Off Leash And Unfiltered: The Truth In Dog Training
Kati Peppe, owner of Diamond K9 Dog Training, is passionate about dog training and behavior, and even more passionate about sharing the truth even though so many people get their panties in a twist about it.If you've ever struggled with your dog or wondered why the dog training advice out there doesn't seem to work, this entertaining and thought provoking, yet brutally honest, podcast is for you! Served with a little salt and lots of love.
One Of The Biggest Fallacies In Dog Training—Extinction
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You don't need to be a dog trainer to be familiar with this term. If you've ever done a cursory internet search on stopping jumping (or anything else), you've probably seen this as the recommended course of action.
"Extinction" is the elimination of a behavior caused by a lack of reinforcement. Sounds logical right? Or does it? Do you stop running races because you don't win? Do you stop flipping the light switch when the power goes out? Does the dog stop chasing squirrels even though he never catches them?
How To Unleash The Worst Version Of Your Dog
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This is sort of a list of recommendations in reverse. A list of what not to do, so to speak. I recently had a boarding visit from Finn and it inspired me to do an episode on dogs like him. It's more common than you'd think. These dogs can be full of monkey business and even down right nasty. But the second they see that you are an entity worthy of respect they snap right into being a little angel. It's like night and day!
The good new is, these dogs a...
Implement These 5 Principles And Have A Relationship With Your Dog That Everyone Is Jealous Of
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This Ecollar Training Is Too Intense For My Dog
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This was our last option.
Boy I get tired of hearing that! 🤣 Why am I everybody's last option? The truth is I'm not. We do get lots of folks who just know they want a well-trained dog and they start here and that's great. But we get lots of folks that don't. And the reason being is that there's a narrative out there that tells you you shouldn't need to. You should never need to punish anything, you should never need to use any tools. You should never need...
Do You Use Enough Contrast When Training Your Dog?
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You have to remember when you are training your dog to start slow and build up and tweak and shape the behavior over time. So we expect much less and guide much more in the beginning. As we advance through the non compliance phase of training or the "messy middle" we begin to expect a little more, so we may start experimenting with various levels of accountability, but we still give guidance as needed!
In addition to that it is so important to be clear with your dog about what is c...
Dog Training Dirty Words: Force, Punishment, Tools, And Suppression
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Buckle up buttercup! Today I'm on a rampage, and I'm talking about all the terms that have been hijacked to make you think you're doing it wrong. All of these terms are being represented as being synonymous with abuse, and that couldn't be further from the truth.
A dog that is allowed to display antisocial behaviors will inevitably be locked up or discarded. It is one hundred percent in that dog's best interest to have undesirable behaviors suppressed through the use of punishment. Which, by the way, literally means to stop a...
How Should I Handle Off-Leash Dogs?
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This might be my least favorite topic to discuss. BUT it is by far one of the most common questions we get: How do you handle off leash dogs?
Here's the thing, you will never be able to avoid them completely (unless you just stay home). So I'm going to cover the most important things for you to do before heading out into the wild with your dog for an off leash adventure. Like knowing how to really tighten up your recall by pairing a high correction to it so that...
After A Dog Training Program—Are All These Go Home Protocols Really That Important?
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Yes, maybe. There, is that clear enough? We want to give our customers the best chance of success so we leave nothing out. Results matter to us. Your success matters to us. And we wouldn't ask you to do anything that we didn't think was potentially a necessary piece to the puzzle.
Every dog and every family is so incredibly unique, that the fact is, no two dogs need exactly the same thing. But you could say the same thing for water. There are dogs out there that hardly drink any wa...
Taking Control Of Your Dog's Safety
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I am taking a minute to talk about the health and safety of our dogs. I've had several long term customers lose their dogs over the last couple of years, and they were all very unfortunate events that really couldn't have been prevented. BUT uncontrollables always get me thinking about controllables as, well, that's all we can control!
Some of the things I recommend when thinking about the health and safety of a dog are first and foremost—training. A dog that listens is hands down the SAFEST dog. I'm going to...
How To Fix (And Not To Fix) Your Dog's Destructive Behavior
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Dogs Chew. They do all kinds of awful things and dangerous things, especially when you're not looking. So what do you do? And what should you not to do. One thing is for sure, we don't want you spending the next two years of your life trying to stay consistent with "redirecting your dog". We talk about the most common advice, why it won't work, and what does!
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Dogs That Pull On The Leash: Myths, Lies, Humorous Advice, And Real Solutions That Work
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An update on Mildred the poop eater and Kali the nervous golden retriever. All the advice that never works for dog leash pulling, AND what does.
