I was recently sent the following letter from a fellow trainer: The Letter Stressors in Protection Training Mr. Lockett, Our current philosophy seems to be to acclimate the dog to a multitude of stressor's. The drawback in this philosophy is that it can never be complete, since it's impossible to anticipate every single variety of... More

I train dogs for a living and over the last two years my protection training contracts have increased by about 25%. It used to be people would just get a show or pet line GSD or other guardian breed and trust it would be a personal protection dog. This is not the case anymore. Because of the internet people are doing their... More

There are basically 3 types of protection dogs. In part, this article will attempt to break down the types of protection dogs and their jobs. In part 2 of this article, I will go into the top 6 breeds known as protectors and the job I would give each breed. Estate/Property Protection Dogs This dog's job is to guard property and not allow... More

Let's talk about the moving heel or heeling in motion . In the Part 1 of this article I expanded why dogs pull, the heel and how to teach the start position. Before moving on, you should be 100% sure your dog understands the "Heel" command and is coming to the heel from all positions. Once this is accomplished we can move forward. Heeling... More

The number one obedience question I'm asked is "How do I stop my dog from pulling?" First, why do dogs pull? Dogs pull because they get satisfaction out of it, be it getting to the on coming person, dog, cat or place. The dog has learned from a puppy to pull, push and shove to get what it wants. When we teach the heel, we have to reprogram this... More

In the first part of this article I wrote about the method of positive motivation and using food as a motivational tool. In part 2 of this article I will talk about using prey items and praise as a motivator. Prey Items This is the inherent instinct to pursue, acquire and kill prey. I go into prey drive in detail in my article... More

Motivationally training is not simply giving your dog a treat when it complies with a command. To correctly motivate your dog means to create a surrounding that makes your dog want to work for you, as if it where play time. Motivational Training: Let me start by saying that motivational training is a Key Component of dog training, but... More

  I want to explain the 3 phase training process we use at K-9 Perfection. Not the training techniques themselves, simply because we use many different techniques depending on the dog we are training. There are many methods and styles of obedience training a dog. In almost all these methods, there are three basic phases: Phase 1.... More

It's time to take your pup to the next level in bite development, The Grip and Counter , but remember we never want to stop building prey drive… I don't believe a dog can have too much prey drive . In my article, Building Prey Drive in Working Puppies I tried to give everyone my tools and the way I apply them in building prey drive in... More

This is one of the most asked questions I receive from clients with new pups. In this article I will try to explain why puppies bite and how to transfer this behavior to good use. Why do Puppies Bite? In most states, puppies are not allowed to be sold until around 6-8 weeks old. That means this puppy had approximately 4 weeks of... More

Developing PREY DRIVE in puppies maybe the most important / biggest step in training successful working dogs. At the same time, it’s possibly the most over-looked step in potential young working dogs and puppies. I will start from the litter box - to the sleeve. The Dog Trainer’s Tool Bag Prey drive: The inherent instinct to pursue,... More

For complete training — K9-Perfection offers total dog training for Central Florida residents and businesses Whether you have a rowdy Golden Retriever who plays so hard she can knock your 11- year-old daughter down, or a protection dog to help you feel safe at night, proper training makes your canine the perfect companion. Lisa Nickerson,... More