There is no substitute for quality training and behavior modification but there are a lot of management strategies to manage or overcome unexpected situations when they occur so your dog isn’t practicing doing the wrong thing. Sometimes having the right gear can help and you can see my top gear choices by downloading The Dog Trainer’s Toolkit! I also have my Training In The Real World, a free guide with my top 6 strategies for dealing with unexpected situations when your training isn’t quite up to par yet.
For example, you bought the no-pull harness, confident you’re ready to tackle the world until you round a tight corner and suddenly you’re nose to nose with that dog in the neighborhood that always gets your dog riled up. Suddenly, that harness isn’t doing the trick and your dog is barking, lunging and making a huge scene. What now?
Well, that is when a management strategy is your best friend! One of my favorites is using a treat magnet. A treat magnet is a wide mouthed food toy or a squeeze tube – something that you can plant right on your dog’s nose (like his nose is stuck to a magnet!) with a constant stream of food to lick and then you’re able to use this to lure and move your dog in a different direction or turn them around. You can see a video of training how to follow it here. My favorite options are a camping squeeze tube or a West Paw Toppl toy or something else soft and irresistable.
For more management strategies, grab my free Dog Training In The Real World guide.
And, if you need one on one help, set up a session!
Happy training!
