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2 hours, 7 minutes
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2 hours, 7 minutes
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Add notes at specific timestamps to review important topics
Online Course
56 videos (127 minutes)
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Description
Reviews (32)

Key Features

  • 127 minutes; released 2013
  • Instructor: Michael Ellis
  • Dog ages and skills: All
  • Topics covered: Value and fading food rewards, deliverance, luring and marker system review
  • Also available as a self-study online course! CLICK HERE to sign up!

Product Description

Throughout the course of this DVD, Michael Ellis covers the basis of food rewards as a motivational training method. This video is applicable to any dog type and age, and highlights important engagement techniques including a brief review of the marker system in regards to training behaviors, as well as the luring technique.

Note: There are no uses of physical corrections in this DVD.

Ellis approaches the power of training with food as a game between trainer and dog. The relationship should be fun, motivating and engaging.

Why should you begin with food rewards over toy rewards?

There are two reasons for which you should start training with food:

  1. Puppies have a stronger food drive than toy drive. Using food allows trainers to jackpot food rewards (give multiple rewards).
  2. Ellis will also discuss the deliverance (injury prevention) and value of a food reward, as well as fading food rewards.

The goal of this video is to increase your dog’s engagement. With these skills, you can ensure your dog wants to be with you and what you have to give. This process allows you to hold your dog’s focus, and eliminate problems with external distractions.

Next in the series

If you have completed the lessons in this dvd and would like to move on to the next stage, check out The Power of Playing Tug with Your Dog DVD.

Update

This dvd was updated in 2013 with brand new HD footage and a new instructional outline.

Topics Include:

  • Marker Training
  • Food vs Toy Rewards & Why
  • Choosing the Right Food
  • Luring
  • Spatial Pressure
  • Shaping Behaviors
  • Putting Behaviors on Cue
  • Reinforcement Schedules

What's the difference between this course, the DVD, and the stream?

DVD: 2 hours, 7 minutes (physical copy only)

Stream: 2 hours, 7 minutes, lifetime access, stream from anywhere

Online Course: 57 videos (125 minutes), text content, discussion board, lifetime access, stream from anywhere

5 stars
Based on 32 reviews
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4 stars
Verified Purchase
November 15, 2016
Very thorough DVD Loaded with lots of useful informations and tips on this topic.
Michael has lots of experience in dog training and is also very good in sharing his knowledge.
I found this DVD very useful , but bit pricey.
4 stars
Verified Purchase
August 30, 2016
This video opened all the doors for me. Using Michael's system, I have developed a great relationship with my pup and have had great results. I CANNOT RECOMMEND IT ENOUGH. If you are new to training or want a fresh look at an old subject, this is THE place to start.
4 stars
Verified Purchase
August 25, 2016
I really enjoyed this DVD. I've done some training with this this type of method before, but Michael's explanation really expanded on my knowledge. I'm dabbing into actual competition training (previous it was just family pet dogs) so his advise, guidance, and reasoning makes this DVD a must purchase for first time owners (especially first time owners looking to get into some type of competition, IPO/Ring Sports/etc). Additionally, I'm sure veteran trainers will get something out of this video as well. (careful though, these video's are highly addictive and you will find yourself wanting all of them!!)

Thanks Leerburg and Michael for putting this together, I look forward to actually applying what I've learned in this video with my new dog coming in September!
4 stars
August 25, 2015
This is an very helpful and interesting video for owners of dogs who are good heaters. However, I purchased it hoping there might be some information as to how to work with a puppy or dog who is not food motivated. There is not addressed and I feel it should be. I wrote to Leerburg asking about this particular problem I got ZERO response. I was very disappointed.
Eve
4 stars
July 12, 2015
Amazing video!!! Lots of Terminolygy that was highly educational. The demos were great and informative
4 stars
July 07, 2015
This video is awesome! It was so helpful to see others working their dogs at different stages of training. Michael's calmness with the trainers was very reassuring. I saw where I needed improvement and how to advance with my training. It is great to have the video to go back to over and over.
Thanks
Barb
4 stars
July 01, 2015
This DVD is remarkable. I started using markers since 2005 to train my dogs but, I did not understand the concepts clearly until I bought this DVD. My dog 'Troy' was started in this system and he is now fluent in all the concepts and behaviors in this DVD at 7 months.

