I often hear from readers who want to do something fun with their dogs and teach new behaviors using positive reinforcement, but who don’t have access to good trainers in their area.
While I don’t recommend that you seek assistance for severe problems like aggression, reactivity, or separation anxiety without meeting a qualified behavior professional in person, I do suggest that you check out these amazing online education programs to improve your skills as a trainer as well as your dog’s behavior. All of these programs were developed by fantastic trainers and focus on improving your relationship with your dog by using reinforcement to create reliable behaviors.
+ CyberDog
CyberDog is a basic manners course based on the beginners’ curriculum from the Karen Pryor Academy. KPA-certified training partners Sarah Owings, Helix Fairweather, and Lynn Martin will help your dog learn basic skills like targeting, recall, loose-leash walking, waiting at a boundary, and settling on a mat. The eight-week program costs $250.
This is exactly what it sounds like: agility instruction from the comfort of your home. Also created by Helix Fairweather, this fun online course costs $160. Using clicker training, shaping, targeting, and other positive training techniques, not only will you learn new games to play with your dog, you’ll graduate with better training skills!
This internationally renowned agility champion offers two online courses. Puppy Peaks is a great focus- and teamwork-building program created for puppies but helpful for dogs of all ages, while Recallers is designed to help you build a reliable recall, regardless of distraction or environment.
These fantastic courses are available only a few times a year, and while I haven’t taken them myself, I’ve heard rave reviews! Sign up for Susan’s newsletter on her site to make sure you don’t miss out.
I had the pleasure of contributing to this great new course from Karen Pryor Academy. It’s designed as a clicker course for devoted pet owners or competitors who want to hone their training skills, or it can be a prerequisite for those who lack training experience and are interested in enrolling in the dog trainer program. It aims to give attendees a solid understanding of clicker principles, and how to clicker train “the Karen Pryor way.” Registration is $359 for seven lesson units that take eight to twelve weeks to complete.
Two-time world agility champion Sylvia Trkman offers online educational programs for a variety of skill levels, including puppy training, tricks, agility, and foundations. You can enroll as a participant, submitting videos and receiving feedback on your training from Sylvia and classmates, for $220 to $250 per course, or as an auditor for $120 to $150.
Sumac Johnson’s Wag It Games program offers online classes throughout the year, including Rally Obedience, Homeopathy, Living Room Agility, Sniff It, and even my new favorite, Treibball — there is something fun for every dog and dog owner to try! You can attend classes as a student, or as an auditor at a reduced price. Check the site for details and start dates.
Donna Hall is a talented Canadian trainer offering customized online classes in subjects including Service Dog Training, Treibball, Basic Clicker Skills, and Foundation Manners. I’m a big fan of her YouTube pages and videos.
Are you interested in signing up for an online program? Have you participated and would like to share some feedback about your experience? Please tell us in the comments. Until next time, happy training!
Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, who was the trainer for First Dog Bo Obama, as well as Splash, Sunny and Cappy Kennedy, passed away at Fauquier Hospital in Warrenton, Virginia. She was 52. Ms. Sylvia-Stasiewicz was the co-author of “
AddADog receivers are waterproof and submersible. They use rechargeable, replaceable nimh batteries and have lowbattery indicators. On and off switch on receiver. Standard AddADog collars will work with any Field Trainer transmitter. Includes both a black and green collar strap.
Features:
At the push of a button, your remote sends a signal activating your dog's Receiver Collar. He receives a safe but annoying stimulation. He'll quickly learn the association between his behavior and your correction; in no time, you'll have a better-behaved pet. The PetSafe Remote Trainers have been proven safe, comfortable, humane and effective for all dog breeds.
5.6 & 6 oz., heavyweight 100% preshrunk cotton T-shirt (Ash is 99% cotton, 1% other fibers; Heather Grey is 90% cotton, 10% polyester), Quarter-turned. Seamless collar, Taped shoulder-to-shoulder, Double-needle stitched neck, sleeves and hemmed bottom. Printed on Front of T-Shirt. Very vibrant print. Won't peel or crack in washer/dryer. Sizes are as follows, W=Shirt Width, L=Shirt Length. All Measurements are in inches: ADULT - (SMALL 18W 27L), (MEDIUM 20W 28L), (LARGE 22W 30L), (XLARGE 24W 31L), (2X 26W 32L), (3X 28W 33L), (4X 30W 34L), (5X 32W 35L), (6X 34W 36L); YOUTH - (Xs 16W 21L), (Sm 17W 22.5L), (Md 18W 24L), (Lg 19W 25L), (XL 20W 26.5L).
Features:
4.2 oz, 100% preshrunk combed ringspun cotton Semi-Sheer Cap-Sleeve Fitted Women's Baseball T-Shirt; double-needle stitching on bottom hem; sideseamed; fitted silhouette; contrasting neck and raglan sleeves; bound-on self-trim neck and sleeves; Heather Grey/Black is 90% cotton, 10% polyester. Printed on Front of T-Shirt. Very vibrant print. Won't peel or crack in washer/dryer. Sizes are as follows, W=Shirt Width, L=Shirt Length. All Measurements are in inches: (SMALL 15W 22L), (MEDIUM 16.5W 23L), (LARGE 18W 24L), (XLARGE 19.5W 25L).
Make your dreams come true!Welcome to your very own puppy farm! Take care of your new four-legged guests by providing them with food water and shelter and then get to know the dogs by playing with them. The better you carry out your tasks and run the business the more popular your puppy farm will be!An incredible simulation that not only allows you to interact with dogs but run your very own business too!Numerous dogs and breeds to feed clean groom and play with!Provide the perfect home for your new friends and your business will continue to grow!Format: NINTENDO DS Genre: SIMULATION (VG) Rating: E Age: 625904703910 UPC: 625904703910 Manufacturer No: NDS70391RB
Tame the wild animals! Features a large circular animal cage complete with a tunnel and tamer. Includes lion, leopard and white tiger.
Is your dog out of control? Many dogs simply do not respond to traditional training methods which is why thousands of owners and professional trainers have used training collars to assist them in their training programs. Training collars can help you achieve a well trained and contented dog within days. This compact, easy to operate system will control bad behavior and dogs who run off when taken outdoors for exercise. 
Personal Trainer: Walking for Nintendo DS...A new entry in the Personal Trainer series is Personal Trainer: Walking, which launches May 25. Personal Trainer: Walking tracks users' progress and makes going for a walk a little more fun. It comes with two pedometers that users can wirelessly connect to their Nintendo DS system when they return home.
The Humane pet training method that uses effective ultrasonic sound. Uses High Frequency Ultrasonic pitch that only dogs and cats can hear. Teach your pet to: Sit, heel, fetch, roll over. Complete obedience training instructions included. May also be used by joggers, bikers, walkers and hikers to keep animals safely away. Effective up to 20 feet away. Battery indicator light show you its working. Uses 1 9 volt battery, not included.