Month: July 2026

Simon Was Innocent! A Tale of False Accusations and Fast Dog Training

Spread the love

Simon got blamed for something he didn’t do.

Simon was innocent! Hope offered sincere apologies for her unjust accusations. He graciously accepted, mostly because the proffered “sorry” came with a side of raw brussels sprouts and some fast dog training.

Setting the Scene

Sunday mornings in the 2-Minute Trainer household are for weekly meal prep. For the people, not the dogs. (The dog food is a monthly, all-day marathon session involving an empty freezer, a full oven, and at least three dishwasher loads.)

Anyway, we prep lots of vegetables for the week. We love grain bowls for lunch, and since we’re dog trainers and not one-percenters, we make them ourselves. This week, the featured veggie was brussels sprouts. If you’re not a fan, just picture mini, green meatballs.

As always, food prep is rigorously supervised by Simon.

Simon has his dedicated chair at the kitchen table where he can see everything. His primary goal? Pounce on anything that gets dropped, barreling through anyone or anything in his way, leading with pure greed and teeth.

Predictably, a round sprout rolled over the edge of the table. Faster than Hope could lean over to pick it up, Simon vacuumed it up. The sprout was gone. Disappeared.

Hope was half-furious that he was rude enough to not even allow time for a “Leave it” cue, and half-terrified that he’d choke. She picked Simon up immediately. But the mini-cabbage was nowhere—not in his mouth, not caught in his throat, and not under the table.

Time for Training

It’s been a Simon “quirk” all his life that he dives immediately for dropped items. We’ve never had a dog so desperate to get there first. At the first sound of something hitting the floor, he’s there. Get out of the way or get bowled over.

Time to turn that around. Simon needed to learn that good things come to those who wait. On the spot, we put the cooking utensils aside and played a brand-new training game.

How to Teach the “Drop-and-Leave” Game

  • Step 1: Secure the dog. We put a collar and leash on Simon so we could safely manage his reach.
  • Step 2: Prep the bait. We grabbed a pile of celery (our chosen training veggie for the day).
  • Step 3: The Drop. Hope dropped a large piece of celery on the floor while Fran gave the “Leave it!” cue.
  • Step 4: The Boundary. The first time, Simon dove for the celery, but the leash ran out of slack before he could reach it. Realizing he couldn’t get it, he sat down.
  • Step 5: The Reward. The moment he sat, Hope rewarded him with a different piece of celery from her hand, then picked up the dropped piece.

Rinse and repeat. After just the third repetition, Simon stayed in place as the veggie hit the floor, looked up, and waited for his reward. He got plenty.

No Training is Wasted

So far, so good. A couple minutes of training. Boundaries enforced. Rewards delivered. It was a lesson we probably should have taught Simon a long time ago.

But while it’s never too late to train, we later discovered this specific incident wasn’t actually Simon’s fault.

Later that day, Hope was out in the backyard with her Frenchie, Torque. She glanced down and noticed something weird tucked into the cuff of her pant leg.

It was the missing sprout.

Oops. Simon got a formal apology, a scratch behind the ears, and plenty of “oops cookies.”

What’s Your Dog Training Voice?

Spread the love

It’s not just what you say—it’s how you say it. You could say the most ridiculous, nonsensical things to your dog, but if you say it in a happy, upbeat, gentle voice, that tail will keep wagging. Conversely, you could tell your dog they are the absolute best creature on the planet, but if you scream it angrily, they will completely shut down. Your dog training voice matters.

Case Study 1: The Booming “Come”

In our Novice Obedience class, there’s an Australian Shepherd named Reese. Reese’s dad, Dan, is a tall, strong man with a deep, booming voice. He’s incredibly nice, but Reese is a “soft” dog—meaning he has a sensitive, gentle personality.

During a Recall exercise, Dan left Reese in a stay, walked across the room, turned, and boomed: “Reese, COME!”