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Love the show? Sign up to access our new exciting Xtra content! This content is unique and is ONLY available to our paid subscribers.
Subscriptions are only $3/month! You can also just sign up to make a small donation monthly if you want to support the podcast. Or, if you can't do that right now, just hit subscribe i...
My Dog Poops 13 Times A Day And Eats It
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Everybody knows dogs are gross. Everybody knows they like dirty socks, dead animals, and even eating poop. But this is the first time I've heard of a dog eating so much poop that they are pooping about 4 or 5 times more than normal..
If you have a dog that eats poop, this one is for you! But honestly, if you have a dog with any objectionable behaviors like jumping, barking, counter surfing, etc, this is all super valuable information. We are inhibiting a bad behavior.
This is done by marking t...
Will I Confuse My Dog If I Allow A Behavior Sometimes? Not Necessarily.
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If there are behaviors your dog is allowed to do sometimes but not all the time, you might wonder if you are confusing them. And you might be. But if you've listened to me long enough, you know that the key to reducing confusion is to have a clear pattern. The problem comes in when us humans change the pattern (ironically, usually because we are worried about confusion).
You can absolutely have your dog make discriminations. We do it all the time. In fact, your dog does it all the time u...
Aversive Control In Dog Training—You Don't Have To Choose Between A Dog That Listens Or Has Fun: Live The Life Of Both/And
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We are talking about the icky dirty word PUNISHMENT today. You guys, I talk about this for a reason..it's what EVERYBODY needs. It's what EVERYBODY is missing. It's what EVERYBODY is worried about. Or..they're doing it, but very badly.
Ironically, avoiding aversives is THE THING that will result in a bad relationship and small life. It's a self fulfilling prophecy.
You're human. So you think like a human. I'm here to help you achieve the best results with your dog training and your dog's behavior SO THAT y...
Consultation Files—This Dog Is Destroying My Life With Separation Anxiety
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Separation anxiety is a common problem but exists on a pretty broad spectrum. When you have a dog at the extreme end of the spectrum you are unable to live your life. It is all consuming. Every little mundane thing becomes an issue. Everything from showering to going to work, to going to a dr.appointment or a friend's house..because if you can't take the dog, someone needs to come sit them.
When you are dealing with severe separation anxiety, it can be tough to know what to do. In...
If My Dog Responds To 'No', Do I Still Need To Correct Them?
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In this episode, I'm talking about a topic that comes up in almost 100% of our go home lessons. Once you teach your dog what the word no means, they tend to be very responsive to the word. No. This leaves people thinking that they can use the word no stop behaviors without needing to use any kind of tangible correction.
And although we might all do that every once in awhile, there is a problem with doing that regularly.. And that problem is that no in and of i...
Q&A-Untrainable dogs, old dogs, do ecollars create aggression, and more
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I get lots of great questions from our clients and listeners. Here are a few that I get asked a lot.
Have you ever had a dog you couldn't train? Answer: not a normal dog. We have had a few that didn't have much hope, but it's extremely rare. Maybe 1 out of 500 has a very poor prognosis of being able to get to a point where they are "safe enough" to stay in their home. I describe what was different about these dogs and the difficult part—telling the owners that the...
Won't My Dog Hate The Kennel If I Correct Him In There? What You Need To Know About Negative Associations.
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Are you worried about inadvertently creating negative associations if you correct your dog? You're not alone. We hear this a lot. Especially around fussing in the kennel, but there are hundreds of contexts this can be a concern, and luckily, they are all mostly handled the same way.
It's really important that your dog understands that consequences are in fact tied to their behavior, and not random or tied to only to a "thing" in the environment. This means you should know exactly how to show your dog which behavior leads...
Your Dog Is Anxious Or Nervous? So What?! Quiet Your Emotions And Finally Help Your Dog
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When we get dogs with behavioral challenges, especially if they are anxious or nervous dogs, a huge piece of the rehab is the human. We often get dogs that have struggled for years, and the environment is always a factor in the path that the dog is on.
It is imperative that we change the environment and change the interactions. That means rewiring the humans so we can rewire the dog. It is very unnatural to respond neutrally when we feel big feelings, but it is so important if we are t...
The Use Of Food In Obedience, Behavior Mod, And State Of Mind Work With Your Dog
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I love this episode, guys. I'm talking about all the amazing things you can do for you and your dog through training. This might be as simple as teaching sit or it might be using sit as a way to help your dog overcome fear or it might be as in depth as using e-collar skills to help your dog avert their gaze from a trigger that makes them uncomfortable.
