Kim Hawkinson - On Point Dog Training

Figuring out why a dog isn’t understanding their human just makes me happy.

Maybe it’s the fact that my ADHD brain likes solving puzzles.

Maybe it’s because I’m an empath, and knowing that both the dog and their owner are unhappy because the dog is misbehaving makes my heart hurt.

I even think of how linear dog training is in my head to calm myself down when I’m stressed or anxious.

Getting to interact with the puppies and getting the exuberant joy from my clients dogs is wonderful but NOTHING beats seeing that look of astonishment and relief when a person sees their dog listen for the first time.

Like really listen.

There’s nothing like it😁

Figuring out why a dog isn’t understanding their human just makes me happy.

Maybe it’s the fact that my ADHD brain likes solving puzzles.

Maybe it’s because I’m an empath, and knowing that both the dog and their owner are unhappy because the dog is misbehaving makes my heart hurt.

I even think of how linear dog training is in my head to calm myself down when I’m stressed or anxious.

Getting to interact with the puppies and getting the exuberant joy from my clients dogs is wonderful but NOTHING beats seeing that look of astonishment and relief when a person sees their dog listen for the first time.

Like really listen.

There’s nothing like it😁

Here are the 4 reasons:

1. They’re too energized. Your dog doesn’t have their listening ears on. The best thing to do is remind them to not jump and then continuously reinforce, either with treats or praise or whatever works best with your dog when your guests get there. Have a leash and treats ready. Be prepared.

2. Your dog hasn’t been taught effectively to get down. They may have been taught “off“, but it’s not paired with the jumping. When opposing pairs are taught together (on/off; up/down) the dog can differentiate between the two and make an informed choice.

3. Your dog isn’t given a clear consequence if they do jump. You can use the same “if/then“ statement you used with your kids at dinner: “If you jump, then you’re going to your kennel”. Granted, your dog has to know what the words “jump” and “kennel” are, but the emotion is taken out of it.

4. The dog is hyped up on dopamine. 1 in 20 trainers know about the role dopamine, adrenaline, or other neurotransmitters have in your dog‘s body. If your dogs brain is flooded with dopamine, getting through to them is next to impossible. When you can address the dog on that level, success happens a lot faster than hoping they figure it out.

Comment LISTEN and I’ll send you the resource I use to teach dogs to have the self-control you need them to 🐶🐾💖