How to Deal With Misbehavior and Stubborn Dogs 

Are you a fan of my training style, but can’t travel to Kentucky to see me in person? No worries! I offer an awesome online dog training course, which includes access to an array of exclusive videos and content, personalized coaching, journaling, and in-depth mentoring and evaluation by yours truly! Just need some an advice or have a couple questions you need answered? I also offer professional consulting by the hour. Both of these great services can be found here: kentuckycanine.com/onlinecoaching. Thank you all for your remarkable support over the years! I cannot express enough how grateful I am for your appreciation and patronage of this channel, my training style, and my kennel. Always remember, it’s a great day for a puppy-sized adventure! -Stonnie Dennis, Dog Trainer

A bit of information you might want to think about giving your viewers. If you dog makes a sudden change of behavior to you or any member of the family and it is not displaying that behavior to everyone in the family, please tell them to get that person a good physical!!!!! I used to raise show dogs and had brought a new 10 week old puppy into my kennel in hopes that she would fit into our breeding program in a few years. From day one, every time I started to work with her, she would growl and bite at my arms! I was shocked, put the blame on her breeding, on her breeder, on everything except myself! I had never even heard of a 10 week old puppy being that aggressive! I returned her to her breeder, then about three weeks later I went in for my routine yearly physical and discovered that my blood sugar was in the 700's!!!! My own dogs had slowly adjusted to my rising blood sugars and of course they trusted me no matter how I smelled, but the new puppy had no idea I was going to treat her well, she just knew I smelled dangerously wrong and acted accordingly! I explained everything to her breeder, got her back once I had my own health under control and she turned out to be the very best dogs I ever had the privilege of knowing! She was with me for 16 years and is gone now and I will always be thankful for the lesson she taught me!

It's funny watching the different breeds doing the obstacle course and observing their facial expressions. The Ridgeback is like, "this is cool, but why are we doing this and when is this over?". The Labs, like with everything in life are like "this is the best thing ever, I love you!" 😂😂

I'm amused watching that little Jack Russell. He follows along the course through the entire video. Just watching its turn. Too cute

Thank you for addressing adult dogs. Many of us work with rescue dogs and that will help our community a great deal! I really respect your training and love your videos!

Hey, there’s nothing wrong with being a Poodle tamer. Poodles are helluva smart, athletic and versatile dogs. If you can tame them then that’s a bonus point, not an insult!

Getting my second yellow lab puppy end of June. My first yellow lab 24 years ago. Working from home permanently now and ready to bring a beautiful dog into my life again. Found you, Stonnie, last winter and have been bingeing your content ever since. Fabulous trainer. You have given me so much confidence. Training me as much as training your dogs. 😅 Thanks so much for all you do for both owners and dogs. Deb from UK.

Wow! Stonnie, you just made a light bulb go off above my head. Watching this video again (3rd time), I now realize why my 17-wk Malinois puppy suddenly won't walk. Every ten yards or so, she grabs a stick or a pine cone and flops down onto the side of the trail; and she won't budge. Just lies there chewing. I thought: 'stubborn/willful'. Here you say consider "physical reason". That's it ! -- and it's teething ! She's at a very painful stage of teething. That's why she keeps stopping to chew sticks and pine cones. For hours last night she was gnawing on chairs, bookshelf, everything. This morning I watch your video again -- bam! that's it. Now I've replaced annoyance and frustration with sympathy and empathy. Thanks, Stonnie ! Thank you so much!

Lol when I got my border collie I was astonished by how she was sooooo willing to go with me everywhere and do everything for me. Her previous owner kept telling me oh she's scared of this and that 🙄 that dog was afraid because her owner was afraid for her. I realized really quick why all those trainers who have the flashy dogs... Have the same kinds of dogs like you said. It's not just because they look cool and flashy, they're also so easy to get walking with you and looking at you and acting like they have been training for years 😅 My experience with dogs I've owned has always been stubborn little dogs that people love to spoil for you until very recently. Never could teach my little Japanese chin not to jump up because people see her and don't even have time to hear me say "ignore the dog" they're too busy screaming and rolling around on the floor with my dog 😅 so like you said I changed my expectations for her. Not because she's not smart, but because it was just impossible to train the other humans around her 🤣

4:30 the little terrier is like "Me Me MEEE!" then "Look at me, I can do it too!"

