When training dogs, it’s sometimes helpful to prompt them for the behaviour we are looking for.  Trainer Eric Brad cautions that “prompts” can be as much a distraction as a help.  Knowing how to “fade” them out of the picture can be just as important in good training.

How we get our dogs to do the things we are trying to teach them matters.  There are lots of techniques to try and each will come with their own pros and cons.  I think it’s worth taking the time to look at how we go about teaching our dogs and make things as clear and easy for them to understand as possible.  Sometimes that means getting unnecessary or distracting actions or sounds out of the way so they can learn!