One thing I will always remember from Michael's system is that "you must never name behaviors until you love them"

God bless you Michael
.
Jacob
from Ghana, West Africa
4 stars
March 14, 2015
This was deceptive at least for me. With all the great free content Leerburg provides I was 30 min or so in thinking I just wasted my money. I knew what the terms were and so on. But as the video went on I found what I was looking for. It just kept getting better and by the time I was halfway I was glad I got this DVD. I highly recommend this and the tug video.
4 stars
January 24, 2015
Great video. I like the demonstration of both Michael and other trainers. Seeing is everything; please incorporate this in your other videos. Also don't try to do too much with your videos. We don't need all of the sassy effects and music. We are here to learn about training dogs...
4 stars
January 12, 2015
A great, really educational video that's a must for dog-people! It's easy to take in the information, I'll watch it more than once for sure.
4 stars
December 16, 2014
A must have for anyone who wants to train dogs! Period.
4 stars
September 28, 2014
Michael Ellis, I can't thank you enough for this video. You have a wounderful heart and love for fellow mankind and our dogs. It shows in the way that you have opened up your vast vault of knowledge and shared it with us in this DVD. Your attention to detail is superb. The $65 for the DVD is a great deal. But the ENGAGEMENT one will get with their dog after using your techniques absolutely priceless. Hands down the best investment one can make to improve the relationship with their dog!!! This video gave me a clear picture in my mind of what the end result should look like along with the incremental detailed steps to get there.

Having had a limited amount of dog training experience in my past I started helping a friend train with a 4 month old doberman. After about a month with them I purchased this DVD. Using your techniques the increased focus and engagement was INCREDIBLE. He's now almost 6 months old and doing great. Thanks again
4 stars
July 25, 2014
Fantastic DVD! Michael Ellis explains each step clearly and understandably even for the novice and lets the 'real time' handler-dog demonstrations do the rest. My young Rotti is responding very well to the outlined techniques and has become so much more engaged and - I feel - more balanced as his natural drive and eagerness to learn gets rewarded and channeled appropriately. I'm thoroughly happy I purchased The Power of Training Dogs with Food, Michael Ellis is an awesome dog trainer!
4 stars
May 16, 2014
LOVED IT!!
I'm hoping to be able to go to the Intensive training at Michael Ellis' school, so have begun using the videos so as not to be a complete dork in class. I so wish this info had been available when I first started training my Dogo Argentinos in 2000! It makes so much sense and it such a wonderful way to achieve relationship with your dog.

After watching the DVD, I started conditioning the two markers, "Yes" and "Good" with my seven-year-old Dogo. He got so excited that he began tearing joyfully around my (small) house. It was really nice to see that in him because he's a rescue and I think was pretty squelched in his past life. He rarely expresses that sense of fun and ENGAGEMENT!! Yay!

The video is organized wonderfully. I got a notebook for all the terms used and notes for myself. Each section is carefully explained and will be easy to practice. I plan on watching each piece over and over. What fun!

