Dogs are irreplaceable companions and if you are lucky enough to own at least one dog in your life, you will discover all the joy it can bring to your life. There is nothing that warms my heart more than when my doggie greets me when I come home from work. Nevertheless, pups are a big responsibility and if you don’t train them they can develop habits that are not as cute as them.
Doggies can grow to be aggressive with people or other animals, they can jump on people or they can pull on the leash constantly when you take them out. These are only some of the behaviors that untrained dogs will display, and believe me I’ve experienced quite a few of them with my little ball of fur.
Stimulate your pup’s mind
Mental stimulation and brain training for dogs is very important for the pup to develop and meet its natural needs, as well as to decrease anxiety and stress.
Your doggie can get mental stimulation from various daily activities, games, and toys that you can buy or make. In this way you make your pup think and find solutions to a “problem”, and at the same time, you get to spend more time with your companion.
There are many methods and brain training techniques for dogs. In the content below you will find a few game suggestions and a quick review on the Brain Training for Dogs by Andrea Farricelli.
Few ideas for mental stimulation
Let your ball of fur become a detective by trying to find something that you have hidden. Start with something small, like its favorite toy, and then slowly progress to more difficult items. Dogs have a great sense of smell and love to search. Your pup can become smarter by playing this game.
Furthermore, try hiding your dog’s food. You can even do this somewhere outside. Let it run around and try to find its food instead of putting it in the bowl.
Another very popular game is “go fetch”. It might be difficult in the beginning to get your pup to run for a certain item and bring it back to you, so begin with throwing something that it likes, for example, its favorite toy.
In addition, hide and seek is an interesting game for both of you. I regularly play it with my ball of love. However, don’t hide too far and don’t hide somewhere difficult because it might lose interest to find you.
Further in the article, you can read about Brain Training for Dogs for more educational and amusing games that you can play with your furry friend.
What is Brain Training for Dogs?
The Brain Training for Dogs is a program that I wish I had bought when my pooch was younger. Especially because its force-free philosophy of training aligns with my beliefs. The program’s goal is to engage your pup mentally, which leads to revealing their unseen knowledge and correcting their disobedience.
It doesn’t contain techniques of harsh commands and punishment, which causes your pup to have low self-esteem, distrust, and makes learning more difficult. The program promotes training with a positive reinforcement approach that helps your pup become a problem solver, quick learner, and active participant.
Who is Adrienne Farricelli?
Before we continue with the review of the program, let’s answer the question about who Adrienne Farricelli is.
The author of Brain Training for Dogs is a professional CPDT-KA (Certified Pet Dog Trainer- Knowledge Assessed) certified dog trainer. Previously, she worked at an Animal Hospital as a veterinary hospital assistant, and at a Dog Shelter. In addition, she is a behavior consultant and her work has been recognized in a few notable publications.
Naturally, she owns several dogs from different breeds and she has used her methods to train the intellect of her pups.
Adrienne’s training method for dogs is force-free, based on science, and gentle.
In the materials, she shows how to train your pooch using rewards and positive reinforcement, and guess what? This will deepen the relationship between you and your pup, while at the same time you’ll succeed at efficiently training the ball of fur.
Adrienne Faricelli made sure that the program is suitable for little puppies, adults, and senior doggies.
However, keep in mind that the program will be physically and mentally challenging for you and your canine friend.
Adrienne invested a lot and spent ten years creating and perfecting the program Brain Training for Dogs, and we are going to write a little bit more about it below.
What does Brain Training for Dogs contain?
Adrienne covers every possible challenge you may encounter starting from jumping, chewing, digging, whining, and all the way to aggression, hyperactivity, impulse control, and much more.
There is a lot of content with images accompanied by explanations about the process. The reason for using images is to show how something needs to be performed. In the seven modules, through video demonstrations, Adrienne explains everything, step by step, using one of the dogs she owns.
In the program, there is a section for puppies which covers how the owners can start spending a little bit of time, every day, training to avoid difficulties when the puppy grows up. This section is very useful for people who want to prepare for owning a dog.
You would be surprised how many different techniques there are to train your pup according to age. It is especially important for the first eight to ten weeks (the fear period) because the puppy is growing and developing, and it is crucial to develop a bond with it.
The part on Behavioral Problems is very relevant because it centers on solutions to various behavioral problems that dog owners can experience with their doggies.
