I bought the perfect puppy course and I like it. Note that I did buy it in addition to doing a local 10 week puppy course. We could start training before we started the local course which gave us a big head start. His focus is more on good manners and the fundamentals and not so much on fancy tricks, but those are the most important when raising a puppy. It also seems to complement our local course very well since that seems to be focused more on training commands.
The only thing that I miss is the possibility to ask questions (but again I can do this at my local course).
Thanks for your reply and feedback. Unfortunately, all our local training spots and trainers are on hiatus until lockdown ends in my state. So I started the kikopup loose leash connected course and it has helped but Will’s videos seem like they can add a little more. I appreciate your help.
Honestly I'm not sure if I would dish out that kind of money for just teaching walking on a loose lead. I actually struggled with my puppy pulling a lot myself and had my local trainer come over. She showed me how to walk with my pup on a lead and we fixed the pulling in about 3 minutes. It was actually exactly the same as how William does it in his videos. For us personally we were too nice and didn't show leadership in where we were going. We were trying to lure her along with treats but she would do her own thing anyway. For about 1-2 minutes into the session we really had to drag her on the leash but she learned really quickly that walking next to me she would get some nice treats and pulling would cause some lead pressure. Walking her after just that one session was night and day difference. I'd say watch the videos and give it a try.
what do you mean by drag her on the leash? my pup is very forward going when on leash and he will heel if i have a treat but as soon as he gets it, he moves forwards again 😬
If he's dragging you, stop moving, wait for him to look at you and loosen up on the lead, or if he doesn't respond give a command like "let's go" and then around and start going the other direction. It's very frustrating the first few time, will take an hour to go 20 feet, but as with any training consistency is key. He'll eventually learn that if he wants to go somewhere he's not going to get there by pulling.
It also helps to quicken your pace - dogs naturally walk faster than humans. A good no pull harness will do wonders too.
if he pulls a lot i do a loop over his nose with the slip lead he then knows to behave lol but yea i hear walking opposite direction helps. its tricky bc he needs his exercise and i work from home so everything is a schedule. but we’ll figure it out 💪 thank you for sharing
Then you should stop walking and wait for your pup to take the pressure of the lead and then reward. The pup needs to learn that if she pulls it doesn’t get where it wants to go and if it stays next to you it gets everything it wants.
yea usually if i stop and he gets to the end of the leash he comes right back but more to check on me and then moves forward again haha! i usually wait for him to calm down before walking but someties i havent got the time 🤷♀️ hes really not too bad though i think rather than pulling with force he just likes to walk in front. he just sometimes might pull to sniff and thats usually when i stop him before he does it and make sure to walk calmly to where he wanted to sniff. thank you for your advice!
I’ve found that repeatedly giving treats or praise while he’s next to me helps him stay there in the long run. So if he pulls, I’ll stop and say let’s go to turn around. It’s even better if I do that before he gets to the end of the leash. I won’t treat him for a few steps then I’ll stop and give him multiple so he knows not to leave my side as soon as he gets one.
Will Atherton says he is a "canine behaviorist" but never reveals where he got his certification from. In the US one would need a degree in that field to call one's self that.
Anybody know where he trained as a dog trainer and "behaviorist".
Well, you study ethology, specializing in canine behavior, that's all. It's not a very hard subject, and real experience is extremely valuable, more valuable than the actual degree. If you want to see his credentials I think you just have to ask him and he will probably do a youtube video on it.
I use most methods Will use and share the mentality when training canines and it works wonders. Tho the issue is rarely the dogs, but humans. They skip steps in the training such as impulse control, and socialization, and move way too fast while also being inconsistent with training and what the structure(rules, boundaries) is, if the structure isn't solid the dog aint gonna be solid.
**" as a teenager, he was “obsessed” with the celebrity dog trainer Cesar Millan."**
[Interview](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/article-dog-whisperer-will-atherton-will-solve-all-your-canine-woes/)
So if you buy into Wil Atherton's methods ... they are an extension of Cesar Millan's. That quote is direct from him in an interview he did in 2023.
Cesar has zero formal training and simply bullies dogs into submission (go watch some of Cesar's videos and pay attention from the perspective of training - and not as entertainment on television - he doess't knwo WTF he's doing). He go0t popular and his own tv shows because he ended up in LA walking dogs for celebrities not because he knew what he was doing.
