us smile… and they make us smile in the most interesting of times. Tonight we bring you our version of dog behaviors that you don’t have to train for… the behaviors that you just enjoy about your dog.

We have a great video with a dog named Tommy and the fun he has with something as daunting as snow shoveling. Wait till you see the bubble blowing episode….

While training is a fantastic thing, and we believe that it truly is the thing that develops a strong fulfilling relationship with your dog… having time to watch how a dog can make the littlest thing fun, is important to that relationship as well.

Most dogs end up giving back to us the most just by making us smile on a daily basis. Knowing how to make something “fun” out “simple” is a cool thing to study, really.

We’ll be on live at 5 pm PST, 7 pm CST Wednesday. Go to this link and watch! And the really cool thing we would like you to do is join in. There is a place where you can type in you dog funny stories or cool things they have done. Or you can use it as an opportunity to ask how to train for something with you own dog.

Anyway… go ahead… click the link and be there tonight Live at 5 (pst) Dog Trainer Guru Chicks.

Dogs learn in pictures, if you get the dog’s attention and show them the correct picture, reward the right behavior, then repeat that correct picture/reward again and again, your dog will learn to connect a certain action with a command word. Experts say a dog can take up to 2,000 times of the correct action to truly understand a command.

This is why our dog boot camps are so successful, we only take a few dogs at a time and use method called “flooding”, in which your dog receives hours of training each day, seeing the correct picture in daily dog/people situations.

At K9 Coach Dog Obedience Camps we use affection & verbal praise as our number one reward for proper dog behavior. Running a close second is playtime with toy as a reward for correct dog behavior. As a responsible dog owner, you need to be wary of the numerous dangerous toys on the shelf at the pet store.

We highly recommend spending a little more when it comes to your dog (and yourself) and buy quality. When it comes to dog products I strongly encourage you to buy made in the USA toys & holistic food, with human grade ingredients from the USA.

Here our my top toy recommendations:

• Kong (but leave out the treats, my favorite is their new ropes through a Kong)
• Nylabone (even if you have a small dog my favorite is their “Galileo”)
• Planet Dog (any size Orbee is the top pick here, but they have tons of great toys)
• Katies Bumpers (I love the new recycled fire hose throws)

For those of you who would like to use our years of experience training dogs to do the right thing, the easy way, our Dog Obedience Training DVD will show you how to train your dog, at home with our help!  You’ll get great support through Live Webinars and our private online learning center.  K9 Coach provides simple dog behavioral solutions: exclusive dog training camps or training you can do at home! Woof!

If you are looking for quality dog training for you and your family, then we are the trainers for you! A truly happy and well-trained dog is certainly an investment, but one well worth it in the long run. Proper training can help prevent expensive vet bills, home repairs and carpet cleaning, not to mention the peace of mind and rewards that come with a companion who is faithful, loyal and always happy to see you!

Let’s talk about how dogs learn. It is essential to understand that dog’s live in the present; they do not dwell in the past or future as we humans do. Dogs need a purpose in life to be happy, obedience training and structured exercise can provide the “job” they need. Dogs do not reason or have logic in their decisions, they are lead by instinct and “habit” created by the human emotions and actions in their home. The most important thing most people do not understand is that dogs do NOT need painful correction or harsh voices to learn, because they learn in pictures or snapshots of action.

We all pretty much agree dogs learn through repetition, however, most trainers do not grasp the fact that dogs learn much like a child with Autism. Dogs have a very, very short attention span, but if shown the correct action or “picture” in the seconds when a situation is occurring, then this correct “picture” is presented again and again and again, some experts say up to 2000 times until an action & command are truly solidified, dogs will understand what it is we expect of them.

This is why our dog training camps at K9 Coach are so successful. We take the time to “flood” a dog with the correct pictures and they have a solid foundation of learning when they come home. We then teach your family how to take over & communicate with your dog for the happy, obedient, well-balanced dog you always wanted!

The open field socialization done by Dick Russell was one of the most magnificent demonstrations in the understanding of dog psychology.  Watching dogs walk together in an open field, able to work things out on their own, as dogs is a very calming sight.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Without the human “fear” emotion tied to the leash of dogs… or the emotional leash you share with your dog, they choose to move forward.

A concept we all should think about.  Concentrate on what is good and what you what needs to be done to move forward.. not that the economy is bad.  That kind of thinking soon does come out in the behavior of your dog.  Move forward.  Think forward.  Dogs can teach us a lot of things about letting go of the recent past and focusing on what can be done to choose a better future.

