Cesar's Rules

February 23, 2025

Table of Contents

Those Magical American Dogs

The Basics of Balance

Dogs are hardwired to understand us. It’s in their genes to know how to read our facial expressions, body language, and changes of mood and energy.
A dog in distress needs for you to stand strong and show leadership, not to melt into sympathy because you’re feeling sorry for her.
I would never put up with some of the many things other dog owners thing are just fine - such as jumping on anyone who walks in the door, barking excessively or monopolizing the owner’s bed at night.
with the exception of a dog that’s a danger or nuisance to others, what we want from a dog is a very personal thing.
To get your dog to come when you call him, you’ve got to give him a reason to want to come to you.
Define what obedience means to you. If you don’t know exactly what you want from your dog, how can you possibly expect him to give it to you?
A balanced dog is comfortable in his own skin. It is a dog that gets along with other dogs and people equally well, that understands the patterns and routines of his life but also welcomes new experiences, and that isn’t handicapped by behavioural issues like fear, anxiety, or obsession.

Cesar’s rules for a balanced dog

Think first of what you need to give this dog to make him happy under your roof.
In this order:
- exercise
- discipline (rules, boundaries, limitations - this includes training)
- affection
Rules aren’t something your dog resents - they are something he craves. Be clear and simple about these rules - and always remain consistent about them.

Balance accomplishes miracles

They knew what I expected from them as well as exactly they could expect from me.

Cesar’s simple rules of good pack behaviour

I’m the pack leader. Trust, respect and follow me.
You don’t have to figure out what to do when I’m around. Just wait for me to tell you what to do
We always interact politely with other dogs and humans. We always avoid situations where there might be conflicts.
No fighting with each other.
I’m the one who starts and stops all play activity that we do together.

When you bring a dog into unfamiliar situation, introducing something he is already familiar with can ease the transition.

Cesar’s rules for bringing a dog into a strange new situation

Don’t throw any dog into a new situation without some prior preparation!
If it’s a situation where you can prepare the dog in the actual environment itself, even better
Bring something familiar to your dog
Fulfill your dog’s basic needs - on a regular basis of course, but especially on the special day. Extra exercise is always helpful - a tired dog with no pent-up energy is more likely to be relaxed
Finally, check your own energy.

Very Special Agent Gavin

The work he’s been doing is not instinctual. The explosives stuff is created by humans, for humans. He’s been Gavin, Labrador, ATF. Not animal, dog, breed, name.
Welcome at Dog Psychology Center: no touch, no talk, no eye contact.
Dog can focus well on one thing at a time, which is why I often use a treadmill to distract an anxious dog’s mind and focus his physical energy.

Viper the Cell-Phone Dog

Cell phones are considered the number one most dangerous contraband to be found inside of maximum-security prisons.
The presence of a group of laid-back, friendly, balanced dogs had an immediate relaxing effect on him.
During the first week with me Viper became a member of the pack. Through the dogs in the pack - Viper’s new family - I gradually earned his trust.
I need to transform these tools into a healthy experience for Viper. I had to wipe the slate clean.
Positive association.
Resolve some of his anxiety issues on his own, rather than constantly relying on me to provide solutions for him.
Build a solid platform of trust.
Separate Viper’s experience of me - or any human - from his experience of correction. Allow him to have the feeling of choice.
The vibration became a simple communication - a yes or no, a way of saying “Getting colder” or “Getting warmer”.
create a “circle of trust”.
I always use dogs to help other dogs. They can get the message of trust across much faster than we humans can.
Desensitize
Whenever you’re working with a dog, always introduce him to his new environment before you introduce him to the challenge.
Make a diary of progress.
I used the vibration collar to remind him that the safest place was back with us.
Unfortunately Harlen had tried to repair him using dog training instead of dog psychology.
Very foundation of the human-dog relationship - the foundation of trust.

