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Know the dog before you buy the week.
Original breed notes from Andrew Darov, a professional dog trainer. Search the library, then raise the puppy in front of you — crate, night, toilet, mouth.
Popular breeds
Sporting
Labrador Retriever A retrieving athlete who lives in your kitchen and will invent a job if you do not assign one.
Sporting
Golden Retriever A fetching, people-facing sporting dog whose gold coat does not lower the daily mileage.
Herding
German Shepherd Dog A handler-focused working dog that will patrol your Tuesday if you do not give it a clearer job.
Non-Sporting
French Bulldog A compact companion with a clown reputation and a respiratory system you do not get to ignore.
Non-Sporting
Poodle A water-retrieving athlete that people mistake for a decoration once the coat is clipped.
Herding
Border Collie A herding specialist that will assign itself the children, the traffic, and your left elbow if you do not give it a real job.
Toy
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel A toy spaniel that wants your sofa and still has a nose that will follow a crumb into the garden.
Hound
Beagle A pack hound whose nose will cancel your recall unless you pay better than the pavement.Expert advice
Puppy · 16 min
How to crate train a puppy without turning the crate into a cell Sizing, an open-door introduction, and the line between a protest and a panic. Nights are a different protocol.
Puppy · 15 min
Crate training a puppy at night: nights 1–7 without ignoring every sound A different protocol from daytime crate work. Ignore-versus-not, and what to actually do on nights one through seven.
Puppy · 15 min
Potty training a puppy in a US yard or a UK flat One learning rule, two architectures. Outdoor grass in the US, pad or balcony tray in a UK flat, then the garden when you have one.
Puppy · 14 min
Puppy biting and nipping: an inhibition ladder that is not an aggression story A ladder for play mouths, a fence for real aggression, and no fake triage URL. Overtired puppies look “nasty.” They are often just late for a nap.
Training · 14 min
Classical vs operant conditioning in dog training Classical pairs events. Operant changes what the dog does next. “Balanced” is a tool list, not a third law. Run one loop you can name.
Training · 13 min
Markers and criteria in dog training A marker names the exact second. Rate of reinforcement is how often the dog wins. Raise criteria only when the current picture is cheap.
Nutrition · 13 min
Food as a reinforcer: meal, training pay, and the ration The day’s food is one pie. Training pay is a slice, not a second bakery. If food stops working, change the picture or the piece. Do not invent a lazy dog.
Nutrition · 12 min
Body condition and rations as a trainer sees them BCS is a hands-on scale, not a vibe. Feed a complete-and-balanced food your veterinarian accepts, then watch the waist. This page will not name a brand.
Health · 12 min
When to call the vet: stop-training red flags If the body is the loudest fact in the room, stop the session and call a veterinarian. This page is a stop list. It is not a clinic and not a dose chart.
Health · 13 min
How a trainer and a veterinarian share a case The veterinarian owns the medical question. The trainer owns the learning question. Pain is not dominance. A seminar is not a veterinary licence. Behavior · 13 min
Stop a dog jumping up without turning greetings into a fight Four paws on the floor is the criterion. The door is a management problem before it is a manners speech. Reactivity · 13 min
On-leash threshold: train at a distance the dog can still eat If the dog cannot eat, you are too close. Threshold is a working distance, not a moral test. Skills · 13 min
A recall ladder you can actually run Name the criterion: turn, travel, arrive, get paid. Raise distance and distraction only when the current rung is cheap. Expert Advice · 13 min
Children, guests, and dogs: management before manners Management first: a rest place, a gate, a briefing. Greetings are trained after the room is safe, not instead of safety. Gear · 12 min
Harness and lead as tools, not trophies Fit, a length you can actually handle, and a job for the tool. The walk is still a skill. The slot for a sponsored link stays empty. Puppy · 13 min
First night home with a puppy: empty, crate, sleep Bring the puppy home, empty the bladder, park the crate beside the bed. Nights 1–7 live on the night crate page. Puppy · 12 min
How long can a puppy stay in a crate Age and interval, not a second crate encyclopedia. Introduction lives on the crate page. Nights live on the night page. Skills · 14 min
Loose-leash walking as a skill, not a gear problem Slack lead is the criterion. The harness page stays the tool. Threshold stays a distance problem. Expert Advice · 13 min
First absences: leaving a puppy without a diagnosis Short exits you can return from. Not a clinic label. Crate as rest only if the crate already pays. Behavior · 14 min
Barking at the door: stop the rehearsal, not the dog in five minutes Barrier barking is a setup problem first. The door is managed. The view is managed. Then you pay a quieter job. Skills · 13 min
Leave-it as a ladder: food on the floor and guests with snacks A ladder, not a shouted no. Food and guests. The ration page stays the pay. Children stay managed. Puppy · 15 min
An 8-to-16-week puppy day: sleep, toilet, crate A working map of sleep, toilet, and crate. Not a scrapbook. Link out to the protocols that already own the details. Behavior · 14 min
Resource guarding: when this is a pro case, not a home course A stop list. Guard the people. Do not take the bowl as a rank test. Get eyes on the dog.
Byline
Andrew Darov
Andrew Darov is a professional dog trainer from Russia. He runs a boarding and holding business and takes dogs in for a month-plus residential correction, then publishes that method in these articles. He leads seminars and teaches other trainers and veterinarians. He writes this English site for owners in the US, the UK, and the EU. He is not a veterinarian. There are no invented reviews on this site.
Every page on Dogmindlab carries this byline. Read the veterinary disclaimer and the editorial policy before you treat a protocol as a diagnosis.
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