Dog Works Radio® | Dog Training, Puppy Training, Dog Behavior & Service Dogs

You know something needs to change with your dog. Maybe walks have become a wrestling match, guests get jumped on at the door, or your dog knows "come" until something more interesting appears. But what actually happens when you contact a professional dog trainer?
In this episode of Dog Works Radio, Michele Forto explains what a strategy call with Alaska Dog Works is and, just as importantly, what it isn't. A strategy call isn't a sales pitch or a free training lesson. It's a focused conversation about what is happening with your dog right now, what your family wants to change, and what needs to happen next. 
Michele also explains why everyone involved in the training decision should be part of the conversation. When one person wants change but another hasn't heard the same information, training can stall before it even begins. The goal is to get the household working from the same plan and move from talking about the problem to actually addressing it. 
If you've been wondering whether it's time to talk with a professional dog trainer, this episode will help you understand what to expect before scheduling that first call.
What is a strategy call?
Other Episodes You Will Love
·     How to Get the Best Results out of Dog Training 
Support the Show
This episode was recorded on the Shure SM7B and a Rodecaster Pro II
Like this episode? Share it with your dog training friends!
Love this episode? Say thanks in true dog training podcasting style by leaving a review.
FREE! Grab our 7-Day Real-World Dog Training Plan
Take our Understanding Drive Behaviors quiz to see exactly what drive your dog is in and how to begin to train for it.
Join the On-Air Dog Training Coaching waitlist for a chance to be coached on the air by Dr. Robert or Michele Forto and get your dog training questions answered in real time.
Sign up now for 20% off our Group Coaching Program and learn how to build the best relationship possible for your dog.
Take your dog training to the next level by enrolling in our Peak Performance membership.
Follow Dog Works Radio for more dog training tips: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn
 
©2009-2026 by Dog Works Training Company® All Rights Reserved.

What do you do with a dog that seems completely untrainable? You give a command and get nothing. You offer treats, and the dog does not care. Toys do not work. Praise does not work. Eventually, you start wondering whether the dog simply cannot be trained.
In this episode of Dog Works Radio, Nicole Forto challenges that assumption. Some dogs are confused or distracted. Others have learned that if they ignore their owner long enough, the owner eventually gives up. And then there are genuinely difficult dogs that are highly independent, defensive, reactive, or willing to make their own decisions. 
The conversation becomes even more important when those decisions create a safety problem. If a dog has a history of biting people or other dogs, owners cannot simply continue allowing unrestricted interactions and hope the next encounter goes better. Management, boundaries, and controlled access become part of responsible training. 
Nicole also explores what happens when food is not motivating. Treats, toys, and praise can all be useful training tools, but they are not the only things a dog values. Movement, sniffing, freedom, exploring, interaction, and access to the environment can become meaningful parts of training.
Other Episodes You Will Love
·     How to Get the Best Results out of Dog Training 
Support the Show
This episode was recorded on the Shure SM7B and a Rodecaster Pro II
Like this episode? Share it with your dog training friends!
Love this episode? Say thanks in true dog training podcasting style by leaving a review.
FREE! Grab our 7-Day Real-World Dog Training Plan
Take our Understanding Drive Behaviors quiz to see exactly what drive your dog is in and how to begin to train for it.
Join the On-Air Dog Training Coaching waitlist for a chance to be coached on the air by Dr. Robert or Michele Forto and get your dog training questions answered in real time.
Sign up now for 20% off our Group Coaching Program and learn how to build the best relationship possible for your dog.
Take your dog training to the next level by enrolling in our Peak Performance membership.
Follow Dog Works Radio for more dog training tips: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn
 
©2009-2026 by Dog Works Training Company® All Rights Reserved.

If the person whose name is on the van disappeared for thirty days, what would actually break at your shop?
Not the website. The eval. The hard dog. The refund. Saturday.
Michele Forto is solo on this episode of Dog Works Radio. She talks to owners of family-run dog training businesses in rural and mid-size markets, private lessons, group class, board-and-train, service and therapy work, where family is on the books and the founder is still the bottleneck.
Get the handout at https://dogworksradio.com/handoff
In this episode
Why a thin local list is not the real ceiling
Drive time, seasons, and word of mouth as operating rules
The four stalls: eval, hard case, refund, Saturday exception
Family system vs. training floor in the same building
Criteria, consequences, consistency—for the dog and the next trainer
The one page to write if someone left for four days
Free worksheet
The 30-Day Handoff (two pages): dogworksradio.com/handoff
Connect
Podcast: https://dogworksradio.com
Training: https://alaskadogworks.com
Worksheet: https://dogworksradio.com/handoff
Other Episodes You Will Love
·     How to Get the Best Results out of Dog Training 
Support the Show
This episode was recorded on the Shure SM7B and a Rodecaster Pro II
Like this episode? Share it with your dog training friends!
Love this episode? Say thanks in true dog training podcasting style by leaving a review.
FREE! Grab our 7-Day Real-World Dog Training Plan
Take our Understanding Drive Behaviors quiz to see exactly what drive your dog is in and how to begin to train for it.
Join the On-Air Dog Training Coaching waitlist for a chance to be coached on the air by Dr. Robert or Michele Forto and get your dog training questions answered in real time.
Sign up now for 20% off our Group Coaching Program and learn how to build the best relationship possible for your dog.
Take your dog training to the next level by enrolling in our Peak Performance membership.
Follow Dog Works Radio for more dog training tips: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn
 
