Max Videos
My favorite dog training videos to watch are the ones where the dog and the handler make mistakes and recover from those mistakes. I like watching the learning process from the beginning when the dog is in the ACQUISITION phase. Well, these are not those videos. For almost all of the videos on the website, Max is in the PROOFING phase which means you're not watching him learn a brand new behavior. You're watching him practice what's he's learned.
The importance of ACQUISITION vs PROOFING is, if your dog is a beginner, you can't mimic what you see in a PROOFING video; you need to watch a video of a dog in the ACQUISITION phase. To see Max's ACQUISITION phase videos, login to our training portal.
Max's First Year
We met Max and his brother during adoption weekend at PetSmart in May 2016. The boys were 3 months old. Their mom is a boxer; father unknown. Both puppies were adorable, but I decided I liked "this one" because he was more engaged with the environment, while his brother seemed content to just sniff the ground. Happily, as we were signing Max's adoption paperwork, another family adopted his brother!
The first thing I had to teach Max was how to learn. Then it was GAME ON!
Containing the Happy Dance
Max weighed only 20 lbs when we brought him home, but the vet said he was going to be a big dog - 60+ lbs. Thinking ahead, I asked myself, "How do I want my big dog to greet people?" The answer was "Calmly!"
Age: 5 months
Phase: PROOFING
Position Changes (Quick Drill)
Here's Max practicing his position changes.
Age: 6 months
Phase: PROOFING
Asking to Go Outside
Some dogs bark at the door when they want to go outside. Not Max. He preferred to sit at the door and hope someone noticed. Consequently, I found myself cleaning up many puddles at the back door even after he was house trained. So I had to teach him to get my attention.
Age: 6 months
Phase: PROOFING
PVC Self Feeder
I like making things with PVC so when I saw this idea on the internet, I could not resist. And they were right, dogs love it!
Age: 7 months
Phase: ACQUISITION and PROOFING
Position Changes (Proofing)
Sometimes we think our dogs are following verbal commands when they're really reading our body language. So in this session, I decided to test Max to see if he really can follow verbal commands.
Age: 9 months
Phase: PROOFING
CHIN
I taught Max to lower his head to the floor on the CHIN command. This behavior comes in handy when he's around new people and I want him to look calm and submissive.
Age: 9 months
Phase: PROOFING
PLACE (on a rock)
Age: 15 months
OUT
When I was a kid, I did like a lot of people... I taught my dog he had better allow me to reach into his dog bowl while he was eating! I have to admit, it was a power struggle sometimes. Once we got Max, I learned there is a better way; the OUT command. It means disengage.
Phase: ACQUISITION and PROOFING
Verbal Only Commands
TOUCH vs PLACE
On the TOUCH command, Max is trained to put two feet on the object. On the PLACE command, he should put four feet on it. In this session, I'm checking to see if Max knows the difference.
Age: 15 months
Phase: PROOFING
CAVE
- We adopted a no free food policy for Max.
- Max rarely eats from a bowl.
- Max eats regular dog food during training so he's not overfed on treats.
- Even on my lazy days, Max works for his meals.
Age: 17 months
Phase: PROOFING
That Was Easy
One day, my nephew BJ, age 10, asked if we can teach Max to press the That Was Easy button. He and his cousin Angela, age 13, came up with a very detailed lesson plan to shape Max's behavior toward the goal. Over the next few days, the kids took turns marking close approximations to the desired behavior and before long, Max was pressing the button! My job was to deliver the reward every time one of them said "Yes!". In this clip, you can hear Angela's disbelief that Max reached the goal in just three sessions!
Age: 18 months
Phase: PROOFING
OUT and CAVE
WATCH ME (working for food)
In our home, mealtime is synonymous with training time. But do I always feel like conducting training? No. So here is what mealtime looks like on a lazy day.
Age: 2 years
Phase: PROOFING
Mmmm...
Ask me what's my favorite Max video... it's probably the last one I uploaded. But this one is special. I've always wanted to make a video where it looks like Max is imitating me. I did not plan to teach Max this behavior; it happened organically. And it's one of my top favorites! I was able to put the behavior on command in about 10 sessions.
Age: 2 years
Phase: PROOFING
Door Manners
Are you constantly trying to prevent your dog from bolting out the door? Try teaching him wait for permission instead.
Age: 2 years
Phase: PROOFING
TALK
On this day, I grabbed my camera because Max was in a talkative mood. He knows the following commands involving his mouth.
- Say (bark)
- Shhh... (be quiet)
- Talk (open and close mouth while making sound)
- Mmmm (moan and lick chops simultaneously)
- Ahhh... (open mouth without a sound)
Age: 3 years
Phase: PROOFING
Hanging Out
From day one, Max wanted to play with the cat. At first, it was cute and his antics made us laugh, but I had to look ahead. I wanted Harley to trust Max and be relaxed around him. So I worked with Max and helped them create a relationship that is sustainable. And now we enjoy this!
Age: 3 years
Phase: PROOFING
FOOT
I am teaching Max the FOOT command because I want a command that requires him to make physical contact with me. This command comes in handy when we're in public or among strangers. Alternatively, you can teach your dog to touch his shoulder to your leg when he stand besides you.
CAVE (While in Motion)
It's important to be creative and unpredictable during training. Make sure you do it in a way that keeps your dog's success rate high. In this session, I am challenging Max to follow the CAVE commands while in motion at mealtime.
Age: 3 years
Phase: PROOFING
Backyard Practice
Max and I in the backyard practicing a few of his 40 commands.
Trusted Alone With Food
When we go on holiday, we always stay at dog-friendly hotels so Max can travel with us. In this video, Max is practicing impulse control while alone with food in the LaQuinta Inn hallway.
Age: Almost 4 years
Phase: PROOFING
Do you have questions about any of the videos? Have you met Max? Leave a comment.
Client Videos
Meet Liberty, a beautiful GSD. Her parents adopted her when she was 2 months old. They enrolled her in basic dog training classes, but the training was not very fruitful. When I met Liberty, she was 5 months old and had become unmanageable. She was quite strong and, sadly, was exhibiting signs of aggression toward her parents (retirees). My goal was to teach Liberty how to learn, and teach her parents how to communicate with her. It turned out, Liberty is not only a sweet dog, she's also brilliant! She learned more than a dozen commands in the short time we spent together. To see more Liberty videos, login to our training portal.
Liberty's Evaluation and Assessment
OUT
Liberty has a history of growling and biting people when they reach for her food and her family is concerned that she is becoming aggressive. In this session, I introduce Liberty to the OUT command. For the first 5-10 minutes, I compelled her to backup. Within 16 minutes, she offers to back up and sit down when she hears the command. Yay Liberty!
PLACE
LEAVE IT
Liberty not only bites people when they reach for her food, but she also steals food. What (untrained) dog doesn't? The LEAVE IT command is simple. It means do not engage.
Delivering the Food Reward
Loose Leash Walking
When I met Liberty two weeks ago, she didn't know how to walk on a leash. She pulled when she wanted to, stopped and started when she wanted to, and changed lanes when she wanted to. After a few minutes of eCollar conditioning in my driveway, I took Liberty across the street for our first loose leash walk. I had to use the eCollar to remind her to stay close to me for the first minute or so. After that, no eCollar and she walked very nicely with me on a loose leash for over 10 minutes.