It is common this particular time of the year for us manly men to soften a little and start to take note of our women’s wants and needs and do our best to pamper our female counterparts and shower them with gifts and affection. Well, either that or face the rest of the year with the lovely Missus mysteriously burning only your portion of dinner. And it’s on the topic of cooking that I’m moving towards.

One sure fire way to make Missus happy is to cook her a dinner of all of her favorite foods. Main course, side dish, possible breads and jams, veggies and the all important dessert. Get this one right and you could be sittin pretty for a whole 11 months till it’s time to do it again. Ahh, but how to get it right? That is the eternal question. The answer of course is to rely on the recipe that she likes the most and follow it unerringly, for only by recreating the dish to perfection will you earn her praise. In this you can obviously see how it is similar to dog training! Let me show you what I mean by giving you the “Recipe for a Good Dog Trainer” and we’ll see if by following it unerringly you can whip up a well behaved dog.

1. Recognize your dog’s breed type and observe his personality for a good understanding of his in-born traits and characteristics. Lead, teach, and train accordingly.


2. Command-Don’t nag! Give a command in a normal tone of voice and Say it once. Repeating a command and shouting causes excitability.


3. Motivate-Don’t intimidate! Reward your dog with treats, toys and touch. Be creative with play and use games, tricks and obstacles to keep your dog’s confidence and enthusiasm up! Use words such as Nice, Great Job, Excellent, Fantastic, as well as Good Dog to praise your dog.


4. Use Variable reinforcement. By rewarding Scruffy randomly you keep his motivation high! Become a slot machine in your dog’s eyes.


5. Anticipate your dog’s behavior. Rather than correcting and punishing your dog, teach and train the dog to a situation before the misbehavior occurs. Training and correcting are two different items on the menu!


6. Climb the ladder one step at a time. Don’t try to accomplish too much too soon. Gradually increase the variables of training: distance, distraction, duration and location.


7. Be patient, consistent and persistent. Develop good habits through conditioning and repetition.


8. Integrate training into your everyday life with short 10-minute sessions and everyday situations. Reward with ultimate life rewards such as feeding, retrieving or taking a walk.


9. Use the proper training wheels (leashes and collars) and the right lures and rewards to direct and shape your dog’s behavior. Remember that shaping a behavior for the first time or two may be difficult. Once shaped and reinforced, the behavior becomes easier for your dog to perform.


10. Enjoy training. Build a strong rapport with your friend, your dog. If you become frustrated or angry, stop training and take a break until you get your recipe back in order.

We suggest that you post this list on your refrigerator and ask everyone in your household to become familiar with it. Review it often to keep these important concepts in your mind during training.

Happy Training!

The Misty Pines Staff