For a Civilized Dog

For a Civilized Dog Thoughtful, effective dog training located in Newport Beach. Serving Orange County since 2000.

Obedience & Behavior
Private Instruction
Board & Train
Serving Orange County CA

The Labs felt left out… (Juno, Banjo, Savannah). 💗💙💗
07/11/2025

The Labs felt left out… (Juno, Banjo, Savannah). 💗💙💗

Fun fact: 24% of the dogs staying with us today look like this. 🐻‍❄️ (L to R: Bubba, Winnie, Riley, Freddie, Mochi)
07/10/2025

Fun fact: 24% of the dogs staying with us today look like this. 🐻‍❄️ (L to R: Bubba, Winnie, Riley, Freddie, Mochi)

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06/27/2025

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06/25/2025

Anything can be controversial in these modern times.
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Even dogs greeting each other while on leash can be a controversial subject.
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We generally discourage on-leash greetings, but there is a right way to let your dog check out another dog for a moment while you’re out and about.
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The problem is that not enough people know what the right way is, and fewer prepare their dogs to have the self-control required.
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You might ask, “What is the right way?“ and “Why does it matter?”
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On-leash greetings can go sideways quickly, so it’s important to set them up with the best odds of success. It’s important to maintain control throughout the dogs’ interaction and ensure both dogs are courteous to each other.
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“So how does someone do all that?”
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The rules for the actual greeting are simple. The dogs’ first contact shouldn’t be face to face, they aren’t to put their paws and/or mouths on each other, and the leashes shouldn’t get tangled.
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When you look at this a little closer, it becomes clear that it’s important for both dogs to have the same expectations. It wouldn’t be appropriate to require self-control from my dog if another dog is being allowed to jump on him and chew on his face.
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“So how can you tell if another dog is a good candidate for an on-leash greeting with my dog?”
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There aren’t any guarantees, but there are a few things you can look for in an attempt to measure the situation.
Both dogs should have slack in their leashes as they approach each other. If either dog is pulling on their leash while they apprroach another dog thier primary emotions are too high. Additionally, the tension in the leash is likely to create frustration as a secondary emotion. These feelings are likely to turn a dog to dog greeting sour, and are signs you should have something else very important to do all of a sudden.
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You can also watch the dogs’ attention. Fixation on another dog is a bad sign, dogs should alternate between lookig at the other dog and their handler as they approach one another.
If you decide to allow your dog to say “Hey!” to another dog, you should also set a time limit. Three seconds sounds short to the ear, but it’s a reasonable period for two dogs to greet in practice.
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Three cheers for Moose and August who helped demonstrate how to approach and execute an on-leash greeting. August was more enthusisatic than Moose.🐾 🐾
Moose probably would have been more enthusiastic about greeting a loaf of bread.

06/22/2025

It’s a pleasure to watch Opal come along, and come out of her shell.
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She’s been with us for about two weeks, and she’s made a lot of progress. 🐾
Opal arrived with her bags half packed with worry and the other half packed with hope. She tried a little at first, and then she tried a little more. Little by little she’s becoming more sure of herself, little by little there’s more of her self to be sure of.

Sadi taught Stella to “Hug a Friend” and it’s too cute. Scroll through the pics to see how she built it!
06/18/2025

Sadi taught Stella to “Hug a Friend” and it’s too cute. Scroll through the pics to see how she built it!

06/17/2025

“Can you work on his Roll-over while he’s here?’ is one of my favorite questions to be asked by a dog’s owner when they’re dropping off for boording or daycare.
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Here’s Ravioli’s.

06/16/2025

Sometimes people ask us something to the effect of…
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“So, what do you guys specialize in?”
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The inside of my brain usually looks something like this in the time between the question and my answer.
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“It’s tough to isolate,“ is often my eventual reply. 😉

06/15/2025

Peach and Winnie pracitice proper protocol for approaching another dog and handler while on leash.

06/14/2025

Ruby demonstrates her Heeling and a few other behaviors while Moose shows some of what he can do besides stealing loaves of bread.

06/12/2025

August is my kind of guy. He’s outgoing, athletic*, confident, and he has a good sense of humor.
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Nobody’s perfect and August is no exception, but don’t fault him or anybody else for his flaws.
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He and I like to play a few of the same games, but we’re used to slightly different versions of the same games. The versions of Tug of War and fetch that I’m used to seem to be more structured than the versioins that August is used to, but we’re getting on the same page.
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When I got started in dog training back in the 1990s, Tug-of-War was a controversial topic. I was initially instructed to teach clients never to play Tug-of-War with their dogs, because the dogs would learn to compete with their humans in general. For what it’s worth, I was also taught at that time not to let clients train with food.
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Today, it’s fairly well accepted that no dog is going to overthrow their household as a result of Tug being a part of their life. But there are still subscribers to ancient folklore and mythology out there.
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For me, Tug is a fun game. Dogs that feel the same way get excited about it. Some dogs get really excited. Some dogs get more excited than I choose to take the time to describe here. Being able to create excitement at will makes it easy to practice control in the most challenging times. Dogs who respond well to obedience cues during games like Tug-of-War and Fetch are better prepared to respond in other times of excitement (like seeing another dog on a walk, or a guest arriving at the front door) than a dog who always practices their obedience at low states of arousal.
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The practice of control during the game is important though. The tugging portion of the game builds the dog’s motor, while control builds the dog’s brakes. When the two are practiced proportionally they develop proportionally. When the excitement and competition of the tugging portion of the game are built without developing self-control, the dog ends up with a supercharged motor and no brakes.
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Don’t send your dogs racing down winding mountain roads with supercharged motors and no brakes.
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Send them down winding mountain roads and develop their brakes.
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All good.
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* For a guy his size, like Shaquille O’Neal

06/10/2025

New kid!!!
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Thunder, building up her Down-stay on Day 2 of her 21 day program.
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We expect big things from this little dog.

Address

20321 Riverside Drive
Newport Beach, CA
92660

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 6pm
Tuesday 8am - 6pm
Wednesday 8am - 6pm
Thursday 8am - 6pm
Friday 8am - 6pm
Saturday 9am - 12pm
Sunday 1pm - 5pm

Telephone

+17146126723

Website

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