Sarah Wilson:

Welcome to Teacher's Pet. This is Sarah Wilson. Teaching commands is about creating communication between you and your dog. Every single thing your dog understands about a command, he learned... probably from you! But always from some human. Dogs don't come programmed to understand the word, "sit." So if your dog doesn't obey the way you would like, guess who has to change? You do! Your dog can change, but you have to change what you're doing first. Want speedy sits? Delightful downs? Steady stays? Ask! No stubborn, spiteful or stupid dogs, and no silly, stupid or bad questions. Just confused dogs, and puzzled people.

I'll coach, suggest, remind, and celebrate your victories, large and small. Regular segments will include, "Why Won't He Listen!", your questions, my answers. "Practice What You Teach", creative ways to include commands into your life. Because I don't want you practicing for half an hour a day. When you practice for half an hour a day, you get a dog who's obedient for that half hour, which is nice, but not especially useful.

I want a dog who's gonna listen, no matter what time of day it is, no matter what you're doing, and no matter what's going on around you. And that's a little bit more of a trick. "Let's Talk Breeds", hints and help for training your particular breed or mix. "Stump the Trainer"... bring me a good question. I've been doing this for over 20 years, so I kinda thing I've heard it all. But sometimes I'm surprised. And if you surprise me, I will send you a signed copy of our most recent book, "My Smart Puppy: Fun, Effective, and Easy Puppy Training (Book & 60min DVD)", with a DVD in the back, that says, "you stumped me!"... Sarah Wilson. "Look What We Did!", share your successes, big or small. We all need applause. And not enough people in our world may appreciate that our dog waited at the door without us having to have him on lead or remind him. That's a big moment. And we'll share it with you.

And "Method Madness", are you confused? It's pretty confusing out there in the training world right now. So I'll talk about the pluses, and the minuses, of various methods, because they all have them. And when you know what they are, you can match that method to your issue at that moment and have success, and then maybe choose something else the next time.

At "Teacher's Pet", obedience is something you do with your dog, not to your dog. And it's fun for both ends of the leash. So, bring it on! Episode 1 explores the 5 ways we communicate with our dogs, and how to best use those in your training. So... tune in!