Off Leash K9 Training Dog Training Blog
In the 1950’s, a man named B.F Skinner described a powerful cognitive quirk, called A Variable Schedule Rewards. Skinner’s experiment/study observed that lab mice reacted most voraciously to random, variable rewards; when the mice would press the lever, sometimes they’d get a...
February 24, 2017
The Problem With ‘Fad’ Training
Nobody likes to hear that they are, in any way, failing those we care about. Whether it is children, pets or ourselves, the thought that we are teaching self-destructive habits to anybody is truly heart breaking. It’s no wonder, then, that as soon as some new article comes...
February 22, 2017
We always get asked, “Can you train a deaf dog?” The great news is, the answer is, “Yes!” We have trained many deaf dogs, and it’s really not much more different nor difficult!
Why are dogs deaf ?
Deafness can affect dogs of any breed, age or colored coats but there have been many studies into the...
February 18, 2017
We do dog aggression training regularly in Northern Virginia (our Headquarters), we often times get asked, “What is the most aggressive breed?”
The answer may surprise you!
There are so many dogs that get put to sleep on a regular basis as a result of their aggressive behavior. This is because...
February 15, 2017
We handle aggression in dogs in Northern Virginia on a daily basis! Most people do not realize that it can also be medical related.
Thyroid glands regulate the body’s metabolism, any decrease in the thyroid’s work can cause various complications that are similar to other conditions.
Pet owners and dog...
February 11, 2017
We deal with dog aggression regularly in Northern Virginia. Your dog may have been such a sweet little puppy. They were behaved and well-mannered. That was until they were not. One very common question for animal behaviorists is why their dog suddenly starts showing aggression. This problem is especially...
February 8, 2017
This is one of the many dog training issues we deal with in Northern Virginia.
You may notice your dog humping something or everything and wonder why your dog does it. Part of you wants to laugh and post the video but other times this can be an incredibly embarrassing situation. Whatever the reason...
January 17, 2017
At our dog training facility in Northern Virginia, we do dog reactivity training; however, it appears it’s needed in the White House!
TMZ has recently posted a photo of a nasty cut under a young woman’s eye, allegedly the result of being bitten by the Obama’s family dog, Sunny.
The 18-year-old...
January 15, 2017
Anyone who has ever watched my Facebook Live videos know that I LOVE Pit bulls and I’m a huge advocate for them, so, I was very excited to see this!
If a survey was given to answer the question of whether or not a Pit bull might make a good police dog, many would surely find...
January 13, 2017
We deal with food aggression training in Northern Virginia (our HQ) on a pretty regular basis.
There are many different behaviors that our dogs do that maybe you do not really know how to interpret. They are communicating in their own way and as a responsible dog owner, it is your responsibility...
January 3, 2017
Positive reinforcement is something we get asked about in Northern Virginia, a lot! People are always told about the magic of positive reinforcement. While it is an effective tool, unfortunately there are many occasions where it is not as effective as you would like. For instance, a lot of the...
January 1, 2017
Picking the Perfect Christmas Puppy
If there’s one surprise that is sure to bring your family untold levels of joy during the holidays, it’s a puppy (unless of course you didn’t discuss it with your spouse, but that’s on you). Many dog professionals claim that it is a bad idea to bring in a new family...
November 29, 2016
Bringing your Christmas Puppy Home
So, you’ve finally chosen the perfect dog for you and your family, and it’s time to bring them home to experience the good life. Before deciding this, realize, that you are giving someone a life to take care of daily, for the next 12-15 years. You are giving them a...
November 23, 2016
At our board and train facility in Northern Virginia, we always get a lot of questions around Thanksgiving. You may not naturally consider your family pet to be a major part of Thanksgiving as a holiday, but your dog can be a source of stress or setbacks if you don’t know how to take care of them during...
November 22, 2016
While sleeping with your dog is generally enjoyable for both owner and dog, sometimes it doesn’t work out as planned. This is because the dog doesn’t understand their role in the household.