Reese slinked across the floor, belly low, looking as though he expected to be punished. To our knowledge, Dan has only ever trained Reese with treats and praise. Yet, that single, intimidating tone was enough to frighten his dog. It’s not just what you say that matters – how you say it matters, too.

The Fix: We had Dan start over using a gentle, inviting voice. This time? Reese doubled his speed. He was still a little unsure, but his tail was up and he was visibly happier.

The Takeaway: Tone matters. Volume matters. Your dog is always reading your energy.

Case Study 2: The Brother vs. The Dad

We saw an even bigger contrast in our Puppy class with Zeke, a four-month-old pit bull puppy. Zeke was a sponge—sweet, inquisitive, and eager to learn.

Zeke’s dad, John, is a big guy with a naturally powerful voice. But John’s nine-year-old son was also in class. Watch how Zeke reacted to the exact same cue from two different people:

  • The Brother: “Zeke, Come!” (High, excited tone) = Zeke bounces across the room, thrilled.
  • The Dad: “Zeke, Come!” (Deep, authoritative tone) = Zeke turns away, looking for an escape route.

John took the feedback beautifully. Once he tapped into his “inside voice” and spoke gently, Zeke came bounding over to him, too.

“Commands” vs. “Cues”

Traditionally, dog training has been about teaching dogs to obey commands. That word choice has seeped into our collective brains, making people think they need to sound like a drill sergeant to be respected.

This mindset is part and parcel with disproven, damaging “dominance” and “alpha” theories.

At 2-Minute Trainer, we make a conscious effort to use the word cue instead of command. When you think of a cue, picture a stage manager whispering a helpful reminder from the wings, not a dictator barking orders. Changing the word changes your attitude.

Soften the Image

There are plenty of social media trainers whose entire brand relies on projecting strength, dominance, and intimidation. Next time you stumble across one of their videos, don’t look at the trainer. Watch the dogs.

  • Are their tails wagging?
  • Are their bodies relaxed?
  • Do they look like they’re having fun?

We have dogs to make our lives happier, better, and more connected. The next time you ask your dog to do something, lose the drill sergeant voice. Cue your dog with a smile—both on your face and in your tone.

The Best Dog Training Game: How to Teach Tug

Spread the love

Here’s a non-trick question for you:

What training game do dogs value, keeps you in the game, and is a reward all by itself?

The answer, of course, is tug!

There was an aberrant few years when “experts” advised people not to play tug-of-war with their dogs because it might cause aggressive or dominant behavior. Fortunately, dominance theory has been proven poppycock, and we recognize just how fantastic a game tug can be.

Best of all, just about any toy, rag, rope, or vegetable can be used to play.

What’s that you say? You’ve never played Veggie Tug?

You would have if, like Hope, you’re desperate to get your dog to play with you and your dog’s favorite thing in the world is celery.

Pro-Tip: Veggie Tug works best if the celery is a bit wilted. Crisp celery is too easily snapped to work for tugging!

Get Your Dog To Tug (With You!)

It’s not enough to toss a toy on the floor and tell your dog to play with it. Even if your dog is a self-starter and plays by themself, you want to become an integral part of the game.

Especially if you want to play any kind of dog sports, you want your dog to believe that all good things come from you. Everything from meals to playtime involves being with you and interacting with you. You and your dog are partners, and you rely on each other.

Some dogs are natural-born tuggers. Hold a toy and they’ll grab the end, plant their feet, and start the game. Other dogs just don’t get it. But even truly hard cases—like Hope’s first Frenchie, Dax—can learn to love tugging.

Two Kinds of Dogs

  • The Exuberant: They want to be in the middle of all the action. For them, life is all about having fun and doing stuff.
  • The Spectator: They watch from the sidelines, scoping out all the possibilities before they commit.

We’ve owned and trained both kinds. It is a lot easier to channel an exuberant dog’s energy than it is to cheerlead a lower-key, spectator personality. Simon (in the photo) is a natural-born, exuberant tugger and loves the game. But other dogs learn to love the game, too, as you’ll learn.

