In terms of pack leadership, what has worked well with my Huskies is to follow the Nothing in Life is Free program. This teaches them that the best way to get what they want is to do what I want first.

At home, I set up a fixed routine and a consistent set of rules. In this way, they know exactly what to expect from me, and what I expect from them.

Here is a bit more on my understanding of dogs and dominance.

Here is a bit more on how I trained my Husky puppy.

During my difficult times with Sephy, I visited with several professional trainers. Timing is very important in dog training, and a trainer can be very helpful with that. Our trainer also helped us understand Sephy better, by reading his body language, and observing what things trigger stress and gets him reactive.

Hugs to your Husky girl!

I would play with her and get her to do fun commands (with rewards) close to the backyard door. I leave the backyard light on. Then I slowly move the game into the backyard – where the light is. I keep sessions short, fun, and engaging. I also make sure that I stay positive and do not get worried, frustrated, or stressed. My dogs are all very good at picking up on my energy.

When she is comfortable playing with me in the light and gains some confidence, then we very slowly, start playing farther away, then a bit farther away and so on. I go very slowly and keep things positive. The key is to help her build confidence so that she feels less fearful, and ultimately, she feels safe in the backyard even though it may be dark.

I do a similar thing with the coyote singing-
Sound desensitization exercises.

It is very nice to see that you present a much more balanced and informed view on dog training on your site. I do
think you are to mild on some the famous trainers. These trainers should be more responsible and present a much more detailed view instead of obfuscating the training process with sloppy terminology and sometimes plain nonesense that has been disproved decades ago.

Some things that have helped with my Sibes-
1. I start leash training them in my backyard. Very little distraction there, they know it well, so I can just focus on getting them used to the leash and learning walk commands.

2. Once we are doing well in the backyard, then I start by taking them to very quiet areas in the neighborhood. Having a lower stimulus environment really helps a lot with initial leash training. Then once we improve and they get accustomed to walking in more quiet areas, I slowly increase the environmental challenge.

3. My Sibes have high prey drive, so they will still sometimes lose it when they spot cats, squirrels, and deer, especially if there is quick motion. I have found that desensitization exercises can help in those situations. It doesn’t remove the instinct, but it helps to raise the instinct threshold.

Here is a bit more on my leash training experiences with my dogs.

Here are some of my thoughts on what I call the “Squirrel Instinct”.

Hugs to your furry gang! I am so glad that the little Beagle girl found a good and loving home.

When Lara was a puppy, I would also call her to me when I want to interact rather than going to her. In this way, she doesn’t suddenly have someone big looming over her, which can be scary to a puppy or small dog.

Some things that have helped my dogs with barking-
1. Teaching them the Quiet command.
2. Redirecting them into doing something else.

Here is more on my experiences with dog barking.