Cesar’s rules for helping a fearful dog regain balance

Take the time to build the dog’s trust. When you first meet him, no touch, no talk, no eye contact. I often sit sideways with a dog, ignoring him, until he eventually gets curious and comes to me. You can’t ever clock the process of building trust, especially with a fearful dog. It takes as long as it takes.
Don’t feel sorry for the dog or pet him when he acts fearful. This only nurtures his fears. Instead stay calm and assertive. Your own demeanor will tell the dog that he’s in a secure situation. Once again, you may have to go though this process many times before you can influence a fearful dog with your own energy, but eventually you will.
A dog that is fearful needs to learn the fun of being a dog before he needs formal “training”. Use a backyard pool, a favorite toy, a game, his best doggie friends, or food rewards to distract the dog and make him enjoy himself, even around the thing that makes him fearful.
Don’t invade the dog’s space too soon. Let the dog come to you and offer himself for affection before you reach down into his personal space.
Gradually expose the dog to the things he fears. Start very small, three to five minutes intervals, then reward after the exposure with whatever is is that the dog loves best. Reward every tiny success. Make sure your energy is calm and centered at all times. Work up to longer sessions and more difficult challenges once the dog has mastered shorter lessons.
If the dog can be around other dogs that are well behaved and balanced, nothing in the world beats the power of pack.

Rewards, Punishment, and Everything in between

The brutal usage of a fine high courage dog by Men who had a strong arm and a hard heart to punish - but no temper and no head to instruct has made my blood boil.
understanding how the dog sees the world is integral in their successful training
most “bad dogs” have inexperienced owners who are not training their dogs properly by being consistent, firm and clear.
balanced approach. I don’t like to use the word “only”. And I don’t like to use the word “never”. And I don’t like to use the word “always”.
Any life reward can be used by a positive trainer.
bring out the best in a dog by using the training technique that are appropriate to the dog’s temperament and the ultimate training goals.
1. calm-assertive energy that any leader, teacher, parent, or other positive authority figure projects to her followers
- it depends on confidence, knowing what you want, sending clear, consistent messages about what you want.
1. body language, is a primary way in which leadership is projected in most animal species.
1. exercise - walk your dog properly at least twice a day
there is no magic formula. I believe in trusting my instincts and treating each dog as an individual.
core principle - in order for a dog to be your best friend, you must first be his. If you want an obedient and well-behaved dog, you must fulfill that dog’s needs before asking him to fulfill your own.

Cesar’s Rules for Basic Fulfillment

Let your dog be a dog
Give him exercise, discipline (rules, boundaries, limitations) and then affection - in that order.
Know what your particular dog needs. I classify dogs as log/medium/high/very high energy and I’ve observed that most problems between owners and dogs can be traced to a human picking a dog that does not match her energy level.
calm-assertive - which is another way of saying “relaxed and confident”.
base your relationship on two core principles: trust and respect. You must have both, and they have to go both ways.
Dog is a mirror of your own emotional state. If you’re tense, anxious or stressed, your dog is likely to reflect those emotions back at your.

Operant Conditioning: Reward and Punishment

operant conditioning - learning from consequences. The way nature’s own classroom works.
Pavlov’s dog - classical conditioning
Punishment reduces behaviours and reinforcement increases them
lean toward reward versus punishment whenever possible.
“When I’m using operant conditioning I remove all my emotions except for when the dog offers the behaviour that I’m looking for.” So Kirk has turned the consequence by which the dog learns into a reward by not reacting to the dog.

Aversive or Non-Aversive?

Many of the things dog owners do to get their dogs to obey may be non-aversive, but they are also non-punishing, which means they don’t get the behaviour to change.
no animal ever responds positively to angry, frustrated or fearful energy. If you’re trying to correct your dog and you’re not in a calm-assertive state, your dog will react to your unstable emotions.
Aversive punishment only needs to be used once or twice
It is surprisingly easy and extremely effective to eliminate undesirable behaviour with softly spoken instructive reprimands
physical touch is an important part of the way dogs “talk” to one another.
dogs use firm touch - not violent or aggressive touch, but assertive touch - with one another as a follow-through to warning given by eye contact or body language and energy, and that to speak their language.
I’ve never had to use punishment to ever get to a behaviour. I have used punishment to suppress behavior that I didn’t want.
Instead of punishment, I have tried to modify the environment in such a way that the animal can’t do bad things.
If I am going to use a punisher, I’m going to use a punisher that I’m absolutely sure is going to stop the behaviour dead. If you have to use a punisher more than roughly three times, you’re not doing it right.
If you’re pulling or poking at your dog more than once or twice and she isn’t getting the message, then you can’t blame the dog

