Neal's Dog Training Philosophy
Some of my friends have told me that I am a dog whisperer, but I don’t believe that’s true. I love dogs and most dogs love me as well, but I don’t have any mystical skills that make me a successful dog trainer.
I have been involved in training my own dogs for over 35 years. During that time, I have had 5 German Shepherds and have been to several different trainers all with different methods and ideas about proper dog training.
My philosophies are a combination of what I have been taught by those trainers and the theories that have I developed on my own through the years.
When Magnum’s (my current GS) training reached an advanced enough level where I was comfortable with him off leash amongst other dogs, I took him to a local obedience class for socialization purposes. I realized at that point that Magnum was better trained than any of the dogs in the class, and it was time to help other dog owners reach a similar level of obedience.
​
Before we talk about how I am going to help you train your dog, let me take you back to 1988, when NO ONE was confusing me with a dog whisperer.
I was living in Rutland Vermont with my then GF and skiing at Killington for the winter. Somehow, we came up with the brilliant idea to get two 10 week old German Shepherd puppies from the same litter. Oy, what a fiasco! We had no idea what we were doing, and we were so clueless that we didn’t even crate train them. We would leave the 2 of them alone in the apartment for way longer than we should have and come home to an apocalyptic mess time after time. It was a complete disaster and we realized this was no way to go through life and we needed help.
The winter ended and I headed back to Cape Cod with my adorable, untrained, and wild puppy Magnum (The original).
I signed up for a group class at an obedience school recommended to me by my vet and my education about dog training soon began.
People, there is a better way!
Something I quickly realized was that obedience school was for humans to be taught how to properly handle their dogs and be the pack leader. And if you are really paying attention (which I was), you too can become a dog trainer. This is not just an investment in one pet. Hiring Neal’s Naughty Puppy School is an investment in you, for all the dogs you will have in your life.
Through the years, I learned that dog training is about hard work, proper technique, discipline, dedication to your goal of a trained dog and rewarding your best friend with lots of praise and treats. Through all the training what you are really doing is building a great relationship with your dog and what a difference in your life it will make. Situations that most dog owners find stressful, are no problem for you and your pal.
You have people over for dinner, your dog will lie down where asked to and not bother your guests while they are eating.
You encounter another dog while out hiking and your dog will come to you when called.
These are just a few examples of how much easier life is with a trained dog.
My current dog Magnum is a 2-year-old German Shepherd, and his obedience is the culmination of what I have learned and what I have figured out.
Training should start the day your new best friend comes home and will continue most of your pet’s life. Your new friend wants a pack leader and everyone in your household should be taught how to be the pack leader.
Ok folks, there is no magic potion. Puppy Training takes dedication, determination, consistency, fairness, and patience. I will teach you what to do at our lessons, but it is up to you as the “pack leader” to train with your new best friend 15-30 minutes every day and teach all your family members how to properly handle their new best friend and be the “pack leader”. It takes time and effort to have a trained dog that respects you (and your family members) as the pack leader and becomes a vibrant contributing member of your family. I hope you too can feel the satisfaction of having your dog respond to your commands regardless of the surrounding distractions. All the hard work feels like it was worth it and it’s truly rewarding.
Training needs to be fun, and we mixed in playing with the ball in many of our training sessions, and Magnum greatly looks forward to all the training that we do. As soon as Magnum (II) sees Jack (my son) or I grab the leash and the ball, he gets very excited as he knows he is going out on the golf course to train and to play.
Socialization of your puppy with other dogs and humans is also vital in your puppy’s development and needs to be part of your program.
We will have socialization field trips for people that are local and will try to hook people up in their local areas so they too can socialize their new friends.
Magnum is fully off leash trained with hand signals and if you want a dog trained like Magnum, it will be my pleasure to show you how to do it.
Let’s get to work and start training your new pal.