This is the whole reason that we keep some dogs longer. Some dogs need more state of mind work, and this...
Only One End Of The Leash Can Have Control
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We are talking about the physical feedback necessary to actually maintain the control end of the leash. We see folks relinquish control to the dog all the time for a variety of reasons.
Sometimes we tend to treat certain moments like they are unimportant because they are brief in nature (like walking to the car) but the fact is ALL moments are important, and all moments are learning moments.
But at the core, I think it's really unnatural for people to communicate physically because as humans we primarily communicate v...
The Biggest Factor In Success With Your Dog
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Support the show
Love the show? Sign up to access our new exciting Xtra content! This content is unique and is ONLY available to our paid subscribers.
Subscriptions are only $3/month! You can also just sign up to make a small donation monthly if you want to support the podcast. Or, if you can't do that right now, just hit subscribe in your favorite app and tell a friend about the show!
Any support in any form from our listeners is sooo appreciated! We count on listeners li...
Our Favorite E-collar Question: What Level?
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Okay. This is the most common question, at least after "when can we take the e-collar off?" Neither question has a straight answer, either. But I think the most succinct response is you can take it off when you can take it off (might be never) and the right level is the one that works (in most cases).
Most people don't realize that we can use our e-collars (aka big, scary shock collars) in a variety of ways. We have 100 levels, and I cannot feel it until it's on a level 12. I...
The "Not To Do" List- 5 Common Strategies You Can Do Without
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Here is a list of 5 rather random things that I hear people say they are doing VERY frequently. And they are things I wouldn't recommend. These things are usually not helpful and often even make things much worse.
5- Tethering your puppy or dog to you all day
This is supposed to strengthen your bond and "reduce freedom" but really it helps create a needy dog with potential separation issues. It also allows you to actually mentally check out.
4-Letting dogs sort things out themselves
Y...
It's Not Because 'He's A Puppy' (Also, Puppies Aren't Glass)
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Puppies! We've been talking about them a lot lately. One thing I hear over and over again is people justifying behavior as "puppy" behavior. And although there might be some truth to that in a way, the dangerous part of that is attached to that statement, logically, would be that once the puppy isn't a puppy anymore the behavior goes away naturally. And THAT couldn't be farther from the truth in most cases.
Puppies exhibit everything that comes naturally (as will adult dogs except they usually have some learning under their...
Using Food For Obedience vs Behavior Modification In Dog Training
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Food! Most dogs love it. But some dogs couldn't care less about it. Some dogs are too reactive or too nervous to take it. So what do we do to motivate our dogs with food if they aren't the most food motivated?
There are ways to make food more desirable. One of which is to use it when the dog is hungry. This might mean training before a meal or it might mean skipping a meal or reducing meal size for a few days. It might mean using higher value food a...
Punishing The Growl
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I hear it all—the—time! You should never punish a growl because that's how dogs communicate they are uncomfortable. This argument is complete nonsense, and in this episode I break down why and what we have seen with the hundreds of dogs we have addressed growling with.
By putting more emphasis on why something is happening than on how to change what is happening, people stay stuck. The whole 'root cause' argument is generally not helpful and sends people down a rabbit hole that goes nowhere.
Dogs do lots...
Joyce's Journey With Her Two Dogs And What Our Clients Usually Need Help With On Their Journey
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Everybody wants results, naturally. Does this training really get results? I'm talking with Joyce today about her journey through training her own dogs. We met when she needed help with her reactive labs. And now that she works here she gets to help clients through all of the trials and tribulations on the way to the finish line. And she's living proof that it's worth it!
We also chat about some of the hardest parts of the training ranging from changing habits to overcoming emotional obstacles. This might be learning not...
Go Home Day With Your Dog
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Today we are breaking down exactly what we recommend you do when your dog goes home after a board and train. It's a lot of information covered at the go home lesson, and you're not going to absorb it all. For that reason, we do send you home with a go home packet and respond as promptly as possible to texts and emails.
But we thought it would be a good idea to have this very detailed breakdown in the form of a podcast so folks can have another reference that r...
Consultation Files: I'm Covered In Bruises Because My "Rescue" Dog Thinks I'm The Prey
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If you adopt a dog from a shelter you don't know for sure what you are going to get. In this case the person ended up with an intense and drivey dog with clear hunting instincts. These were getting in the way of them ever having positive interactions and affecting their ability to bond and live life.
