Foundation Obedience

After decades of experience and exposure to many methods of training  I firmly believe  the most effective, expedient, balanced, fair and humane path  to having a trained and safe canine companion is cultivating the intelligence, performance capabilities and confidence in and of the dog while addressing areas of weakness. Kind of like trimming an overgrown flower garden, fertilizing, then fine tune sculpting it to refinement.

The path varies and starts with impulse control and focus. Hands down, this includes heavy doses of positive reinforcement via rewards in the form of verbal and physical accolades, toys and perhaps timely, but limited use of treats with commands and markers. You will hear " Love em up!" extensively in my classes. Therefore, when guidance is required or even some correction it takes very little to communicate that to your dog in contrast to the big shot of dopamine they get when responding properly.

Anyone that knows us knows that positive reinforcement is the overwhelming backbone to our training path but it does nothing or little in stopping a dog from doing something it desires (and we don’t desire) therefore some clear, consistent and fair correction is likely in order. The pace of progress will depend on the dog and owners capabilities.

Evident through much experience with my mentors and hundreds of dogs  there is no doubt giving your dog the common sense  tool of knowing what is expected of them, guiding that direction and correcting when necessary provides the steady path to good and safe behavior that will stand up under stress and distractions. This also significantly deepens the bond between owner and pet to an incredible degree.

So often nowadays it’s all about avoiding any stress to a dog which often results in more stress for the dog. They need to learn to handle stress in the proper way and at a proper pace; work through that stress and conquer it. Trying to cocoon and protect them from any stress is not really good but merely a societal  “ feel good” trend. Nothing wrong with wanting to protect and coddle but it just does not solve the issue and often worsens the issue.
 

Every dog AND owner will have their own path and pace..... even in our group classes.
 

No remote control collars are used for Foundation/Basic Obedience Training with the exception being working with deaf dogs.

Commands are adjusted according for those dogs intended for the show ring, working or sporting environments.

Advanced: Off Leash - Recall - Trail Skills

The Trail Socialization or Advanced Obedience custom programs focus on what you want for your dog and lifestyle: conditioning to other trail dogs, bicycles, people, horses or perhaps water acclimation ( yes...swimming lessons) or maybe  advanced obedience skills with increased distractions. Hands down the must have off leash skill is a strong recall that can be life saving.  Perhaps you desire Integrating  the whistle or the versatile lifesaving Ecollar using tone, vibration or stimulation. The group advanced sessions are a blast watching each others dogs personalities emerge.

Fearful, Reactive & Aggressive

Pat Felton specializes in working with fearful, reactive  and aggressive dogs as that is the type of training Pat cut his teeth on decades ago with dogs and horses. In short, the path includes establishing or reestablishing that trust bond via foundation structure whereas both dog and owner confidently know what is expected from each other. Becoming your dogs advocate with this consistency paves the way for the dog to push through fears and triggers. This is as much a skillful art as it takes keen observation, a variety of methods, sequences, plus timing and intuition. This is one of the most emotional, heartwarming and rewarding progressions to witness.

Many dogs live in a created cocoon of sorts to avoid the triggers that haunt them but many of them could  have more fruitful lives with their owners outside the home.

Please understand there is nothing wrong  with a dog and owner having a life together without much interaction with other dogs or humans. This is often hastily recommended by re-homing groups out of caution and genuine concern for suitable placement. The point is if one desires to work at overcoming the obstacles to a more robust life it help is here to do so and we have had noteworthy success.

Pat is one of the few trainers that will work with dogs with a bite history therefore before making that hard emotional decision about a problem dog give us a call to see if he can help. He has received tearful calls late at night on the eve of euthanasia and has been able to help produce noteworthy relief for dog and owner. Results do vary though but Pat likes to say " leave no stone un-turned."

Rehabilitating these dogs requires compassion, patience, patience and more patience.

It can be financially and emotionally taxing for the owner. We do our best to minimize both.

One must toss their ego out the window, ignore the critics and be their dogs unwavering advocate in a productive manner.

Before you throw in the towel please place a call: 502.444.1516

 Human Conflict With Methodology and Equipment Diversity

It’s the dogs that are the losers here and humans are at fault. At Cross Country K9 Training LLC we embrace all methods of training (commonly referred to as a balanced trainer) but have no tolerance for the bashing of others choices and methods. Every method has limitations and every dog requires different approaches and guidance and these may change over time. Dogs learn multiple  ways and picking one operant conditioning mode only to utilize due to social or peer pressures  or income benefits is far from ideal. Degrading or bullying others for choosing what works for their dog is inexcusable. This goes the same for equipment.  Please stand up and do what is required for your dog: if what you have tried in the past isn’t working then try a different approach.

If you are making lots of corrections without the results you desire seek help from one that is competent with with positive reinforcement and if you are  exclusively using the absolute backbone to obedience,  positive reinforcement,  and admittedly have fails under high stress or distractions seek out a calm balanced trainer. About 30% of my clients come to me because other trainers have failed due to non-willingness to deploy what might work i.e. refusal to correct a dog or take away privilege. And they are also hesitant because they are afraid of social repercussions for using proven effective equipment or methods. For this reason we agree to keep a clients patronage private if requested. It is a shame to be deemed necessary but it is the sign of these narrow minded times driven by ego, cancel culture and revenue gouging.

Bottom line it is your dog.....they deserve to be trained adequately for their peace and welfare. Is your responsibility as owners to train them to avoid undue stress for the entire household while minimizing the potential for legal ramifications or worst of all government dictated euthanasia.

Find a trainer that you feel is a match for you, be it us or someone else, but please train your dog!

Enough on the sour side of dog training, take a deep breath, smile at your dog, fill your chest with good energy and lets get busy!