Re: the difference in volume between music and narration - yes, the volume on the music should be lower. It would be easy to correct for the future. But, it's an easy correct at home. Just fast-forward or mute! No biggie. The DVD is well worth the cost.
4 stars
May 01, 2014
Improved DVD from the previous one. A must have if you are training a dog. Surf the internet before to watch this DVD it will help to understand the basic concepts faster.
4 stars
April 23, 2014
This training video is INCREDIBLE!!! Michael Ellis covers how to train dogs with food in a very completely and easy, but also very professional and science based manner. My favorite part is that you get to see actual people training the same content and making mistakes. Along the way, Mr. Ellis is there to correct them and improve their training. It is brilliant! The content is extremely complete and works very quickly. It also addresses many of the pitfalls that commercial clicker training doesn't warn about. I was so amazed at how rapidly my 6 week weimaraner puppy took to it. It has only been 3 days, but today he was actually "asking" for training. All I can say is, "Thank you Mr. Ellis." I was so skeptical, but the training blew me away. I wish to see more videos of this caliber.
4 stars
January 19, 2014
My first Michael Ellis video and led directly to ordering more. The organization and timing of material is very, very good. There's a clear direction and progression, with sections long enough to fully cover the material but not belabor it. This is not just a video of one of his classes; it's recorded and organized specifically for a DVD.

Ellis starts off with a direct to camera presentation, outlining the course, why the elements are important, and going over basic terms and then into instruction segments. This impressed me a lot: other DVDs I've bought spend big blocks of time upfront on how important, wonderful and useful the information is before even starting instruction and many skip any course outline or basic introduction.

Ellis has a good layout for instruction chapters; a direct to camera lecture instruction, Ellis or another person demonstrates the section focus, then (if appropriate) a video segment of students in an in person class training. The student videos are great; it includes students mastering the material and shows the student progression. My training echoed their progression and I really appreciated seeing them in the video. The video mechanics are superb: the camera work clearly shows the action, the audio is excellent and you can hear Ellis and the student discuss techniques and improvement. You can even hear the dogs snarf up the treats.

Highly recommend this video; one of the best I've seen.
4 stars
October 03, 2013
Music WAY TOO LOUD- it really ruins something great for absolutely no reason or advantage to anybody! It turns a 5 star presentation into a 1 star DVD. Michael Ellis is amazing in this DVD. It is incredibly well thought out, organized, and clear. Awesome mix of Michael's inspiring demonstrations mixed with other handlers that have a nice range of abilities and experience. What's wrong is only one thing- but it is a very big thing. The musical interludes are way too loud. The volume of the general content exists on one plain and then the music blasts. The music is too loud relative to the moments when Micheal is well miked and talking to the camera. You're listening and learning then blast. Then later in the video during demonstrations, the volume needs to be much higher to hear some great work Michael is doing with other handlers. His in the moment verbal refinements in the wall exercise are so insightful and clear, AND THEN BLAST. The music doesn't just need to be a little lower, it needs to be lower on an order of 10. It would be so much better if there were a few complaints that the music was too low. But this problem seems to exist in other Leerburg videos online. The tragedy here is that it ruins something so great and that I want to watch over and over. So why do I have to be blasted over and over again. Seriously if you want to watch this more than once you better live alone. By the end of the first viewing everyone at home has asked me not to watch it again while they are there. And the only reason is the ludicrous volume of music. WHY WHY WHY
4 stars
September 09, 2013
This is in my opinion,is one of the best training videos I have ever seen. This is a must see for all dog owners and trainers. Have watched this at least five times, and each time, I picked up something new I missed during previous views. My next one will be the new tugging video. Great job!
4 stars
March 06, 2013
Excellent!!!! Having purchased numerous videos from Leerburg, they have hit the mark once again. The Michael Ellis series is nothing less than exceptional. The only thing that could make this any better would be attending the Ellis school and having the DVDs as a back up!
4 stars
February 20, 2013
This DVD is excellent. One of the best things about this DVD is that there is no wasted space. The teaching follows a logical progression of theory and exercise. Every aspect is taught clearly and Michael Ellis is professional, wise and highly effective in delivering the information. The video moves along covering the information in an interesting and engaging way. It's also very helpful to see multiple dogs and multiple people performing the techniques and receiving instruction. At times students are shown performing a technique incorrectly and this is very helpful. It shows how the very small mistakes they make affect the dogs body and undermine what they are attempting to achieve. This is priceless as these mistakes would be hard to spot in myself if I hadn't seen Michael correct them in others on the video.
4 stars
February 17, 2013
What a huge improvement! I did enjoy the prior video, but the audio was less than clear and sometimes hard to understand.