19:20 Malinois: "C'mon! Let's play!" Black Lab: "Lea'me alone, I'm trying to listen."

I gotta say sir, No Name is an absolutely beautiful dog. Love me some Lab's, and miss my old girl terribly.

The sincerity is a breath of fresh air.

I love how when he took Ranger round the course Sonny was all like “wait what about me?!” And acted like he was still the one on the leash. What a cutie.

Stonnie, you maybe the only dog trainer on RU-vid utilizing positive reinforcement brilliantly and practically. Taking your dog for a half ass walk with it freaking out and hoping to bribe it with treats isn’t really the move. Yanking and cranking a dog isn’t really the move. Simulated walking in a varied, controlled environment with food as a communication tool and smart leash pressure. That, combined with good ole fashioned time in and exercise just makes the most sense. No such thing as quick fixes. The more I watch the smarter you come off. Good stuff man, thank you.

The timing of this video is perfect for me. I've been frustrated with my 2 yr. old lab cause he still won't consistently come. He seems to love other dogs (and people) more than listening to me. After watching this, I think I'm not being as consistent and not giving him the right motivation. Today I broke out some treats and found an old ball that he loves and damn if Blue didn't come to me every time I called, with 5 other dogs and owners surrounding us. Now to review past videos and see how to gradually get rid of the treats. :)

Let me start by saying I'm at work...I sat and watched EVERY minute of this video. It's so informative, entertaining and just chocked full of great knowledge! Love this!

Thank you for including a Ridgeback in this video. I recently added a young (1.5 y/o) Ridgeback to my household after a lifetime of owning mostly herding and bird dog breeds. I very quickly learned that this new dog was not going to work on my timeline necessarily. He is quite intelligent, but also independent minded. I had to spend more time up front developing a relationship and establishing leadership with him. After we developed that trust, he started wanting to work for me and picked up obedience very quickly. I think sometimes people mistake independence-minded for stubborness. I don't find this dog stubborn, just wary of of new things and extremely alert/observant to environmental changes. As you so ably pointed out, you have to adjust methods based on the talents and nature of the breed and individual you are working with. I really appreciate your videos and have picked up a number of good tips and ideas. Love your obstacle course!

Hi Stonnie. Great to see you supporting your daughter. Love your channel.

Stonnie, love your stuff! You are not only great and informative, you are honest and entertaining. Im learning a lot! Thank you!

Thank you for your training videos. They are informative and entertaining. Keep up the good work 😀

at 40:00 the dog's going "What's Stonnie saying? I think I need to listen .. carefully!" hah hah! Thanks for the great videos and the joy you bring to people.. and dogs Stonnie!

When you are six, a year is a huge percentage of your life, but when you are 60 a year is just a blink in the whole scheme of your life! I'm 62 and this year is 25% gone and all I did was blink after opening my New Years champaign!

Awwww! Love ❤️ I enjoy so much your videos, make me so happy. Thank you!

I have no idea why I watched this entire video... but I super enjoyed it!

The little Russell is precious!

Your videos are outstanding. I started walking our puppy every night now for about two months. If I miss a night she out of sorts. Good exercise for us both. Thanks for your videos. Take care, Al

I’m aspiring to own my own kennel, groom, show/compete, and train and maybe even start my own bloodlines of show bred standard aussies. And I love your methods and how you address things. I’ve learned a few new things from you thank you. I also love watching how the dogs follow you more and more as you walk each one. By the 3rd dog you’ve got a whole pack at your feet and in the way. Such a great thing to see!

