Shaped by Dog with Susan Garrett

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     I'm sharing games to help improve your dog's loose leash walking that will help turn your dog's focus to you when there are distractions ahead. It starts easily at home with Perch Work, and you can transition to walking in the real world using the simple tips. Remember to celebrate your progress with your dog!   In the episode you'll hear:   • How to grow the founda...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     Car sickness in a dog or puppy can be heartbreaking. My puppy has been getting car sick, and I've been documenting what I've been doing to help her. If your puppy or dog is drooling in the car, refusing to get in the car, hates car rides, throwing up or foaming at the mouth when travelling, or showing any other sign of motion sickness, you are not alone.   In the ep...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     If you are like most people, you take your dog for a walk for exercise or for a potty break. Surprisingly, one of the questions I get asked frequently is when and how I walk my dogs. There are five main reasons I walk my dogs, and the walking is always intentional. Those reasons are for elimination (toilet breaks), relationship building, to give my dogs a chance to...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     If you'd like to train your dog to walk beside you on a leash without pulling, you are in the right place. There is one mistake that most people make when they are training walking on lead, and that is overwhelming their dog. In dog training lingo, we call it "lumping". Once you understand how to split a behaviour down, you will have success and quickly stop your do...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     Safe, structured introductions for a new rescue dog or puppy will set everyone up for success. When you have two or more dogs, your wish as a dog owner is that they all get along. But sometimes, that just does not happen. Living with multiple dogs should be intentional. We can help by implementing "Project Togetherness" to condition dogs to like and look forward to...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     There is one thing that you can do easily to help overcome any dog training challenge you might have. That one thing is something I've been talking about and doing for 30 years. It's record keeping! Keeping a journal for your dog is not as hard as you might think, and it will fast track your success.   In the episode you'll hear:   • What labels can do to our dogs....

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     The first day with your new puppy is a critical start your relationship. When a puppy comes into your home, they are fully capable of learning the moment they arrive. It's super important to be intentional about how your puppy goes about life from the moment they join your family.   In the episode you'll hear:   • The essential things to do during your puppy's first...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     How do you decide when to use a clicker and what to use it for in dog training? That's a question recently asked on my Instagram and what we're covering in this episode. Is a clicker a good choice for your dog, or you as a trainer, or for the behavior you want to train?   In the episode you'll hear:   • About using clickers, markers and what conditioned reinforcers...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     We're talking about trick training for dogs; it's fun and easy! Can you remember the very first thing you trained a dog to do and how you went about training it? The first thing I trained a dog to do was to dance. It was when I was a kid with our family dog, Tina the Poodle. Training tricks with our dogs is something I consider important, and there are three favouri...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     I've been thinking about stress and how we deal with it. Consider your dog and any challenges you might have in your training. Those challenges could be creating anxiety for you, and your dog will pick up on your emotions. You are not alone if you find yourself stressing about your dog.   In the episode you'll hear:   • What happened with my dog Shelby when I locked...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com Resource Guarding between dogs is a big topic. It's also one of the most requested for me to cover on my podcast. Over the past week, my six-month-old puppy has started attacking some of the other dogs in my household over resources. It's a good time for me to share what I am doing to help This! overcome possession aggression around resources, particularly food. Yes, ev...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     Have you ever asked your dog to do something, and he does the opposite? Have you ever thought "but he knows it!". Maybe he raided something from the kitchen, and when you ask him to drop it, he swallows whatever he has. Or perhaps when you call him, he runs the other way. In Agility, you might leave your dog at the start line and say stay, but he does not stay and s...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     Success in dog training comes down to three things. The reinforcement we are using, the training plan, and the environment where we are training our dog. But what happens when things don't go to plan, and our dog make a wrong choice? What are our options?   In the episode you'll hear:   • The four reactions that are common when a dog makes a mistake. • About looking...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     The inspiration for this episode comes from a walk with my dogs. My puppy, This!, was on leash, and my adult dogs were milling about freely. All of a sudden, a large bunny crossed our path 5 meters ahead. My adult dogs did not really notice the rabbit as it was the equivalent of white noise for them. For my puppy, it was a LOUD noise, a siren, she for sure noticed!...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     We all want our dogs to have long and happy lives. There are 12 things I believe have a massive influence on the longevity and quality of life for my dogs, and 6 things I avoid. In this episode, I'm sharing what I've learned through trial and error, talking to experts, and from science, that can contribute to an increased life expectancy for our dogs.   In the episo...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     In 2012, my dog Encore almost died. I'm sharing her story with you, and the six incredibly valuable lessons learned from Encore's near-death experience and recovery.   In the episode you'll hear:   • Why Encore became my puppy and her early life with me. • The signs we started noticing from when she was around 5 years old. • When her neurological symptoms became mor...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com   It's not uncommon to know you should be training your dog, but you just don't feel like it. You can't motivate yourself. And you might look at your dog and can tell that your motivation carries over. If you have ever found yourself unmotivated and in need of inspiration, you are going to love this episode. It does not matter what you are working on, or what challenge...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com   In the world of dog training, a lot of people are trying to train their dog with a focus solely on the use of reinforcement. But there can be a disparity in the success people have when using rewards. We're going to turn the microscope on why the outcome varies between trainers, why it's happening, and what we can do about it so everyone can have success.   In the epi...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     Raising dogs in a home with kids and kids in a home with dogs can be harmonious when you have the right expectations for great outcomes. Now, I don't have children, but my dogs are around many children as I have a lot of nieces and nephews. There can be a great deal of joy for kids and dogs and many life lessons if we set everyone up for success. Do you know someone...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     There is one thing that I do intentionally in my dog training that makes all the difference in the world to the joy and success that my dogs and I have together. That one thing is using Balance Breaks. I'm sharing exactly what a Balance Break is, why it's essential, and the mechanics of how I do it. Let me know when you try it!.   In the episode you'll hear:   • My...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     Do you have a naughty dog or things you want to change with your dog's behavior? It might be to improve your dog's focus on you, stop counter surfing, barking, running off, jumping on guests, pulling on leash, or fixing something that will get you the teamwork you want for dog sports like agility. There are five questions I've been asking my dog training students th...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     Choosing the best dog toy for any activity will lead to success. The toy you choose needs to be safe and suit the purpose. Before I was a professional dog trainer, I never gave any thought to toy selection apart from if a toy appealed to me. Since those days, I've created systems and processes for toy selection to benefit my dogs. Picking the wrong toy can set your...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     Do you know how to choose the right dog toys? Have you thought of the do's and don'ts when picking a toy for your puppy or dog? Do you consider the purpose of the toy? My dogs have many toys, which might not be a surprise! There are ten key considerations I use when selecting a new toy, including safety. One of the things to look for in a toy might be a surprise!  ...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     We're looking at how to train your dog to stop pulling on leash. You have probably heard me talk about the importance of exercise for dogs. But, for some of you, taking your dog for a walk is not enjoyable, and you just want your dog to walk nicely. I'm covering what might have led to your dog's lead pulling, what you can do to fix it, and how you can start to enjoy...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     There are five words commonly used when training a dog. I bet you can immediately think of dog training commands that are in use frequently! Are cues like sit, down, stay, come and okay on your list? One of these words I would never ever use, and I'm sharing why. I believe our dogs put our words into five categories, and I'm covering each cue category and how it rel...