I hope a remake of focused healing is in the near future also. Great job guys! As for Michael Ellis, his theory and methods are bar none, the best! Would like to see some of his seminars in Florida though. Thank you all for helping us become better trainers.
4 stars
February 09, 2013
An Epic Video! Best video I have seen from Leerburg ever! Finally a polished video right up there with Ivan Balabanov's obedience without conflict or any other canine training systems video from Europe.

This video is historic in preserving in detail the many precise body motions Michael Ellis uses in the very first steps at training a dog. And we even get to see Forrest in straw hat! YES!

Can you guys make all your videos like this? This is an epic milestone for Leerburg!
4 stars
January 23, 2013
I have almost worn out the original DVD on training with food. This new DVD on training with food is perfect compliment to the original and together I think they make a great package. I would advise anyone interested in Michael Ellis' teachings to get both. In the first DVD you see a lot of different types of handlers but in the new DVD you get to see a wider variety of types of dogs. Well done guys! I also like the organization in this new DVD and the fancy stuff that I'm sure Jeff put in.
4 stars
January 18, 2013
Video was really specific with attention to detail. Very useful. What is the next video to watch where our competition dogs are weaned off food completely :)
4 stars
January 16, 2013
Finally. This DVD made your system clear. Thank you!!
4 stars
January 12, 2013
Very well done. Methods are well explained and demonstrations do a great job of providing a visual representation of how the handler should execute the training method.
4 stars
January 11, 2013
I watched the first DVD several times. This new DVD is the correct length and I thought much clearer and I got a lot more detail from it. Thanks.
4 stars
January 11, 2013
I watched the first DVD several times. This new DVD is the correct length and I thought much clearer and I got a lot more detail from it. Thanks.
4 stars
January 10, 2013
Excellent. I viewed the original DVD first and now have finished this new DVD. They work well together.
The last puppy I trained was 20 years ago. Needless to say I need to relearn everything.
Even now, I will need to back up a bit with my 4 month old as I have gone too fast by naming positions too soon, etc.
What I have found here is a clear path which illustrates the way to the goal. So helpful!
It's all a little overwhelming but Michael breaks down everything in simple steps for the new handler and the dog.
Thank you so much for the help. I feel encouraged and empowered with this information.
4 stars
January 10, 2013
I just finished watching this video. I own the first power of training with food with Michael and wondered if I should buy this or not. All I can say is WOW, this video is great!!! I have watched the first one 6-8 times because there is a ton of info in there. This second video does a fantastic job of isolating the fundamentals of Michaels system and explaining how to implement them. I am glad I have both videos, however I would say this second food video is the best for someone trying to understand Michael's system and learn how to train with it. Kudos to Michael for putting this on video for us, and also to Ed and the rest at Leerburg for doing such a great job at producing this release. The audio and video are perfect.
4 stars
January 09, 2013
I've viewed the original DVD two or three times. That one was very good. This one is even better because it was made with the at-home viewer in mind. It's easier to follow, take notes, etc. And the hands-on demos with Michael Ellis's students are easier to hear and to follow visually. The only reason I haven't given 5 stars (and this may just be me) is that I find myself wishing Mr. Ellis would just speak a trifle more slowly. Having taught classes on the same subject over and over again, I notice that when I start teaching them I stumble and make mistakes, then my delivery improves but my freshness is still there. But after I've taught the subject over and over again, I keep having to remind myself not to put myself back in the students' shoes and not race through a subject which has become old hat to me but is not old hat to my students. No offence intended though, because this basically a very clear, well organized and informative presentation by a master teacher.
5 star rating
32 reviews (Write a review)

The Power of Training Dogs w/ Food feat. Michael Ellis

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