Great For Raising Energy

Hope wanted Dax to tug in order to energize her for playing agility. Dax liked agility, but lacked any sense of urgency on the course. She didn’t have a lot of drive, and didn’t care to play tug or hold onto toys at all.

Playing tug is a fantastic way to get a lower-drive dog amped up, focused, and engaged.

Getting a non-tugging dog to pull takes some determination and patience. Think of it as playful persistence. You want to mimic the way puppies badger older dogs to play.

The 2-Minute Tug Trainer: Step-by-Step

Teaching a reluctant dog to tug doesn’t require hours of work—just two minutes of focused, high-energy fun a day. Here is your quick start guide:

  • Step 1: Find the “Gold Medal” Motivator Don’t start with a boring rope if your dog doesn’t care about toys. Find what makes them tick. Is it a plush squeaker? A fleece braid? Or, like Dax, a slightly wilted piece of celery? Start with their absolute favorite thing.
  • Step 2: Bring the Toy to Life (The “Puppy Swish”) Dead toys are boring. Get down on their level and slowly drag or swish the toy side-to-side on the floor, mimicking prey. Let it lightly brush their front paws. Be as persistent as a puppy!
  • Step 3: Reward the “Micro-Try” Don’t wait for a massive pull. If the first toy doesn’t work, try something else. Dax didn’t care about plush, latex, rubber, or rope, but she loved food—so we played with our food. The second your dog sniffs, glances at, or puts their mouth on the toy, throw a party and reward them. (Similar to the “Carry It” game, but this goes further.)
  • Step 4: Introduce the “Tension Game” Once they are willingly putting their teeth on the toy, add a microscopic amount of tension. Don’t yank—just hold your ground for a split second so they feel a tiny bit of resistance.
  • Step 5: Let Them Win! As soon as they pull back, even a tiny bit, let go of the toy and celebrate like they just won the lottery. Winning builds massive confidence and makes them want to play again.

The Magic of “Transfer of Value”

When something the dog cares about (food) is always associated with something they don’t care about (tugging), eventually they see the same value in the game as in the reward.

Dax transferred the value of the celery to the game itself. In time, she’d happily tug with anything Hope offered.

  • Was it messy? A bit. There were celery bits to clean up.
  • Did it work? You betcha. Dax turned into an enthusiastic tugger and agility competitor. It even turned her into a happier dog overall.
  • Would we do it again? Absolutely. (Although we now start tugging with puppies from the day they come home!)

How to Stop Accidentally Rewarding Dog Jumping | 2-Minute Trainer

Spread the love

Do you push your dog off when they jump on you?

Congratulations! You just taught your dog to play a fun new game called “Throw Your Dog Away!”

You didn’t mean to start a rough-and-tumble wrestling match? Then we need to stop rewarding the wrong stuff.

You’re Not Alone

Everybody does it. Everybody inadvertently rewards the wrong behavior at some point. Perfect timing, flawless mechanics, and constant attention are hurdles that every dog owner stumbles over.

Fortunately, dogs are incredibly forgiving. Messing up is inevitable—after all, we’re only human. But the first step in fixing a training problem is recognizing that it exists.

Watch Your Hands

One of the most common things we see is people swinging their hands up and away when a dog gets a little too excited or jumpy. It’s a natural, human reaction.

The problem? Dogs are hard-wired to track motion. If your arms go swinging up, your dog is going to follow them. If you don’t want your dog jumping at you, keep your hands down and still.

The same rule applies if your dog is a bit too grabby when taking treats. If you jerk your hand away, they will just lunge forward to follow it. It can get painful, which is why children shouldn’t play grabby games. But rather than jerking away, try keeping your hand still, or making it “bigger” by closing it into a fist until they back off.

