Kim Hawkinson - On Point Dog Training

06/03/2026

Here are the 4 reasons:

1. They’re too energized. Your dog doesn’t have their listening ears on. The best thing to do is remind them to not jump and then continuously reinforce, either with treats or praise or whatever works best with your dog when your guests get there. Have a leash and treats ready. Be prepared.

2. Your dog hasn’t been taught effectively to get down. They may have been taught “off“, but it’s not paired with the jumping. When opposing pairs are taught together (on/off; up/down) the dog can differentiate between the two and make an informed choice.

3. Your dog isn’t given a clear consequence if they do jump. You can use the same “if/then“ statement you used with your kids at dinner: “If you jump, then you’re going to your kennel”. Granted, your dog has to know what the words “jump” and “kennel” are, but the emotion is taken out of it.

4. The dog is hyped up on dopamine. 1 in 20 trainers know about the role dopamine, adrenaline, or other neurotransmitters have in your dog‘s body. If your dogs brain is flooded with dopamine, getting through to them is next to impossible. When you can address the dog on that level, success happens a lot faster than hoping they figure it out.

Comment LISTEN and I’ll send you the resource I use to teach dogs to have the self-control you need them to 🐶🐾💖

06/01/2026

Just because you jaw a dog doesn’t mean you know how to train them or qualify someone to help you do that.

Here are 5 questions to ask a prospective dog trainer and what each tells you about the trainer.

1. “Do you have a specialty?” Depending on why you’re calling a dog trainer, this answer can help you make a decision on if they can help with the issue you’re having. If your dog is putting teeth on people and dogs, a person who specialization separation anxiety will most likely not be able to help you.

2. “How long have you been training?” Not unless you’ve been to a training school specializing in dog psychology and training will that trainer have a vast knowledge base. After that, training for at least 5 years is what you’re looking for if you’re dealing with a serious issue like aggression, anxiety, or severe separation issues. School is wonderful but it doesn’t replace hands on experience. Ever.

3. “Do you require me to use a special collar when we train?” This is a huge red flag if they say yes. Always using a prong or shock collar without taking into account the dog’s mindset, mental health, and underlying issue that’s causing the unwanted behaviors is a recipe for disaster. Your dogs mental health and them feeling safe should always be the deciding factor in using tools like that.

4. “What training method do you use?” The best answer here is that they don’t use force or fear. Regardless of how much a stubborn butthead your dog is being, using force or fear to get the behaviors done will damage the relationship you have with your dog. Think about you want to learn new things. You feeling like you’re being mean to your dog won’t help you make progress in their training.

5. “Do you know how to stop using treats after the dog learns the behavior?” They have to say yes to this. You never need to cart around treats just to have your dog listen. You shouldn’t have to do that. Training a new behavior, yes, treats will tell the dog they got it right. Your dog demanding a treat isn’t acceptable.

The next 5 will be out next week. Make sure to follow so you know when the part 2 is released 🐶🐾💖

05/31/2026

Just because you jaw a dog doesn’t mean you know how to train them or qualify someone to help you do that.

Here are 5 questions to ask a prospective dog trainer and what each tells you about the trainer.

1. “Do you have a specialty?” Depending on why you’re calling a dog trainer, this answer can help you make a decision on if they can help with the issue you’re having. If your dog is putting teeth on people and dogs, a person who specialization separation anxiety will most likely not be able to help you.

2. “How long have you been training?” Not unless you’ve been to a training school specializing in dog psychology and training will that trainer have a vast knowledge base. After that, training for at least 5 years is what you’re looking for if you’re dealing with a serious issue like aggression, anxiety, or severe separation issues. School is wonderful but it doesn’t replace hands on experience. Ever.

3. “Do you require me to use a special collar when we train?” This is a huge red flag if they say yes. Always using a prong or shock collar without taking into account the dog’s mindset, mental health, and underlying issue that’s causing the unwanted behaviors is a recipe for disaster. Your dogs mental health and them feeling safe should always be the deciding factor in using tools like that.

4. “What training method do you use?” The best answer here is that they don’t use force or fear. Regardless of how much a stubborn butthead your dog is being, using force or fear to get the behaviors done will damage the relationship you have with your dog. Think about you want to learn new things. You feeling like you’re being mean to your dog won’t help you make progress in their training.

5. “Do you know how to stop using treats after the dog learns the behavior?” They have to say yes to this. You never need to cart around treats just to have your dog listen. You shouldn’t have to do that. Training a new behavior, yes, treats will tell the dog they got it right. Your dog demanding a treat isn’t acceptable.

The next 5 will be out next week. Make sure to follow so you know when the part 2 is released 🐶🐾💖

05/31/2026

05/30/2026

This is Dougie. His owners called him stubborn. And from the outside, that’s exactly what it looked like.

But what most dog owners aren’t thinking about is the fact that calling your dog stubborn sounds like a solid declaration. Calling your dog stubborn feels like closure. Accepting that label, however, is the moment you stop looking for the actual answer.

But Dougie had a hard beginning. Every decision he made, every time he pushed back or refused, was coming from one place: keeping himself safe. That was the resource he was chasing.

Self-Preservation.

What Dougie didn’t know was that nothing his owners were asking him to do was going to hurt him. He just didn’t have a reason to believe that yet. He needed to learn that following their guidance was safe. That their direction could be trusted.

That’s not stubbornness. That’s survival.

This is one thing I know for certain: everything a dog does is an attempt to get something.

Food, attention, freedom, safety, your face, the thing on the counter.

Every behavior, including the ones you’re embarrassed by, is your dog communicating what they want or need. Not being difficult. Communicating.

When you change the question from “how do I stop this” to “what is this dog trying to get to,” the answer becomes tangible.

You find the resource. You become the one who controls access to it. The behavior changes, because now your dog has a better way to get what they’re after.

Your dog isn’t broken.

Your dog is consistent.

You just haven’t found the pattern yet.

Comment TRUST and I’ll show you the fastest way to get your dog to not just listen, but learn to trust that listening to you is safe. 🐶🐾💖