Management is the biggest part of getting success with reinforcement-based dog training.

If you don't manage, then maybe you will have to go to saying, ah, no, no, here, get magical tools that stops the dog from doing what

you don't want them to do. But that's never an option for me. I hope if you're listening,

it won't be an option for you either. So we're going to follow this formula. We're going to

manage by using what I call a gated community. We're going to make sure that we set up moments

of engagement with you and other members of the family because we want a relationship with

all the members of the family. We're going to be intentional at growing confidence. We're not

going to say, grow confidence teaching our puppy a hand target and then go out in the street

or at the dog park and try to get hand touches at the dog park. That is going from a little

bit of confidence to a massive challenge. You go confidence in your training den and then you move

from that training den to another location in your home? And then maybe the front porch where

they might see cars going by. Can they rehearse that? That's where we are introducing little

micro challenges. And what that does is it gets the puppy to say, oh, I don't know. I don't

think I can do a hand target when I'm on the front porch. Let's get back in the front door and then we're back in the house like in a blink of an eye. Can you do it here?

Yeah, I can do it here. Get some reinforcement there. Then go back outside. If you've done the game,

whatever the first game is in many rooms of the house, when you try it for the first time

outside, they might fail and that's okay because one step on the other side of the house, when you try it for the first time outside, they might fail and that's okay

because one step on the other side of the threshold, you're back in the house where you can

remind them of the great reinforcing game that you played and then try it again outside.

I bet you the second time you'll have more success. Then back in the house, maybe a couple

of different rooms, the third time outside, it'll be magic. Does this make sense? That's how we bridge the gap

between my puppy isn't listening. My dog is blowing me off. It's nothing to do with your dog.

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