Some Minor Dog Training

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Some Minor Dog Training

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Allen and Shalene Minor are dog trainers in Florida that do in-home training and board-and-trains.
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10/31/2026

Tug is more than just play. When it's done with structure, tug becomes one of the most versatile training tools you can use. It's fun for your dog, strengthens your relationship, and gives you countless training opportunities to teach and reinforce new things

BENEFITS OF TUG:

✔️ Builds engagement with you.
✔️ Provides a healthy outlet for energy and drive.
✔️ Increases confidence in hesitant or insecure dogs.
✔️ Serves as a high-value reward for dogs that aren't food motivated.
✔️ Strengthens your relationship through interactive play.
✔️ Channels excitement into productive behaviors instead of unwanted ones.

SKILLS YOU CAN TEACH WITH TUG:

⭐ A reliable "Out" or release.
⭐ Impulse control before the game begins.
⭐ Focus and engagement around distractions.
⭐ Recalls by making coming back to you rewarding.
⭐ Heelwork and loose leash walking by using tug as reinforcement.
⭐ Place by rewarding the dog with a game after they hold position.
⭐ The ability to switch from high excitement to calmness on cue.

The goal isn't to suppress your dog's drive. It's to teach them how to use it appropriately. A dog that can go from full-speed tug to calmly letting go, sitting, and waiting for the next game is learning far more than just how to play. They're learning self-control, cooperation, and that listening to you is what keeps the fun going. 🐶❤️

10/30/2026

A dog's behavior is made up of countless little habits that have added up over the course of their life. If we can ensure that the habits we're building today are better than the ones we built yesterday, we're already moving in the right direction.

Training isn't just about correcting unwanted behaviors. It's about creating new habits that eventually become the dog's natural response.

Every time we reinforce calmness instead of excitement, patience instead of impulsivity, or engagement instead of distraction, we're helping shape the dog they'll become.

You don't have to change everything overnight. You just have to be consistent enough that the good habits eventually outweigh the bad ones.

Because the dog you have tomorrow is being shaped by the little things you do today. 🐶❤️

10/27/2026

Did you know that playing with laser pointers or flashlights can contribute to OCD-like behaviors in dogs?

It's called canine compulsive disorder (CCD), a condition similar in some ways to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in humans. And something as seemingly harmless as chasing a little red dot can contribute to the development of compulsive behaviors in susceptible dogs.

Think about it. When your dog chases a ball, they can catch it. When they search for a hidden treat, they can find it. These activities provide an opportunity to satisfy the natural instincts driving the behavior. But when your dog chases a light, there's nothing to catch, no physical reward, and no satisfying conclusion.

For some dogs, this can lead to an unhealthy fixation on lights, shadows, and reflections. And the concerning part is that these behaviors don't necessarily stop when you put the laser pointer away.

Some dogs begin constantly scanning walls, floors, and other surfaces for movement. They may chase reflections from watches, shadows from passing cars, or even tiny changes in lighting. What started as a few minutes of entertainment can become a persistent behavior that's incredibly difficult to interrupt.

In severe cases, compulsive behaviors can interfere with a dog's ability to relax, eat, sleep, and enjoy everyday life. Once established, these behaviors can be difficult to address and may require veterinary behavioral treatment.

Does every dog that chases a laser pointer develop compulsive behaviors? Absolutely not. But the potential risk is enough that I don't recommend using laser pointers or flashlights as entertainment.

Instead, give your dog activities that provide an opportunity for success. Play fetch, use a flirt pole, hide treats, or introduce scent work. Let them chase, catch, search, and accomplish something.

There's a difference between exhausting your dog and fulfilling your dog. Just because an activity burns energy doesn't mean it's healthy or beneficial.

Our goal shouldn't simply be to tire our dogs out. It should be to provide healthy outlets for their natural instincts while protecting their physical and mental well-being. 🐶❤️

10/23/2026

Sometimes training means changing our own behavior to match the dog’s current training level.

✔️ If your dog isn’t ready to calmly greet guests at the door, maybe they’re on Place when people come over.

✔️ If your dog struggles around other dogs, maybe you cross the street instead of forcing a close pass.

✔️ If your dog can’t handle freedom in the house yet, maybe they drag a leash or have access to fewer rooms.

✔️ If your dog gets overwhelmed in busy environments, maybe you train somewhere quieter before expecting them to handle downtown on a Saturday afternoon.

Those aren’t failures. They’re accommodations.

The important part is that accommodations shouldn’t necessarily become permanent limitations. They give us a way to manage the dog we have today while we train toward the dog we want tomorrow.

Meet your dog at their current level, then help them grow beyond it.

Sometimes the environment has to change before the dog can. 🐶❤️

10/21/2026

Dogs learn through repetition and consequences, and consistency is what makes those lessons stick.

Every time a behavior gets your dog something they want, they're more likely to repeat it. And it doesn't have to work every time. Even occasionally rewarding an unwanted behavior can encourage them to keep trying.

That's what we're demonstrating here with Place. Getting off without being released accomplishes nothing, while staying until released earns a reward.

But consistency isn't just about preventing unwanted behaviors. It's also about recognizing and rewarding the decisions we WANT our dogs to make.

Every interaction is an opportunity to teach your dog which decisions are worth repeating. 🐶❤️

10/19/2026

Somewhere along the way, people started treating boundaries and affection like they're opposites. As if telling your dog "no" somehow damages your relationship, or letting them do whatever they want proves how much you love them.

I don't buy that.

Your dog can sleep in your bed, cuddle on the couch, get spoiled with treats, and still be expected to listen when you ask them to do something.

