Shaped by Dog with Susan Garrett

Visit us at shapedbydog.com      We can use food, toys, or activities our dogs love, like swimming or running, as rewards in dog training. To get an unbelievable transfer of value from that reinforcement, we can use words that tell our dogs what they are doing is correct, how they will be reinforced and where that reinforcement will be. We're covering Location Specific Reinforcement Markers and ho...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com      One of my most favorite things to talk about is mindset because, to me, it's everything in life. Mindset is nothing to do with dog training, yet it has everything to do with how successful you will be. Dog training is an unregulated industry, and people can say or do whatever they want. There are many ways to train dogs, and dogs will learn despite what's being don...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     Do you have superstitious behavior like wearing a lucky shirt or lucky socks? Dogs can have superstitious behaviors too, and often, we contribute! We don't want inadvertent or cheap behaviors to become part of what our dogs learn, so I'm covering what to look for and what you can do to avoid reinforcing superstition unintentionally. We're also looking at why you nee...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com   There are two ways to work on your dog listening around distractions, but many people only learn one. The first way is to get your dog into a controlled position like a sit or down, and introduce distractions. We take it to the next level and do things differently! Let's face it; there are not too many bunnies who are doing to ask us to get our dogs into a sit before...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     How well does your dog respond to your cues at a distance? Would your dog sit or down when they are off leash and far away? It's a skill that can be life saving for dogs! It only needs a few minutes a day of engagement with your dog to create great behaviors, and it starts with your dog listening to you when they are close.   In the episode you'll hear:   • That a d...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     Does balanced dog training really exist? Being a balanced trainer is part of my background in dog training. In many discussions about dog training methods, you will frequently hear about the four quadrants, so I'm going over what those quadrants are and how our experiences can tip the balance. We're covering the science of operant conditioning and how dogs actively...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com    Teaching your dog to lay down on cue is a great life skill for many situations. There are 10 different ways to train your dog to drop. Having a dog who downs immediately when you ask will happen if your dog is engaged and having fun. Your dog obeying you does not need to involve submitting, and we're looking at how you can create a joyful instant drop on cue for your...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com    If you've ever said, "why won't my dog just listen," or "he does this at home," or "he's being stubborn," or wondered why your dog just does not listen, this episode is for you. It applies to all dogs, from puppies to rescues, to older dogs, to sports dogs performing in obedience, agility, flyball, protection or any sport. We're covering why dogs may or may not liste...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     Have you ever felt behind in your dog training? Have you ever wondered if you will ever catch up? Have you ever wondered if it was just too late to train your dog, or if your puppy was just too much, and they would never be able to learn? You are not alone! All of us have challenges with our dogs, including me. The more experience we have, the more our confidence gr...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     The only way we can make the world a better place for all the dogs is to inspire everyone with a dog to want to train. But to want to train your dog, you need to receive good feedback and take action on that feedback. It's a topic dear to my heart as I've been coaching in dog training and dog agility for over 30 years and have learned many lessons about teaching.  ...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     Imagine if you and your best friend both got puppies who are littermates. And you both train your puppies the same about of time every week, use the same training rewards and follow the same training plan. Then after six months, your friend's puppy is amazingly well trained, but your puppy does not seem to know much at all. You might think that you got the puppy who...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     Puppies pee for one of three reasons; they might have a bladder infection, their bladder is full and they need to relieve themselves, or they pee because they are excited or a little bit afraid and don't even realize they are doing it! Often puppies pee when they greet people, and it's not a conscious choice on their part. It's not a housebreaking issue and has noth...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     I use a simple dog training rule with all my dogs and teach that same rule to my students. The rule is easy to implement and will exponentially improve your dog training success, help your dog learn faster and grow your dog's confidence. It has everything to do with the rate of reinforcement and how to reward your dog to build good behavior. Only 2 in 30 people foll...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com    Is your puppy or dog so overexcited, frantic, frenzied, or over-aroused they can't seem to listen or think? You can help by training your dog to both hold and do one behavior. Your dog understanding one behavior will ensure they can respond around triggers and distractions. We're covering the training steps for your dog to be able to listen to you even when overexcit...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     Teaching a dog to calm down when you are out with them amidst exciting events can seem difficult, especially if your dog can't seem to chill at home when nothing is going on! It might be that your dog seems always to want to be doing something or continually demand your attention. We're covering why your dog expects you to interact with them constantly and what you...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     Have you ever thought to yourself, "I can't wait until this dog calms down!"? Or maybe you are embarrassed by your dog's behavior when you are walking, or your dog gets so over excited they can't listen? Perhaps your dog barks, lunges, spins, nips, or ignores you near distractions? You might have an over aroused dog! We're covering what that means and what you can d...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com    I'm sharing my implementation guide so that you can teach your dog to stay and hold duration positions easily with reinforcement. Your dog understanding how to wait with duration will help in daily life around home, when you are out together, and in dog sports like obedience and agility. All you need is your dog, a tug or some treats, and you are ready to get started...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com      Do you ever wish your dog could really stay when you ask? Like when you're eating dinner, and you ask your dog to go on their mat, or maybe you put them in their bed so you can answer the door. There are many times in life when we want our dogs to wait with duration. Training your dog to stay no matter what, starts with them knowing what to do and when it's over.  ...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com      There's one thing I do when I train my dogs that you can do too, and it will exponentially increase your dog training success. That one thing is videoing my dog training. My training mentor, Dr Bob Bailey, told me that use of videoing training sessions has had the biggest impact on animal training in his lifetime. It's not just videoing your training; it's reviewin...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     Does your dog hate things like grooming, you using the vacuum, getting a bath, you shovelling snow or raking leaves, being held at the vet, getting eye drops or ears cleaned? There can be an endless list of things dogs don't like! The good news is that we can help our dogs by breaking what they hate down to turn a negative into a positive conditioned emotional respo...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com   How would you rate your last three dog training sessions on a scale of 1 to 10? Today I'm sharing my training checklist and how I plan for success in dog training. If you want to train your dog, it's worth training the best you can. A training plan for your puppy or dog will improve your sessions, increase success, and see your training progress faster.   In the episo...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     Have you ever had your dog's bowl, picked up your car keys, or the doorbell rings, and your dog gets super excited? That excitement in your puppy or dog is a conditioned response, and we can use the magic of conditioning to help our puppy or dog learn faster and make dog training easier. It's essential to understand what's going on with classical conditioning and ho...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     As we wind down the year, we're looking at the most popular Shaped by Dog podcasts over the last 12 months, and they are all about dog training. The episodes on leash walking, puppy biting, helping dogs with reactivity or resource guarding, and dogs jumping up on people have been at the top of your playlists.   In the episode you'll hear:   • The number one dog trai...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     Holiday celebrations are a great time for all of us, but they can be very stressful for our dogs. There are many things you can do to help reduce the stress for your dog when you have visitors or are visiting someone else. We're covering important tips that will keep your dog safe, children safe and help everyone experience happy holidays.   In the episode you'll he...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     If you have a puppy, you've probably heard that your pup needs to socialize with other puppies and dogs. But what does that mean exactly? How much play is enough or too much for your puppy? Does it mean playing with all other puppies and dogs? We're looking at critical guidelines and tips for success with puppy playtime, so it's safe, builds confidence and grows you...