As The Positive Pet Parent, I’ve spent 16 years working with pet owners and I’ve spent 30 years as a pet parent of a menagerie of household animals.
In those decades, I have seen that nearly all dog owners think of “dog training” as a one-time thing. A one-time learning experience that you “do” and then you stop. (Me too, I thought the same thing many years ago.)
Like a neighbor of mine who was walking by our house with their dog — pulling and jumping around trying to get to a squirrel running around the tree next door. “I’ve got to get this dog some training” the neighbor said, and I just smiled and yelled back, “awww – I’m sure you could learn to help {Fido*} work on that during every walk you take! (* name changed to protect the rambunctious.)
Most owners think that good behavior is the result of making a one-time choice to go to a class, or hire a trainer, who does ALL THE THINGS to get a puppy or dog to learn to behave. And, yes those choices do help – both the dog and you the owner – just like any class on a topic you want to know more about.
But a weekly class or dog trainer session won’t create good behavior, any more than an hour a week of exercise will make you healthy.
If only.
The Settled Puppy Method is a different way.
Because getting the behaviors you want from your dog isn’t just a set of 10-15 commands. You can get those at a dog class, or with a dog trainer. (And get their good advice too – I’m not against a class or certified dog trainer, at all. I’m all for them, because a GOOD one will teach you skills way beyond a list of commands.)
A GOOD class or certified dog trainer will teach you to communicate effectively with your dog for life. They don’t do it FOR you. They don’t “train the dog” as most people think. If they’re worth their salt, they train YOU to train your dog.
So, when COVID-19 hit home here in the U.S, and shut down the local puppy classes, dog manners meet-ups, and private dog training sessions, well – I KNEW I could help! While I’ve spent years helping pet owners personally in their homes, I just knew there was a way to build a new system around the methods I know that work.
It’s a lifestyle. Owner-led. At-home DIY. Every day. Yes, all of that.
Good dog behavior, like healthy eating, is a matter of EVERY day consistency. It’s a lifestyle of trust, communication, teaching, and practice:
- First, build trust.
- Add healthy two-way communication.
- Keep teaching every day.
- Repeat.
Teaching The Settled Puppy Method is more than Training.
I can hear you, “But I’m not a dog trainer!” – right, you’re not a dog trainer any more than you’re a licensed nutritionist, but I’ll bet you eat fulfilling and mostly-healthy food you need every day! Yes, you are NOT a dog trainer. You ARE your dog’s teacher. They are learning from you every single day, whether you’re conscious of what you’re teaching, or not. So, I want all dog owners to be conscious about WHAT and HOW you teach your dog.
Training your settled puppy is teaching for life, not just a day or a week of formal training. While you can teach a dog 15 or 20 key words or commands and get your dog to do those commands every time, those commands do not equal good behavior.
Actions on command are useful for safety, and fun tricks (and they are fun to teach and show off) The top list of training keywords every settled puppy must know… well, that’s another guide in my series (check out my guide “75 Fun Words, Commands and Tricks to Teach Your Dog”).
So The Settled Puppy Method is a methodology for dog owners. A system that you can’t find anywhere else. That system is not a single book though, either – it’s a series of guides on various topics that puppy owners and dog parents encounter. For now, let’s get back to good behavior success.
The goal of having a settled puppy, a settled dog of any age with good behavior, starts with you.
Teaching your dog how you want them to act, every day. Teaching them how to handle various situations. Teaching them how to respond to various people. To various animals. To the world.
Teaching them what’s desired, appropriate, and acceptable behavior is your job. To teach that, you need repetition of those every day situations you expect to encounter.
Therefore, good behavior is not a dynamic of command-and-control. Good behavior is not “do as I say” – as many dog owners mistakenly think. (Me included! Yes, I used to think that training and commands would equal good behavior with my first 2 dogs, and oh goodness, that was a recipe for frustration for me, before I knew better.)
Instead, the principles of good behavior in The Settled Puppy Method are cumulative steps to achieving a deeply compassionate relationship leading to harmony at home.
Want to know more?
My guide in the series The Settled Puppy Method, “Essential Fundamentals of Good Behavior” is the #1 resource in The Settled Puppy Method, covering the details of my four guiding principles, in 10 chapters with information, advice, and worksheets for you to use at home. Read more about the four guiding principles, the 7-part recipe for good behavior, the ingredients you need, and the 8 components of practice.