But there's another side to that. If every interaction with your dog revolves around commands, corrections, and making sure they're following the rules, what kind of relationship are you actually building?

Dogs need structure, but they also need opportunities to just be dogs. To sniff around, play, explore, and enjoy spending time with you without constantly being told what to do.

And boundaries shouldn't be something your dog has to figure out through trial and error. Teach them what you expect, reward them for getting it right, and be consistent enough that they aren't constantly guessing which rules apply today.

I think people sometimes get so caught up in being either a strict owner or a loving owner that they forget they can be both.

You don't have to choose between having a dog that listens to you and having a dog that loves being around you. In fact, you should be working toward both. 🐶❤️

10/18/2026

Not every training victory looks like a dog doing something. Sometimes it's a dog choosing NOT to.

We tend to notice the big things in dog training. The dog that finally walks without pulling, comes when called, or stays calm around something that used to send them over the edge.

But what about the little moments that helped them get there?

Like a dog sitting at an open doorway, perfectly capable of rushing outside, but learning that they don't have to.

That might not seem like much, but think about what we're actually teaching.

We're helping a dog learn that excitement doesn't have to turn into action. That seeing something interesting doesn't mean they have to chase it. That wanting something doesn't mean they need to have it right this second.

And those lessons don't just happen because we tell a dog to sit.

They happen through repetition, clear expectations, and gradually teaching the dog to take more responsibility for their own behavior.

Of course, we have to help them along the way. We use leashes, rewards, guidance, and whatever other tools are appropriate for that individual dog. But the goal is to eventually need less of that help, not more.

Because a dog that waits only because you're holding them back hasn't necessarily learned the same lesson as a dog that understands why they're waiting.

Sometimes the most meaningful progress is the behavior that never happened.

The door they didn't rush through. The person they didn't jump on. The distraction they noticed but didn't react to.

Those little moments might not look impressive, but they're often the foundation for everything else we're trying to accomplish. 🐶❤️

10/16/2026

Your value in your dog’s eyes is earned, not simply given.

Inside the house, it’s easy to feel important. There’s not much happening. No squirrels running by. No dogs across the street. No new smells every few feet. When you’re the most interesting thing in the room, getting your dog’s attention doesn’t mean much.

Then you step outside, and suddenly you’re competing with the entire world.

This is where relationship and training start to matter.

Basic obedience isn’t just about teaching your dog to sit, come, heel, or stay. Every successful repetition teaches your dog that paying attention to you has value. Working with you leads somewhere. Listening to you is worth it.

Play does the same thing.

Tug with your dog. Play fetch. Run around together. Use food. Train tricks. Celebrate recalls. Become part of the fun instead of always being the person asking your dog to stop having fun.

The goal isn’t to somehow become more exciting than every squirrel, dog, smell, or person your dog will ever encounter.

The goal is to build enough value in yourself that those things have some competition.

If your dog only finds you valuable when nothing else is happening, that value hasn’t been tested yet.

Build it at home. Build it through obedience. Build it through play. Then gradually take that relationship into harder environments.

Attention around distractions isn’t something we’re automatically owed because we own the dog.

It’s something we build. 🐶❤️

10/14/2026

Dog training isn't just about teaching your dog what to do. It's also about controlling what they have the opportunity to practice.

You can teach your dog every obedience command in the book, but if their environment constantly encourages the behaviors you're trying to eliminate, you're fighting an uphill battle.

A dog that barks at everything outside doesn't need unlimited access to the windows. A dog that rushes the front door doesn't need unrestricted access to it. A dog that gets into everything doesn't need free rein of the house.

Sometimes the solution is as simple as closing the blinds, putting up a baby gate, using a leash indoors, or changing how you handle everyday situations.

That's not avoiding the problem. That's managing the environment while you work on fixing it.

Structure gives us control over which behaviors get practiced, which ones get rewarded, and which ones never get the opportunity to become habits.

And as your dog learns to make better decisions, you can gradually give them more freedom.

Obedience teaches your dog how to respond to you. Structure teaches them how to navigate everyday life.

Good dog training isn't just about what happens during a training session. It's about what you allow to happen between them. 🐶❤️

10/12/2026

I've worked with dogs that could be trusted with the entire house without a second thought. I've also worked with dogs that needed supervision almost every waking moment because the second you stopped paying attention, they were getting into something they shouldn't.

Neither situation automatically tells you how well-trained those dogs are.

Some dogs are naturally more independent, some struggle with impulse control, some have difficulty settling, and others have spent years practicing habits that make giving them freedom difficult. Age, maturity, temperament, and previous experiences all play a role.

This is why I don't believe in treating every dog the same.

If your dog can't handle being loose in the house without destroying something, getting into trouble, or constantly needing to be redirected, there's nothing wrong with limiting their freedom. Crates, gates, leashes, and designated places to settle are all ways we can manage their environment while teaching them better habits.

But management and training aren't the same thing. Keeping your dog from making bad decisions is only part of the process. We also need to teach them how to make better ones.

As those skills improve, we can gradually give them more freedom and see how they handle it. Sometimes they surprise us. Sometimes they remind us that we're moving a little too quickly.

And some dogs may always need more structure than others. That's okay, too.

Freedom shouldn't be determined by what we think a dog should be able to handle. It should be determined by what they've consistently shown us they can handle.

Train the dog in front of you, not the dog you wish you had. 🐶❤️

Address

Deland, FL
32720

Telephone

+13863016079

Website

http://www.SomeMinorDogTraining.com/

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