Training Methods













































Little Angels Dog Training is owned and operated by San Diego
Dog Trainer Katie Harlow, and does not employ student trainers.  
Katie has been serving San Diego County through dog training
for the past ten years, concentrating in advanced obedience, as
well as Service/Assistance Dogs, Mobility Assist Dogs, Hearing
Dogs, Seizure/Medical Alert Dogs, and Psychiatric Service Dogs.
She is Certified in dog training, fully insured, and a member of
APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers). Katie is also a certified
AKC (American Kennel Club) Evaluator for the CGC (Canine Good
Citizen) certification.

It is her firm belief that training should be a dog-friendly
experience. She uses positive motivation at every opportunity.
Training should be fun for trainer, owner and dog. If one becomes
frustrated then the training session should stop. Firm, but gentle
reinforcement is added only when the dog understands what
behavior is wanted, but chooses not to follow through. This
creates a dog who responds consistently to commands in all
situations. When you call your dog, he should come to you with
tail and head held high, happy to be by your side – not slinking
towards you with his tail between his legs.

Some trainers would like to command a dog with treats and praise
alone – but this creates a dog who will respond only if the treat or
praise is more positive than anything else that he would rather be
doing. For example, if you asked your dog to “sit” and “stay” at
the park, he may respond well just to get the praise you have to
offer him – but if he likes chasing cats, and one just happens to
run across the street, he is faced with an immediate decision. Your
dog is thinking, “Which is better – chasing that cat all over town
with my tongue lolling out the side of my mouth and having the
time of my life . . . or getting a taste of that treat in my master’s
hand?” For most dogs it would be chasing the cat. He then
breaks away from you and darts across the street after the cat –
where he has a high chance of getting hit by a car. . . . But if he
had been through training that involved positive as well as
negative reinforcement, he has two reasons to do what you tell
him, and a negative and a positive usually outweigh the positive
alone.

Dogs come from a social structure with a strong hierarchy. It
would be unnatural for your dog to view life neutrally, without care
of who is the alpha – who is to be dominant or submissive. If you
do not take the lead, and become the alpha of your “pack”, your
dog will either be insecure, or take that position himself. The latter
can turn into a potentially dangerous situation.

With Little Angels, all commands are initially taught with positive
motivation only. The dog is lured into certain positions, such as
“sit” or “settle”, then is rewarded with either treats, a favorite toy,
or verbal and physical praise. Only once your dog responds
consistently to the positive, but chooses not to act, is the
correction added.

Determining what level of negative reinforcement your dog needs
is a very delicate task and should be approached with care. Some
dogs will submit to your authority with just a simple “no” in a firm
and low voice – but with most dogs a gentle tug on the leash is all
that is needed.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of trainers out there who prefer to get
the “job done quickly” and are too hard on the dog. This creates
an animal who responds out of fear, rather than one who is well-
rounded with both positive motivation and low-level negative
reinforcement.

Extreme training techniques should be reserved for extreme, life-
threatening behavior problems, such as aggression, or car
chasing. If you believe that a trainer has been too hard on your
dog – please don’t look the other way – act! Ask the trainer why
they are using the aggressive techniques, and if it doesn’t seem
right to you, then act on your instincts and seek out another
trainer.

Please call us at #619-334-3007 to schedule an initial consultation.
Or email;
littleangelsdogtraining@yahoo.com
Training Methods
Online Lessons
Aslan is learning to retrieve with
a consistent recall. Teaching a
dog to play fetch is a great form
of exercise.
Cocoa is learning to stay in a toy
tractor. A dog's response to
commands should be consitent no
matter what the situation.
Here is a picture of Jet meeting
our friendly sheep. Dog's should
be introduced to as many  
situations as possible.
Little Bella is learning to share her
bed with five-year-old Elijah.
Positive socialization with children
is an important aspect of training.
Step #1
Once dog is trained in an
advanced 'Down Stay', cats are
introduced at a distance.
Step #3
Both cats and dog learn to
interact in a positive, gentle
manner.
Timber is a breed who naturally has a very high prey drive - which can be a
danger to cats, other small animals, and even young children. When he came
in for training he had a problem with cat chasing - but now that he is trained
he does well even if they are running past him.
It is important to properly socialize dogs in a safe, controlled environment -
while at the same time teaching self-control with a reliable stay and recall.
Step #2
Dog's stay is reinforced and cats
feel comfortable enough to
approach.
The following steps were taken by a professional trainer, with a dog that had already
been through rigorous obedience training. Do not attempt cat socialization with a dog
who demonstrates questionable behavior without the help of a professional trainer.