Though Advantage Dog Training Tri-Cities was only established in 2018, I have been working with dogs and other animal species for much longer than that! I spent almost 10 years at Paws to Play Dog Daycare in Pasco, Washington, getting to know many dogs and their humans as I managed large packs of off leash dogs, helped teach training classes, and managed the boarding kennel. Now, I work as a veterinary assistant (also in Pasco, Washington) and run a dog training business. I am not in anyway connected to any other businesses named Advantage Dog Training Tri-Cities.

Something many people do not know about me, is that I have been a parrot caretaker since I was a kid (around 9 years old). What does this have to do with dogs? Everything! Parrots are a prey animal. What that means is that most other animals want to eat them. With that in mind, they are afraid that your dog will eat them or that you will eat them. Everyone and everything is assumed a threat until proven otherwise, over time, and trust building. This takes lots of patience and learning to read what the bird is communicating through their body language. These subtle signs and signals they send you, help you learn if you can reach into the cage and have the bird step up on your hand, or if you will end up getting stitches because of a misread cue from the parrot.

Dogs are not much different. Sure, a big difference is that dogs are predators. However, nervous and fearful dogs view themselves as prey. Training methods that use prong collars, pressure harnesses, electronic collars and even noises intended to correct negative behavior can add to the fear the dog is already experiencing. Most dogs respond best to simple, quiet, and clear directions. Have you ever watched a service dog and his/her handler while they are working? A well-trained team sends each other subtle signals to communicate direction, need, and reward. Any dog-human team can achieve this as well with the right tools and guidance.

Every dog trainer has their own tricks, theories, methods that work for them and the dogs they work with. One thing that often seems to be missing is helping people learn how to build confidence in their dogs while teaching manners and life skills. Many dogs become nervous in new buildings, around other dogs, strange people, and those with a nervous personality type get lost in a large group class setting. Private training sessions usually put too much focus on the nervous pup and end up making the situation uncomfortable for the dog and their human. It also ends up creating many setbacks for the nervous dog when we, the humans, become frustrated because Ozzie is just standing there and refusing to do anything. After hearing pet owners talk about this unfortunate problem over and over, I decided it was time to change things up a bit in the Tri-Cities.

If you are thinking "this sounds great, but I don't have a nervous or fearful dog." Some dogs cover up their fear or uncertainty by being overly excited or behaving as though they are completely ignoring you. Many unwanted behaviors you see your dog displaying stem from your dog choosing to do something they know, out of not being confident.

We all believe that learning should be fun for children, so why can't it be fun for dogs and their people too? It can be! Through positive reinforcement (treats, toys, praise, anything that makes your dog happy) we will play games and have fun building confidence and learn how to proceed with the information your dog is giving you, as well as how dogs learn.