Teaching with Rewards: The Pioneers

shaping - instead of waiting all day for an animal to perform a behaviour and then “capturing” it with a reward, the began rewarding the animal for every small step it took toward the desired actions - kind of like that party game Hot and Cold
an acoustic secondary enforcer, such a click or whistle, could communicate to an animal the precise action being rewarded, and it could do so from a distance.
All the clicker does is tell the animal that it’s done what you want to do it correctly and there will be a primary reinforcer coming, which is food or a toy. But you have to make it worthwhile for the animal.
Training sessions were never more than twenty minutes at a time - usually less, and took place one to three times a day
I always perceived a clicker more of a training tool for building new behaviours than a tool for rehabilitation.
I teach a dog that a click means food is on the way. Once a dog understands this, then I can use a click to train behaviours. The timing of the click is critical, as it tells the dog that the last behaviour performed is going to be rewarded.
I use the clicker for people who are way over the top with their praise or corrections. The clicker brings them into a more normal range. The clicker doesn’t have emotion and always has the same consistent meaning.
Too much praise or excitement can often block your dog from learning what you’re trying to teach him. I always recommend calm-assertive energy.

Instinct: an Inconvenient Truth

behaviour of any species cannot be adequately understood, predicted or controlled without prior knowledge of its instinctive patterns, evolutionary history, and ecological niche.
the problem isn’t usually the dog. They are a piece of cake. It’s usually the owners that you really have to figure out.

Cesar’s Rules for a Teachable Dog … And a Trainable Human

A dog, like a human, comes with baggage, and you need to understand, and be prepared for that.
you can’t expect a dog to read your mind.
Build a relationship with him that honors the animal-dog that he is

Rule #1: Be Calm and Assertive

Assertive energy is the energy of our symphatetic nervous system. This is the energy of our “fight-flight” response
Calming energy is the energy of the parasymphatetic nervous system. This is the energy of our “rest-digest” response.
To project calm-assertive energy to your dog, you must be aware of how you’re feeling and what energy you’re projecting in every interaction with your dog. Every aspect of your relationship with your dog is determined by your own integrity and your connection with your own true self, because dog’s are natures’ best lie detectors. Your dog is watching you every moment, noting the subtlest changes in your expressions and smelling every change in your body chemistry. Your dog knows who you really are, inside and out, weak and strong, good and bad. Dogs can read their owners like a book
It’s been always the case that is not the animal that has the problem; it’s the trainer working with the animal.

Rule #2: Be Self-Aware

if you’re feeling a little under weather or getting a little irate, put your dog somewhere she cannot get into trouble and not be recipient of your mood. If she is the one that can calm you, sit nicely with her, breathe deeply, and let each of you find calmness together.
To me, anger has no place in dog training. No place at all. If you’re angry, go hit or bite a pillow or something. But don’t take it out on the dog, because you’ll go backward in the training so fast
You cannot lie to a dog about who you are and how you are feeling
Be yourself. Be your best self.

Rule #3: Positive Reinforcement begins with you.

The key to success always starts with your own state of mind. To influence your dog’s behaviour, you must always being by being a positive, confident, calm and assertive human. This is the definition of true leadership.
You’d touch the dog only when she’s in a calm, receptive state - and reinforce her positive state with your own. If you’re starting off with any kind of frustration, anger or negativity, if you’re putting a stopwatch on your dog when she is trying to learn something new, then you’re not practicing true positive reinforcement, no matter how many treats your might throw.
The ultimate positive reinforcement is using other dogs - the power of the pack - to reinforce or to create a new behaviour.

Rule #4: Start with the Bond

the best thing you can do to build a great relationship with your dog is to get to place where your dog wants to please you and wants to make you happy.
I suggest taking two to four weeks.
The first step is getting to know your dog
The second step is developing a relationship. It is real simple. You’re just going to incorporate the things your dog likes. The things she doesn’t like you eliminate for the next two weeks.
Which gets you to the last phase, which is building trust.
The dog does not know how to react, when to react, or who to even react with… I work at building routine, understanding, relationship, and clarity of command for for days.
Consistency is essential, and a fair, patient approach, with understanding of their balance problems, is the way forward.

