Clarity, Consistency and Compassion.
These are the three key elements of positive dog training. Just ask Amy Di Piazza, she’s a Sarasota dog trainer with more than 10 years of reward-based experience.
Over the next few months, we’ll be talking with Amy about some of the fundamentals of how creating the right relationship with your dog can create a harmonious lifestyle for both of you.
For a sneak peek, we’ll be covering topics like:
Introducing a newly adopted dog to your family:
How long does it take for a dog to acclimate to a new house, family or living situation? Did you know that experts believe it can take up to 3 months for a new dog to learn the ins and outs of his new family, their routines and likes and dislikes? At the very least, it is suggested that for the first 2 weeks that your new dog is home, there should be no pressure or requirements.. it should be all about love, learning and rewards! Take these 2 weeks to create reliable routines so your new furry family member can learn what to do when, why and how!
First time dog owners – Or first time in a long time:
Now that your puppy is here and you’ve started building some reliable routines to make their (and your) lives easier, its time to work on training. But where do you start? How often, what cues, and how on earth do you find the time to even get it into your busy schedule? When should you start leash training (What? You don’t just put on a leash and walk?) – You thought you got a puppy, not a shark? When will he stop biting! What is the big deal about teaching Place any way? Life is too busy for all this training! Help!
Multi-Dog Households:
I just brought home an adopted dog. My current dog and our new girl got on great at the meet and greet … but a few days in and they are having some issues. Do I need to return her? How do I get them to get along? Multidog households can be a challenge! Teaching your dogs some simple obedience cues, a reliable recall and how to take turns can really help to keep the peace.
Service Dogs: Training and the Law:
Yes, you can train your service dog yourself, but should you? What are the liabilities for training in public if your dog bites someone? What exactly is public access? Can your service dog actually go anywhere you go? (Surprise! The answer is No) What are the right qualities for a trainer if you get overwhelmed and how do you find one?
What do you do when everything goes sideways:
Is that cute fluffball you brought home possessive and grouchy? Why is this border collie non stop? Does your dog bark and growl at strangers? All you wanted to do is go to the farmers market – why is my Frenchie dragging me everywhere when he walks perfectly fine on a leash at home? Take a deep breath, count to 10 and lets assess common feelings and reactions when things go sideways, and how to deal with it.
For more information visit EssentialCanines.com, and watch this space for more training tips!
About Amy Di Piazza
Amy DiPiazza of Essential Canines is a a local dog trainer with service to Sarasota and Manatee Counties. She explains, “At Essential Canines we believe in teaching and training your dog to thrive in a human world. Reliable training can be achieved without using punitive methods, and we do this by teaching with consistency, commitment and the types of reinforcement that your dog finds rewarding. This builds strong, clear, dependable cues. Training is easier; quicker and durable.
Amy has been training dogs since 2012 when she graduated from The Animal Behavior College as a Certified Dog Trainer. She has worked frequently with local rescues as a foster and has a passion for all dogs, but especially the hunting and working breeds.
Some of her experience involves working with dogs with aggression and she has completed the Aggression in Dogs Master Course. Over time, she has helped many dogs with leash reactivity, resource guarding and fearful behavior enabling them to live happy, healthy lives with their families.
Many puppies can thank Amy, for basic obedience, puppy manners, chewing, house training, leash walking and all of the joys of puppyhood.
As part of her on-going education, Amy has completed an extensive mentorship on the East Coast of Florida learning the ins and outs of all aspect of service and therapy dog training. She is a huge advocate for coaching guardians with training their own services to help build a strong team. She also provides fully trained service dogs for a variety of utilizations including medical alter, (food allergy, diabetic alert) and counterbalance and stability.
Some of Amy’s students
