Ever Wondered Which Dog Training Is the Best? Read How One Dog Owner Found Out

By Kristi Twyeffort

“Does dog training really work?” In 2017, after adopting my sweet terrier, Penny, I asked myself that same question. When you adopt a dog, you experience the joy of giving them a home but miss out on vital training during crucial growth periods. So, I took Penny to various trainers to work on some of her ruff habits and behavior, but nothing stuck—until I found Dog Gone Amazing.

How I Went From “Dog Training Is Stressing Me Out” to Traveling the U.S. With My Pup

In 2023, I promised myself I’d finally cross the “Great American Road Trip” off my bucket list. The plans were set, but I couldn’t imagine going on this long and thrilling trip without my best pal by my side. I realized Penny needed a bit more training to make the trip safe, stress-free, and fun for everyone. I started my search for the ideal training program to get my pup up to speed and ready for the journey ahead. In perfect timing, I came across Dog Gone Amazing’s programs, and I picked up the phone because I had to know more.

After speaking with Heather, DGA’s Assistant Manager, and discussing Penny’s training needs and goals, she recommended the 14-Day Advanced Board and Train package. She said it would help my pup learn in a focused environment with one-on-one attention to speed up results. But that also meant I would be away from her for two weeks.

“Think of it like a mini vacation for Penny,” Heather said. “You’ll also get to practice our training techniques with drop-in visits, and we will make sure to keep you updated on her progress during the 14 days.”

The customer experience I received from DGA was unparalleled. Not only did Heather reassure me about being away from Penny, but she also addressed my concerns about the training tools DGA uses. To get a little more technical, this is where balanced dog training versus positive reinforcement comes into play.

Balanced v. Positive Reinforcement: Which Dog Training Is Best?

My dog is stubborn and, quite frankly, too smart for her own good at times. Positive reinforcement is a training approach that rewards desirable behaviors with treats, toys, or praise. I experienced the limitations of positive reinforcement when I needed Penny to do what I wanted, but she would only obey if a treat was in sight. The rest of the time, she did what suited her fancy.

Come to find out, the solution to this behavior was balanced dog training. It combines both positive reinforcement and correction techniques to modify dog behavior effectively. The method uses rewards for good behavior and correction for undesirable behavior to create a balanced approach to training.

The common tools used in balanced dog training are e-collars and prong collars. I think I had the reaction that many owners first have when they hear the words “electric” or “prong” while training their dogs. But the DGA team was knowledgeable and explained that it’s not a punishment, nor does it hurt the dog. Since we don’t speak canine, these techniques are just a better way to communicate with your dog.

After easing my mind about these reservations, I booked Penny for the 14-Day Advanced Board and Train program. Once we arrived, I met one of the dog trainers, Mikaela, who gave us a tour of the facility. I was impressed. From the outdoor spaces where the dogs can roam to the spacious kennels, I knew Penny would be in good hands.

Dog Training—It’s for Humans Too!

Throughout the next several days, I received fun updates, including texts and pictures of all the progress Penny was making in such a short amount of time. I felt completely in the loop on Penny’s training journey, which had not been the case with other facilities. I could see that DGA wanted my dog to succeed just as much as I did. From coffee shops to plant nurseries, they practiced training with her in different and realistic environments. It looked like they were having such a good time. I even felt a little jealous!

Then, it was time for our first drop-in visit. I met up with both Penny and one of the trainers at a nearby park, where we practiced off-leash walking, recall, walking on a leash without a struggle, and more. The trainer showed me how they worked with her and the different training methods. I also learned a thing or two about the different tools and how to use them. Seeing the program’s impact on her in just the first week was incredible. Before I knew it, the 14-day program flew by, and it was time for Penny to come home.

From beginning to end, DGA made the process convenient and seamless. They dropped Penny off at my house and walked me through everything they had worked on again and how to continue her training at home and on the road. Her behavior noticeably improved, and she truly had a complete transformation. Another plus—I was also able to keep the training tools! I felt more confident than ever in Penny, and I knew our upcoming adventures across the states would be a blast.

