Keeping your dog safe and happy starts with understanding their body language. While they may not speak our language, dogs are always trying to communicate through their movements and expressions!

The "Leave It Without the Leave It" exercise aims to teach dogs that the presence of food is a cue to look at their person. This foundational skill is essential for stimulus control, a traditional "leave it" behavior, and teaching our dogs to wait for instructions instead of offering random behaviors. It also helps dogs learn to be calm around food.

The Two Step pattern game is a great way to teach your dog the value of walking by your side. This game lends itself well to loose leash walking!

"Touch" is a fantastic cue to teach your dog, with tons of practical applications and lots of fun! It's a great addition to your training toolbox.

A marker is a secondary reinforcer. Primary reinforcers are things that dogs find innately good, like food and play. We teach our dogs that a secondary reinforcer, our marker, means a primary reinforcer is on the way. This is the foundation of positive reinforcement training!

Loose leash walking is a complex set of behaviors & conditions. No harness or collar is going to magically have your dog walk nicely on a leash. We have to teach this behavior!

The Up-Down game is probably the simplest pattern game out there! This easy to learn game teaches our dogs to offer us their attention and has tons of applications.

Training a dog to come when called, or recall, is one of the most important cues to teach, in my opinion. Here are some tips to help you get started.

Are you looking to improve your dog’s recall? Or do you have the hardest time getting their attention? Click to watch Bertie & I demonstrate the Toss a Treat pattern game.