Dog Behavior Training Guide: Brandon McMillan’s 7 Useful Tips

Dog behavior training is a process that involves teaching dogs a new behavior, curbing a specific behavior, or helping them with socialization. There are two main pillars of dog training: obedience training and behavior training. Obedience training encompasses teaching commands like sit, stay, and heel, while behavioral training focuses on curbing behavioral problems that stem from aggression, separation anxiety, or socialization issues. In general, behavioral training lays the groundwork for future obedience training. Housebreaking training and other simple behavior training can begin when your puppy is eight weeks old, while obedience training can commence when they are around four to five months old.

Whether you’re taking group classes or doing one-on-one in-home training sessions, here are some of Brandon’s behavioral training tips:

1. 1. Use training to curb door dashing. Before training begins, you’ll need to place a long-line leash on your puppy. Keep some slack in the leash: you don’t want to prevent your dog from darting, but you do want to maintain control if they do. To begin door-dash training, start by opening the door just a crack. If your dog dashes out the door, restrain them and quickly shut the door. If they don’t dart, wait for 10 to 15 seconds with them in a controlled position, then give them a treat (or use your clicker, if you’re doing clicker training). “Most dogs catch on after about five to ten times,” Brandon says. “When your dog stays in place, you praise the good behavior. Keep it short and sweet.”
2. 2. Use a crate for housetraining. While crate training your puppy is not necessary, it does help with the housetraining process. To use a kennel when housetraining, you’ll employ the “housetraining triangle,” which consists of taking your puppy outside to do their business, bringing them inside for an hour of free time, and then crating them for around three hours. After about three hours in the crate, head back outside, and repeat the process. This training method will help strengthen your dog’s bladder. As your dog progresses, add on to their playtime and subtract from time in the crate (about 15 to 20 minutes daily). Eventually, you can decide to no longer crate them at all. “Crate size is key,” Brandon explains. “If the crate's too big, the dog can sleep on one side and go to the bathroom on the other. If the crate is too small, it's uncomfortable.”
3. 3. Deter digging dogs by burying their waste. If you want to train your dog to stop digging holes, Brandon has a simple solution—fill the holes with their excrement. Simply use a shovel or disposable bag to grab the waste, place it in the hole, and lightly cover it back up. Repeat the process with any other holes they may dig. The smell will deter your dog, and hopefully, make them lose interest in the digging altogether. “Typically, after a few days of doing this, it’s done forever,” Brandon says. “You’ll never have a hole dug in your yard again.”
4. 4. Use redirection to curb chewing. To curb unwanted chewing, you’ll need three objects your dog can chew—like chew toys—and three things they shouldn’t—like a shoe, the TV remote, and a hat. Place the objects on the ground in front of your dog. If they go for a no-chew object, give a quick reprimand (like “uh-oh”), then redirect them to an object they are allowed to chew. When they chew the right object, offer heavy praise. Once your dog is focused on a chew-appropriate item, remove the other objects. Lastly, keep precious objects out of reach. “You don’t want to leave expensive things lying on the ground with a puppy, just like you wouldn't leave things lying on the ground with a toddler,” Brandon notes.
5. 5. Curb excessive barking with positive reinforcement. Barking is a natural instinct that all dogs possess—they’re typically barking at something they perceive as a threat. As a dog owner, it’s impossible to curb your dog’s barking altogether; your goal is to get them to stop barking on command. “Luckily, there's a real easy way to stop excessive barking,” Brandon says, “and you don't have to do it by yelling at your dog.” For barking training, you’ll need some treats and a bottle filled with pennies. When your dog barks excessively, say “quiet,” shake the penny bottle, and say “quiet” again. When your dog stops the unwanted behavior, treat them. As the days go by, shake the bottle less and less and rely more on the verbal command. (Keep several penny bottles around the house in key areas where barking is common: one by your front door, one in the kitchen, one by the couch, etc.)
6. 6. Older dogs can also learn new behaviors. Dogs of all ages are capable of learning new behaviors. Brandon has built his career on adopting dogs from shelters—both puppies and adult dogs—and training them to be service dogs or emotional-support animals. While it is true that it can be harder to train an old dog because you may have a slower time developing trust and breaking long-lived bad habits, you don’t need to get your dog as a puppy to end up with a well-behaved dog. Behavior modification can start at any age.
7. 7. Ensure your dog gets enough exercise. If your dog knows all of the rules but seems to be willfully breaking them, you may need a dog walker rather than a dog trainer. “Ninety percent of a dog’s behavior issues come from lack of exercise,” Brandon explains. Make time to take your dog on healthy walks, runs, or trips to the dog park. “Dogs were meant to run,” Brandon says. “They come from an animal that runs twenty, thirty miles a day. Wolves cover huge stretches of land.”

Your dream of having a dog who understands words like “sit,” “stay,” “down,” and—crucially— “no” is just a MasterClass Annual Membership away. The only things you’ll need to train up a well-behaved pup are your laptop, a big bag of treats, and our exclusive instructional videos from superstar animal trainer Brandon McMillan.