Dog training advice with Dog Behavior Specialist, Scott Salant

When it comes to dog training advice, even the most experienced pup parents and carers could use a few extra tips and tricks now and then! So, we asked Scott Salant, Dog Manager and Lead Behavior Specialist at Paws Crossed Animal Rescue, for his top 10 tips and advice on dog training - and here they are.

Dog training advice: Top 10 tips from Scott

1. Keep your emotions in check
2. Tailor training to your dog’s personality and temperament
3. The importance of well-being, the right nutrition and exercise
4. Be aware of their instincts (like chewing and digging)
5. Be consistent with their training
6. Dogs can be trained at any age
7. Positive reinforcement works best
8. Go slowly, don’t rush their training
9. Phobias and anxieties are common, but fixable
10. Socialization is a training essential

1. Keep your emotions in check

When it comes to dog training, keep your emotions in check - anything from excitement to frustration should be kept at a minimum. Scott offers a great example: 

“One common thing pet owners do is when returning home, they get excited to see their pet. This can make the pet get all excited, leading to behaviors like the dog jumping on them. It also could make pets more anxious about their owners leaving them alone. It is best to enter (and exit) the home calmly and nonchalantly, and only after a few minutes being home, give them attention.”

2. Tailor training to your dog’s personality and temperament

Another great bit of dog training advice from Scott is how you should tailor your training to your dog’s personality, rather than their breed:

“I don’t pay much attention to a dog’s breed, there is so much variation. However, it is important to tailor our training to the dog's personality or temperament. I like to find out what motivates the dog to work, for some it's food, for others, it might be toys or the chance to play still others it could be just getting pets and attention.”

3. The importance of well-being, the right nutrition, and exercise

A happy and healthy dog is far more likely to respond to training and mental stimulation. As Scott explains:

“A poor diet and not enough sleep and rest will put more stress on the pet and make it more difficult for them to learn. It can impact their ability to focus on the task you are trying to teach as well as their retention of the new information. Likewise, a dog that hasn’t had any exercise is also more difficult to train as the focus may not be there. Burning off some of the energy before starting a training session is a good idea.”

4. Be aware of their instincts (like chewing and digging)

While digging and chewing are instinctive to dogs (and a normal part of their day), they can lead to destructive habits - and no one wants a chewed-up shoe or dug-up yard! Luckily, Scott has a solution for both:

“Provide them with appropriate toys and bones to chew on. Praise them for chewing their bones and toys, and if they get an item you don’t want them to chew on, trade with them something more appropriate.

For digging, try to block off areas where digging would not be acceptable. But also provide them with a space where they can dig, as it is a natural behavior for dogs.”

5. Be consistent with their training

Consistency is key when it comes to dog training. It’s important to remember this on days when it feels like you and your dog aren’t making progress. The trick is to not give up:

“People always think you have to be perfect and put way too much pressure on themselves. Sure, timing is important and you want to make sure to mark and reward the desirable behaviors, but you aren’t going to harm if you are a second late now and then. As long as you are consistent, the dogs will learn and figure out what you want them to do!”

6. Dogs can be trained at any age

You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, right? Wrong! Pups can learn anything from dog obedience training to potty training, whatever their age. Don’t you agree, Scott?

“Absolutely! No matter the age, our dogs are always learning. Sometimes a little more patience is needed as an older dog may have lots of practice at doing the opposite behavior than what you are asking of them, but with a little time and effort they will learn what you want them to do!”

7. Positive reinforcement works best

Effective training goes hand-in-hand with understanding how to make a dog happy. As Scott explains, positive reinforcement training is by far the best way to train any doggo:

“Usually lots of good yummy treats go a long way to forming a bond with them, but it can be whatever makes that dog feel safe, comfortable, and ultimately happy. Once you have their trust, anything is possible in regards to training.”

8. Go slowly, don’t rush their training

Scott’s experience with rescued adult dogs means he knows the one universal secret when doing any kind of dog training: Take your time, there’s no rush! Dogs learn at a different speeds, so the most important thing is to gain their trust and build your bond:

“When working with a dog with a troubled past, the key is to go slow, be extra patient, and most importantly find a way to gain the dog's trust. [...] With the rescue, you are simultaneously teaching them the new behavior and untraining their prior responses.” 

9. Phobias and anxieties are common, but fixable

Just as with any fear, the key is to work slowly to desensitize them to their key trigger:

“If they have a fear/phobia, desensitize them slowly, starting with the exposure at a very low intensity (below where they react) and working progressively to more intensity. Speaking to a veterinarian about behavior medications can also be very helpful.”

10. Socialization is a training essential

The key to preventing phobias and anxieties from developing is through early socialization. As Scott explains, fears and phobias can develop at any stage in a dog’s life:

“A phobia can develop at any age, which is why early socialization is so important. The more stimuli we expose (positive experiences) our pets to when they are young, the better able they are to cope with new stressors later in life.”

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your doggy pearls of wisdom, Scott! We hope this has inspired you and other pup parents around successfully training your doggos. 

As we said, consistency is key with dog training, so, for pet parents planning to go away, you’ll want to find a sitter who can keep up the training. Don’t let your hard efforts be undone, find an experienced dog sitter to keep them on schedule.