The human is covered in bruises and is at a loss as to what to do. She can't kennel the dog because it is too vocal. She doesn't dare to sleep because if she...
How To Transition Dog Training From Lessons To Real Life
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A lot of folks get stuck in training "lessons" with their dog and they never graduate to just having a trained dog that can do the stuff in real life.
There are a few reasons for that. The biggest thing is you can't ask your dog to do things in real life and expect that to be easy until A-they've practiced and know it and B-there is real accountability for not doing what is expected.
If either of those components aren't there it will be too messy to hold t...
Fear Is A Powerful Motivator (For You! Not Just Your Dog)
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Dogs don't live that long. How many years do you want to struggle or have to manage your dog just to avoid a correction that is typically a split second? That's what people do, though. And there's a reason. It's all the bologna that is out there on the internet.
That's why people are better at building behaviors (which is much more difficult) than stopping behaviors (which is SIMPLE). Why is it everyone I meet needs help with stopping behaviors when that is the EASY part of training?
People w...
3 Simple Exercises You Need To Do With Your Dog
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These are things we do with client dogs right off the bat. Sometimes we forget that it's not just about teaching your dog words or commands. It's about behavior. It's about teaching your dog how to slow down, how to process, how to prioritize you, how to resist impulses, even if those impulses are out of fear, nervousness, anxiety, or extreme over stimulation.
All dogs learn automatic kennel manners (going in and out-kennel drills)
All dogs learn the non-verbal sit (and rehearse it in busy environments)-MY FAV!
<...There's Always A Problem When My Dog Is Around Other Dogs
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So common! Dogs are all individuals! But also, as a culture we seem to think that "normal" dogs like playing with other dogs. Nope. They often don't. And If yours falls into that camp and they are forced to play with other dogs, how do you think that will turn out?
If that is the case you have to recognize that your dog might not actually be the problem. No level of training will ever fix the OTHER dogs and it will probably never change your dog's personality w...
You Can't Teach Your Dog Things That Aren't True
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"When can we take off the e-collar?" This is our favorite question. NOT! It is actually a very good question. And the answer is simple for most dog owners, especially since they aren't dog trainers—you can take it off when you don't want your dog to listen.
Can you teach your dog to listen and behave all the time regardless of whether or not the ecollar is on? Sure. But most people aren't going to have the skill or follow the instructions carefully enough to achieve that. You absolutely can, th...
Are You Waiting Until Your Dog Crashes And Burns?
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I see it all the time. People are trying. The dog owners I meet are often trying very hard and are very committed. But! They are making a huge mistake. The mistake is that they believe they are holding their dog accountable for their behavior, but they are missing the things that truly need to be addressed because they are more subtle.
By the time they are trying to hold their dog accountable, the dog is all ready off the rails and burning in a ditch. This might be as simple...
In Dog Training The Process Should Be Dictated By The Results, Not The Other Way Around
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It is hard to argue that the process used should not be the one that gets the best results, yet here we are. In dog training today there is an immensely flawed philosophy that is fiercely promulgated by dog trainers and even "professional organizations" that are looked up to by the average pet owner, and many professionals in the field, today.
The result is that people are brain washed before they have even sat down to think about it. They already believe that aversives in dog training is bad. They already...
How To Punish Bad Puppy Behavior (Dogs Under 6 mos)
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Punishing a dog's behavior is already a controversial topic. Not that it should be. Punishment is literally, by definition, the only way to eliminate behaviors. But what is even more controversial, and shrouded in mystery because nobody wants to talk about it, is punishing a puppy's bad behaviors.
The truth is we have a different set of rules we go by when it comes to puppies (which we are defining as dogs under 6 months of age).
So I'm going to dive into what we correct and how we correct i...
7 Counterintuitive Things You Can Do That Will Give Your Dog Training A Major Facelift
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So many of the things that we do with other humans are counter productive with our dogs. While many of the basic principles are shared, we tend to use language in a way that our dogs don't really understand and we also humanize them, applying what we THINK or what we FEEL as though it's the same for our dogs. But it's not!
I am giving very specific examples of things that can really help propel your dog training into the next level and get traction where you never could before...
Strategies For Dogs That Have A History Of Reactivity Around Friends And Family
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Sometimes we get dogs that are "good" most of the time but can exhibit some untoward behavior in certain contexts. For instance, the message that prompted this topic was from someone whose dog will growl/snap if someone pets them while they are on their place bed.
There are several things we should be doing to both make our dog as safe as possible and get them making better choices. I include several things we can do to ensure our dog is inclined to be the best version of themselves and...
