Be Flexible - adjust your training to the dog

Training tip of the day: training the dog to perform any command is not just about teaching a behavior as much information as we are giving our dogs it is so important to listen to your dogs too, read their body language and their actions and adjust your training method, style and speed to your dog. If your dog seems confused or doesnt seem to be getting something then don't blame your dog figure out what you can do differently to help your dog succeed. They are all different even dogs we have in for day training. Some dogs practice their obedience best straight out of a nap in the crate, others do better after a romp in the yard, some work better starting with a short walk down the street and back and others the treadmill 1st. We have a variety of dogs here today and not one of them is the same it is up to jason and i to read the individual dogs and decide what we believe is best for that dog then go with it but we are constantly listening and tweaking what we do to adjust to the speed and what works for that individual dog. This is what keeps my job fun. Sit is sit and down is down but how we teach it and reinforce it is different for very dog.

Thinking one step ahead of your dog

Training Tip: Key to good dog training is being able to read the dog and predict their actions if you can stay ahead of the dog you can keep them under control and catch them before they make mistakes. 
Simple version: Dog barks/growls at person on the street.
What really happens: Dog looks, ears up, stiffens body, leans toward person/dog then barks.
You need to be able to redirect the attention, correct whatever you need to do to get the attention before the dog gets the stage of barking. If you redirect the attention at the lower stages that is training. If you just correct the dog for barking and growling the dog most likely will associate the correction with that which they are focused on and not their current behavior and you will need alot more force behind your correction because your dog is now in a high adrenalized state and reacting. Than if you had reminded your dog to pay attention to you in one of the early stages before the reaction.
Every time a dog gets ahead of you and makes mistakes like barking/growling and you don't catch it or aren't able to correct or redirect your dog it reinforces the behavior. The more your dog does it the more confident he/she will become doing it. A dog that runs to the door barking at guests if allowed to continue the behavior could turn into a bite in the future as they get more confident being allowed to practice it over and over.

Stay ahead of your dog. I thought about this, this morning after i wrote a post on my personal page about my new pup and about how wicked smart she is. She left her full food bowl to go to the bag of dog food and climbed up in it to eat instead of the full bowl. Im going to have fun keeping up with her and trying to stay ahead of her.

Set Structure in your Home

Adding Structure and Rules to your dogs daily life can help make the world of difference.
If you teach obedience but let them get away with ALL of the following things this is probably why you are still having trouble.
Remember dogs are pack animals and in their world someone has to be in charge. They would always much prefer it is us but they do things to test us to make sure we are still in charge. In their world we can't just be buddy buddy with no one in charge. If we show we are in charge through little things in their life they feel more comfortable and are better behaved around new people, they are more confident overal knowing if there were a problem we would take care of it. I see dogs every day that have nervous energy from lack of structure.

Furniture
- By invitation only.
I have no problem with my dog cuddling on the couch with me or sleeping in bed but I want it to be by invitation only. Your dog should not feel it is their right to be on the furniture.
I let them up on my terms not because they are sitting begging to come up.

Attention
- On my terms.
Invite your dog over for attention. Don't give in to the nose bumping your arm while you are sitting down. Just ignore it... after your dog gives up you can then invite your dog over for attention.
Remember that negative attention is still attention to most dogs. If your dog jumps up and you push them down that often becomes a game. Turning away from them, standing up or using a leash to correct the behavior is far better than talking to them or just pushing them down.
If your dog jumps on the couch do not pick them up to set them down a little tug on the collar towards the grown will work.

Food
- Feed Set Meals
Instead of free feeding your dog feed set meals at morning and night. Give your dog 10-20min to eat anything they don't eat should be taken up and not returned until dinner.

Crate
- Crate training is huge and helps to give them more structure and it helps to manage behavior to create new habits instead of allowing your dog to continue practicing bad behavior.
Crating the dog even when your home for short periods of time helps.

Doorway manners
Having your dog wait at doorways before they go through. I am not worried about every doorway in your home but the major ones like
Front Door
Back Door
Side Gates
Garage Door
Car Door

Place
Teaching your dog to go to a dog bed and wait there until released. Place is nice to create calm in a house with multiple dogs. I use place for front door manners. When someone comes to the door I have the dogs go to place and I decide if or when they get to say hi to guests.