The professional dog trainers came from all of the US as well as Greece to an event and an advanced dog training academy taught by Robin MacFarlane of That’s My Dog, Hazel Green, WI and Jt Clough of K9 Coach, San Diego.  These pro dog trainers have businesses that provide private lessons, group lessons, board & train, and canine boot camps.

The profession of dog training is so much more than just how to get Fiona to sit!  It’s a lot about helping people to have a cohesive family.  To provide the help so that that best friend feeling lives throughout people’s lives on a daily basis.  It’s also about providing a way for dogs to have clear communication so that they live a life that has boundaries as well as a lot of freedoms.

This year’s theme was “Think Outside the Box”.  It was well named as several lessons and exercises that each participant did was like no other dog training presentation before.

One participant from New Jersey wrote us with this quote, “To the Advance E-Cademy – I cannot put into words what those 5 days meant to me and my dog.  It was an enlightening and growth experience on so many levels.  The energy, support and caring of all that participated will stay with me for a very long time.”

We are busy planning next year’s event already.  In the meantime Dog Training Camp goes on here in San Diego, and the Dog Trainers School goes on in Wisconsin.

Jackson has come to Dog Training Camp here in San Diego from his home in Arizona. His family comes here for a few weeks in the summer and since the house they are renting won’t allow dogs (what is wrong with some people!) it was a great time to send him for some much needed in kennel dog training.

This Labradoodle is young, 11 months, and when he first came to dog training camp still had a few potty training issues. He’s all the way through that one though… it is a very simple step by step process. And its one of those that makes people happier than one can even say… when the dog knows to go outside to go to the bathroom.

Everything we teach is laid out so that anyone can understand how to keep their dog in “trained mode”. Dog think differently than we do. But they do think in a way that is simple to teach.. and in the long run can teach us as humans to be much better people in our own minds!

We’ll be talking more about Jackson and how he’s learned such great things at dog training camp on our live webcast. Come join us. Love to answer your questions…. and the truth is we developed this new training dvd and membership training area so that all of those people who aren’t in the San Diego area, or who don’t have the option of our exclusive camps, can get the same training for your dog, with the same great trainers.

Live Webcast Sunday, July 27. 3 pm Pacific, 5 pm Central, 6 pm Eastern.
www. GoTrainYourDog.com

Diesel, a Min Pin who came to Dog Training Camp through our Temecula location was able to get some training tips by Robin, the owner of the professional dog trainers school, That’s My Dog, located in Hazel Green, WI

Teaching people to read a dog’s signs of behavior is important in the case where a dog has had issues with other dogs and people. Many of the signs are evident in a dog like Diesel who at one point in his life was attached by another dog and severely injured way before he actually displays the unwanted behavior. Reading his behavior helps redirect it to what he should be doing before he goes into that state of fear.

His training has taken him a long way in his ability to trust other dogs that come near as well as how to deal with people. There is a certain amount of introducing the situations to him in a new way and getting Diesel to the point that he knows enough obedience that he can be brought back to doing his newly learned behavior or commands. This will in turn allow him to feel safe in his surroundings with a leader who will protect him but who will also have him follow through with his end of the deal. That being preform the command or task he was asked to do.

Learning to read his body language and then projecting what he should be doing BEFORE the scenario takes him to a place he doesn’t need to be is key. K9 Coach Dog Training Camps teach your dog the correct behavior and how to learn to become confident. Then its a matter of continuing to practice those behaviors. Practice does make permanent.

Professional dog training is not only rewarding its can be a business that you own that is successful financially as well.

Robin MacFarlane of Thats My Dog, Inc teaches most of her immersion professional dog trainer courses from her Wisconsin location. For fun this year she’s decided to come on out to San Diego in March and provide the same great school, with warmer temperatures than you’ll find in Wisconsin!

For anyone thinking about a career in dogs this is the course to come to. Not only will you get the foundation of how to become a professional dog trainer, but Jt Clough of K9 Coach is hosting the school. Jt not only is a professional dog trainer herself, but specializes in how to run the business end of dog training.

You’ll get the benefit of both technique and business at this course.

To find out more go to That’s My Dog or call 866-DOG-LADY. We’ll send you a DVD and answer all your questions no.

Don’t miss this course March 14-18, 2008 in San Diego, CA

Thats My Dog also has a location in Chicago, IL

It’s much different than just a basic sit, and for most that falls apart under distraction. Its a great skill for any dog. Robin MacFarlane of That’s My Dog highly recommends it for all dogs and their owners to develop a leader relationship bond.

See the latest press release for information on That’s My Dog and a retrieve workshop.
Press Release: Dog Retrieve Workshop That’s My Dog