Rule #5: Start Young and Prevent Problems

55 minute play sessions that are regularly interrupted (every minute or so) by short training interludes. The goal is for the puppies to learn to respond quickly, reliably and happily to their owner’s requests. Every time the play session is interrupted - perhaps by a sit-down sequence or a ten-second stay-down - the puppy is then told “go play” as a reward.
Ian warns against the tendency some people have to just let their puppies play in their presence without some sort of structure; he feels that this approach leads to a dog what won’t reliably obey in adolescence or adulthood.
A dog that has bitten has learned that he can control the situation by biting. It is self-rewarding, and when it happens a few times, it becomes a shaped behaviour.

Rule #6: Older Dogs Learn New Tricks Too

lower the stress level of the resident dogs as much as possible, which enables them to learn.

Rule #7: Learning isn’t a race

You’d never compare your pup to another of the same age.
Consistency throughout is the secret. Even if you are not doing much formal training, you can think of every activity as an opportunity to teach.

Rule #8: Take Breed into Account

A herding dog is very sight-oriented and is always on the alert for visual cues and movements coming from the humans and animals around them.
Beyond specific breed-related abilities, all dog breeds are capable of learning basic obedience.

Rule #9: Small Success Build Big Rewards

The brain of a puppy, and even that of a mature dog, will get tired more quickly than the body.
To build a solid foundation of learning, it’s best to work gradually in small increments, keeping sessions short and sweet.

Rule #10: Be Consistent

Once you’ve chosen the way that feels right and doable for you, it’s best to stick with your strategy until you can make it work
If you start bouncing from one idea to another, you’re going to be confused and so is your dog.

Honor the Animal

A great animal trainer is a problem solver and someone who understands that the best way to get the behaviour you want from a dog is to honor the animal by first concentrating on what makes that particular dog happy.
Reward the behaviour you want, and repeat to encourage it.
Be yourself first, but be your best self. If you’re not yourself, the dog will know. Be who you are, but be consistent.
I often have my animals work for their living. I measure their daily diet and try to work them for it.
Teach the dog to look at the toy, not the treat.
Many people forget that if you teach a dog to stay, you need to give him the command to release him from that say. If you teach him to lie down, you need to give him the command to get him up to his feet. If you teach him only one-half of the behaviour, then he isn’t going to respond with consistency.

Pay for what you want, not for what you don’t want

What you reward is as important as when you reward. Be very specific with the trick and never pay for what you don’t want.
I’ll go back and do it over. I’ll do it over one hundred times. Eventually he’ll learn exactly what is it that gets him paid.
Whenever my voice gets excited, it’s a cue for my animals that we’re done for the day, work time is over, playtime is about to begin. That’s why I remain calm, with less overt emotion, during work hours.
Too much enthusiasm can create too much excitement, with the result that you lose the lesson.
The dog has to learn to learn

Bad Dogs are “Winners”

the point is to put that energy work for him instead of against him
switch his energy cues from playful to serious
I control it, I start it, I stop it. It allows me to have some dominance without forcing anything on them.
The best dominance is invisible, it’s an aura, and the better a leader you are, the less it is seen.
I need him to be paying attention to me and looking to me for the cues as to what should be doing.
Create a bubble of safety around your dog, especially a learning dog.

I would never let a new dog off a leash until I have a relationship and a consistent recall.

Liberty is earned. The dog has no point of reference for how to behave in my environment -> instructions.
I have to help him work through these issues in the present, not in the past
In order to teach a dog to be obedient to your wishes, you’ve got to reciprocate by sharing something that also matters to him. “I love Chico so much probably because I had to work for it”.
He wasn’t just thinking about what the dog could do for him. He was thinking “How can I find something that really turns this dog on?” Making the experience fun and challenging for the dog was the most important element in their relationship.