Overall, my experience with DGA exceeded my expectations. It was clear the team genuinely cared for my pup, which left me feeling very grateful that I stumbled upon their website in the first place. I now understand how to communicate with Penny better and am happy to share that she is doing fantastic on our road trip! I would highly recommend any dog owner reach out to DGA to see which dog training is best for their pup.

Do You Have a Reactive Dog? Here Are Our 5 Best Training Tips To Help

Your furry friend might be a reactive dog if they get overly excited, bark at passing dogs and people, or growl when feeling threatened. While this behavior can be challenging for owners, it’s important to remember that reactive dogs are still great pups at heart who need extra help to bring out their best.

Whether you’re an experienced pet parent or just getting started, this blog can help you understand what a reactive dog is, why some dogs are reactive, and why training is so important. With our top five training tips for reactive dogs, you’ll have everything you need to turn your dog into a calm, confident, and popular pup at the dog park!

What Is a Reactive Dog, Anyway?

A reactive dog displays overly excited or strong behaviors in response to everyday situations, sounds, sights, and movements that other dogs would typically ignore. This could look like your dog barking and lunging at people who come to your house or at another dog when you’re out for a walk. Other reactive behaviors include:

• Jumping toward other dogs, people, or objects while on a leash
• Whining, trembling, or snapping at people or other dogs
• Barking excessively or growling at other dogs, people, bikes, or cars
• Becoming overly excited or agitated in certain situations
• Being highly sensitive to noises or sudden movements
• Urinating when approached
• Tensing up or looking away

One common misconception is that reactive dogs are aggressive. However, it is quite the opposite. Reactivity is a heightened emotional response, while aggression is hostile and harmful behavior toward another person or dog.

Why Are Some Dogs Reactive?

There are many reasons why a dog may be reactive. Some dogs are reactive due to a genetic predisposition, while others may not have received enough socialization or exposure, which can cause a stronger reaction to unfamiliar stimuli. Another common cause of reactivity is fear. Dogs who have had negative or traumatic experiences in the past can act out of anxiety.

Finally, a lack of training can also be the root cause of a dog’s reactive behavior. Dogs who have not received proper training and boundaries may become reactive because they are unsure of how to respond to certain stimuli.

Here Are the 5 Best Tips To Train Reactive Dogs

All dogs can benefit from training, and reactive dogs are no exception. Here are five of our best training tips for managing reactive dogs:

1. Start With the Basics

Before working on reactivity, your pup needs to have a solid foundation of basic obedience commands, such as “sit,” “stay,” and “come.” This will give you a means of communicating with your dog and redirecting their focus when they become reactive.

2. Identify Your Dog’s Specific Triggers

Every dog is unique and behaves differently in response to their triggers, and the best training program for a reactive dog is customized to them. Triggers can include other dogs, bicycles, loud noises, or even people in specific clothing. Identifying what sets your dog off is crucial to creating an effective training plan. Once you’ve identified your dog’s particular triggers, you can begin working on training and desensitization.

3. Get Your Dog Out and About!

Desensitization exposes your dog to everyday sounds and situations, such as bicycles, skateboards, cars, sirens, people laughing, and other noises. Taking your dog out into the world can expose your pup to these stimuli and help them create associations with positive experiences. Eventually, they will become more confident and relaxed in new situations. To learn more about desensitization, check out our video that shows the difference between trained and untrained dogs.

4. Keep Calm, Be Patient, and Avoid Punishment-Based Techniques

Using punishment-based techniques can escalate the situation and make reactivity worse. Instead, focus on positive reinforcement and redirect your dog’s attention.

5. Get Professional Help

Reactive dogs require special attention when it comes to training and behavior management. Professional training can help reactive dogs learn how to change their responses, get along with other dogs, and build relationships with their humans. Together, you and your dog can benefit greatly from the positive reinforcement techniques and unbiased evaluation of your dog’s reactive behaviors that a professional trainer offer.

