Recently I’ve been looking for ways to keep our Staffies mentally stimulated.
The trouble we have is that in the summer months, temperatures get so high that it’s actually dangerous to take our dogs out during the daytime – leaving us with just an early morning and a late night walk. That means the dogs can be pretty bored for over 12 hours during the day.
The second kicker was that Toffee (our Amstaff) had to have an operation on her leg. The vet said she needs to take it easy for at least six weeks. But if you know what Staffies are like, that’s essentially an impossible task.
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But that’s where the Brain Training for Dogs – a well-known online dog training program – came onto my radar. Could this be the best way to keep my dogs stimulated and prevent them from causing mischief?
Below I’m going to review my findings for this online dog training course and see whether I think it is worth it for Staffy owners.
What is Brain Training for Dogs?
Brain Training for Dogs is an online dog training program made up of 21 “games” for dogs to mentally stimulate them. The course features a vast amount of written content on how to complete the exercises, plus videos showing how each game works.
The concept of Brain Training for Dogs was developed by dog trainer Adrienne Farricelli, who calls it “developing your dog’s intelligence.” Still, it entails teaching your dog without using physical or verbal force by utilising games and puzzles.
Adrienne Farricelli is a professional CPDT-KA® Certified Pet Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed, which is a difficult accreditation to achieve. CCPDT qualifications require the recipients to continue their education, which means Adrienne consistently updates her knowledge of the latest dog training and behaviour modification methods.
Adrienne has been working with dogs for over 15 years (since 2006) and currently runs a cage-free boarding and training business.
Most dog training programmes, especially online training, don’t work because they don’t resolve the root cause of the dog’s problem.
However, the Brain Training for Dogs course stipulates that Adrienne Farricelli’s course does answer the questions regarding the root causes of behavioural issues.
Suppose you follow the course correctly, to the end. In that case, you will be the proud owner of a dog with none of the typical behavioural problems such as nuisance barking, digging, jumping up, chewing, aggression and a dog that happily listens to its owner. Farricelli claims that the dog will become the best pet, providing you train without force or aggression.
As well as the 21-game course,purchasers also get access to a private forum where they can communicate with other dog owners.
My favourite part of the course is after the initial training; you can freely check out any sections of the system that you find relevant to your dog as a Staffy owner.
What Does BrainTraining4Dogs Course Include?
This course was well-structured because it was broken into seven modules and presented similarly to a school. Videos and written directions make it simple to follow along with the steps before you.
We can also see the course required a lot of time and effort to put together because even though the activities were easy, they seemed to work as expected.
If you want a program that doesn’t presume you already know how to train your dog, this is the one. Taking all levels is optional; if your Staffy has already been through basic training, you can skip those modules.
7 Modules:
- Preschool
- Elementary
- High School
- College
- University
- Graduation
- Einstein
Brain Training Games for Staffies
In addition to the main modules there is still more included:
- Obedience 101: It teaches how to use food rewards constructively. There were also essential methods for basic obedience training.
- Polish your training: This one helps you get up to scratch with your training methods and teaches how to keep your dog’s attention with or without food rewards.
- Adrienne’s Archive: You’ll find a plethora of training articles written by Adrienne that are instructive in helping to train your dog.
- A private forum: If you’re having problems with the lessons, you can connect with other members.
One of the bonuses to the course is your access to nine training videos that teach your Staffy fun tricks.
Once you’ve taught your Staffy a few of these tricks, you’ll be ready to demonstrate your dog training abilities and the brilliant brain of a Staffy.
Tricks include:
- Take A Bow
- Shake Hands
- Speak
- Rollover
- Play dead
- Dance
- Howl
The Science
Adrienne’s approach to changing undesirable dog behaviour is grounded in precise science. You may be familiar with the concept of “neuroplasticity” in the human brain. Scientists have studied this widely accepted theory at prestigious institutions like Harvard.
Put another way; the human brain is like malleable plastic; it can change shape and form to accommodate new patterns of thought and action.
Well, a dog’s brain functions in the same way. The science tells us that your dog’s brain will be more susceptible to learning new knowledge after receiving the appropriate mental stimulation and training.
After following the course methods, you’ll have a more obedient and responsive pet. When this occurs, undesirable habits in your dog gradually disappear, and good ones emerge in their place.
The course teaches you:
- How to create a positive learning environment for you and your dog.
- The course teaches your dog problem-solving skills.
- You’ll develop a bond where you and your dog enjoy training sessions.
- Positive reinforcement training speeds up the learning process; your dog quickly understands a treat means doing something good.
Brain Training for Dogs Pros and Cons
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Positive Reinforcement Training | No iOS or Android app available |
| Instant access to the course | Videos can only be viewed on the website |
| Study only the sections relevant to your dog | Lots of reading material in the course |
| One-time fee | |
| Video demonstrations | |
| Step-by-step instructions | |
| Private forum | |
| Money back guarantee | |
| Adrienne Farricelli is a CPDT-KA certified dog trainer |
Brain Training for Dogs Course Price
You won’t have to spend a fortune on this course because it costs just $47, a small outlay compared to visits to a local dog trainer or behaviourist.
In addition, they provide a free supplementary course called “dog behaviour training,” which will teach you how to deal with the most typical issues dogs have with their behaviour.
There’s a full money-back guarantee if you buy the course but decide it’s not for you.
Is This Course Good for Staffies?
Brain Training For Dogs – Chewing Section
Brain Training for Dogs is beneficial for Staffies because there can be some behaviour problems that Staffy owners encounter when they bring home a puppy. Even older Staffies will benefit from the training in the course.
Every Staffy owner knows their dog has powerful jaws, and they love to use them to chew as much as possible. Chewing is acceptable; it helps a dog keep its teeth clean and relieves stress and boredom. But, we want the dog to chew what we give them, not household furnishings or personal property.
A typical Staffy behaviour problem, at least for the gardeners amongst us, is digging. Now, this behaviour is not bad behaviour as far as your Staffy is concerned because it’s a question of dog breed. Hundreds of years ago, when breeders set about creating the dog we now know as a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Old English Bulldogs and Terriers were the main two breeds.
That’s where the problem lies; terriers are notorious diggers. Many breeders specifically bred terriers to chase prey into their dens so they could dig them out for their handlers.
But this is a chapter Adrienne covers in depth. So if you’re having issues with your Staffy digging up your flowerbeds, then the course is worth the price for this chapter alone.
When you arrive home laden with a week’s shopping, the last thing you need is an exuberant Staffy jumping all over you. Yes, we all love our dogs to be pleased as punch when we get home, but in all honestly, sometimes this attention at the wrong time can be annoying.
But it can be a much more complicated issue if your Staffy is jumping on young children or fragile grandparents. Jumping is a behaviour issue that needs attention, and that’s not all; Staffies have been known to leap metres in the air and climb high fences.
If you’re having issues with your Staffy or they are a young puppy starting to exhibit jumping tendencies, then Brain Training for Dogs covers this behaviour comprehensively.
Is Brain Training for Dogs Course Worth It?
Brain Training for Dogs provides a lot of content for the price and breaks down the training into simple steps. It works wonderfully, but you must give yourself and Staffy time to do the exercises.
The course is of enormous value given how much instruction is provided, as well as activities and video guides.
The Brain Training for Dogs course is priced at around $57 USD (about £47). It’s not the cheapest, but it’ll save you a fortune compared to hiring your own dog trainer.