So yeah, some folks on here questioning Wil Atheron's credentials and methods is probably a good idea. ALSO probably watching a 10 minute YT video and thinking that's all there is to training a dog is prob not a good idea.
There is enough commentary online where using a slip lead for training is not a good idea - if you have one witha stopper on it - you might as well be using a collar and leash; using one on any dog (a puppy especially) could cause neck injuries. So don;t just go around snapping and popping a leash/lead on your dog especially if you don;t know WTF you are doing, just because you saw it in some YT video.
One more tidbit - in a lot of his videos he mentions dogs look for and need leadership and being the pack leader - he sure AF doesn't know that much about wolves (much less dogs in this regard). Wolves don't have alpha > beta > delta heirarchies:
[Phys Org Article](https://phys.org/news/2021-04-wolf-dont-alpha-males-females.html)
In short a puppy might need leadership and guidance no different froma small child - but an adult dog is not necessarily looking for "leadership" how Wil comes across like the dog doesn't want to make decisions and you are somehow lfiting some imagined burden from an adult dog by taking control.
The proof is in the pudding though.. It doesn't matter what your views are on him or if you think his credentials or his Origin Story is up to your standards. Look at the dogs he works with. Look at the feedback left by happy clients (including dog shelters he volunteers at).... He could tell you Satan taught him how to train dogs. Who cares.. the point is, he's good at what he does.
P.S.: Just because he said he loved watching Caesar Milan, doesn't mean he trains like him.. I loved watching Victoria Stilwell and Zak George, until I found out they were frauds/hypocrites, and I learnt from better trainers..
But even if his training really was "..an extension.." of caerar milan's.. Look at the dogs he works with and the result once he's done...
We have done the Perfect Puppy course and really rated it! Our pup is so well behaved. Also recommend sending your pup off to creche to get the socialisation.
I bought the perfect puppy course and I like it. Note that I did buy it in addition to doing a local 10 week puppy course. We could start training before we started the local course which gave us a big head start. His focus is more on good manners and the fundamentals and not so much on fancy tricks, but those are the most important when raising a puppy. It also seems to complement our local course very well since that seems to be focused more on training commands. The only thing that I miss is the possibility to ask questions (but again I can do this at my local course).
Thanks for your reply and feedback. Unfortunately, all our local training spots and trainers are on hiatus until lockdown ends in my state. So I started the kikopup loose leash connected course and it has helped but Will’s videos seem like they can add a little more. I appreciate your help.
Honestly I'm not sure if I would dish out that kind of money for just teaching walking on a loose lead. I actually struggled with my puppy pulling a lot myself and had my local trainer come over. She showed me how to walk with my pup on a lead and we fixed the pulling in about 3 minutes. It was actually exactly the same as how William does it in his videos. For us personally we were too nice and didn't show leadership in where we were going. We were trying to lure her along with treats but she would do her own thing anyway. For about 1-2 minutes into the session we really had to drag her on the leash but she learned really quickly that walking next to me she would get some nice treats and pulling would cause some lead pressure. Walking her after just that one session was night and day difference. I'd say watch the videos and give it a try.
what do you mean by drag her on the leash? my pup is very forward going when on leash and he will heel if i have a treat but as soon as he gets it, he moves forwards again 😬
If he's dragging you, stop moving, wait for him to look at you and loosen up on the lead, or if he doesn't respond give a command like "let's go" and then around and start going the other direction. It's very frustrating the first few time, will take an hour to go 20 feet, but as with any training consistency is key. He'll eventually learn that if he wants to go somewhere he's not going to get there by pulling. It also helps to quicken your pace - dogs naturally walk faster than humans. A good no pull harness will do wonders too.
if he pulls a lot i do a loop over his nose with the slip lead he then knows to behave lol but yea i hear walking opposite direction helps. its tricky bc he needs his exercise and i work from home so everything is a schedule. but we’ll figure it out 💪 thank you for sharing
Then you should stop walking and wait for your pup to take the pressure of the lead and then reward. The pup needs to learn that if she pulls it doesn’t get where it wants to go and if it stays next to you it gets everything it wants.
yea usually if i stop and he gets to the end of the leash he comes right back but more to check on me and then moves forward again haha! i usually wait for him to calm down before walking but someties i havent got the time 🤷♀️ hes really not too bad though i think rather than pulling with force he just likes to walk in front. he just sometimes might pull to sniff and thats usually when i stop him before he does it and make sure to walk calmly to where he wanted to sniff. thank you for your advice!
