#LGDtraining This is a nine-second video of me using two hand signal cues to slow the speed of this enthusiastic male pup, Blue. Did you see my cues? I show him my "stop-sign" hand and then ask him to target to my hand. Watch how responsive he is to my requests. Now, this would not be considered noteworthy if these dogs were Border Collies, but they are Maremmas, dogs with a reputation of being independent. Raising Maremmas that choose to respond to cues like this is the resu

These dogs gave their owner LOTS of warning signs before they reached this extreme behavior. #bensonmaremmastraining, #lgdtraining, Any behavior can also be viewed as small pieces of behavior strung together to create a more complex behavior. I think of it as counting from one to ten. If I change the dog’s behavior at two, I can change the behavior he would have gotten to at ten. Simple. Interrupt – Redirect – Reinforce Here’s an example. A dog is running toward me with the c

#bensonmaremmastraining, #lgdtraining, #lgdpuppytraining At first glance, starting out with only one LGD can seem like the conservative and responsible choice, particularly if you are new to LGDs. In my experience, though, training a single LGD pup is much more work than raising a pair of similarly aged pups together and much less likely to be successful. Here’s why: All LGD training should build the confidence of the dog A single pup is a frightened pup. Pups don’t learn wel

#bensonmaremmastraining, #lgdchickentraining, #lgdtraining, #positivereinforcementtraining, Thor is almost six-months-old now and has been with me for about two months. He is as tall as most of the Maremma pups I have been using as mentors! He is more resilient in most situations than he used to be. This is a lovely age! Thor will head back to his real home soon, now much better prepared to step in alongside the sweet female Maremma who waits for him there. In his life job Th

#MaremmaSheepdogpups, #LGDtraining, All our pups get to visit the local hardware store. For these sixteen-week-old pups, this was a great day! They were greeted at the door by a friendly stranger with treats. A hardware store is a busy place. Behind my assistant is a noisy road. In front of the pups are two double-glass doors. There are strangers coming and going; cars coming and going in the parking lot. There are hamsters and rabbits in the case in front of the pups; to the