Brain Training for Dogs: The Best Online Obedience Training Program for Livestock Guardian Dogs

June 6, 2019 Bri Wyzard

This post contains affiliate links to Brain Training for Dogs (the program which also happens to be my pooch’s favorite pastime!).

So you’re either getting livestock guardian dogs or you already have them and you don’t know how to obedience train them. I’ve been there, and this situation can feel daunting at first.

You may even be wondering:

Do I even need to obedience train my livestock guardian dogs? Yes.
Aren’t livestock guardian dogs bred to think independently and therefore won’t listen to my commands anyway? Yes and no, respectively.
How can I obedience train livestock guardian dogs? You can hire a professional trainer to help with your livestock guardian dog obedience training, or you can train your dogs yourself by reading books or following an online training program, like Brain Training for Dogs with professional trainer Adrienne Farricelli. Positive training methods are the kindest and most effective way to train dogs.

In this post, I’ll cover why you absolutely need to obedience train your livestock guardian dogs and why I think Brain Training for Dogs is the most efficient way to go about it. I’ll cover what Brain Training for Dogs is, why I think it’s the best program out there, what I don’t like about the program, how much it costs, and how to enroll.

You’ve probably figured this out already, but I am a proud affiliate for the Brain Training for Dogs program. If you click on one of my links and purchase the program, I will receive a commission (at no extra charge to you). I’m grateful for this program, and I hope it will help you and your dogs as much as it helped me and mine.

If you’re raising a livestock guardian dog breed as a pet rather than a livestock guardian, check out my pet review of Brain Training for Dogs here.

Do Livestock Guardian Dogs Need Obedience Training?

Yes! Basic obedience training for livestock guardian dogs (LGDs) is a must for the following reasons:

Large size – Because LGDs are giant dog breeds, they can easily hurt people or other animals either intentionally (because they are not well socialized) or accidentally (by jumping, playing too rough, play biting, or otherwise throwing their weight around).
Safety of your livestock guardian dogs – Because LGDs may at some time find they are in over their heads against a predator or other threat, they absolutely need a good recall to ensure their safety. For an example of why dogs need to obey the “come” command, see the video below of a Great Pyrenees dog challenging a bull moose. This dog obviously has not had effective obedience training. Thankfully the dog wasn’t hurt, but he very easily could have been.

Safety of livestock – Some LGDs have been known to view newborn baby livestock as threats and may attempt to injure or kill them. Other dogs, such as the Great Pyrenees in the video below, may feel an attachment to the newborn baby instead, and may mistakenly believe they need to protect it from its mother. This is another example of a dog who hasn’t had proper obedience training and does not respond to the owner’s commands. This is another situation where thank goodness nobody got hurt this time, but it could have turned out very badly.

But Aren’t Livestock Guardian Dogs Notoriously Un-trainable?

Yes, but unfairly so. This is just one of the many myths that livestock guardian dog owners face. Another myth is that you shouldn’t bond with your livestock guardian dogs because then they won’t bond with and protect the livestock (also totally false).

Livestock guardian dogs are very good at problem solving. They are very good at working independently to protect livestock from threats. This doesn’t mean you can’t train them too. Many breeds will be harder to obedience train than some other types of dogs. Livestock guardian dog breeds haven’t been bred to want to please humans first and foremost, but livestock guardian dogs aren’t even particularly unique in this aspect. Have you ever tried to train a Shih Tzu?

The truth is that any dog can be trained as long as you have these three things:

Knowledge of positive training techniques (training through positive reinforcement, not yelling or punishment)
Time
Patience

Your livestock guardian dog may require more time and patience than some other breeds, but as long as you stay committed and consistent, you will prevail.

You also will need to remember that after you train your dogs in a calm setting, you will need to work on training them with more and more distractions thrown into the mix. You will need to work on getting them to follow commands when they don’t want to do so. This is the only way you can avoid situations like those in the two videos above. If you only train your dogs when they’re not distracted and when they are happy to be trained, you won’t get compliance in the situations where you most need it.

Still have your doubts that livestock guardian dog breeds can be trained? Then check out the video below that shows a 5 month old Estrela Mountain Dog after he’s undergone obedience training. This trainer unfortunately uses a shock collar method which I highly recommend against due to cruelty, but the video does show a great example of how well behaved livestock guardian dogs can be.

How Do You Obedience Train a Livestock Guardian Dog?

You could hire a professional trainer to help you train your dogs for hundreds or even thousands of dollars, or you can do it yourself.

The bad news about doing it yourself is that there is no program out there that’s tailored specifically towards livestock guardian dogs, and all training programs will have some material that doesn’t apply to you or your dog at all. The good news is that most obedience programs can be pretty easily adjusted to fit your needs, even though they are targeting people who have dogs as pets.

For example, an obedience program may teach how to train your dogs not to bark when the doorbell rings. Obviously, if your dogs are livestock guardians, they won’t be hanging out in the house all day waiting for the doorbell to ring. However, many of the same techniques used to stop doorbell barking can also be applied to any kind of unwanted barking your dogs may be doing in your own situation.

Brain Training for Dogs: The Best Online Training Program for Dog Obedience - Access to a Professional Trainer

After scouring the internet and the library, I’ve found that the online program, Brain Training for Dogs, is the most effective program out there. While this program is effective for many reasons, the number one reason Brain Training for Dogs is worth its cost many times over is because you actually have access to world renowned CPDT-KA certified dog trainer, Adrienne Farricelli (pictured right).

Remember when I mentioned above that hiring a professional dog trainer to train your dog would cost you hundreds or even thousands of dollars? Well, in Brain Training for Dogs, you have an expert in positive training methods at your fingertips for advice. Adrienne is extremely active in the Brain Training for Dogs member forum and answers a lot of the questions that come up. She is very good at answering questions and working with you on issues you are having with your dogs.