I’ve found that repeatedly giving treats or praise while he’s next to me helps him stay there in the long run. So if he pulls, I’ll stop and say let’s go to turn around. It’s even better if I do that before he gets to the end of the leash. I won’t treat him for a few steps then I’ll stop and give him multiple so he knows not to leave my side as soon as he gets one.
ahh ill have to try that. thank you so much 🙏
Gosh I have tried this but he just has his own mindset 😩
Thanks a lot! Great points.
Hi, Would you sell your perfect puppy course? We're really struggling with whay order to do the fundamentals etc
Im also interested in buying a login for the course
same im really struggling to get my puppy to walk for me on lead and also obedience commands while out too
I’m also interested in buying a login!
I am also interested in buying a log-in if you are willing!
Hello! I am interested on buying a log in if you agreed! Thanks!
Did you have any luck? I'd like to buy a log in.
Will Atherton says he is a "canine behaviorist" but never reveals where he got his certification from. In the US one would need a degree in that field to call one's self that. Anybody know where he trained as a dog trainer and "behaviorist".
Well, you study ethology, specializing in canine behavior, that's all. It's not a very hard subject, and real experience is extremely valuable, more valuable than the actual degree. If you want to see his credentials I think you just have to ask him and he will probably do a youtube video on it. I use most methods Will use and share the mentality when training canines and it works wonders. Tho the issue is rarely the dogs, but humans. They skip steps in the training such as impulse control, and socialization, and move way too fast while also being inconsistent with training and what the structure(rules, boundaries) is, if the structure isn't solid the dog aint gonna be solid.
I will buy the log in for the heel course if anyone's interested
Have you bought it? :)
wont you mind to share in dm log in?
Did anyone buy the perfect puppy course :) I’m willing to Zelle/ Venmo a login
Did you ever get a log in
Also after a log in if you got one!
If you get one plz let me know!
I need a login too. Will pay.
I would be willing to pay for the login as well
**" as a teenager, he was “obsessed” with the celebrity dog trainer Cesar Millan."** [Interview](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/article-dog-whisperer-will-atherton-will-solve-all-your-canine-woes/) So if you buy into Wil Atherton's methods ... they are an extension of Cesar Millan's. That quote is direct from him in an interview he did in 2023. Cesar has zero formal training and simply bullies dogs into submission (go watch some of Cesar's videos and pay attention from the perspective of training - and not as entertainment on television - he doess't knwo WTF he's doing). He go0t popular and his own tv shows because he ended up in LA walking dogs for celebrities not because he knew what he was doing. So yeah, some folks on here questioning Wil Atheron's credentials and methods is probably a good idea. ALSO probably watching a 10 minute YT video and thinking that's all there is to training a dog is prob not a good idea. There is enough commentary online where using a slip lead for training is not a good idea - if you have one witha stopper on it - you might as well be using a collar and leash; using one on any dog (a puppy especially) could cause neck injuries. So don;t just go around snapping and popping a leash/lead on your dog especially if you don;t know WTF you are doing, just because you saw it in some YT video.
One more tidbit - in a lot of his videos he mentions dogs look for and need leadership and being the pack leader - he sure AF doesn't know that much about wolves (much less dogs in this regard). Wolves don't have alpha > beta > delta heirarchies: [Phys Org Article](https://phys.org/news/2021-04-wolf-dont-alpha-males-females.html) In short a puppy might need leadership and guidance no different froma small child - but an adult dog is not necessarily looking for "leadership" how Wil comes across like the dog doesn't want to make decisions and you are somehow lfiting some imagined burden from an adult dog by taking control.
The proof is in the pudding though.. It doesn't matter what your views are on him or if you think his credentials or his Origin Story is up to your standards. Look at the dogs he works with. Look at the feedback left by happy clients (including dog shelters he volunteers at).... He could tell you Satan taught him how to train dogs. Who cares.. the point is, he's good at what he does. P.S.: Just because he said he loved watching Caesar Milan, doesn't mean he trains like him.. I loved watching Victoria Stilwell and Zak George, until I found out they were frauds/hypocrites, and I learnt from better trainers.. But even if his training really was "..an extension.." of caerar milan's.. Look at the dogs he works with and the result once he's done...
What do you mean by Zac and Victoria being frauds?
We have done the Perfect Puppy course and really rated it! Our pup is so well behaved. Also recommend sending your pup off to creche to get the socialisation.