Jim Hodges Dog Training

Hi welcome to my official Blogspot web page for Jim Hodges Dog Training.  It is my goal to share useful training, behavior and important information for you and your dog.

Why should you visit this page?  I am a Master Dog Trainer and have been working with dogs professionally for over 20 years.  I have studied and worked with dogs in all disciplines of training from behavior modification to obedience training to more specialized disciplines such as service dog training and scent training.  You name it and I have probably done it during my career with dogs.

I have studied on many different forms of motivation from food reward training including clicker training to compulsion type training (first professional training school I ever attended).  The truth be told, there is not one method of training that is suited for every dog.  There are different personalities, temperaments and drives of dogs; thus, there are different training methods that may work better for particular dogs.

However, there is one consistent ideology that will definitely provide balance and harmony with all methods of training.  That ideology is Leader of the Pack dog training.  Dogs are pack animals.  They are born into a puppy litter in a pack setting.  When they leave the pack, they enter a new pack.  Your pack.  Pack rules and instincts still apply.

In every pack, there is a leader.  Are you going to be the leader of your pack?  If not, you run a much higher than normal chance that there will be a level of anxiety present whether you can see it or not.  Why?  Dogs excel with boundaries and limitations.  They excel with a structured environment.  Without that, they tend to be a little more stressed and a little more out of control.  They tend to develop habits that can create chaos and discord in the home environment.

A true leader changes all of this.  Dogs tend to be more settled and less destructive.  They know how to meet people at the door, how to walk on a leash and how to be more manageable.  They are also happiest with a true leader.  They dont have to make decisions.  They are confident and secure.  Most important, they follow your lead.

It is my desire to encourage and inspire you to want to become the leader of your pack.  Your dog will be happier.  You will be happier.  And, you will want to spend more enjoyable time together.  Boundaries and structure will be a part of everyday life.  Your dog will know his role in your family and will love you more for it.

So, how do we become the leader of our pack?  We cant just say we are the leader.  We have to earn it.  We do this by having our dogs do what we ask (obedience training is the best way to establish leadership).  We dont purposely or mistakenly reward or tolerate bad behavior.  We reward our dog when he does what we ask and we provide a consequence when he doesnt.  We dont intimidate, dominate or hurt our dog in any way. 

How do we begin?   The very first thing is to evaluate your present situation.  What does your do that you like?  What does he do that you dont like?  Think about these answers as it is important not to be wishy washy with what you want from you dog.  Next, you have to establish a plan to make the changes needed.  You cant influence change without identifying what needs to be changed.  You can do this on you own if you feel confident.  If not, look for a professional trainer that you can trust to guide you.

If you have owned your dog all of his life, you are responsible for both the good and the bad things he does.  Yes, you have been his trainer and didnt even know it.  You have literally trained your dog to do all the things you see him doing from sitting for a treat or sitting for his dinner to jumping on you and your guests as you come into the door.  Good and bad, it all starts with you.

Dogs learn through motivation, timing and consistency.

Motivation is the proper balance of Praise and Consequence for the personality and temperament of your dog.  
Praise starts with positive physical touch and positive words when our dog does something we approve of or we asked him to do.  We can also give toys and treats (used judiciously) if the dog is motivated to either.  However, we always use physical touch and positive words as the core Praise.

Consequence is the proper use of physical touch and a corrective word/tone when our dog disobeys a command or does a behavior we do not want.  Consequence can also be applied with the appropriate use of a spray bottle or a shaker can or anything else that our dog may interpret as a deterrent} to doing something we dont want him to do.
Do you notice the common or prevailing them with praise and consequence?  They both use words and physical touch.  Why words?  The proper use of our voice and tone can indicate our feelings towards our dog in a particular instant.  And we begin to establish our relationship with our dog that will continue for many years as long as we are consistent and balanced in our delivery.

Why physical touch?  Have you ever observed two dogs together sitting around drinking a glass of tea and discussing weather?  Of course not!  They are usually running, jumping, biting, barking, posturing and just about any other physical thing you can describe when interacting with each other.  They are communicating with each other and physical contact plays an essential role in their communications.

Timing is extremely important as our dogs need to understand they have done good or bad in the moment.  This is how they understand what we expect and how they learn most effectively.  If we hesitate too long following the moment, our dog may not understand what our motivation is and mistakenly think it is for something else entirely.

Consistency is needed because our dogs need to see the leadership that is present in us.  We must praise our dog every time he does something that pleases us.  We also must provide a consequence every time our dog does something that displeases us whether it is a disobeyed or ignored command or an unwanted behavior.  If we are not consistent in our action sour dogs become confused or unsure of what we expect from them.  They learn there are situations that we arent true leaders.  Depending on the dogs personality and temperament, this could lead to them trying to lead the pack or disobeying us in our home.

This is the foundation to becoming the leader of your pack and real life dog training.  Applying proper motivation, timing and consistency will enhance you and your dogs relationship.  You will begin a position to rely on your dog and your dog will be able to rely on you.

This is the basis to my dog training philosophy.  It has served my clients and me well over the years.  I hope you will visit this site regularly as I post new tips and information.  I would love your thoughts if you have a question or a comment.  Once again, thank you for visiting my Jim Hodges Dog Training official Blogspot web page.  See you soon!

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