Okay Lady K-9 Training

10/11/2025

https://youtu.be/qvouQ6EkoAM?si=oQfG5W8myIDn4pGj

I share science-driven strategies to help you optimize your dog’s wellbeing and welfare—because raising a healthy, resilient dog is about so much more than t...

10/06/2025

When adding an e-collar to a command, I use low levels. While the actual level used differs with each dog, the level used is the lowest level the dog responds to. For the majority of dogs, this number is between 3 and 6. The stim felt is actually weaker and less invasive than vibration and/or any pressure the dog puts on the leash herself when leaning against the leash.

The way this is taught is dependent on the dog. Some dogs require a longer stim (from the time the command is given until the command is completed) that decreases to a momentary stim over a very short span of time, while other dogs respond well to a momentary command given with the command. Additionally some dogs need a little guidance as to how to respond while others understand almost immediately.

Actual conditioning to the e-collar is as short as possible so that the dog doesn't become reliant on it to understand and respond to any given command.

(To see the order in which Ruby worked up to responding to the e-collar, see the previous post)

10/05/2025

10/03/2025

THERE IS NO E-COLLAR USE IN THIS VIDEO

Almost every dog that comes to me for training is e-collar trained. However, the e-collar is NOT used to teach dogs how to perform a command. Before any dog is intruded to the e-collar, I make sure the dog is able to perform the command with both a verball cue and with a nonverbal cue (leash pressure).

In this video, Ruby is completing the prerequisite to e-collar training. Each command she learns (Sit, down, place, heel, come, etc.) are taught in this manner. I'll show the actual e-collar training in a video next week.

09/25/2025

When I was younger (too young to be by myself behind the wheel of the car), my dad sat in the passenger seat of the car and put me in the driver's seat. He explained to me where the gas pedal and brake pedals were, and he explained all the gears to me. I was too nervous to do anything with him in the car, but as soon as he left to close the garage door, I shifted into neutral, and the car began rolling backwards on our steeply sloped driveway. In the excitement and fear, my brain stopped working. I forgot which was the gas and which was the brake pedal. I stomped on the gas pedal. Thank God it was in neutral.

Today, I don't worry about what I can remember. If there is ever a moment that requires fast thinking in the car, I have years of muscle memory that puts my foot exactly where it needs to be, when it needs to be there. This is part of the purpose behind e-collar training when I work with dogs.

In your dog's lifetime, there will be many opportunities of excitement and/or fear - moments in which he will go into autopilot. If your dog sees a deer, is frightened by a clap of thunder while outside, or is approached by an aggressive dog, (instances that are difficult to set up and teach proper responses) it's very likely that the logical side of your dog's brain will stop working. In those moments, the e-collar can trigger the brain to come back to logic and look to you for guidance.

So, don't let people who have no experience in proper e-collar training shame you for using it with ideas like "You don't trust your dog without the e-collar?" You can still trust your dog and understand that there are moments when your dog literally CANNOT make a good choices without help.

09/02/2025

Dog training doesn't end with the trainer. Your trainer only gets a limited amount of time with your dog while you have your dog's entire lifetime. That's why it's so important to be able to continue the work your dog's trainer has started.

Okay Lady K-9 Training understands this and makes sure that each owner knows how to get the same great results that we get. Included in each board and train program is:

🐶 Homework for you in the form of PDF's and videos to study while your dog is away.

🐶 Regular updates on social media featuring your dog. You'll see what he/she is learning and will receive additional information, particual him/her, that you may need to know.

🐶 1 to 2 pre-training sessions to get to know your pup at your house. I take the time to play with your dog in a place of comfort, so that when it leaves home, there is still somebody familiar to lean on while he/she becomes accustomed to its new boarding situation.

🐶 2 owner sessions before your dog goes home. The first one takes place a little later than halfway through your dog's stay. During this session, we talk about communicating with your dog and what structure at home should look like after training. Your first owner session ends with you working with your dog on leash, as you learn how to communicate through the leash.