Great stuff as always. I see you rocking those Altima boots

Awesome Stonnie, thank you for the great reminders. In the last year, we’ve lost our 2 old Bostons. But it’s so hard, even tho we have a sweet gentle Cavalier (duh!), that’s 4. My boy Boston was the perfect dog of a lifetime...very discerning, obedient, playful, calm ,confident , friendly. Gentle with newborn humans, elderly, kids, dogsMore than once we saw him run in to a group of big dogs at the dog park that he thought were getting too aggressive playing. One by one he pushed them away and gave a “woof”. The big dogs (boxer, lab, shepherd) stood there looking at him as if to say”who was that masked man?” The second senior Boston was a puppy mill mom, rescue, with a few insecurity issues, but we worked them out over the second half of her life. She kind of took on the puppy Cav as her little puppy project. She taught him many things and protected him and little children in her life. Both Boston had lots of training with me. The Cav seems to be enjoying being an only child, but I will say that everyone but I let him get by on looks. Then I feel like I’m starting over after he has spent the afternoon with my husband visiting the nursing home. He gives him many treats all day, because he’s rewarding him for being his pal. Your video is excellent in reminding me to keep at it and keep Dusty’s standards high. It’s funny, cause the more work (tricks etc) I give him, the more he wants to stay by my side. I spent one summer when I was about 10, trying our Boston , so I could have a circus and show people. Now I’m 70. Still enjoy it. Who would think a Cavalier could be so challenging......Then again, maybe it’s my husband who is the challenge.😱🤫 Be blest. Thanks a bunch☦️👩🏻‍🦳🐾

Thank you so much for this clear, no nonsense information. Greetings from Belgium.

WOW, another great video! Again you come up with videos as I need them, lol I just went for heart surgery on 6/11/19 and I had my grown sons watch my 6 month old great pyrenes service dog, I gave them a notebook with all of his commands and needs and feed times in it, when I returned they said he was a brat. Then when I started to move around because I was out of order(LOL) for 2 weeks. He was being a real brat! But I never thought of his lack of exercise (with purpose) he has to have a job, stress and missing me. (BAD OWNER)! We are now again starting training again slowly, but having this happen made me think that there needs to be more than one person doing the training, everyone needs to part of raising puppy, so he can listen to everyone and not be a brat anymore.

Stonnie... My wife just watched this video... Then called me and said OMG Stonnie is so right..! I am the reason why our dog is so spoiled and has bad manners... I was like ummm uh huh... I know... LOL. THANK YOU!

Stonnie I'd gladly wash your truck for free as a thank you for the great videos! Im sure many others would too. Thank you 👍

@stonnie As someone who is a (human) Manual therapist, movement educator, and bodyworker…this may be one of my favorite of your videos I’ve watched. I value you speaking to the daily check in and physical inspection; your kindness to their unspoken issues that may be ailing or bothering them; the individual aspects of each breed and further into each animal being a sovereign individual with their own character… I got a black lab puppy a few weeks ago and have been binge listening to your videos. Thank you kindly, internet friend! 🙏🏽 Sarah Jo from Seattle (and little OB [Obsidian])

Thxs so much Stonnie...love this channel.

Have become addicted to your videos. Way to go Stormie.!!!!

It’s brilliant to see all the dogs get on so well as you walk 1 on the challenge course

You are brill Stonnie! Many people I've known jump down my throat for a dog growling at me, while the dog's owner just takes the dog away. The dog just doesn't care about my big wheels so much, you interrupted a conversation! The dog was letting me know it had discomfort or unease at something, not being unfriendly!

I am so glad I found your channel! I have a 5 year old yellow lab and I recently started dog sitting. My dog is confident and well behaved so I was a bit naive assuming that was the norm. Although I love dog sitting, I have found that most the dogs come from busy families and have a hard time with the basics like leash walking, riding in vehicles, etc. Your videos are helping me gain the skills to positively affect their behavior in the time they are with me.

Another great informative video...thank you!