©2009-2026 by Dog Works Training Company® All Rights Reserved.

What happens when decades of law enforcement experience, a career working with police K9s, and an interest in officer wellness come together?
On this episode of Dog Works Radio, Robert Forto talks with Dr. Coby Webb, a retired captain with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department who spent much of her 28-and-a-half-year law enforcement career working with dogs. Her experience included patrol dogs, bloodhounds, detection dogs, and supervising a canine unit that included 26 dogs.
Coby shares what life is really like as a police K9 handler, how different breeds are selected for different jobs, and why the relationship between a handler and working dog extends far beyond a normal shift. She also tells the story of launching a bloodhound program and explains why training dogs in the environments where they will actually work matters.
The conversation then turns to her work with Guide Dogs of the Desert and an unexpected idea that began when a dog trained for guide work simply did not enjoy being a guide dog. Coby brought the dog into her workplace as a pilot program and discovered how much of an effect he had on employees dealing with demanding, stressful work. That idea grew, and Coby says she has now placed more than 70 dogs across the United States.
Robert and Coby also discuss her work imprinting dogs on the odor associated with cortisol so they can gravitate toward people experiencing stress without performing a conspicuous formal alert. The goal is to give the handler a chance to start a conversation while keeping the dog engaged with the person.
Other Episodes You Will Love
·     How to Get the Best Results out of Dog Training 
Support the Show
This episode was recorded on the Shure SM7B and a Rodecaster Pro II
Like this episode? Share it with your dog training friends!
Love this episode? Say thanks in true dog training podcasting style by leaving a review.
FREE! Grab our 7-Day Real-World Dog Training Plan
Take our Understanding Drive Behaviors quiz to see exactly what drive your dog is in and how to begin to train for it.
Join the On-Air Dog Training Coaching waitlist for a chance to be coached on the air by Dr. Robert or Michele Forto and get your dog training questions answered in real time.
Sign up now for 20% off our Group Coaching Program and learn how to build the best relationship possible for your dog.
Take your dog training to the next level by enrolling in our Peak Performance membership.
Follow Dog Works Radio for more dog training tips: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn
 
©2009-2026 by Dog Works Training Company® All Rights Reserved.

Your dog sits perfectly in class, walks nicely when the trainer is nearby, and seems to know exactly what you want. Then you get home and everything falls apart. That does not necessarily mean your dog forgot the training. It may mean the training was never built to survive real life.
In this episode of Dog Works Radio, Michele Forto from Alaska Dog Works explains why dogs often learn the environment surrounding a behavior instead of developing a skill they can perform anywhere. Sitting quietly inside a training facility is very different from responding when a runner appears on a trail, a visitor knocks at the door, or a moose catches your dog's attention.
Michele also explains why training the owner matters just as much as training the dog. At Alaska Dog Works, the goal is not a dog that performs beautifully for an hour in class. It is a dog and owner who can take those skills into walks, doorways, trails, public spaces, winter conditions, and everyday Alaska life.
Other Episodes You Will Love
·     How to Get the Best Results out of Dog Training 
Support the Show
This episode was recorded on the Shure SM7B and a Rodecaster Pro II
Like this episode? Share it with your dog training friends!
Love this episode? Say thanks in true dog training podcasting style by leaving a review.
FREE! Grab our 7-Day Real-World Dog Training Plan
Take our Understanding Drive Behaviors quiz to see exactly what drive your dog is in and how to begin to train for it.
Join the On-Air Dog Training Coaching waitlist for a chance to be coached on the air by Dr. Robert or Michele Forto and get your dog training questions answered in real time.
Sign up now for 20% off our Group Coaching Program and learn how to build the best relationship possible for your dog.
Take your dog training to the next level by enrolling in our Peak Performance membership.
Follow Dog Works Radio for more dog training tips: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn
 
©2009-2026 by Dog Works Training Company® All Rights Reserved.