Years ago, dogs played a much different role in a family. Most dogs were working animals on a farm. They had...
June 20, 2016
There has been a debate as to whether or not you should spay or neuter your dog. Many different groups have a variety of different feelings on this heavily debated topic, each for their own reasons. This can be a very personal decision and one of the most important ones that you can make as a dog owner....
May 29, 2016
Summer is fast approaching, and it’s the perfect time to learn about dogs having a heatstroke. Humans often believe that dogs are fully capable of cooling themselves off by panting. This is not true. Dogs aren’t able to control their body temperature as well as humans. If a dog has a heatstroke, they...
May 27, 2016
If you are a dog owner, chances are that you have noticed your dog munching on grass a number of times. This is generally nothing to be concerned over. Our dogs’ wild ancestors were scavengers; they would get vegetation if they couldn’t find any meat.
Owners often forget that our dogs are omnivores,...
May 26, 2016
We all have heard the saying that a dog’s mouth is cleaner than a human’s mouth. While it’s a common saying, it is simply untrue. There are a few reasons that this myth has floated around for so long.
At one time, studies were showing that human bites became infected at a faster rate than dog bites....
May 24, 2016
There are a lot of unique behaviors that dogs have that can be difficult for us humans to understand. They do things that you may find disgusting, which are actually completely normal to them. Dogs have no actual language that people can tell so they do heavily rely on their body language to help them...
May 23, 2016
Dogs have a variety of different odd behaviors that you may wonder exactly why they do it. One of those behaviors includes shaking. Dogs shake for a variety of different reasons. Sometimes these behaviors can be explained, for instance maybe a dog just dog done swimming and it is cold. Sometimes there...
May 21, 2016
The operant conditioning technique
This technique involves reinforcement, or punishment, for your dog upon completion of a behavior, a lot like you might train your children.
It’s voluntary, your dog is an active participant in this process whether the behavior is positive or negative. Rather than rewarding...
May 16, 2016
Operant conditioning is, “a type of learning in which the strength of a behavior is modified by its consequences, such as reward or punishment, and the behavior is controlled by antecedents called discriminative stimuli which come to signal those consequences.”
To break down operant conditioning,...
May 11, 2016
Have a new and untrained puppy? It may be a troubling time or a stepping stone to see if you could handle a child, but either way, there are some tips you should take into account and help you stay sane with your new puppy. The first few weeks are the hardest and we’re here to help you virtually....
May 11, 2016
Being a new puppy owner is exciting, but most don’t realize the work that may go into actually taking care of a puppy or even learning to train them. We have the best tips to help you get started when it comes to training your new furbaby and you shouldn’t take these like a grain of salt...
May 11, 2016
When people think of adopting a dog, most of the time, they don’t think of predatory aggression and expect everything to be swell automatically. Predatory aggression is very real in dogs of all kinds and a lot of people may wonder if it’s natural. They are animals, however, so a level of...
May 11, 2016
As life moves forward and changes transpire, sometimes we are put in a position that requires us or inspires us to make a move. Sometimes, that can be a hard task to endeavor when you are considering others besides yourself. The task is no easier when that special being your are considering is your most...
February 15, 2016
We’ve all heard that a dog is the best and most loyal friend a human being could ask for. When you think about it, they are also one of the easiest companions to pass time with. Not only are they always eager and willing when it comes to the next adventure, but they’re ALWAYS positive and energetic during...
February 6, 2016
At our dog training facility in Northern Virginia, we often times deal with food aggression and resource guarding.
Whether we’re aware of it or not, our furry friends are always in communication with us. Though a language barrier exists, our canine pals utilize other methods to get their message...
January 10, 2016
Statistically speaking, though dogs are responsible for human deaths on a very low scale yet they do happen. Pit bulls are associated with almost one third of dog bite related fatalities and half of that can be attributed to Rottweilers. Therefore these two breeds of dogs, more than others, have...
December 23, 2015
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