At Dog Gone Amazing Education Center, our training programs build trust, create clear boundaries, and teach reactive dogs to learn how to express their excitement and behaviors. We believe in all dogs’ potential, and amazing abilities to learn, adapt, and grow.

Our private lessons are a great starting point for reactive dog training. In these one-on-one sessions, we can work on specific behaviors and address individual challenges in a safe and controlled environment. We can help you feel more confident in taking your furry companion on their daily walk or embarking on a new adventure together with compassion, consistency, and patience.

If you suspect that you may have a reactive dog or are seeking personalized training tailored to your dog’s specific needs, our quiz can help. Click here to take the quiz, and we will be in touch!

10+ Helpful Tips for How To Deal With Dog Separation Anxiety

If Fido shows some of the classic separation anxiety symptoms in dogs whenever you reach for your shoes, you’ll want to know how to deal with dog separation anxiety.

Dogs are known for their loyalty and companionship, but what happens when they start to get anxious when you leave them alone? This is a common problem known as separation anxiety. But don’t worry, there are ways that you can help your furry friend deal with this issue. Keep reading to learn more about how to deal with dog separation anxiety, common dog separation anxiety symptoms, what causes separation anxiety in dogs, how to prevent dog separation anxiety, signs of separation anxiety in dogs, and separation anxiety dog training near you.

Separation Anxiety Symptoms in Dogs and How To Spot Them

 

Dog separation anxiety can be a problematic condition in loving pet owners. Typical signs of occasional separation anxiety include barking, whimpering, howling, trying to escape the house or yard, or destructive behaviors. Still, anxiety can pose a significant challenge for pets and their owners when it becomes severe.

To identify how to deal with dog separation anxiety, it is essential first to understand how to spot the symptoms. The key signs of clinical separation anxiety in dogs include:

• Anxious panting
• Destroying objects in the house out of frustration
• Howling
• Pacing back and forth
• Refusal to eat or loss of appetite

Other subtle symptoms may include excessive licking and whining when you leave the room or try to leave your home altogether. If you notice your pup exhibiting any combination of these behaviors regularly, it may be time to consult your vet about managing their stress. With the proper love and attention—not to mention plenty of physical exercises and proper training—your pup can learn how to better cope with their fears!

 

What Causes Separation Anxiety in Dogs

Separation anxiety in dogs is a common problem among owners that can cause substantial distress and frustration. The root cause of dogs’ separation anxiety is complex and multifaceted. Still, it commonly stems from the lack of proper training, situational changes within the household, health problems, or abandonment.

Dogs will often display howling, barking, and crying when left alone, which is a direct sign of distress stemming from their insecurity. This feeling can also be exacerbated if an owner gives too much attention to their pet at home and then neglects them once they go out. As a result, owners must create routines for pets to help them adjust positively to being alone or in less familiar environments. Proper training is also essential in helping a dog understand that being away from their owner does not always bring negative connotations.

 

How To Deal With Dog Separation Anxiety

It is possible to create a positive association with being away from your pup by following simple practices. Start small, getting used to being out of the house for short periods of time while leaving your dog alone indoors. Reward them with small treats upon returning or offer them a special toy to play with during the time away so that they associate positive behavior when left alone.

You can also plan activities where you spend more time together before leaving, such as playtime or a training session, and then part ways on a high note. Lastly, how you feel when going can play an important role in how your dog reacts—staying calm and confident will help prevent distress and separation anxiety. Following these steps, pet parents and their furry friends can build healthy habits that help create positive associations when apart.

How To Prevent Dog Separation Anxiety

Treatment options are available to help bring your furry friend some much-needed calm. Providing plenty of companionship and positive experiences is important to distract your pup from feeling anxious when alone. A few change-of-pace activities that you could try include:

• Having play dates with other doggy friends
• Short grocery store visits with your pup
• Taking them on more trainer-rated walks around the neighborhood 

Regular exercise often helps reduce pets’ anxiety and provides an outlet for their energy. Providing comfort items such as toys or blankets can help reduce fear levels as these objects can help remind the dog of its owner’s presence even when apart. Through implementing all these steps, owners can support their beloved pet and make strides towards successfully reducing separation anxiety in their dog.

