Get your Purse, We're Going Shopping!

When a training dog is trucking right along with her calm manners training, we take a field trip to practice our stuff at the busy shopping centre! If one of the things that a dog used to do is pick things up from the ground or put on the breaks and make a fuss if she wasn’t allowed to, I can use the remote collar to give guidance and feedback as we’re making our way through the shopping centre and around all the things that people drop. If the dog tries to pick something up, I mark it with ‘no’ as I tap the remote collar for guidance and then I follow it up by telling the dog what I want them to do instead: ‘heel’ which I also add remote collar guidance. ‘No’ is a marker word and it is feedback, ‘No’ means ‘stop what you are doing’. So if I ask the dog to stop doing something (like picking up a pizza crust or something dangerous), it’s important that I follow it up with what I want them to do instead... ‘heel’. That way the dog has all the information and guidance she needs to understand and to be successful 💗

When the dog is trained with polite leash manners and a calm mindset and the handler is empowered and also trained to help the dog follow his training (this is called accountability), it’s easy AND actually enjoyable to include him in outings!! 😝🥰

Note too that it’s always the handler’s responsibility and obligation (not the dog’s!) to hold the dog accountable for his training and for using polite manners at all times to help him be successful in all situations 😉… this is proactive leadership! 🐶💕