Adrienne doesn’t skimp on her answers – they are long and they are detailed. And she doesn’t give up on you or your problem if you continue to need her help. She doubles down on her help. She is truly amazing.

What Does Brain Training for Dogs Include?

Brain Training for Dogs is a library of information. It includes two thorough, self-paced courses. The main course is the obedience training course called “Brain Training for Dogs Online” (a must-have for any LGD owner for the reasons listed above). This is the course where you learn how to train your dogs through positive training methods. Here is where you learn your training strategy and how to teach your dogs all the commands they will need.

The later modules in the course include a series of games for your dogs that will bring them to the next training level. Adrienne says it’s imperative that you focus on mentally stimulating your dogs (in this case through games) to keep them fulfilled. It’s often the bored dogs who aren’t mentally stimulated that have some of the worst behavior problems.

“With the right mental stimulation and training... (That you will get in my program) your dog’s brain will become more open and receptive to learning new information.

Your dog will listen to you and better understand what you are telling him to do.

When this happens - your dog’s bad behaviors simply fade away as more desirable ones appear in their place."

- Adrienne Farricelli, Brain Training for Dogs

Mental stimulation is especially important in livestock guardian dog breeds due to their high intelligence and their need for work. Stimulation through training is most important for your young, energetic dogs. They need this kind of activity for good behavior, and it also helps to secure an extremely strong bond between you and them.

Your bond is best formed by consistently working together on tasks that are fun for your dogs. Your dogs will associate you with fun, training, and all-around good feelings, and obedience from them will begin to feel natural.

Mental stimulation through training may also help to prevent some of the problems that livestock guardian dog owners face (mainly with younger dogs), such as ‘excessive’ barking or unwanted roaming.

The second course in Brain Training for Dogs is called “Behavior Training for Dogs Online.” This course focuses on common behavioral problems and what to do about them. It covers topics such as digging, barking, and jumping, and how to prevent or stop these problems using positive methods.

In addition to the two courses, Adrienne has also included a huge archive of articles on almost every question you may possibly have. In fact, she has multiple articles on most topics. For example, she has 7 articles on unwanted barking in different scenarios. Other topics include aggression, fear, anxiety, whining, food overprotectiveness (also known as resource guarding), and so much more. She has a lot of articles on dog care as well. Whenever I have a question or problem with my dogs, I type the problem in the search bar and get all the articles I need.

She also has a small video archive and a separate section of video case studies that show her in action working on problem behaviors with dogs.

Another thing you need to know about this program: you get lifetime access. So many membership programs make you pay a yearly fee to continue membership – not this one.

But Do the Brain Training for Dogs Methods Actually Work?

Yes. I unfortunately did not know about Brain Training for Dogs until this year, so I have only been able to use the training techniques on our newest puppy, Sage (pictured left at 8 weeks, now 11 months). Sage is not a livestock guardian dog, but she is a working dog. She is an English Shepherd that we need for herding cattle and someday sheep.

My husband and I picked up Sage from her family farm last September when she was only eight weeks old. We have used the methods outlined in Brain Training for Dogs on Sage from the very beginning. Sage has responded beautifully. She absolutely loves training sessions and she is an incredibly well-behaved dog. Our bond with her is unbreakable... And isn’t she gorgeous?

I’m super excited to use Brain Training for Dogs on our next puppies, who will be livestock guardian dogs. We had hoped to have these puppies already, but things fell through on the breeder’s end. She says she will have more puppies available this fall, so fingers crossed. These puppies are Spanish Mastiffs. I look forward to sharing their training experiences with you!

What I Don’t Like About Brain Training for Dogs

There are two things that I don’t like about this program. The first, I’ve already touched upon. The program is targeted towards people who own dogs as pets, not as working dogs. This means that some of the information doesn’t apply to my situation and some information I have to adapt to my own needs.

But as of yet, there are no programs that are tailored to working dogs, so this disadvantage is one that we have to endure with any obedience program.

The second thing I don’t like about the program is that it is text-based rather than video-based. I’m a visual learner, and so I prefer video lessons. Adrienne does outline every lesson very thoroughly and succinctly, but I would just prefer to watch rather than read.

One more thing - the videos Adrienne does have are not of professional quality. They are very amateur (sound and lighting could be better). This doesn’t actually bother me at all, but I wanted to give you a heads up. The video content is gold, so for me the amateur quality just doesn’t matter.

How Much Does Brain Training for Dogs Cost?

Professional trainer, Adrienne Farricelli, with her dogs

At the time of this writing, Brain Training for Dogs costs $47. I suspect the price may go up quite a bit at some point in time, simply because Adrienne’s time is limited. She spends a lot of time answering members’ questions and as this program becomes more well known and membership increases, I suspect she will need to increase the price to keep up. But who knows!

I also suspect at some point she won’t be able to answer all the questions anymore. Maybe she’ll hire other professional trainers to help at that point – I don’t know. Right now, though, she is amazing in the forum. She gives super long, detailed answers to many questions, and continues working with people until they get their desired outcome. Now is definitely the time to join while the program is still new.

The $47 is worth the money for access to Adrienne Farricelli alone, especially if this is your first time using positive training methods for obedience. And this payment covers lifetime access. Think about that. You get lifetime access to a top notch professional trainer. Really, this program has the most bang for your buck than any other program I’ve seen (and believe me, I’ve looked a lot!).

How Do You Get Brain Training for Dogs?

Easy. You can click this link and it will take you to the sales page where Adrienne provides loads of information on what you’ll get and what to expect from the program. There are several buttons throughout the page that say “Instant Access.” Click on one of these and it will take you to the payment area. After payment, you use a login and password to access the program.

For Love of Livestock