Training Philosophy
The well-being of our dogs is a top priority. We practice safe, gentle, science-based training techniques. Training style that is time-tested, but with a newly emerging, cutting-edge twist on it. The dog training industry is constantly evolving, and at Trifecta Dog Training, we practice both new and old methods, combining the best of all worlds, to create the best experience possible.
We practice behavioral-based training, which is uniquely designed for difficult/reactive/aggressive dogs. It also is the most effective style of training for wild dogs, young puppies, and everything in between. Methods practiced by veterinary behaviorists, backed by science, and proven effective.
Stage 1- Behavioral Foundations
The foundation of all relationships is three-part: love, trust, and respect. It's easy to love our dogs, I will love your dog as soon as I meet them! However, the trust and respect aspect is often neglected in our relationship with our dogs. It’s a two-way street! We may ask for respect and trust from our dog, but do you show trust and respect to your dog? The foundational training will work on addressing these three aspects, and building a healthier relationship between you and your dog.
We also will work on your dog's state-of-mind. Often, naughty behaviors are just the symptoms of larger issues with your dog, such as their inability to calm themselves down, being overly fearful, overconfident, lack of self-discipline and self-control. By addressing the root cause, behaviors go away and stay away!
In this first step, we emphasize skills such as controlled leash-walking, staying on a bed, crate training, self-control exersices, and adjusting the human's actions and behaviors to better show your dog love, trust, and respect, in a way that your dog will understand.
Stage 2- Obedience
Stage 2 is for the humans. Bringing in obedience gives the owner more control of their dog, which allows the dog more freedoms, and gives them more opportunities to make choices. As dogs and people work through Stage 2, every concept we learned in Stage1 is reinforced and built upon. Stage1 changes the state of mind of the dog, in Stage 2 we can address any lingering unwanted behaviors that may exist. With better behavior and more trust, obedience adds more freedom to your dog's life, and gives them opportunities they wouldn't get otherwise.
By using balanced, fair training methods for your dog, we incorporate E-Collar into the training. This opens up endless possibilities for your dog, and trust us, they will love it! In Stage 2, we utilize a lot more treats, games, rewards, and positive-reinforcement. We also begin to add in fair and gentle corrections when appropriate. In order to help your dog learn to make correct decisions.
Just some of the things we teach in Stage 2 is sit, down, place, recall, leave-it, and walking off leash.
Stage 3- Going Beyond
Stage 3 is for your dog! By this point, they have done a lot of work for you and for your relationship. Now it's time to let them be dogs! Dogs are natural prey animals, that means they have drive, a desire to work (in the wild, that is hunting for food), and are highly social pack animals. Although some dogs have more drive than others, giving your dog an activity they can do with their pack (you), they will be better balanced, happier animals! In this part of the program, we customize your goals and desires with your dogs, and their natural drive, instincts, and desires, to find an activity you and your dog can do together. Think of Stage 3 as paying it back to them. In Stage 1 and 2, we are asking our dogs to mold to human life, to our human worlds. In Stage 3, the human is learning how to turn on the dog’s natural instinct in a fun, constructive manner. We are letting dogs be dogs, and doing something fun with them in the process!
Some examples of activities to do is scentwork, off-leash hiking or camping, swimming, shed hunting, item retrieval, agility, bikerides, riding 4-wheelers, and so much more!
Tools and Equipment
Our trainers use and have been trained on a wide variety of tools. What we have learned is that no single tool works for every dog. Every dog and owner combination is unique, and every dog will react slightly different to tools and handling techniques. Our trainers are open-minded about every tool they work with and learn, and we ask our owners to do the same! Sometimes, the tool that is best for the dog is not the tool that the owner would prefer to work with. Stated by Heather Beck, a world-renown behavioral trainer, “It’s the Fool, not the Tool.” It’s not about the tool, it’s about how it is used. Every type of dog training tool can be used inappropriately to hurt a dog, and every tool can be used gently to help a dog. During sessions, we will explain the tools we think will be best for the dog, and explain how they work, and how we use them. We encourage our clients to ask questions, and if you are nervous or uncomfortable about a tool, we encourage you to speak up!
Some common tools we work with are…
Slip leash
E-Collar
Compressed Air
Prong
Calming Cap
Crate/Kennel
Starmark (baby prong)
Treats
Head Halter
Toys
Muzzles
Feeding Enrichment
Training Methods
You have probably heard a lot of training phrases such as “purely positive” “balanced” “LIMA” or “NePoPo” to describe various training methods and philosopies. You likely will have one person tell you that Training X is the only method that works, while someone else will tell you that Training Y is the only method that works. It’s enough to make your head spin! What these phrases are discussing is how they work with a dog, for example, purely positive trainers only praise dogs, they will not offer any type of correction. NePoPo trainers work by offering a negative (correction), followed by 2 positives (rewards). A balanced trainer refers to a trainer that uses both rewards and corrections. Trainers place themselves in catagories, and just like every other type of professional, there are really good dog trainers, and there are really bad trainers. Just because you have seen a trainer do something you disagree with, do not discredit the whole “catagory” of training.
Trifecta Dog Training works as a balanced trainer. We believe dogs need guidance to be shown the right way to act, and need some type of consequence when they do the wrong thing. Every dog sits on a unique spot on the “reward/correction balance” spectrum on what helps them succeed the most. We work with dogs by giving them the least amount of corrections needed, in the softest way possible, for the dog to understand and fix their behavior. Behavioral Euthanasia is still the number one cause of death in young/middle aged dogs in the US. Consistent training is the number one best prevention for euthanasia for behavioral reasons. We have seen first-hand how being stuck in one training style can fail dogs over and over, and for difficult or reactive dogs, failure often leads to euthanasia. In the same way as tools, when used incorrectly, both corrections AND rewards can damage a dog’s well-being. When appropriately, fairly, and gently, both corrections AND rewards can lead to better behavior, and a happier dog.