If the symptoms persist, consider consulting a dog trainer, behavior specialist, or veterinarian who can offer advice tailored to your dog’s specific needs. With patience and dedication, it is possible to turn things around and help manage how to deal with your pet’s separation anxiety in a caring manner.

Separation Anxiety Dog Training Near Me

Pet owners can use several separation anxiety dog training techniques to help their pup overcome this issue. To start, regularly exposing the dog to shorter periods of separation is important. Start by leaving them alone for five minutes at a time and gradually increase your time away from your pet until they become used to it. Positive reinforcement can also be an effective tool in managing separation anxiety. Make sure to reward your pup with treats or praise whenever they stay quiet while alone.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, consider hiring a professional trainer. Dog trainers offer specialized separation anxiety dog training that can help you quickly teach your pup how to cope with being left alone safely and comfortably. With patience and consistency, your pooch will learn how to stay calm when apart from you and enjoy more stress-free moments together!

How to deal with separation anxiety  

If your dog is suffering from separation anxiety, there are several things you can do to help them feel better. First, it’s important to understand the symptoms and root causes of the condition. Then, you can begin working on creating a positive association with being away from your dog. Training techniques such as counterconditioning and desensitization can also help overcome separation anxiety. If you implement these suggestions, you should see an improvement in your dog’s anxiety levels over time.

Googling “separation anxiety dog training near me?” At Dog Gone Amazing, we believe that every dog deserves a chance to learn, and we know that every dog has the potential to be amazing! Click here to learn more about the types of dog training in Reno that we offer.

Why Is Walking My Dog Difficult?

The Top 5 Training Mistakes To Avoid When Training Your Dog To Walk. 

Strolling the neighborhood with your buddy walking calmly by your side as you breeze through the neighborhood is a dog owner’s dream. But, if your dog walking experience looks more like playing tug-of-war out the door, getting pulled around on the leash, and apologizing to your neighbors, it can feel more like a nightmare. 

Teaching your dog to walk nicely on the leash can be surprisingly simple but if you are making any of these top 5 training mistakes, it can get really complicated, really fast. Here are 5 of the top dog walking mistakes we see with tips on changes you can make to stop unwanted walking behavior and actually enjoy walking your dog.

 

The 5 Training Mistakes To Avoid On Walks

 

MISTAKE #1: GETTING YOUR DOG TOO AMPED UP 

Dogs LOVE going on walks, so when you pull out the leash and put on your walking shoes, it’s their signal to go bananas. They start panting, whining, running around, jumping on and off furniture and getting their pre-game on with all kinds of spastic energy. Most owners love seeing their dogs happy and want to join in on the celebration or even surprise their dogs by announcing “you wanna go on a WALK??” 

It’s all in good spirits but, unfortunately, when it comes to walking – energy is everything. If your dog is overly excited and bouncing off the walls (literally), then they are in no state to be able to participate in a calm walking experience. That level of energy makes it hard for them to hear your voice and focus on what you want them to do. It can not only make for an annoying experience having to repeat yourself a dozen times, but can actually be dangerous if they are too amped up to hear your warnings. 

A calm walk starts with a calm dog. If you want to set your dog up for success, resist the urge to get them all amped up, even if it is fun to watch them bounce around in joy. Keep things peaceful and make sure they are calm before you set out on your journey.

 

MISTAKE #2: BOLTING OUT THE DOOR 

We talked about the importance of a calm dog for having a calm walk. Once your dog has calmed down and has the right energy level for the walk, the next important step is paying attention to how you leave the house. One of our #1 rules when we train dogs is NO BOLTING. That means they are not allowed to dart over the threshold as soon as the door opens. 

