The Top 3 Training Principles That Will Help You With Any Dog

When you work with enough dogs—different breeds, personalities, histories, and genetics—you start to notice something important: while dogs are incredibly diverse, effective training tends to rely on the same underlying principles over and over again.

Dogs can behave like completely different animals depending on the situation. A dog that is calm and compliant in the living room may become frantic or confrontational outside. This variability is what makes dog training confusing for many owners. And to be fair, there are lots of things we are always adapting as we work with the dogs, here.

But, across hundreds of dogs and thousands of training sessions, we find ourselves relying on certain principles over and over again because we see them consistently leading to better outcomes. So what are they? Let’s count them down.

Principle #3: Physical Communication

Humans are verbal by nature. Dogs are not. Dogs don’t understand human language. They will learn visual cues and through physical guidance and repetition rather than verbal explanations.

Leash-based communication allows you to guide position, prevent avoidance, and follow through calmly and consistently.

Physical communication is not about intimidation—it is about clarity and removing guesswork for the dog. It also is often necessary to overcome distractions. How many times have you stood there yelling for your dog to come back when he sees the neighbor or another dog? Or pleaded with your dog to sit when you had guests coming in? All you do is water down your language (your commands) more and more by skipping the physical communication.

Also, when it does come time to provide a negative consequence this will need to be physical in some way. It should go without saying that we never harm the dog. But e-collar corrections, leash pops, or bonkers (rolled up towel) are the most common forms of effective correction. Yelling is not a consequence and neither is ignoring the dog..

Principle #2: Be Neutral

Dogs respond strongly to human energy. Anger, frustration, and panic create instability and can make dogs tense and defensive. This can slow the learning process dramatically, and can result in conflict, even a bite, depending on the dog.

Even corrections should be neutral. A proper correction is unemotional. It provides information. It provides a consequence without fighting with the dog. Corrections are unpleasant, but seldom create real fear. What does create fear is yelling and anger.

Neutral handling helps nervous dogs feel safer, prevents tense dogs from becoming defensive, and stops pushy dogs from escalating and retaliating, especially if they’ve never been corrected for anything before in their life.

Principle #1: Be Quiet

The most important principle. Constant talking turns everything to crap. Sorry, but it’s true. It will turn commands into background noise. It will muddy the waters when you are trying to teach a specific word and tie it to a behavior (like ‘sit’). It will drive dogs up when they are already over excited. It will make dogs more nervous when they are unsure of something in the environment. In pretty much every context, you flapping your gums is working against you.

When everything is verbal, nothing is meaningful. And it only serves to literally teach the dog to ignore you and work them up more. If you have a fearful do g or a dog that hates having their nails done, no matter how much they struggle and freak out, I will be nearly silent. I may say ‘no’. I may say ‘good’ at appropriate times. But other than that—zip it.

Often, physical communication through the leash makes verbal commands unnecessary, or if you have already given a verbal command, the leash communication is how you can follow through to attain the behavior without repeating the command countless times and becoming the fan in the background that gets totally tuned out.

I like layering the ecollar over the commands so that you can move away from the leash. A single tap and we can settle dogs immediately. When you are constantly barking at your dog you are creating the chaos you are trying to eliminate. Your dog needs to be in the presence of a calm, assertive leader. Especially when they are not calm.

Final Thoughts

Being quiet reduces confusion. Being neutral reduces emotional escalation. Physical communication provides clarity. Together, these principles create an environment where dogs can learn calmly and efficiently. Good training is not about saying the right thing—it is about doing the right thing consistently. Dogs need clarity, structure, and calm leadership. Be quiet. Be neutral. Be physical.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do these principles work for all dogs?

Yes. While techniques may vary depending on the dog, these principles apply across breeds, temperaments, and training goals.

Does physical communication mean force?

Sometimes. Physical communication means calm guidance and clear follow-through using tools like a leash. Force is viewed as such an ugly word, but all it means is that a thing is not negotiable. Gentle guidance is typically what we are doing, but there may be times you need to exert some force to encourage your dog to move when they don’t want to. There is no harm in this. And it is a lot better than yelling.

Why is being quiet so important?

Excessive talking confuses dogs and increases arousal, making learning slower and less reliable. It can contribute to nervousness and other state of mind issues, too.

What if my dog seems fearful or anxious?

Neutral energy is especially important for fearful dogs. Calm, confident, consistent guidance helps them feel safe and understand expectations. Show more and tell less.

Can I still use praise and encouragement?

Yes. Praise can be effective when used intentionally and not layered on constantly.