Tag: Reinforcement
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Hyper to Hiking Buddy: How to Channel Your Dog’s Energy for Adventure
Got a high-energy dog? Learn how to turn your wild, overexcited pup into a calm, focused trail partner. Espresso Dog Training shows you how to go from chaos to connection using positive reinforcement.
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HELP! My Dog Will Not Settle Down!
Does your dog seem like they’re powered by espresso shots? Do they pace around, react to every little sound, and seem to never stop moving? You’re not alone—and good news: there’s a skill you can teach to help them learn how to settle and relax, even in busy environments. Some dogs naturally relax more easily…
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3 Games That Work Your Dog’s Brain
If you’ve already read my previous post on Mental vs. Physical Exercise, then you already know that I’m a huge fan of mental exercise! In other words, I’m a big fan of anything that really works out your dog’s brain. The reasons why are listed in the above post, but I’ll quickly list them here…
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How to Handle Feeling Frustration in Training
Everyone has dealt with feeling frustrated during a training session. We want our dogs to be perfect because we see perfect videos of perfect dogs made by perfect trainers all over the Internet, right? What these videos don’t show you is the process that the trainers went through. Even my own videos show a finished…
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Mental vs. Physical Exercise
I hear it all the time. “I walk him for an hour, but…” “He can swim for forty-five minutes, but…” “She can run around in a field for two hours, but…” “… he (or she) can’t calm down!” I’ve touched a little bit on teaching dogs to be calm in this (kinda lengthy) blog post:…
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My Dog is Dragging Me Everywhere!
Training a dog to walk nicely on leash can be difficult for many owners! Walking nicely seems to be a foreign concept for so many of our beloved pets, and many owners learn to just deal with being dragged around because nothing seems to help! Dogs have what’s known as the Opposition Reflex. This means…
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Potty Training 101: For Adults And Puppies!
This is the most common reason I’m called in for training. Whether for puppies or adults, if you’re having potty training woes, this is the general method I use! If your adult is having potty training issues, this means that you have to go back to Potty Training 101, and treat the adult dog as…
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No Paws Here: Invisible Boundaries!
Does your puppy or older dog like to walk on places where you’d really rather he didn’t? That’s right, faithful followers. Today we are discussing Boundary Training! *Gasp!* Does that mean you’re going to suggest an ecollar or prong collar? But aren’t you a positive reinforcement trainer? No! I mean, no, I’m not going to…
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Dogs Being Dogs!: Chasing!
Chasing is a behavior that many, many dog owners struggle with. Chasing cats, chasing cars, chasing prey, chasing children… The list goes on and on. The first thing to understand is, dogs are not intentionally trying to disobey you. They aren’t being “cruel.” They aren’t being “bad dogs.” In fact, a dog who chases is…
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Potty Training: “My Puppy Pees Outside, Then Comes in and Pees Again!”
Over the years, countless people – friends, family, clients – have asked me one question: “Why does my puppy pee inside after he’s already peed outside?” First of all, please allow me to ease your mind and tell you that this is completely normal. There are several possible reasons why a puppy may be peeing…
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