Dog B Good

🎄 Better Manners Make Happier Holidays. 🐾

The holidays are fun… but they can also put your dog’s manners to the test.

Guests coming through the door. Food everywhere. Travel. New places. Excited kids. Changed routines. More activity than usual.

If you already know you’ll be spending November and December managing jumping, pulling, barking, pushy behavior, poor boundaries, or a dog who struggles when life gets busy — now is the time to start working on it!

Our private lesson programs aren’t about memorizing a handful of commands. We teach you how to communicate clearly with your dog, use the leash and collar effectively, establish meaningful boundaries, and create the kind of calm, respectful relationship that carries over into real life.

And starting before the holiday season gives you something especially important: time to practice. Good behavior doesn’t appear overnight when the relatives arrive. It’s built through repetition, consistency, clear expectations, and good leadership.

Imagine being able to actually enjoy your holiday gathering instead of spending the evening apologizing for your dog, wrestling with the leash, or putting them away because things have gotten too chaotic.

That’s the goal. More freedom for your dog. Less stress for you. And skills that last long after the decorations come down.

Our private lesson schedule leading into the holidays is filling up. If you’ve been thinking about training, don’t wait until Thanksgiving week to wish you’d started sooner.

Email [email protected] to schedule your complimentary consultation.

People Training for Pooches.™

🐾 ATTENTION EXERCISE: The Foundation Before Obedience

Charlie, a Great Pyrenees mix, is here with us for Board & Train—and these videos show him in the learning phase of one of the most important things we teach: our Attention Exercise.

At DogBGood, we don’t start by asking a dog to walk in a focused heel or simply teaching them not to pull on the leash.

We teach them to pay attention to the person holding it.

Our goal is the 60/40 Rule:
👉 *m60% attention on the handler
👉 40% attention on the environment

That means Charlie does not need to stare at us the entire time. He can look around, sniff, take in his surroundings and be a dog, but the majority of his awareness should remain with his handler.

We’re looking for 4 qualifiers:
1️⃣ Starts when you start
2️⃣ Stops when you stop
3️⃣ Turns when you turn
4️⃣ Gives space when you take it

Notice what isn’t on that list: exactly where the dog’s body is positioned.

Charlie gets the full length of the leash because this exercise isn’t about making him stay glued to our leg. It’s about teaching him to keep track of us and make good choices within the space he’s given.

That’s also why we prefer teaching Attention before focusing on a tight heel or conventional loose-leash walking.

A dog can technically walk on a loose leash and still be mentally disconnected from the person holding it. A dog can also be taught to stay in a heel position without truly learning to watch the handler, adjust independently and take direction.

We want more than leash manners.

We want the dog thinking:
Where is my person? What are they doing? Where are we going next?

Once we have that majority attention, obedience becomes much more meaningful and much easier to use in the real world.

It all follows our Order of Operations:
Behavior → Attention → Obedience

Charlie is still learning, which is exactly why we like showing this stage. Training doesn’t begin with perfection. It begins by teaching the dog what information matters and giving them the opportunity to figure it out. 🐾

“Stay Back” is one of our favorite examples of how obedience becomes truly useful in everyday life.

At DogBGood, we first teach in an Order of Operations:

1. Behavior
2. Attention
3. Obedience

Before we can expect a dog to reliably follow a command, we first need appropriate behavior and the dog’s attention. Once those pieces are in place, obedience gives us a clear way to communicate exactly what we want.

In these videos, Justin is teaching and demonstrating our temporary boundary command: Stay Back.

“Stay Back” creates a temporary boundary wherever we need one. It tells the dog, “You may not move past this point right now,” whether that point is a doorway, driveway, open gate, campsite, or simply an invisible line we establish in the moment. The dog learns to stop their forward movement, respect the space we’ve created, and wait for direction before moving through it.

The goal isn’t simply to make the dog stay in one spot. The dog learns to recognize the boundary, respect it, and look to the handler for direction about when they are allowed to cross it.

This is why we say obedience is so much more than teaching commands.

We’re teaching dogs how to understand our communication and teaching people how to give that communication clearly.

We love a tired, happy dog and also love hearing the positive feedback from clients.

Evie and her person rocked it at group class yesterday, which included quite a bit of “down” time with Evie having to chill on Place. The main focus of this group class was our Attention Exercise, which js how we walk our dogs. It requires 60% attention on the handler and only 40% allowed on the environment. An attentive dog still gets to be a dog - they can smell, mark, etc.! It’s the best of both worlds as they expend a lot of energy enjoying the environment and giving us attention. A solid attentive walk will tire out a dog better than hours of letting your dog drag you around to smell this or see that. And the ultimate expression of this exercise is a reliable off leash dog. Win!

DogBGood is taking a little summer break!

If things seem a little quiet around here, don’t be alarmed — we’re still around, but we’re taking a short break from lessons, consultations, group classes and boarding to enjoy some summer fun with our own pack.

A little time to play, adventure and recharge means we can come back refreshed and ready for a great fall season!