The best dog training class instructor will teach humans and dogs alike using science based, force-free, fear-free training.
I have been offering fun and rewarding training classes in the northern Westchester, Putnam, and western Connecticut area for almost twenty-five years.
“Evidence supports the use of reward-based methods for all canine training. AVSAB promotes interactions with animals based on compassion, respect, and scientific evidence. Based on these factors, reward-based learning offers the most advantages and least harm to the learner’s welfare.”
The best dog training class instructor will teach you and your dog to do more than sit, down, stay, wait and the basic commands.
I teach handlers how to communicate with their dogs to help their dogs do the right thing and be the best, happiest dog they can be.
Fun and rewards allowed this team to build a perfect and happy focus!
Teaching handlers how to read their dog teaches them how to understand and communicate with their dog.
To help you learn how to communicate with your dog, I will teach you how to read your dog’s body language. Knowing what your dog is signaling will help you teach them and keep them happy and calm. This book by Turid Ruggas is the primer on your dog’s body language, “On Talking Terms with Dogs, Calming Signals.“
We all learn better when we are having fun! Dog training classes should be fun and make everyone happy. There should never be force or fear used to teach.
Sit/Stay with dots and toys.
The best dog training class instructor will understand that it is so much more fun to proof sit/stay when playing the dots-and-gizmos game.
This dog training supply list includes your dog’s wearable equipment.
Many dog training tools are specific to training class but most of them will be useful in classes, at home, on walks, and more.
Your dog may disagree about what is and is not a training tool. But you will hold firm on no TP.
Collars, harnesses, and leashes.
For most of our dogs, it is good to use the same equipment for walks, hikes, or classes. Occasionally we will use a longer or shorter leash for different activities.
Collars
Flat collar – these are the basic collar everyone thinks of when they think of a collar.
Martingale collar – this collar allows the collar to close just enough to prevent the dog from squiggling out. This is my preferred collar.
I happen to be a fan of the Lupine collars linked above. They are well made (US), guaranteed (even if chewed), and they have loads of nice patterns 😊
Harnesses
Understanding the difference between a back-clip harness and a front-clip harness is critical.
If your dog’s harness has the leash clipping to a d-ring on the dog’s back, this is a back-clip harness. In most cases, this will increase pulling as it engages your dog’s oppositional reflex and they will push their chest against the front of the harness reflexively (they just can’t help it).
A Front-clip harness will have a d-ring on the dog’s chest where the leash will attach.
This is a front-clip harness. Notice the leash is attached to the harness on the front of the dog’s chest.
This will reduce the pressure against the dog’s chest and decrease or eliminate the oppositional reflex. This will stop or reduce greatly the pulling battle that often goes on during dog walks.
Here are three well made and reasonably priced front clip harnesses.
Freedom No-pull harness. This fits the best and has a secondary back clip if you want to switch between back and front clipping.
The Easy Walk Harness. This can take some tinkering to get it to fit right. But if it fits your dog, it is a good front-clip harness.
The Sensation harness. This was the first of its kind and still well made and secure.
There are many other front-clip harnesses. I find the ones that have what looks like a breast-plate in the front move side-to-side too much to be effective. The Whole Dog Journal has a nice article outlining many different front-clip harnesses.
Leashes…
There are far too many types, styles, textures, and lengths of dog leashes to list them in this training supply list.
I prefer leather or biothane leases for my own dogs. These materials sit more comfortably in my hand than cotton or nylon. For either, I like three-quarters or five-eights width. For most women, an inch width will not allow the hand to fully close around it. So, the three-quarters or half inch will allow for a more secure hold.
The length of leash will vary. For an average walk in the park, four or six feet is fine. Six will allow you the most flexibility to allow your dog to move away to eliminate. But four is easiest if your dog is playing with other dogs on leash. For hiking or playing in an unfenced area, a longer ten to twenty foot leash will allow for maximum flexibility.
Leather is the softest and sturdiest leash I have found. But it is not waterproof.
Biothane leashes are waterproof and as easy on your hands as leather (they don’t slip or burn). They come in a variety of colors, lengths, and widths.