If your dog is pulling you out of the door or jutting out the gate, it can amp up their energy again and undo all the work you did to help them get calm. One thing we practice repeatedly before ever even leaving the doorway is just standing at the threshold with the door open and asking the dog to sit. We will even practice walking outside the door and going back in the house/training center several times to remove the excitement around leaving for a walk. We want them to be able to access a calm state-of-mind and not be triggered by the act of leaving.

 

MISTAKE #3: ALLOWING PULLING, TUGGING, OR DARTING

When dogs are left on their own to scavenge and sniff around, they naturally follow their nose…wherever it goes. Naturally, this looks like darting around, getting lost, and pulling and tugging toward whatever interesting smell, sight, or sound crosses their path.. 

When your dog is on a walk, it is a SHARED experience and it is not time for them to act independently and run wild. When you are training your dog to walk nicely on a leash, you are training them to travel with you in a structured walk. That means that you are in motion and moving together as a pack in a certain direction. 

Teach your dog to stay focused by being structured and not allowing them to dart around, pulling, tugging and walking whichever direction their nose leads. Part of learning to walk is learning to stay in-tune with you and connected to your direction. If they get too focused on their own journey and what they are smelling, they will naturally start to pull and tug in the direction THEY want to go.  

Correct them by keeping them at by your side and redirecting them when they dart across your path or pull/lunge towards objects of interest. When we train dogs to walk on a leash, we don’t allow frequent stopping and we especially don’t allow visits with strangers. A walk is for just that – walking.

MISTAKE #4: BEING INCONSISTENT 

 One of the most important aspects of training is consistency. When you are training your dog to walk nicely on a leash, it’s important to provide a consistent pattern to the way you structure your walk. This is everything from the way you leave the house (as we mentioned above) to the way you hold the leash, and the commands you use. If you sometimes allow your dog to dart around sniffing everything, or allow them to tug and pull around certain areas in the park but not others, it confuses them. They will have a much harder time understanding how to behave if it’s a moving target. 

This is also true when it comes to your positioning during the walk. We recommend training your dog consistently with a heel at the same side every time. A “heel” command means that your dog is sitting or standing next to you at your side. You can use the heel command when you are stopped to have your dog sit calmly next to you or to stay at your side while you walk. Either way, teaching them a consistent position at your side gives them sort of a “home base” that helps them refocus and stay sensitive to your voice, gestures, or touches.  

MISTAKE #5: USING THE WRONG TOOLS 

We talk all the time with folks about the walking tools they choose for their dogs. One of the most common problems we see are people using tools that are not just ineffective but can actually work against your training efforts. For example, harnesses and especially harnesses with a clip in the middle of the back are actually similar to harnesses designed to HELP animals pull things like carts, wagons, sleds, etc. So using them while also trying to train your dog NOT to pull can pose a real problem as it gives them the urge to pull. Harnesses also provide significant leverage making it easier for your dog to pull you around the neighborhood. 

There are a variety of different tools we recommend for on-leash walking. The top two are prong collars and e-collars. The reason we recommend these over all other walking tools, including flat collars is because they are the best way to be able to communicate with your dog quickly and in a way that they are more sensitive to. When used with proper safety and training these tools are actually more humane and require a lot less repetition and force. Please learn more about those tools here. 

Another mistake is using a retractable leash. Many people like the function of retractable leashes but aren’t aware of their risks and drawbacks. Retractable leashes not only delay the time your dog can feel your tug and respond but can also malfunction and make it difficult for you to gain control when necessary.

Can you TEACH MY DOG TO WALK ON A  LEASH? 

We hope this guide has been helpful in diagnosing what might be getting in the way of you, your dog, and a peaceful walk. If you feel overwhelmed by this list and just aren’t sure where to start, we recommend looking into our training programs. We can help you sort out the issues and train your dog in the key skills it takes to perform a calm, structured walk you can both enjoy. 

BONUS – Watch lead trainer, Malaika Heinbaugh share and demonstrate her top dog walking tips in this free dog training video.