Dog Training Tips, Insights & Real Sessions
At Primal Canine, our blog is built around real training experience. We break down behavior issues, training concepts, and common mistakes so you can better understand your dog and improve your results.
Along with training insights, we also share behind-the-scenes content, real sessions, and our vlogs—including series like Battle Pigs—to give you a look into how we train, work, and live with our dogs day to day.
Whether you're starting with a puppy, building obedience, or just want to follow along with our training, this is where it all comes together.
More Than Just Training Tips
This isn’t just a blog—it’s a look into how we train and what we do every day.
Here you’ll find:
Training breakdowns and how-to guides
Real client sessions and case studies
Vlogs like Battle Pigs
Behind-the-scenes content from our training days
Delilah Builds Confidence Through Short Recall Sessions
Delilah continues making progress with her confidence and engagement. In this session, we build on her “get it” marker and name recalls while keeping training short, constructive, and focused on voluntary interaction.
Bandit’s Focused Heel: Building Better Engagement Around Distractions
Bandit continues building his focused heel by improving head position, eye contact, and engagement while adding forward movement to help him stay focused on the handler instead of the world around him.
Delilah’s Breakthrough: Building Trust, Engagement, and the Foundation for Recall
Delilah takes a major step forward in her board and train program, warming up quickly, taking food by hand, and beginning early “get it” and name recall work that will eventually build into a reliable recall.
Why We’re Reshaping Bandit’s Heel
Bandit is starting his board and train program by building stronger handler engagement through focused heel work. See how we went from barely taking food to offering the head position and creating a foundation for his future reactivity training.
Building Trust With Delilah: Why Sometimes Training Means Doing Less
Delilah’s first stage of training isn’t about obedience — it’s about trust. Follow her early progress as we focus on comfort, confidence, and helping her learn that being around people doesn’t have to feel overwhelming.
Good News for Syven: Surgery, Training & Adoption Update
Syven received the news we were hoping for — her leg can be saved. While AARF raises funds for her upcoming surgery, Syven has been cleared for general activity and will continue training at Primal Canine as she waits for her procedure and future adoption.
Drax’s Final Training Session Before Heading Home
Drax is wrapping up his board and train program at Primal Canine. In his final session, we put his obedience together, polished the details, and prepared him for the most important part of the process—bringing the training back home to his family.
Off-Leash Place Training with Drax: Building Verbal Communication for the Real World
Drax's family wants him to calmly settle while they're out and about. In this session, we take his place command outside, remove the leash, minimize physical cues, and rely primarily on verbal communication to build more practical real-world obedience.
Working Through an “Off” Day: Patience and Progress with Syven
Syven was feeling a little testy during this place session outside the shop. Instead of immediately adding more pressure, we focused on handler patience, maintained the expectation, and gave her the opportunity to work through it.
Building a Reliable Recall with Syven: From Engagement to the Come Command
Syven is learning one of her most important commands yet: recall. See how we're progressing from engagement with her name to a complete "come" command with a calm sit finish while continuing her e-collar conditioning.
Building Toward Off-Leash Freedom: E-Collar Conditioning with Syven
Syven is taking another step toward off-leash freedom. In this session, we're introducing low-level e-collar conditioning through her place command, working through some resistance, and continuing to build reliable communication as she prepares for adoption.
Off-Leash Obedience with Drax: Keeping a Smart Dog Engaged
Drax is officially working off leash. In this training session, we're constantly changing commands and patterns to prevent anticipation, keep him thinking, and build stronger engagement with his handler.
From Shaping to Place: Syven Continues Building Her Obedience
Syven is taking the next step in her place training. With only a handful of previous reps, we're putting a name to the behavior, beginning to fade the lure, and watching her quickly put the pieces together.
Introducing the Place Command to Syven: Building a Positive Foundation After the Shelter
Just days after leaving the shelter, Syven begins her training with a positive introduction to the place cot. Follow her first session as we build confidence, introduce new expectations, and lay the foundation for her future place command.
Building Reliable Obedience: Compounding Drax's Training
Drax has come a long way in his board and train program. In this session, we're compounding his obedience by combining stationary commands, duration, and extended place work as we continue building toward reliable real-world behavior.
Training at Full Energy: Building Duration and Impulse Control with Drax
What happens when you ask a high-energy dog for his hardest obedience exercise before he's had a chance to settle? Follow Drax as we work on long sits, long downs, impulse control, and duration while he's at full energy.
Teaching a Reliable Down Stay for Real-World Success
Follow Drax's board and train journey as we build a reliable down stay for restaurants and public outings. Learn why duration, position, and consistency are the foundation of dependable obedience.
Building Reliable Obedience: Drax's Progress with Duration Training
Follow Drax's board and train journey as we build reliable obedience through heel work, sit, down, commands in motion, and duration training. See how consistency and clear communication create lasting results.
Teaching the Place Command: Building Calmness with Drax
Meet Drax, our newest board and train, as we begin teaching one of the most valuable obedience skills any dog can learn—the place command. Follow his progress as we build patience, impulse control, and the ability to calmly settle in real-world environments through clear, fair, and consistent training.
Franklin’s Final Off-Leash Session Before Going Home
Franklin completed his return board-and-train stay with one final off-leash obedience session. After working on e-collar conditioning, verbal commands, duration, and obedience in motion, he finished his program confidently and on a strong note.