In my opinion, off leash dog training is likely the most misunderstood area of dog training and behavior. Nearly everyone I’ve ever met who claims to have off leash control with their dog actually doesn’t. A handful of questions to most of my clients helps them understand what off the lead training is actually about. Here is a typical conversation:

Me: So you are looking for help with obedience training. Is your dog obedient without a leash?

Client: My dog is a great dog. Yes, he listens to me off leash.

Me: So, does your dog come when called?

Client: Yes! He knows what come means.

Me: What about off leash in the front yard?

Client: Um…not so much. (On the off chance that someone claims that their dog comes when called every time in the front yard my follow up question is..)

Me: If he’s off the lead in the front yard and a distraction; dog, cat, bike, kid, etc. goes past…does he still come or does he go chasing off to say hi?

Client: Well….I can get him to come back if I yell enough.

Me: Okay, moving on. Does your dog stay when you ask him to?

Client: Oh yes, he knows how to stay on command.

Me: Can you be at a baseball game for your kid and have the dog lie down and stay while you run back to the car to grab something? Will he lie down and stay when you are in the front yard gardening and something interesting goes past? Will he sit and stay when someone rings your doorbell?

Client: Well, no. But he will stay if I’m standing 10 feet away and holding a treat…

Me: Can you go on a walk off leash and have your dog follow right next to you?

Client: Well..uh…no.

The point I’m getting at is that many people believe that their dogs are obedient and listen to them. The problem is that they’ve set such a low standard that their definition of ‘off leash obedience’ is a dog who will listen in the living room without any distractions.

My definition of off leash dog training is a dog who will listen to your commands nearly 100% of the time (no dog is perfect) with or without a leash and with or without real distractions. How many of you reading this have dogs who perform at that level?

I can tell you that in my years of dog training and having worked with over 1000 dogs I’ve helped a strong majority of my clients achieve that goal. The amount of people I’ve met in that time, though, who have achieved that level of obedience before going through one of my training programs is something I can count on one hand.

Nearly everyone I’ve ever met with a dog has taken the time and patience to train their dogs to do some things. Most people would also train their dogs to be obedient off leash as well….if they knew how.

And therein lies the rub. No one wakes up one morning and suddenly realizes, “Hey, I know how to get advanced obedience training with my dog!” Gaining this level of off leash obedience is best achieved by seeking out and finding experts. I’d never dream of re-building my transmission, I’d never even think of re-modeling my kitchen. These are things that I don’t know how to do and would likely screw up if I tried to attempt them on my own.

The same is true for this level of training with your dog. If you don’t know how to do it now you likely won’t ever know unless you enlist the help of those who have gone before you. That’s one reason my company and this website have been so successful. So few dog trainers are experts at this level of advanced obedience. Having said that, even the most novice dog owner can learn to achieve this type of training with their dog.

Image credit: turtlemom4bacon

A major part of my background is guard dog training. When I was a goofy teenager (as opposed to the goofy adult that I currently am) working for a dog trainer I was introduced to just how cool guard dog training can be. Following that job I worked for several years at one of the country’s premiere protection and guard dog companies in the world.

My adventures in this arena have taken me around the world. I’ve worked with clients in half a dozen countries and about half of the United States in helping them with their guard dog and protection dog needs.

This style of training is fun. It’s interesting. It’s unique.

Don’t even think about trying to do it unless you are working with a professional.

Having said that, allow me to present some more info on guard dog training:

Guard Dog Breeds

There are several breeds that are most often used for protection training. The most common would be the Belgian Malinois, German Shepherd, Rottweiler, and Doberman. Outside of those breeds its not uncommon to find the Pit Bull, Dutch Shepherd, Cane Corso, Presa Canario, American Bulldog, Bandog, Beauceron, amongst others.