Stonnie, thank you for your channel. I have a 12 week old Dalmatian puppy after my 13 year old Boxer Dalmatian mix died. So it's a long time that I have been training a little puppy and I forgot a lot. Living in a big city is different than living in Kentucky on a farm. But your advices opened my eyes to possibilities you even have in big town to train your dog in healthy and challenging way. With your advice I got the opportunity to remember and doing better (!!!). You are very inspiring and I love your empathy and perspective on a dogs soul. Thank you for encouraging me to be a better dog handler and reminding me everything needs it's time. Keep doing the excellent job you do. Can't wait for more videos. Greeting from Berlin/ Germany -across the ocean.

Great to hear it. I just got a new rat terrier and posting the new vids on my channel and training. I love these videos.

Thank you Stonnie for this video. We have a 8 month old Giant Schnauzer. We are working with our 4th trainer. She understands the temperament of the giant. Others were saying he is just a puppy.We are diligently working with his lack of impulse control. He jumps and nips at us when we return home or even to just get the mail. We can not have anyone over because of this behavior. The new trainer has been working with him and us for only a few weeks. We are seeing small bits of improvement. Your comment with the Ridgeback timimg is different then with the labs was a lightbulb moment for me. Keep up the good work.

Your videos have helped put things in perspective immensely for me. I got a Brittany for upland hunting about 7 months ago and I was at my wit's end until I found your channel. I am so thankful for your content. If only I could train the yahoos in your comment section as well as I can my little dog now we'd be all set! My pup is working with an upland specific trainer who provides birds and all the necessary field dog stuff. I'm very coachable and intelligent and want to succeed, but it's tough working with some trainers because they're so fluent in dog, they can't really communicate well to people. You sir, are bilingual 😂 Can you consider giving a quick little video on how to effectively communicate with dog trainers? Thank you for everything and the time you've put in to these videos.

I am a new subscriber. Thank you. I am a Puppy Raiser for a large guide dog organization. I work with Labs. I loved this video!

This was really helpful. Thank you

Great info in this video, thank you :)

I’m going back and watching some earlier videos, and I’ve got to say, you are the best! This video applies to relationships with people as well. Brilliant.

Poodle comes home 11/14/20. I feel very prepared, thank you Stonnie.

You've given me a lot of information to think about in this video. My dog is one of those that are so darn cute. ;) Clear and precise communication from me might not be as clear and precise as it should be. As always great video!

I'm glad you put this video up along with videos regarding the genetics of temperament. Too many you tube trainer with Gsd brained dogs trying to make it seem that nothing goes wrong. They are becoming annoying and completely disingenuous. Thanks again.

Very informative video Stonnie. Love the work man, you're truly an inspiration to me. I would definitely wash your truck for free! 😁

Thanks so much for making videos Stonnie. Cheers from Canada 🇨🇦

Thanks for this great content, and cute dogs! :)

Haha so true about the cute looking dogs, its hard not to love on them. We do it without thinking. Great video!

Amazing work with that Ridgeback.

God Bless you Man:) Very good training skills!!!

I think a lot of my coworkers need to watch this video because they don't understand that dogs that were bred to do something for 100+ years or so will want to do what they were bred for.

I love it how all the other dogs keep following.

great video stonnie! and beautiful ridgeback :D

i Love your channel..from a yankee stuck in new york..God bless sir..Great channel

True American dog trainer !! 🇺🇸 god bless America !

That little Jack is really being a good dog. Bob

Great work 🐕🐕🐕

Oh jeez I know that pain myself, when someone sits down next to you and it shifts the cushions when you're really sore X_X Check for pain before you train. I heard that for horses and it's equally true for dogs. When we had my first two dogs, one didn't want to jump. I'm glad I listened to her, because she turned out to have hip problems. Lance was growling at me when I would go to scoot him over. I started pairing it with a verbal "scoot over" before I'd move him. Turns out, as I suspected, what I was doing was scaring him. He didn't know what to expect. Now, as long as I give him that advance notice that i'm going to nudge him over or pick him up and move him, he's absolutely fine. I really respect you as a trainer, and I'm really really picky. You definitely understand them, and get results without cruelty. Wonderful to see, and I look forward to learning more from you!