Each subsection of this category consists of an additional ten or more articles with pictures demonstrating a way to solve a particular problem you are facing. For example, the subsection on aggression contains around twenty articles that can help you understand your pup’s struggles, and perform the specific techniques you need.
In Adrienne’s huge archive you will find solutions to problems that she believes to be more common and they are very useful for every dog owner.
There are numerous case studies that you can read, and a forum where you can interact with other users and dog owners.
If you think that’s more than enough, you are in for a treat. There a few bonuses added to the package which will help you teach your dog some tricks like taking a bow, play dead, shake hands, and more.
And, Adrienne personally will be there to support you through your process.
How does the program work?
The program has 21 games and seven levels (modules), so three games per level. Each module corresponds to a school level, for example, it starts at Pre-school, and then gradually you move to Elementary School, High School, and so on, until your pup graduates and then it arrives at the final Einstein level.
To make things even more entertaining, at the end of each section there is a challenge for which your pooch can earn a grade from A to F. The aim is to boost your doggie’s mental competence and improve its confidence.
Is this your first time attempting to train your dog? That’s not a problem! Just start with the section on Obedience 101 instead of Pre-school level.
What will your dog learn during the Pre-school level? It will learn how to touch a previously selected object with its nose and paws, and it will learn how to stay focused on you by establishing eye contact.
Do you want to know what your dog will be able to do by the time it completes the Einstein level? It will learn how to play the piano, and even better, how to tidy the house.
Every game is explained step by step using pictures and video guides, and the content is very easy to follow.
If dogs have trouble learning some of the tricks, there is a troubleshooting part that suggests how to make the process simpler. Some doggies lose interest and focus quicker than others, so this helps to avoid getting them frustrated. The difficulty of each game can be increased when they start getting the idea.
Your dog mastered the advanced trick, now what? Now, it’s time for the exam. The exam is nothing more than the trick your pup has just learned to perform. You grade its performance based on different factors, like measuring how long it took for the pooch to complete the task.
Make sure to get toys and treats to reward the ball of fur for finishing the task. You will need a timer to measure the time, as well as some other tools, but try to improvise and use whatever you already have at home.
Is it worth it?
There are many books for training dogs that are very affordable. Many websites offer valuable dog training articles with monthly fees. And, to hire a dog trainer can cost from $30 to $50 per class, but private training sessions can be even more costly starting from $45 to $120 per hour.
Let’s see first what you are getting from the Brain Training for Dogs program before we decide whether it is worth it or not.
Taking into consideration that you have to train your pup yourself, the program is easy to follow with clear step by step directions. Also, because all doggies learn at a different pace, there are different levels and simpler tasks for those who learn slower.
If you take your dog to be trained by a professional trainer, one session will last an hour. Using this program will take you ten to fifteen minutes a day, which is not long and anyone can set aside that time for their little ball of love.
Another thing you need to consider is Adrienne’s methods. Do you agree with them? Personally, my beliefs align with Adrienne’s methods. They are based on science and they are positive, without using punishments and any harsh training.
In my opinion, this program is definitely worth its price. It costs $47 including the bonuses, you pay once and you have it for a lifetime, unlike paying monthly fees for certain websites.
It’s time for the PROS and CONS
I think by now you know all the positive sides of this program, but as we know nothing is perfect. Below you’ll find a shortlist of the pros and cons of the Brain Training for Dogs program.
Pros
- The most important for me – force-free training using positive reinforcement techniques;
- You get experienced author, someone who has put their words into action;
- Program with easy to follow video guides and illustrations;
- Addition of numerous bonuses and extras;
- Forum and Adrienne’s support;
- They offer 60 days money-back guarantee, so you get your money back in two months if you are not satisfied with the results.
Cons
- You get only PDF format of the book and videos, so no hard copy version;
- You need to be patient and invest your time if you want to see the amazing results in your doggie’s behavior;
- The sound of the videos could be a little bit better and clearer.
My final thoughts
Adrienne’s program is simple and easy to follow. If you don’t skip any steps and levels, you should see positive changes in your pup’s behavior and mental stimulation.
I personally like that the author focuses on the most common challenges we face with our canine friends.
By following this program you will deepen your relationship with the pooch, you will maximize its education and give it the ability to solve certain problems. All of that happens through games and fun interaction.
It will be demanding and it needs a lot of patience, dedication, and effort, but it will be entertaining as well. And the dog isn’t the only one who will benefit from this program. You will learn many things about your furry companion and it will help you understand it better.
Overall, you will get a treasure of knowledge for an acceptable price.