The Lovedog Approach
LoveDog is highly respected within the rescue and dog training community. We teach puppies basic obedience and dogs considered to be untrainable and hard to handle. We also offer continuing lifetime training programs that have been designed to strengthen the relationship between your dog and you. We have extensive experience with canine behavior, so we can assist you with properly interpreting the behaviors your dog is exhibiting. We can teach you how to eliminate unwanted behaviors and reinforce good behaviors. We can suggest innovative solutions and positive techniques to enhance the training for your dog.
LURING
Luring is a type of hands-off method where you guide your dog through a certain behavior. For instance, a food lure may be used for guiding a dog from going from sitting into a down. It is a common method of obtaining more complex behaviors. Typically lures are food. However, they can also be a target, tugs, toys, or anything else that your dog is willing to follow. It isn’t very hard to understand how to use and introduce a lure to your dog. However, knowing how to properly phase the lure out is quite important and is the hard part of learning how to lure.
SHAPING
Shaping is a powerful tool that will enable you to build up a new behavior in a step-by-step fashion that reinforces small approximations of the desired behavior until your final goal is achieved. Every step represents part of the behavior and once your dog has achieved the first step, we will then increase the difficulty gradually until the ultimate goal has been reached.
CAPTURING
Capturing the behavior of a dog is a highly effective method to use when you are training a dog. The animal is required to “think” about the specific situation. This method only uses behaviors that your dog freely offers. You basically will have to wait until your dog performs the desired behavior and then reward him instantly. The key is being very consistent, having great timing and repeating it numerous times. After we have captured a behavior successfully, we then pair it with a hand or verbal command.
MOLDING
Molding involves guiding a dog physically or otherwise compelling him to perform a certain behavior. Pushing down on a dog’s rear while pulling on his collar is a molding method to teach him to sit. Using physical props is also included in molding, like placing a tap on your dog’s face to get him to put his paw over his nose (for a trick) or working your dog against a wall in order to teach them how to walk in a straight heel. We do not utilize molding as a primary teaching method. However, we do make use of this tool as necessary when other methods are not successful. It is very important not to close yourself and using just one kind of training method, especially since we know that not all behavior cases or dogs are identical.
Every dog must have his day - Jonathon Swift
Pool Safety
Money can buy you a fine dog, but only love can make him wag his tale. -Kinky Freedman
Board & Train
Scratch a dog and you will find a permanent job. - Franklin Jones
Service Dogs
A dog will teach you unconditional love. If you can have that in your life, things won't be too bad. - Robert Wagner
Puppy Obedience
The love of a dog is a pure thing. It gives you a trust which is total. You must not betray it -Michael Houellebecq
Private Lessons
It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog. -Mark Twain