the Malinois pup "ranger" and the black lab appear to be awesome dogs. Rangers tail tells the story plus he's an amazing specimen for the breed. His owner is a lucky person. And Stonnie im not really worthy to judge, but from what I know about dogs, Your teachings are on point and I haven't ever found anything in all the videos that I was like " well I disagree with that". Its sort of like common sense in alot of ways plus some amazing facts and learning new stuff I never knew about. I also find ive done alot of the stuff naturally that is part of your teaching like jumping up on a log pile or taking them out specifcally in the rain and mud etc..which makes me feel good about my sense when it comes to raising my dogs. I consider your availability on youtube an amazing benefit. Just calling it like I see it.

Another great video. Thanks Stonnie! I have been training my 5 month old lab puppy and I couldn't get her to learn COME until I changed the motivator. Cut up hot dogs worked very well!

Miss America doesn't cook eggs! That is a nugget of wisdom right there. Thanks Stonnie!

My ex-wife was right: I'm the problem! 🤣🤣

Nice video. Thanks, Stonnie. I know I am the problem with Dax.

Stonie is so wise

Stonnie for President!

Haha love how you walk threw that poodle like get out of the way! He didn't seem like he minded 😂

Really enjoying and benefitting from your video's! I realize this might not be the the best forum to ask you a question, but here goes. My 12 week old black lab has house training down pat, to the point where he stares at me then at the door while whimpering to let me know he's gotta go out. Problem is that he'll do it even when he doesn't need to go, even barking till I relent and take him out. Any suggestions on how I can deal with my rebellious pup? Thanks in advance

Very very nice video

your videos are so good

The Jack Russel Terrier is being such a good dog!

Awesome vids Stonnie!... what bread is Ranger? German Shepard? ,,,BTW I'm thinking of my first dog, so am going to spend a few months getting trained up myself :).. Thanks for these vids!

Aaaawww the frenchie sitting well and not getting noticed😂

That German Shepherd is so funny & cute!

Stonnie great video. Ignore the knuckle heads. They are just small minded haters.

Yessss, Ridgebacks 😂 To know them is to love them. Love my Ridgie 👍🏼

These dogs are really out here living their best life

Can confirm the good looking dog problem, my black Dane×Mastiff is very majestic and people let her jump no one wants to tell her no. Her dog walker is complaining she jumps on him and i told him he's not providing enough structure

Where do you live stonnie? love your videos btw great quality content !!!!!

That lawn goes on forever!

Bro, we have the same last name... lol. Love it

can you talk about your vest? i like it!!!.

Like Missouri, pouring rain one minute, sunshine the next.

Female here, I get a laugh and always enjoy your channel.

Hi Stonnie, I recently managed to get my dad to watch RU-vid and he just can’t get enough of you ... honestly, we all know who uncle stonnie is now 😂 please could you possibly give him a shoutout his name is John Carroll and he’s from West Yorkshire, England ... it’s his birthday this week it would make his day xxxxxxx

Hi Stonnie, we have an 8 month old Chocolate lab that we are working with a trainer. His methods use the martingale collar for basic leash obedience practices and recommends shock pads/slapper mouse pads for counter surfing and staying out of certain areas. One place we have not been able to get a good response on is how to stop our lab from jumping and putting his paws on our fence. If I am out there and see him do it I tell him no and direct him to a toy or another part of the yard. Any suggestions? And great videos by the way! I am hoping to mix in some of your training in the next process of our training platform. thanks!

My 11 month old yellow lab is the stubbornist I have ever had . Not my first first lab . Kicking my butt . I have worked 10x as hard to get 10% the results of my other labs .

The yellow lab stole my heart

Hey Stonnie I’ll wash your truck 😂 Thank you so much for all the great information !

4:20, Uncle Stonnie's AK with Magpul furniture.

*starts off topic conversation about the weather*

I would love if you did a diy video on how to make your dog walk and a-frame.

That Ridgeback is a funny one.