Shaped by Dog with Susan Garrett

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     We get a lot of great comments on our videos, and sometimes I come across one that inspires a podcast episode like this one. I'm answering a very thoughtful question that many people might have. Should you abandon one training philosophy for another when results appear elusive? And should you pick a dog training lane and stay in that lane? Professional dog trainers...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     If you've ever owned or seen a dog who suffers from separation anxiety, you know how heartbreaking that can be. I'm sharing a 10-step protocol that will turn the dog training world on its head because it's like nothing that is out there for separation anxiety help. It's the FRIDA Protocol created by two of my European students, who are amazing dog trainers, Nadine H...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     Most puppies go through a 'Fear Period' stage, which can include fear of objects, adults, children, and other dogs. Unfortunately, many popular strategies taught to counter puppy fear are the absolute worst things possible. I'm covering three things you should never do when your puppy or rescue dog displays fear of people and what to do instead to create confident a...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com   The way we train with positive reinforcement might seem a little out there as we put our dog's emotions first, and if our dog does not do what we want them to do, we don't punish or correct. It might even make you wonder what sort of anarchy we have in our lives with our dogs! But it's not like that at all because one of the guiding principles I've been talking about...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     The expression about Vegas casinos that "the house always wins" is like the one about dog training: The environment always wins. But it doesn't have to be true when you learn to use the  environment to your advantage. Mastering reinforcement means understanding what your dog values most, and there are many things dogs value. Once you know where the reinforcement is...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     There's a very good chance that you, like me, want to train your dog with reinforcement. It aligns with the kind of person you want to be both for your dog and for the world. To get really good behaviors with dogs as a positive reinforcement trainer, you have to get masterful at all that is reinforcing. That's the topic of this episode, and I'm including case studie...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     Why would a dog training program work or not work for some people? I had the chance to approach dog training from a place of curiosity on social media recently and learned a lot. There was also a comment that got me thinking about approaches to dog training, especially our mind's approach. How our mind matters for dog training success is the topic of this episode, p...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     Have you ever watched those of us who have dogs on the same wavelength as us, and we ask them to do something, and they do it immediately? The dogs are excited and engaged, keen to listen, and can't wait for the next thing we ask them to do. Now, you might look at your dog's behavior and think, "that's not possible for me!" but I believe it is possible for you, and...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     Somebody has likely told you that not all dogs can be trained the same way and that different methods are needed for different dogs. Is there truth behind this? I'm covering how different dogs might need different training approaches, but the word philosophy should replace method. Plus, I'm sharing why the dog training philosophy I choose aligns with my heart and an...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     This episode is brought to you by YOU! I'm answering questions submitted on the DogsThat socials on wide ranging aspects of life with dogs – including how human personality types impact training and dog choice, perseverance when progress stalls, fixing broken recall words, over-aroused dogs, barking in hounds, my fitness regimen, living with littermates, ignoring wi...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     Imagine having a way to trigger your dog to relax. Consider the benefits and applications in everyday life like vet visits, the groomers or travel. It's not hypnosis. It's a protocol involving conditioning, capturing and shaping your dog's behavior to create calm in key moments. The ability to cue relaxation is valuable for ALL dogs, not just those who are hyper or...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     In August 2021, I released a special video about my dog, This!, titled "Normalizing Imperfection in Dog Training", covering our challenges so that everyone with a dog knows that struggling at some point in life together is completely normal. In that video, I encouraged everyone to take daily action to make tomorrow better than today for you and your dog. It doesn't...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com    Recently I came across an envelope containing all my report cards from kindergarten through university. Reading over my teachers' comments was an enlightening study of behavior and how I adapted in the face of challenges. I'm sharing what I noticed with you as there's a parallel with dog behavior and why they do the things they do. Behavior can fall into seven distin...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     As a professional dog trainer, I regularly see a lot of people working with their dogs. A common error people make when things don't go well is changing criteria in the middle of training to help their dogs be successful. At first glance, this might make sense, but today we're talking about why it's a huge mistake, where it could lead you, and what you can do instea...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com   I've met a lot of people at the crossroads of their dog training and looking to go in a more reinforcement-based direction, but they're worried it won't work due to old beliefs and habits. Unless you were one of the lucky few to learn nothing but reinforcement-based dog training, leaving behind the familiar for something new naturally creates fear and vulnerability, e...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     Over the years I've asked my students to describe the connection with their dog in different environments. How is it different inside your house versus your front yard? What about the park? Or, around other dogs or children? Often the response describes the emotional connection "to" their dog; not the two-way connection "with" their dog. We're covering what that dif...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     As a professional dog trainer, I can assure you there are six words that your dog training coach never wants to hear. You might think those words are "but he does it at home," and that's close, but they are actually "tried that and it didn't work". We're covering what's going on with those words for you, your dog, and your coach and how to turn it around. Considerin...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     When I first started dog training 30 or so years ago, I was studying the sport of dog obedience because I wanted to compete. We were taught to lure our dog to do what we wanted and then move to the proofing stage. When proofing, we were looking for errors to test how well the dog understood what we'd taught them. And if our dog failed, we were instructed to give the...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com      Have you ever been in a dog training situation and felt you are in the wrong place as your dog is not responding like other dogs? Or have you ever thought that your dog is not like other dogs? It could be in a dog training class, a workshop or an online course, and you see other people training and think your dog doesn't compare. You are not alone, and it's why I o...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     To the uninitiated, reinforcement based dog training looks as if you have to walk around with a boatload of cookies or else you are not going to get your dog to do what you want. That's just not true. But if you are carrying cookies everywhere, I'm covering how we go about reinforcement based training differently so that you can transfer the value of those cookies t...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     Trying to work with multiple dogs at once can be a struggle, especially when one dog consistently interferes. Even if you only have one dog, the information offered in this episode is important as you want your dog to be able to relax when there are other dogs or distractions around. I'm covering the criteria and strategy for training in a multi-dog household or whe...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     When you have a new puppy, safe socializing is important. Something to consider is taking a pup to outdoor cafes or restaurants. When you do it right, there are many benefits. But if done badly, your puppy could end up overwhelmed or having a bad experience and becoming fearful. I'm covering all the steps to grow your puppy's confidence when dining out at a pet-frie...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     My dog won't take treats outside! Is that something you've ever said or heard? We're looking at the challenge of a dog refusing treats as a case study, as training will be so much easier if your dog loves food, especially if you are working on things like loose leash walking or helping your dog with reactivity. I've got an outside the box training plan for you to ge...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     Why is it important to walk your dog daily? Besides the obvious health benefits of exercise, we're looking at the advantages of daily dog walking that many people don't realize. Sometimes people can give a list of reasons not to walk their dog, so we're covering why to start and what defines appropriate exercise for dogs.   In the episode you'll hear:   • That our d...

Visit us at shapedbydog.com     When we train dogs with layered shaping, we train with out of the box thinking. In this episode, I'm giving a glimpse of what that looks like and how it relates to the transfer of value. It starts with knowing what a dog loves most of all. I'm also covering a case study on how we used the transfer of reinforcement value for a German Shepherd so that they could learn...