At our dog training program in Northern Virginia, we stress the importance of verbal and visual cues in training our dogs.  Dogs learn mostly through verbal cues, visual cues,  vocal tones, repetition, correction, and praise (just like us humans). First, we will discuss keeping your commands simplistic!...

  We only do private dog training sessions at our facility in Northern Virginia, there are many reasons for this. First, I always say, “I have never seen a dog that impressed me in obedience that did it through group training or group sessions.”   I have said this for years, and to...

At our Dog Training Center in Northern Virginia, we get asked about group classes on a daily basis. Being around almost every style of training program, I have yet to be impressed with group classes or group training sessions.  As I say on a daily basis at our private dog training sessions in Northern...

At our Dog Training Program in Northern Virginia, many people ask “How can I have a healthy, happy, and energetic dog?” Everyone who’s ever owned a dog, knows that special feeling you get when they welcome you home after a long day. They share their unconditional love with you whether...

At our Puppy Training Classes in Northern Virginia, we address play biting and nipping a lot.  Many people refer to this behavior as different things such as, play biting, nipping, and mouthing. Some dogs are more prone to this than other dogs; such as, Malinois, Australian Shepherds,  German Shepherd,...

At our dog training center in Northern Virginia, we always tell people to stay away from dog parks. Many people wrongly assume that dogs parks are great for socializing, letting their dog burn off energy, and playing; however, more often than not it will eventually end badly. Do not take your puppy to...

    People ask about clicker training everyday at our dog training facility in Northern Virginia. This method is also based solely on positive reinforcement training for dogs. If you are not familiar with clicker training, a clicker is a small mechanical-like device that the owner (handler)...

Naturally people ask us, “How can I get my dog to listen when he is distracted” like your dogs at your training in Northern Virginia? Many people watch our 400+ videos on our YouTube Channel and they see the dogs we train in Northern Virginia performing flawless obedience: outside, off-leash,...

When many people are looking for an obedience training program in Northern Virginia, they always ask us, “Is it better to participate in the training with my dog, or do your 2-week board and train intensive obedience training program?” I always tell people, when it comes to which dog training...

    On a daily basis at our dog training facility in Northern Virginia, we are talking to people about reading their dog’s body language to better help predict their dog’s behavior and make them understand their dog better. There is a big misconception with people that a wagging...

We deal with food aggressive dogs at our training facility in Northern Virginia, a lot. So, many of you are probably wondering, “How can I stop food aggression with my dog?” Click here to see a before/after video of a food aggressive Pit Bull we just recently trained at our dog training facility...

The question always comes up, “How do I keep my dog from escaping his or her crate (cage)?” This is a very simple question; however, more of a complex answer. First off, many dogs who are escape artists and are constantly escaping their cage, may have some form of separation anxiety. There...

At our dog training facility in Northern Virginia, we do a puppy training/consultation program as early as 8-10 weeks old. However, we really do not put too much focus on “obedience” per se at that age, we focus on things that we consider more important for puppy development; such as, bonding,...

On a daily basis at our dog training facility in Northern Virginia, people contact us and ask if it’s possible to fix their people aggressive dog. When working with dogs that are people aggressive, I believe the first step is understanding what the aggression is based off of before you can properly...

Literally every day owners contact us and ask, “Can your dog training program in Northern Virginia fix our dog aggressive dog?” I always respond with the same answer, “It’s impossible to guarantee that our training will make your dog love other dogs. What we can guarantee you...

Many people have tried many different tricks and techniques with their dogs and they still wonder, “What is the best dog training method for training my dog?” There are several training methods that can be used to train your dog. One of the most common and popular methods is reward-based...

Many people ask, “What is the best type of dog to get?” or “What is the best breed of dog to get?” In order to raise the perfect dog, you have to pick the perfect dog—that is, the perfect dog for you.  Unfortunately, I cannot answer that, only you can. The question you should ask yourself...

People ask us all of the time, “Will shock collar training hurt my dog?” Or, “Will shock collar training ruin my dog’s personality and turn him into a robot?”   All of these statements and questions could not be further from the truth. Anytime I hear the term, “Shock...

Bringing home a new puppy is like Christmas every morning, until you realize that you need to house train your puppy. You know, those mornings when you wake up to a mess in your floor. Many people wonder, “How do I train my new puppy?” House training a new puppy can be emotionally and physically...

At Off-Leash K9 Training, we are considered the best dog training program in Virgina and even far beyond, as you will see in our reviews, 400+ videos, and celebrities who have flown their dogs to us from all throughout the United States. What Can You Expect during Dog Training? Are you excited to have...

Many people hear everyone constantly say, “You need to be the pack leader.”  However, many of you ask, “How do I be the pack leader for my dog?” What does it mean that dogs are pack animals? This means they always roam and stick together in a pack. Lions are the same way; you...

Many people quickly realize that their dogs will listen great inside, but then they wonder, “How do I get my dog to listen with distractions?”  Off leash dog training Northern Virginia, ensures that a dog behaves just as well when off the leash as they do when they are on it. If you attempt...

5 Common Misconceptions about Dog Training Ever since we’ve opened our training school for dogs right here in Northern Virginia, we’ve come across all sorts of inquiries—and misconceptions. We do feel bad about the latter because dog owners miss a very important service all because they’ve been misled...

Once you have gone through the processes of house training and basic off-leash training, why not go one stage further? Competition obedience training in Northern Virgina can be fun, interesting, and best of all your dog will really enjoy it. Dogs are made to be active, and competition obedience training...

Whether your dog has behavioral issues such as: eats your house while your away, doesn’t travel well or gets snippy with invited guests, most behavior issues come from two possible sources.  Sometimes dogs are received from places that did not breed very well, and sometimes as their owner it can...

So you have decided to take a big leap, and pick yourself up a new puppy. You find the cutest, fluffiest, most adorable puppy ever, and you bring him home.  Then you ask yourself, “What are things I should know about getting a new puppy?”The next morning you wake up to find that your cute...

Nervous dogs, or those which have had a history of abuse, often exhibit anxiety when left alone. This can manifest itself as barking or whining, chewing furniture or simply cowering away somewhere it feels more protected. The general term is separation anxiety, and can affect many animals and even humans...

  Our aggressive dog training courses in Northern Virginia work on the principle that there is no dog in the world that  prefers to be aggressive. An aggressive dog will be just as unhappy as its owners about the situation. Aggression is caused by the dog’s environment putting it under some...

Train your puppy quickly and effectively with positive reinforcement techniques The modern approach to puppy training, and indeed dog training in general, is a far cry from the old methods of punishing bad behaviour. It is now know that using positive reinforcement, such as treats and praise, works far...

Why Northern Virginia dog trainers need to change your dog’s attitude Every once in awhile, even the most patient of dog owners will realize that their dog has developed an attitude problem. This may apply to you. You know that your dog has a bad attitude when he tends to take the lead in the relationship....