2 of the Most Useful New Training Aids at Global Pet Expo

Brandon McMillan Training Products from Petmate 

Petmate teamed up with gorgeous and charming celebrity dog trainer Brandon McMillan, host of the Emmy award-winning Lucky Dog show on CBS TV, to debut a new line of dog training aids and products from his book, Lucky Dog Lessons. I was thrilled to receive a signed copy of the book dedicated to Kilo the Rescue Pug last year at Global Pet Expo. We need all the help we can get so Kilo is one Lucky Dog(see the story of how I rescued Kilo here)! I also got to interview him about his fabulous new training aids. 

Brandon has been featured on The Ellen Degeneres Show, The Dr. Oz Show, The Talk, and The Doctors. His impressive roster of clients include Rod Stewart, James Caan, Kate Hudson, Wolfgang Puck, Don Cheadle, Snoop Dogg, Ronda Rousey, and many others. 

We discussed Kilo’s fear reactivity issues briefly and Brandon was encouraging.  Brandon deals with similar issues regularly and reminded me that while training a new behavior may only take a short time (for example 7 days in some cases on the show), conditioning a new behavior and eliminating an old unwanted behavior can take months or even years. I can’t wait to get more tips from the book. Plus Brandon told me there will be new TV episodes coming soon.

You can buy the book here through our Amazon Affiliate link:

Lucky Dog Lessons: Train Your Dog in 7 Days

Useful Training Aids for Kilo the Pug

I felt very lucky to see Brandon again this March at Global where he was being honored for his excellence in media helping pets in need.  I reminded him about Kilo and when I got home, I received one free sample of each of the 2 training products in the mail (they are not for sale in Canada yet and were so popular, they sold out fast in the US but just got new stock).

They seem like such obvious useful training aids that now I see them, I can’t believe no-one has come up with them before.

1) Shake & Break

Shake & Break is a training tool to help stop unwanted pet behavior.  The noise made by shaking the tool breaks the dog’s focus and stops bad behavior in its tracks. It has 2 levels of noise, one slightly muted and one more clangy (like coins in a tin can).

Kilo is convinced that the mail woman is out to murder us all and that it is his job to defend us. Certain dogs, neighbors and other delivery men are in on the plot, invading his space time after time. He barks and growls at the door and windows, shakes furniture and shreds curtains in his fury at their impudence. We have tried yelling, conditioning, redirection and even meeting the mail woman by her truck with treats with limited success so far. As she comes at a different time each day, it is challenging to avoid the problem or plan.

Today I tried the Shake and Break and it was pretty successful at interrupting him which allowed me to refocus him. We’ll keep working on it every day. It also worked well with another unwanted behavior. I was able to distract him then redirect him. I am very excited about the potential.

If you would like to try the Shake & Break check out our link: Brandon McMillan Shake & Break Training Tool by Petmate

 

2) Lure Stick

The new Lure Stick is a treat reward training tool, designed to encourage dogs to heel and keep them from pulling on the leash. It redirects their attention; it literally lures the dog back to you. It is also very helpful guiding or luring treat motivated dogs like Kilo the Pug into behaviors or tricks.

Kilo has learned a lot of tricks and behaviors but likes payment or the promise of payment upfront. He does not do well with many verbal commands and needs very clear close hand signals and direction and treats. I am not sure if he does not really remember or he does not understand what the verbal commands mean or if my training has been confusing or if he is just stubborn and has trained me to get more treats.

I tried using peanut butter on the end of a wooden spoon to teach Kilo the Pug to heel and not pull so much or lunge at dogs or people (he was like a mini freight train). We have been quite successful inside and without distractions but still a work in progress on the street or in the park with distractions.

I have also used the wooden spoon and peanut butter to get him to walk on his 2 back legs or to dance in front of a green screen for videos or do other behaviors where I do not want my hands visible as I lure or signal him. He LOVES peanut butter and performing for me but I do not like to give him too much as so fattening and often a little salty.

This new Lure Stick which looks a bit like a selfie stick allows me to hold a treat and lure or direct him. It feels light but well made and is so easy to use. Kilo’s Barnsdale Farms liver treats broken in half lengthwise fit perfectly in the little clam-like holder. He was actually very patient and restrained, but so happy to finally get hold of that treat after I took a photo LOL.

I was able to get him to heel on a brief walk before the rain (he pulls and wanders). We also did tricks inside. I love how adjustable it is to the height you want so you are not hunching over or stretching

To purchase Check out our link. Brandon McMillan Lure Stick Training Tool by Petmate

Let me know any training issues you have had or training products you use in the comments.