The Modern Dog Trainer Blog
5 Dog Training Supplies You Should Ask Your Clients To Bring To Each Lesson
Prepare Your Clients As Much As You Prepare Their Dogs When you're starting out as a professional dog trainer, you probably come to lessons prepared with extra treats, a treat pouch, and a clicker. You might even bring a variety of toys in the trunk of your car. This...
Best 3 Ways To Accept Mobile Credit Card Payments
Dog Trainers On The Go: Here are the best 3 ways to accept mobile payments. Most of our time is spent out and about in client's homes or teaching classes. Taking mobile credit card payments has become necessary, but there are some options that are much better than...
No Shock Here: Electronic Collars Are Risky For Dogs
Are Electronic Collars A Welfare Risk To Dogs? A recent peer-reviewed study explained by Science Daily analyzed how electronic collars used to correct undesired behaviors effected a dog's anxiety and stress levels. The dogs stress levels were measured by cortisol...
3 Ways To Judge A Dog’s Stress Levels
From puppy classed to reactive dog classes, judging the stress levels of the dogs is an important part of making the class successful. There are three optimal ways to quickly judge a dog's level of stress during training. Reducing stress levels in a dog is important...
The Separation Anxiety Epidemic: 5 Ways To Help Your Clients Prevent S.A.
Many dog owners come to us with broken human-dog bonds. We recommend modern dog training techniques that will aid in repairing their bond while creating better behaved dogs. However, what do you do when the owner and dog have too strong of a bond and are...
Start Your LLC In 3 Easy Steps
Starting an LLC is as easy as 1, 2, 3! Starting an LLC is a great way to protect yourself, your assets, and your family when starting a small business such as a dog training business. It is relatively inexpensive compared to filing for incorporation. 1) Choosing A...
Our 5 Best Replies To Clients Who Use Retractable Leashes
Retractable leashes are gaining in popularity unfortunately. More likely than not, your future clients will be using retractable leashes when you meet them. When you recommend that they use a regular 6 foot leash instead, they might question why. Here are some great...
Doggie Technologies: Enrichment Machines for Dogs
The dog loving world is catching up with modern technology. Dog lovers play a part in all professions, but only recently has that translated to technology that can help owners love their dogs more. These machines help people communicate with their dogs. From training...
How To Set Yourself Apart From The Pack Of “Trainers”
Anyone can be a trainer. How are you setting yourself apart? Wondering why the word "trainers" is in quotation marks? That's because we want to emphasize the fact that anyone can call themselves a dog trainer. There are no regulations in the dog training industry -...
Honoring A Dog Training Super Star: Dr. Sophia Yin
May She Rest In Peace And Happiness: Sophia Yin It was announced this afternoon that Dr. Sophia Yin has passed away. We are overwhelmed with shock and sadness as we process this news. She has played a critical role in the modernization of dog training. Her Facebook...
How To Become A CLASS Instructor & Evaluator
The APDT offers a fun and challenging CLASS curriculum for new pet owners. The Association of Professional Dog Trainers is the leading organization for professional dog trainers in North America. They offer a wonderful program for trainers to get involved with local...
American Veterinary Society Position Statements: Dominance In Dogs
Dominance in dogs is something that is constantly debated among dog trainers. Recent research suggests that dominance should simply be used to describe one animals relationship with another and not as a type of behavior. Conflict resolution is something that all...
What Is Clicker Training? – Our Favorite Explanation
Here's our favorite explanation to the common question: What is clicker training? Clients always ask: What is clicker training? Even if they don't ask, what they think they know may be incorrect or incomplete. This video by Kristin Crestejo is our favorite video...
What Is The Point Of Using Food In Training?
Using food in training is your best option to create social, confident, and obedient dogs for your clients. Many modern dog trainers utilize food in training. While food is an incredibly practical way to motivate dogs, it serves another important functions when it...
Dog Play: Breaking Down Body Language
Breaking down dog-dog play is an important part of teaching dog training and socialization classes. In this video, Donna Hill narrates two dogs playing together. She helps us identify what dog play body language is occurring. http://youtu.be/HOiAwIxpt1c These two dogs...
Precise Obedience: Exercises To Increase A Dog’s Back End Awareness
Increase a dog's accuracy in competitions by practicing back end awareness exercises. Back end awareness is not something that comes naturally to dogs. Most dogs don't realize they have anything behind their shoulders. Back end awareness exercises help dogs learn how...
A Click Really Is Better Than A Yes!
For many owners and trainers, verbal markers are utilized first and foremost before a clicker. While a verbal "yes" is effective, it doesn't quite beat out using a clicker for precise communication. In the article "Amygdala: the Neurophysiology of Clicker Training" by...
Preparing For The APDT Conference in Hartford
Finding Roommates The APDT Community has a specific discussion thread about finding roommates for the APDT Conference. Having a roommate makes the trip and stay more affordable and fun! Roommates allow you to network efficiently by meeting friends of friends as you...
How To Set Up The Free Mail Chimp Newsletter Service
Using email newsletters is currently the best way to reach existing and potential clients. Email newsletters let you continue to provide value to your existing clients. They also help you reach out to potential clients who want to know more about you are and what you...
Key Components To Creating A “Must Read” Email Newsletter
One of the most difficult of starting your own dog training business is understanding what marketing efforts are worth your time. I say, email marketing is critical for long-term success. Unlike social media, once you collect a list of emails - they're yours! If...
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