A subset of these is the multi-leash. This is a leash that has multiple connection points to allow it to transform from a six-foot leash, to a three-foot leash, to a wrap-leash, or even a tie-out.
Positive reinforcement dog training classes should be fear-free and force-free. Your dog should enjoy learning and you should enjoy teaching. I have been teaching fun and successful dog training for twenty-six years. Join us!
We all learn better when we are not stressed or afraid.
“I don’t want to give my dog treats all the time,” is a phrase I hear a lot. So, perhaps there are misconceptions of what we’re doing with these “treats.”
Treats are often called bribery.
Bribery assumes you are trying to influence an authority in an illegal or unethical way. It would be odd if your dog had enough authority over you that you needed to influence their behavior though illegal means.
Bribery (according to Cornell Law School) refers to the offering, giving, soliciting, or receiving of any item of value as a means of influencing the actions of an individual holding a public or legal duty .
I have been told that treats are not good for dogs and make dogs sick.
Training rewards, often generalized as “treats” are neither good nor bad for a dog. They are calories that your dog likes. And if they like them a lot, it’s even better. This means that training rewards can be kibble, boiled chicken, Pupperoni, or cheese. Or if you like, freeze dried organic free-range duck shipped in from a farm in the south of France. All that matters is that your dog likes what you’re giving them, will work for it, and it agrees with their system.
If there is food that is making your dog sick, there should be a discussion with your dog’s veterinarian.
However, when we are doing new training or behavior modification, there is a level of stress or excitement involved. That could be what is upsetting your dog’s stomach.
Every parent who has taken their child to an amusement park has had the same thought on the way home when the child pukes in the car, “Was it the corndog or the excitement?”
So, certain foods might not agree with your dog and perhaps a stressful situation might upset your dog’s stomach. The training rewards you use for you dog should be chosen based on your dog’s desire and their gut health.
Variety is good for all of us. Here are some my my dog’s and clients’ favorite food rewards/treats.
I’ve heard people say, “your dog shouldn’t think they’re getting a treat each time they do something.”
We do want our dogs to think they are getting a food reward each time they do something we’ve asked them to do, at least in the early learning stages. That’s how we get them hooked on the behavior.
Then, we begin to randomize the rewards. Sometimes they get a reward and sometimes they don’t. When we keep rewards randomized, the dog will work harder. They will hope each time will be the time they get rewarded because they have been conditioned to get a reward every time. If we don’t condition them to know/believe they will get a treat each time, they would give up when we tried to fade out the treats.
The variable-ratio schedule of reinforcement is the most resistant to extinction. This is because the reinforcement is given after an unpredictable number of responses, making it more difficult for the behavior to cease. Examples include gambling or lottery games, where a win is unpredictable but can occur anytime. – Simply Psychology
This is where things get dark…
By giving them rewards every time in the learning stages, you won’t have to give them a treat every time they do what you’ve asked for the rest of their lifetime.
Lastly – you are going to feed them every day, aren’t you?
Call it what you like, rewards, treats, reinforcers, reinforcement, or payment. Ultimately you will feed your dogs daily so why not use these calories to strengthen their desire to do the things you’ve asked them to do? Instead of 100% of their daily calories coming in a “free” bowl, you can give them their calories for hanging out with you for a settle while you drink your coffee in the morning. You can give them goodies along the walk when they want to roll in something stinky and you’d rather they walk with you instead. You can give them their food in puzzle toys, like some of these for enrichment.
Three dogs Training has offered positive reinforcement fear free dog training for over two decades.
My goal is to allow the human/dog team to learn how to communicate happily and easily. When our dog is happy they are more confident and resilient and commands go smoothly for everyone.
It’s never too late and it’s usually not too early. Puppies and adolescent dogs all benefit from positive reinforcement fear free training.
Not all dogs will grow up to be a famous painter, but they can all achieve their own greatness.
Three Dogs Training’s positive reinforcement dog training classes begin Saturday August 16, 2025.
Positive reinforcement dog training classes should be fear-free and force-free. Your dog should enjoy learning and you should enjoy teaching. I have been teaching fun and successful dog training for twenty-six years. Join us!
We all learn better when we are not stressed or afraid.
