We are nearing the end with our March group!

This is where most people start doing things wrong—even if Step 1 (engagement) went well. Now that your dog is choosing to stay with you and focus, the next step is teaching them how to follow food correctly so we can start shaping real behaviors. This is what allows us to: - Guide the dog into positions (sit, down, heel, place) - Build clarity in communication - Prevent confusion and frustration later on If your dog doesn’t understand how to follow food properly, everything we build on top of this gets sloppy. 🎯 What We’re Working On This Week 1. Straight Line LuringYour dog should be able to follow your hand in clean, controlled movements. 2. Timing the “Yes” MarkerThe reward only happens when the dog is doing the right thing—nose on the hand. 3. Proper Food HandlingHow you hold the food matters more than you think. This is what gives you control instead of the dog just grabbing at it. 4. Building EnthusiasmIf your dog isn’t super engaged, you need to bring more energy and contrast (freeze vs movement) to make the game more exciting. ⚠️ Common Mistakes - Moving too fast and losing the dog - Saying “yes” when the dog isn’t actually in position - Letting the dog fall behind your hand - Treating food like a bribe instead of a communication tool 🧠 Big Takeaway We’re not just “giving treats.” We’re teaching the dog:👉 “If you stay connected to my hand, that’s what makes the reward happen.” That understanding is what allows us to start building real obedience next. 🎥 Your Homework - Practice short sessions (2–5 minutes at a time) - Focus on clean reps, not speed - Mix in engagement work if your dog starts to check out If you’re unsure if you’re doing it right, post a video in the group and I’ll take a look.

Welcome to this March group of dogs and their owners! Hazel, the pit lab mix that she is reactive towards other dogs. Rip, the Rottweiler who you can’t put him into a crate safely. Winnie, the German Shepard is here for lack manners. We also have another dog who will be coming to us tomorrow. Louie, the Golden doodle is coming for obnoxious barking. Stay tuned to follow along with their progress, happy training guys! Stetson the black lab is going home tomorrow and loves to play fetch and tug!

This is the first video in a new instructional series I’m building out for you guys. The goal with this series is to walk you through the entire training process step by step — the same way we do it with dogs in our programs. If you follow this in order, you’ll have a clear roadmap from day one all the way to off-leash reliability. We’re starting with Focus & Engagement, because nothing else matters if your dog isn’t tuned into you. Before we ever teach commands like sit, down, or heel…we need the dog to: - Want to work with us - Understand that value comes from us - Start volunteering attention instead of being forced into it In this video, I show you how to: - Build your dog’s expectation to eat from your hand - Start creating engagement through food - Get your dog offering focus on their own This is the foundation for everything we’re going to build next. Quick note: I planned to have this up Monday, but we lost power after that wind storm over the weekend. That said — moving forward, you can expect a new video in this series every Monday. Next up: we’ll take this engagement and start turning it into luring and movement.