In fact, learning to control those teeth is a huge part of teaching a dog boundary control. If you want a structured way to teach your dog to back off instead of grabbing, check out our favorite impulse-control game, “Whatcha Gonna Do?”

Flip the Script: Teach What to Do

Many of the things we want our dogs to learn are “don’ts.” Don’t jump. Don’t grab. Don’t pull. Don’t counter-surf.

But teaching a negative to a dog is like trying to explain baseball to an alien. After a while, you just wind up with total confusion. (Have you seen Who’s On First?) Dogs don’t understand the absence of a behavior; they need an active job to do.

By consistently rewarding the behaviors you do want—like when your dog chooses to keep four paws on the floor or sit politely in front of you—you build a habit of good decision-making. Whenever your dog chooses the right thing, acknowledge and reward it immediately.

It’s always a revelation when handlers see their dogs explicitly “choose” the right behavior. You can actually see the lightbulb go on! Celebrate those moments—that’s where a strong foundation is built.

The “Freight Train” Mistake: Why the Words You Say to Your Dog Matter

Spread the love

Words Matter A Lot in Dog Training

This week, one of our trainees almost got run over by a freight train.

Not really. But it was touch-and-go for a minute.

We were doing practice run-throughs in our Novice competition class. On the Recall exercise, Doug called his powerful, fast Staffordshire Terrier mix, Zeke.

But Doug used the wrong word.

If he’d said “Front!” Zeke would have known to dash across the room and sit politely at Doug’s feet. Instead, Doug shouted, “Come!”

Zeke charged full speed ahead and barreled right into Doug’s knees.

Let’s Be Absolutely Clear

Dogs are capable of understanding dozens, if not hundreds, of words. But to a dog, each word has a single, literal meaning. Humans excel at deciphering meaning through context. Dogs? Not so much.

Want to confuse your dog? Tell them to “Sit down.”

Every human knows exactly what you mean. But your dog thinks you just gave two separate, contradictory cues. Do you want me on my butt, or flat on my belly?

Every word you teach your dog needs a specific definition:

  • For Zeke, “Come” means “get over here as fast as you can (and clear the runway).”
  • “Front” means “we’re playing Obedience, so when you get here, sit politely right in front of me.”

Nuances Matter

At first, Doug couldn’t figure out why Zeke was acting like he was in a demolition derby. He tried the exercise a second time—and had to leap out of the way just in time to avoid another knee-capping.

Then it hit him: “Did I say ‘Come’ or ‘Front’?”

The specific words you choose matter. Dogs are master pattern-recognizers. They pick up on our vocabulary when we deliberately teach them, but also by eavesdropping on our daily routines. It’s why most dog owners eventually have to resort to spelling out loud: W-A-L-K, C-A-R, or B-A-T-H.

Getting Down to the Nitty-Gritty

Just how precise should your cues be? As granular as possible.

For people playing dog sports like Rally or Agility, teaching your dog “Turn” isn’t specific enough. When you hear agility handlers sprinting a course yelling “Left!” or “Right!”, it’s not wishful thinking. Their dogs truly know their directions.

We even use different words to cue dogs to spin in opposite directions. Clockwise has one word; counter-clockwise has another.

The most creative version we’ve heard came from one of our students. She uses “Spin” for clockwise, and “Nips” for counter-clockwise. Why? Because nips is spin spelled backward!

Which Word You Choose Doesn’t Matter (Consistency Does)

As long as you’re consistent, you can choose any word you like for any behavior. Dogs don’t speak English; they learn the associations we build for them.

For the “Place!” game, you can use “Bed,” “Mat,” or “Rug.” It doesn’t matter, as long as everyone in the family uses the exact same word.

We often see funny family dynamics play out in our training classes. When the husband uses “Up!” and the wife uses “Stand!”, the only result is a highly confused dog.

Pick a word and stick to it. Say what you mean, use it consistently, and your dog will understand. Because words matter a lot in dog training.