Dog Training

Every dog on earth deserves to well trained. It is an owner’s job to give their dog appropriate training for two reasons: 1. The dog’s benefit. Dogs need interaction and stimulation, training with their owner is the best kind. 2. The owner’s benefit. Humans do not want poorly trained dogs, neither the dog or the human benefit from a dog with insufficient training.

A couple notes on dog breeding in general:

• Some breeds are renown for their ability to be trained, however, there is also a huge variation between individual dogs even within the same breed or litter.
• Dog intelligence is generally measured by how many repetitions it takes for a dog to learn a new command, the fewer repetitions, the more intelligent the dog is said to be.

Our Position

The families who purchase our puppies are ultimately responsible to train their dog. There are services that can do training with you (like a class) or even facilities that will do training for you (a board and train kennel for example). However, owning a dog requires you the owner to do training yourself, there is no getting around it, even if you hire one of these services. When you buy a puppy, you are committing to training that dog for everyone’s benefit. Every dog owner needs to be conversant in basic training techniques and theory. There are a multitude of resources in the internet age, below we have linked some of the options we have used in the past or currently.

Our Puppies

Both Poodles and Australian Shepherds are noted for their intelligence, and Aussies specifically have maintained a working dog’s desire to please (biddability) and human focus (what earns them their “velcro dog” reputation). Our puppies should not struggle to be trained, however, they will all have different personalities, so find some resources you understand to consult when you are stumped in your training journey.

Our Methods

Modern dog training theory has become unified in the knowledge that positive reinforcement is the best method for training dogs. Science has dismissed concepts like negative reinforcement and the “alpha dog” as outdated and shown repeatedly that positive reinforcement is the current best practice. Below we have just a few resources we have used, there are however thousands to choose from between local trainers, regional facilities, physical copy books, online based curriculum, youtube videos, facebook groups, instagram accounts, etc… We do not personally know any of these suggestions, but have appreciated their straight talk approach to getting dogs to enjoy doing the things their humans want them to, which is truly the most rewarding moment for a dog owner.

Zak George- a prolific media personality which has a large number of social media accounts and has hosted nationally syndicated dog training shows. This is his YouTube Channel, a treasure trove of task specific videos that will walk you through how to teach the skills your dog will need for success!

Vinnie Somma- Primarily runs an instagram called “say it once dog training” he could not be any more blunt in diagnosing and prescribing techniques for your dog. He has a huge focus on productive communication with your dog. He does host in person group and individual sessions in a number of cities, but even without physically attending, he will challenge what you think is possible. *Vinnie uses profanity, at times liberally, his content is top notch, but not for everyone*

Sheyenne River Kennels- a facility in Fargo, ND. They run a training and boarding facility and run a small instagram on the side. However, they show their techniques and a consistency which is a great reminder to us to train our dogs daily!

Our Training Methodologies

Below are some techniques that we have picked up that we would love to pass along to you:

• Use food! Training treats are unnecessary. Use your dog’s normal food, or buy a different brand of food for variety. Your dog will want to please you if you build a solid relationship, most will not need premium or super special treats to motivate them to interact with their humans!
• Use a chalk bag! You can buy training bags and vests, but these are not necessary, a used fanny pack or rock climbing chalk bag work just fine and are cheap. Toss some food inside the pouch and get training, remove as many barriers to you training daily as possible. Having a dedicated pouch is awesome.
• Training is communication with your dog. 90% of it, is training yourself to be clear and not confusing! You will by nature say “no!” when the dog performs the command incorrectly, however, this is miscommunication and will confuse your dog… you must modify your speech patterns if you want your dog to know what you mean.
• Find a trainer that uses standardized commands. If you pick up a book, or watch a ton of content from one trainer in particular, go ahead and adopt their command words, it will make it easier on you! (for example, “down” may either be “lay down” or “get off the couch”… you will want to be consistent with your dog so that they know what you mean!)
• Training will take time, for you to build a productive relationship with the dog and to get the basics that will allow you to move to more practical skills and practice in more public settings. The expense of a dog isn’t just financial, it is also time!
• The Achille’s Heel Principle- Our friends told us that they believed every dog had an achille’s heel…a trait that you cannot overcome. The more dogs we are around, the more we are convinced that may be true. Some dogs will take to a skill instantly, that others will resist for hours of training time. Be patient and when you don’t succeed, approach the problem from a different angle!