The question often posed is, why are these breeds used more than others. The simple answer is that these breeds have been bred to have certain qualities that make guard dog training possible. Just as you aren’t going to use a Doberman for hunting ducks you also aren’t going to use a Labrador for guard dog training. The capacity just isn’t there based on traits that each dog was bred for.

Foundation Training

It is critical to have the highest levels of obedience training if you are going to protection train your dog. It is irresponsible and a liability to train a dog to bite, defend, attack, or protect on command if you don’t also have complete verbal control over your dog at all times.

This means that your dog, both on and off leash, will respond to your commands even under heavy distraction. Anything less is setting yourself and your dog up for problems.

Maintenance Training

Training a guard dog isn’t a ‘set it and forget it’ type thing. You’ll want to maintain your dog’s skills throughout his or her life. Ideally you can set up surprise scenarios where you call on your dog to protect you when your dog is least expecting it.

Guard Dog Gender

Both males and females can excel at guard dog training. Males tend to be larger, stronger, and more athletic. Females tend to be more nurturing and intuitive. Having said that, there are exceptions to these rules.
The most critical thing with guard dog training is that you employ a professional trainer who knows how to best mold your dog into the guard dog that you want him or her to be. A good guard dog should be part protector and part family pet and only a professional can help you achieve that.

Image credit: DVIDSHUB

I want to start this article out by defining what a service dog is as there is no end of confusion. A service dog is a dog who has been trained to aid someone with a disability. That’s it. The disability could be blindness, deafness, PTSD, diabetes, epilepsy, or other.

Before ever talking about service dog training I always first start out by talking about service dog etiquette as there is a great deal of confusion out there.

Service Dog Etiquette

When you are in public and you see a service dog the rule of thumb is ‘don’t do it or say it unless you would do or say the same thing about a wheelchair.

What do I mean?

If you see someone in a wheelchair would you ever ask to go pet the wheelchair or otherwise touch it? Probably not.

If you see someone in a wheelchair would you ever go ask that stranger why they are in a wheelchair? I know I wouldn’t. It’s none of my business and that person in the wheelchair probably has no desire to discuss their wheelchair with me.

Would you stare at someone in a wheelchair? Nope.

Would you make comments as the person in a wheelchair passes by like, ‘Look kids! Isn’t that cool that the person is in a wheelchair!’? I doubt it.

If you wouldn’t do or say those things to someone in a wheelchair then don’t do it to someone who is accompanied by a service dog.

That person with a service dog is dealing with a disability. They probably don’t want to talk to you about their disability. They’re just trying to buy groceries, get on their plane, or handle some other type of business. They don’t need to be interrupted every 2 minutes by someone who wants to touch, pet, or talk about their service dog.

Not only that, their dog is trained for a certain task. That task becomes much more difficult if people are constantly wanting to touch, talk to, or coo at the dog.

Finding a Service Dog

Now, if you are a person with a disability that is looking to do some service dog training or get a trained dog here are the main things to consider:

1. Temperament
   You’ve got to have a dog with a good temperament. At my company we get many requests for help in training their current dog to be a service dog. Unfortunately, many of these dogs are highly anxious or aggressive. Now, through training, you can solve a lot of aggression or anxiety issues. Even so, you want to start with a dog that already has a sound temperament.
2. Obedience Training
   One of the most important tasks for ANY service dog is to have high levels of obedience. Your dog is going to be going into highly distracting areas in public with lots of other people, sights, sounds, dogs, shopping carts, cars, and more. Your dog has to navigate that world while never breaking the heel position, staying when told, coming when called, etc.
3. Specialized training
   There are some types of specialized training that some people can do on their own. For example, training your dog to pick up dropped objects, flick a light switch or other specialized training commands can often be accomplished on your own.

For more specialized tasks like leading around a blind person or detecting seizures of low blood sugar it is likely you’ll need help from professionals.

To me there are few things more amazing than the bond that occurs between a person and a dog when that dog happily goes about their duties of being a service dog.

Image credit: Beverly & Pack