Your second owner session takes place the day your dog goes home. During this session, you will learn how to use the e-collar as you work with your dog off-leash. This session ends at the park around heavy distractions and temptations.

🐶 1 post-training session. This session is available for troubleshooting any areas where you and your dog may still be having issues. This session can be followed up with additional help as needed.

🐶 Unlimited virtual assistance for the life of your dog.

We want to see you and your dog succeed.

For more information ➡️ www.okayladyk9training.com/services

08/27/2025

I have seen many approaches that various owner take in an attempt to get their dogs to stop jumping - pushing the dog off or taking taking their paws into their hands and placing them on the floor, turning away from the dog, or ignoring the dog are just a few.

Some dogs jump because they want to be touched and have affection. As soon as you put your hand on these dogs, you have reinforced jumping by rewarding it (giving the dog exactly what it wants).

Some dogs jump to be pushy. These dogs want to control a situation. When you turn away from these dogs, you're giving them control by giving them the space you're in.

Ignoring the dog while it jumps on you might work in the long run, but in the meantime, you risk injury. Additionally, this doesn't tell the dog that it shouldn't be jumping at all, and the dog will try jumping on other people to test how far it can go with each individual.

Walking into your dog's space sends a clear message. Rather than reinforcing the behavior by giving the dog what it wants, it makes jumping just uncomfortable enough that most dogs don't want to continue. It tells the dog that jumping on people is uncomfortable and unwanted. This approach works with 95%of the dogs I have worked with.

08/26/2025

Honey is practiced in both the Place command and the Down command apart from each other. During this session, I'm combining the two commands. One focus of this session is to create a default down whenever Honey is asked to go to Place. However, if I focus on this goal alone, we may never reach it - or we'll have a very difficult time along the way.

This leads me to the second focus of this session. I also want to set Honey up to realize that there will be times when she is given two or more commands in a row. That first time I gave two commands in a row, she wasn't ready. She wasn't listening for it, and it didn't register. That wasn't her fault. I needed to slow down. So I did.

The next time we practice this, we will be able to take things a little more quickly.

08/07/2025

Izzy came for training a little over a month ago. Since she has gone home, her owners have continued working with her. While they have done an excellent job keeping up with everything Izzy has learned, Izzy is quick to pick up on patterns.

Dogs look for patterns and learn accordly. That's why repetition is such a great tool for teaching - especially when it comes to particular habits that you want yourndog to have. However, there are times when doing the same thing over and over can back fire.

The pattern Izzy has leaned at home is: lie down and wait for your handler to turn around and face you, because at that moment, he's going to call you. This has led to her breaking command instead of waiting to be called. This is a misbehavior. It's a behavior that has been mistakenly taught.

To fix this, the pattern must change - and often. Change #1: Every time Izzy broke command, I immediately took her back to the starting place. Change #2. Once she understood to wait, instead of calling her to me, I rewarded her by throwing the ball away from me. Change #3. Instead of rewarding her after the first time I turned around, I began walking away again and rewarded her the second time I turned around.

What isn't shown in this video (it would be too long) is that after a while, I did call Izzy to me occasionally. When your training causes misbehavior, begin mixing things up.

07/10/2025

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06/03/2025

Apollo's owner needed an emergency stop for him. He's a pretty clingy boy and while he's happy to leave her side to explore, his preference is to be close soon after. There had already been an incident where he was ahead of her, and she needed him to stop as she took care of a situation she didn't want him involved in.

Since Apoolo has done a great job learning during Day Training, we extended his program and got to work. Up until this point, anytiem Apoolo was given the command to lie down, he would walk up to his handler and lie down at their feet. Every. Time. So this is NOT where started. The first three sessions focused solely on the STOP. I had him stop nearby, gradually increasing the distance over time. After that third session, Apollo had a pretty good understanding of the requirement. On session 4, I added the Down command, and wouldn't you know, he didn't even try to come to me to lie down. He laid down right where he stopped.

Today's lesson is the final one. We worked at the greatest distances yet and in differing circumstances.