Mark Harden’s Hollywood Training Rules

Be clear and simple in what you want from the dog. Start with small, basic tricks and don’t move on until you are certain that the first behaviours have been consistently mastered.
Every dog is different, and different dogs are motivated by vastly different things. Have a lot of options in your tool kit, and don’t give up until you find that special reward or activity that allows you and your dog to communicate with each other. Make sure the experience is fun
My “yin and yang” rule: when you teach any behaviour, also teach the opposite of that behaviour - for instance, “sit” goes with “get on your feet!”.
Use mixed-variable reinforcement - once the dog has the basics of the behaviour you’re trying to each, don’t reward it every time and alternate rewards, from praise to toys. Eventually, having successfully completed the behaviour becomes a reward in itself.
Be specific. Pay for what you want, not for what you don’t want. If the dog gets only part of the behaviour right, don’t reward. Let him figure out what it is he needs to do to get paid - that’s part of the challenge.
Be yourself when training - your best self - and be consistent.

Losing the Leash

world transformation begins with self-transformation
Most people use the leash as a crutch. It’s become a training tool which is very, very difficult to phase out. Food is easy compared to that.
Touching an animal is an earned privilege. It’s not a right
About 20% of dog bites happen when the owner touches the collar.
Sequence: 1) request 2) lure 3) response 4) reward
Phasing out the food is the most important thing that you do in training, and this is what a lot of people aren’t doing. So the dog learns: my owner has food, I’ll do it; if he doesn’t have food, I won’t.
A reliable “sit” can solve 95% of potential issues that could arise with his dogs.
Alternate three different commands, so the don’t can’t predict what comes next and pays attention.
Praise your dog when he gets it right. Too many people only talk to their dogs when they get it wrong.
Keep treats in house for guests, so your dog always associates people coming with good things happening. Save tastiest treats for kids to use. That way, your dog sees a child, he’ll associate it with the most wonderful reward.
We use food as a lure to teach him what we want him to do and to get the speed, and we totally phase it out, first as a lure and then as a reward. From then on, we use life reward to motivate him to want to comply.
Verbal control is really important, but it’s the most difficult thing to teach. It takes usually about twenty trials before he can make the connection.
You have to minimize the signals you’re sending, with your body or even your eyes. Verbal commands are so important, but few dogs have adequate verbal comprehension. They’re just so very good at observing us.
If the dog doesn’t do it, it doesn’t mean she is bad. It means you need to train him more and keep working at it, because it’s a learning process.
Secret to a highly reliable dog: make a list of the dog’s ten favorite activities and put in on the fridge.
90% of training is not teaching the dog what you want him to do; it’s teaching him to want what you want him to do. So eventually you end up with a self-motivated dog.
If you don’t understand how to control your dog’s intensity, a tug-of-war game can become a power struggle between you and your pet that you don’t want to encourage.
The rules here are: you can never touch my hand. If you touch my hand, it’s finished, the game’s over. They never touch the tug toy until you say “Take it”. And they always let go when you say “Thank you”.
Use frequent interruptions if your goal is to use play as a reward for right behaviour, and then less frequent interruptions if they’re just having a good time and everyone’s cool.
You need to be inventive - if kibble isn’t working, if praise isn’t working, find something else that excites him.

Nose Work with Dune

scent is the most primal of a dog’s senses, and by making sure a dog stays connected to his nose, you’re honoring the deepest part of the animal-dog in him.
I’d put mental exercise (finding the keys) above a treadmill in terms of exercise for a dog.
You can see the task itself is the reward. It’s not a job anymore.
Training has to be stronger than instinct, stronger than any urge, stronger than any distraction.
turning the distraction of the park and Dune’s intense sniffing into a “life reward” that works for his training, not against it.
If Dune started to wander a bit too far, Ian called out “Dune, sit”. The faster Dune responded, the more quickly Ian would release him from the sit to give him his “life reward” of sniffing in the bush afterward.
If he doesn’t sit immediately, he’s going to have to come towards me and repeat the exercise until he sits following a single command before being allowed to resume exploring once more. So eventually the dog learns, you know, if you just sit when they ask, you can have a great time out here.
It’s challenging for a human because it’s easy to become impatient or emotional when you thing your dog is ignoring you.
Okay, you didn’t sit on my first command. It’s no big deal. But you’re going to do it. And once you’ve done it, you’re going to repeat the exercise until you sit following a single command. I look at a training as a lifelong process.

