I have exciting news to report: the Natural Dog Training DVD set is finally done! The finished DVDs should be arriving from the duplication house mid-to-late next week (let's say June 12, 2009 to be on the safe side). I can't even begin to tell you all how psyched I am!
All told, the DVDs will give you a refined nearly TWO HOURS of Natural Dog Training instruction.
The first DVD, The Basics, will teach you how to do pushing and redirection, breaking down each of these techniques into their basic elements so you can take your dog from square one all the way to...square twenty! You also learn how to play tug and fetchtug, and see examples of how to use a tug-toy as an alternative to pushing. In addition, you'll get detailed explanations about how the techniques work, and answers to frequently asked questions - along with some thoughts about how to refine your techniques, based on my experience with clients. The first DVD will give you a solid foundation for "becoming the moose" in your daily interactions with your dog.
cover of the Natural Dog Training DVD set
The second DVD, Mastering Obedience, takes you step-by-step through the Natural Dog Training obedience exercises, from getting your dog "on the box" all the way through to a rock-solid recall. When you teach obedience using the techniques that you've learned in the first DVD, your dog will understand the feeling of being energized and obedient at the same time. The whole idea is to ensure that your dog will respond in high energy moments - when it matters most. The exercises in Mastering Obedience make it simple for you to progress from the most basic of techniques (an energized sit, for instance) to the most advanced.
In one DVD set you're basically getting most of the techniques that I would cover with you, in person, over the course of several lessons. The challenge has been to refine the material so that it makes sense in a shortened amount of time (since each lesson with me usually lasts about 90 minutes). As you work through the video instruction, I think you'll find that each next step makes perfect sense. I've always like that about Natural Dog Training - not only does it work, but it also gives you a context for how you train your dog where the pieces of the puzzle make sense together.
Thanks again, my dear readers, for your patience while I've been off in Natural Dog Training video-land. I'll be around here much more frequently now, and you'll also be noticing a few changes around the NaturalDogBlog while I try to make all of the content a bit more user-friendly and easy-to-navigate. I've noticed a little bit of activity in the forum (which I appreciate!) - but before y'all go crazy in there, I wanted to let you know that I'll probably be changing to a more robust forum platform very soon. I'll let you know when it's there and ready for you.
Free Conference Call With Kevin Behan in the works
If all goes as planned, we are going to have a free conference call with Kevin Behan next week, tentatively scheduled for 8pm EST on Wednesday, June 10 (pencil us in). There's only room for 100 callers on the call, so if you're interested drop me a line (neil at naturaldogblog dot com), and I'll e-mail the dial-in information to you. The call will last an hour. The tentative subject for our conversation is "What's Natural about Natural Dog Training?" - so we'll talk about that, and then there will be an opportunity to have some of your questions answered directly by Kevin. Details on how to submit questions to follow - probably posted here on the blog early next week. Stay tuned!
On a personal note
Some of you have asked about how things are going with the new addition to our family (Zella, born in December). All's well! A very special thank you goes from me to my wife Tonya, who has been ever-so-patient while I've been working on these DVDs. You could say that we've BOTH been working on them, since all my time in the editing suite has meant that she's had to work that much more keeping things together on the domestic front. So, thanks love! I promise I'll get your blog redesign done now (there it is, for all the world to see).
In the meantime, it looks like we're going to be selling our house, and spending the summer looking for the next right place. This place will include some better on-site areas for dog training (with the potential for boarding a dog or two) - and, ideally, will also have a place for visitors who want to drop in and experience Natural Dog Training here in the Northeast first-hand. Let me know if you hear of any place we should check out.
I'll leave you all, for now, with a picture of me doing my best to pick up the slack when I can.
Neil the Pack Mule
