4 Min Read; 8/23/22; By Fourrie
#dogtraining #dogbehaviorist
Anthony Newman is a New York dog behaviorist, a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), and a Cesar Millan Ambassador. He began his career working in doggie daycares and later interned under another trainer. After being certified by a principal training organization, he officially started Calm Energy Dog Training in 2009. He is known for providing alternatives to mainstream treat-based luring and distracting methodology. Anthony and his retired racing greyhounds spend their free time volunteering with cancer patients rehabilitating from chemotherapy treatments, and schoolchildren learn to interact peacefully with dogs. Anthony has notably featured in New York Magazine, The New York Daily News, The Huffington Post, Gawker, and Tails Magazine.
We were curious to know Anthony's thoughts on matters every dog parents wants to know about and here is what he said:
Q: How long have you been a professional dog trainer?
A: I officially started Calm Energy Dog Training in 2009.
Q: What made you get into training dogs and how did you become a trainer (did it involve any formal training)?
A: I started off working in doggie daycares, and despite a job "scooping $#%!" I was at peace surrounded by furry friends. I interned under another trainer and got certified by a major training organization, but have spent most of my career providing alternatives to mainstream treat-based luring and distracting methodology.
Q: We love your non-treat centric methods of training a dog. Could you pls tell us a bit more about it?
A: The most fulfilling and therapeutic reward for a dog is fun exhausting exercise outside on walks and playing with other dogs in parks. Scared dogs also won't take treats and need confident leadership methods before they can be lured or distracted. Raising a calm peaceful happily obedient dog doesn't require ANY teaching of verbal obedience commands, though they can be helpful; instead it requires exercise, socializing, and what I call leadership with body language communications and leading by example.
Q: Now that a lot of us are working from the office again all our pandemic dogs are not loving it. There is a lot of separation anxiety and it's taking a toll on both sides. How do you approach treating separation anxiety in dogs?
A: First of all it requires daily outdoor exhausting fulfillment ideally off leash socially with other dogs; then we have to start therapeutic separations with the dog calmly lying down. Missing out on those two factors are the two biggest reasons people encounter trouble with separation anxiety -- it is always fixable. Check out my Separation Anxiety video on cedt.teachable.com!
Q: How many training sessions (on the average) do you recommend to start seeing your dog's separation anxiety reducing?
A: I always try to give clients a plan in a single session so they can continue working on their own. As far as working with your own dog, there's really no "session": it's how you interact every moment of the day with them. Invest in a walker to get them out, ideally off leash, and put in leadership and therapeutic calming obedient rituals and separation exercises whenever possible at home and out, and gradually you'll start to see results. But again, you have to start from the ground floor of exhausted fulfillment, with the dog calmly and happily lying down in his/her bed.
Q: In your opinion, what is the best way to clean your dog after a walk? ( We know a bath is the cleanest but man, does that take a long time!)
A: After walks in a dirty city, baby wipes can help. Otherwise brushing usually suffices, getting rid of dust and dirt, and doesn't remove essential oils from hair.
Q: What are your thoughts on dogs saying hi to each other on the street? Should we let our dogs say hi to another dog?
A: If they're able to, certainly! The more rewards the better! But many perfectly social dogs are leash reactive; also many people feel the NEED to let their dog meet others on leash because they aren't putting in the daily work to get to off leash dog parks to let their dog run and play and socialize adequately.
Q: What is the one must-do every dog-parent should do at least once a week?
A: The essentials you should do with your dog should be done every day, ideally multiple times a day. A week is a lifetime for a dog! Walking, exercising, socializing, working helpful obedience rituals like loose leash walking, come, lie down, and leave it -- at most interactions!