Dog Con One, Two, And Three

I always code to the dog how important each command really is. The coding can be done with energy level or tone of voice.
You simple should not train if you’re in any way upset. It is not going to work. However, you’d train your dog to listen to you if you’re upset or frightened.
dog con one: suggestion, not a command
If I really want him to do it, I say “Omaha, sit”. And as soon as I call him “Omaha”, he knows he must follow next instruction. No exceptions.
Most people cannot control their dog if their back is turned and the dog is just one yard away from them.
I think the most important thing is talking to people who may not see it your way, and if you want to change things, that’s everything.

Ian Dunbar’s Rules

When adopting an adult dong, make sure all family members “test-drive” the dog.
From the first day of your new puppy or adopted dog, implement an errorless house-training and chewtoy-training program.
Don’t feed your dog from a bowl. Weight your dog’s daily allotment of kibble and use these valuable food lures and rewards for teaching manners and training behaviour.
Feeding dogs from chewtoys reduces barking by 90% and lessens hyperactivity and anxiety.
Train off-leash with lures and rewards from the outset. Never use a leash or force the dog to comply. Otherwise he’ll respond only when on-leash or within hand’s reach.
Integrate short training interludes into walk and play. Every couple of minutes, ask your dog to sit when walking, or to come when playing, offer a treat, and then say “Let’s go” or “Go play.”

A World of Ways to Basic Obedience

walking side by side is the activity that forges the deepest bond between human and dog.

Cesar’s Rules for Mastering the Walk

Leave and enter the house in front of your dog. Position in the pack is important.
Don’t let our dog leave the house in an overexcited condition - make sure she is calm-submissive and in waiting mode before you open the door. Make sure you are the one to invite her outside and trigger the activity.
Walk with your dog behind you or next to you, not in front of you (though there is a time and a place for that), and definitively not pulling your or creating any tension on the leash.
Make your walk a minimum of thirty minutes for older, low-energy or smaller dogs and 45 minutes for larger or higher-energy dogs.
Walk like a pack leader - head up, shoulders back. Your posture is part of the body language that your dog reads when assessing your energy.

Walking on a Lead

Your job is to make sure that any leash you use has only positive associations. Never bring a tool to a dog - always allow the dog co to come to the tool. Use a treat or a toy or something that attracts the dog, then lightly rub the lash back and forth on the top of the dog’s head while she is playing or munching.
owner’s attitude and state of mind often present the biggest problems on a walk.
a leash pop merely reminds your dog to pay attention to you.
Change the route you take on walks. Your dog will often pull more on the return to your home than leaving it.
Dogs love patters - a walk at the same time every day, food at a regular hour - but they also crave adventures.
By not providing much structure, the flexy-leash does not convey the message that the owner is in charge on the walk.
we have to be honest and try not to pigeonhole ourselves into one training camp or definition
using purely compulsive techniques can have the adverse effect of teaching avoidance behaviour
the primary use of the e-collar is to block prey drive
Dogs live in a world of cause and effect
all puppies are programmed to follow. Once they are separated from their mother and their littermates, they will transfer that instinct over to you, their new pack leader.
One of the biggest mistakes owners make that contributes to poor recall is allowing a young pup too much freedom early on.
When she’s young, concentrate on conditioning our puppy to believe that the very best, most satisfying things in her life happen when she’s with you.
Never grab for the toy or snatch it from her in any way. Allow her to come to you and share it with you before gently taking it.
Until you’re sure of a reliable recall, use a long leash or a long line so that you’re always in touch with your dog.
Hide-and-seek exercises are the next step in building your reliable recall. Hide behind a tree or lie down in the grass, call her, and then make big fuss when she finds you.
You never want a snack to become the only reason why your dog comes to you. Once she is responding regularly, begin to give her the treat at random intervals.
Your voice and your connection with your dog become the invisible leash in this method.
when you first begin teaching any behaviour, start with lessons that are short and sweet and work in an environment where there are as few distractions as possible.
Save the best treats for last, to reengage your dog if she beings to lose interest in the training session.
Nose first, then eyes, then ears. When you engage your dog’s nose, you’re appealing to the most important part of her brain.
Learning words is not the way dogs are born to communicate. Dogs are used to watching (pes!) people.
I prefer silence to commands when communicating with my dogs. To me, training is usually based on sounds, but dog psychology is best accomplished with silence, then simple, basic sounds.
Timing is essential - the word “sit” should precede the action you ask for.
Don’t jerk the leash. Just lift upward with a gentle constant pressure.
Imitation is one of the most important ways dogs learn.
A reliable “down” command is important when he needs his dogs to be in waiting mode.
When I start off with a puppy/dog, I generally teach eight behaviours at once: come here, sit, lie down, sit up, stand, down from the stand, stand up from the down, roll over.
Tables are great for teaching many things, because I can easily get down the dog’s eye level in the beginning.
If what you’re using to get your dog’s attention doesn’t turn her on, keep trying until you find the right reward.
When your dog is doing a reliable down command, the next step is to phase out the treats.
Always check your own energy. Do you feel confident and at ease with what you’re doing? Or are you forcing it? Are you getting annoyed at your dog because she is taking a long time to figure this out or find the position that’s comfortable for her body?
Remember, your dog is always trying to read your body language. Gradually phase out the body language.
invisible link
It is not a dog’s nature to be separated from her pack, so you’re working against instinct here. This is the time when your bond of trust and respect with your dog and your position will be put to the test.
whenever you teach a dog to do something, you need to teach her an “out” or an opposite for the behaviour
dogs make associations between behaviors and words - they don’t understand dictionary meanings.
Not every dog finds it easy to just stand and do nothing, so using the walk to practice this activity is an exercise in patience.
If you have just brought a new dog home from a shelter and haven’t established complete trust or aren’t sure of her limits, don’t try any training or use any gestures that may be perceived as invading her private space.

Basic Instincts

two of a dog’s biggest motivations - play drive and food drive.
almost everything we’re able to “train” to a dog to do really derives from dog’s natural instincts.
herding came about from a canine’s natural hunting pack style.
If you don’t give them a job, if you don’t train them, they’re going to do their own thing
The work itself is a self-validating experience for a dog
humans have relied on our dogs ad defenders as long as they’ve been with us
The key to all protection training it to teach the “off” switch first, before anything else
The hunt is not a frenzied thing until maybe at the very last minute. The lead-up and the hunt is very calm, very disciplined. It’s all about patience and waiting and organization. And it is very very quiet.
They’re programmed to wait out their prey until it gets tired or compromised
I was going with the flow. I did not use food rewards, but I did use a lot of praise and pride.
I don’t even play tug-of-war or dominance games with him. I have not tapped in to his prey instinct side.
The only criterion for a great protection dog is courage, and courage doesn’t have a breed.
I advise people to think long and hard about whether they want their dogs to be their defenders.
If you are your dog’s leader in all situations, you can always switch him off.
If you’re not 100% comfortable in your position as your dog pack’s leader, then get a good alarm system or can of Mace and let your dog just enjoy being a dog.

Dogs as Healers

no training can succeed without an understanding of what motivates each specific dog
their reward was more out acknowledgement that they got it correct, as opposed to play or food.
Two and a half weeks. That’s what it takes for me to train a cancer dog. Five runs, and then they get taken out and walked. And then it’s the net dog’s turn. They usually do this between two and three times a day, which means the dogs do not more than fifteen runs a day. The runs usually take less than a minute.
taking the position of actually nurturing and highlighting the dog’s natural instincts and not trying to overlay some heavy training methodology.
We want them to go home and be dogs too.
I think that’s why it was so quick, because I was basically letting the dog choose for himself.
Another thing I like to do is to get him out here to smell something else in between. The smells are so different that if you smell them one after each other, you can very easily tell them apart.
A dog that isn’t connected to his natural common sense can’t relate to other dogs and can’t really be balanced or fulfilled in his life.
Instruct a dog in how to best use an instinct he was born with
Honor our dogs’ natural abilities and train ourselves first.