I’ve always had dogs.
My first dog was a beautiful black Labrador who was bred as a work dog, was fiercely intelligent and friendly, but unfortunately suffered from cancer over and over again towards the end of her life.
My current dog is a golden retriever, who took some time to bond to but now is quite firmly my friend.
By this time next year, I’m hoping to have a couple of huskies who I want to train extremely well and perhaps even breed.
So it was with great excitement that I dove into the Brandon McMillan Teaches Dog Training MasterClass.
Brandon McMillan’s been raising and training animals his whole life.
He even trained that tiger for the iconic bathroom scene in The Hangover.
He got into dog training after training a service dog for an injured war veteran who had lost both his legs. That’s when Brandon realised his calling and embarked upon making sure as many dogs as possible were adopted from shelters (rather than being one of the 2 million euthanised every year), trained up, and put to good use.
So who better to teach you how to train your dog?
Brandon McMillan Teaches Dog Training MasterClass Review
Things I loved about the Brandon McMillan Teaches Dog Training MasterClass:
- The goal and training tracking guides. Like all MasterClasses, the Brandon McMillan Teaches Dog Training MasterClass comes with a comprehensive and professionally-designed workbook so you can take your dog training to the next level. I recommend printing it off.
- The production value. If you’ve taken a MasterClass before, this comes as no surprise (I’ve taken most of them, and ranked over 40 of them), so I expect high production value. But if the Brandon MasterClass is your first one, you’ll be blown away at how slick it is.
- The Brandon McMillan MasterClass is as much about training yourself, and learning to talk to others, as it is about dog training.
- This Dog Training MasterClass holds the foundational belief that every dog is different, and teaches you how to take into account your dog’s unique traits.
Even if you don’t have a dog yet, you’ll want to take this MasterClass because it’s the perfect preparation.
You even get a guide for how to choose your dog and the different variables that make your dog unique, which covers everything you need to know from breed information, pricing, aligning your lifestyle, history, preparing your home and schedule, and more.
My mind is already made up, and I’ll be choosing a sporting breed, like a husky or German Shepherd, but I’m open to having my mind changed if I find a dog that seems to bond with me right away (even if it falls into the toy or terrier category).
“A dog with proper technique is trained. A dog with proper technique and conditioning is well trained.”
The Brandon McMillan Teaches Dog Training MasterClass kicks off with an entertaining and fascinating deep dive into the different kinds and breeds of dogs.
I thought I was something of a dog expert before this MasterClass, but Brandon really breaks it all down and gives a visually-compelling schooling in how what your dog was bred for will influence how you interact with your dog.
Pleasant surprise: I didn’t know what to expect from this MasterClass, but I kind of thought it would be a lot of Brandon talking theory and then showing some practical application with a couple of dogs. There is a lot of talk, but there is a crazy amount of doggie time.
Tons and tons and tons of beautiful doggie examples of every breed and age make this MasterClass a dream for lovers of these four-legged wonders.
The module on variables had too much information to note, so just picking out one aspect I found insightful, I really loved the discussion on nature vs nurture and imprinted DNA.
The idea that a dog is a blank slate and all it’s faults are due to the owner is incorrect.
- Check out the Brandon McMillan Dog Training MasterClass 30-day free trial here
Some dogs are born aggressive, but it won’t manifest until their adolescence. And herd dogs, for example, never need to be trained to herd. Put a herd dog that’s never seen a sheep before in front of a flock and watch what happens.
“Not all dogs are trainable. What we can’t train, we manage.”
The module on building trust in your dog, groundwork training, and the module on training foundations and the 7 common commands are worth the cost of the course alone.
I see way too many dog owners who aren’t, and never will be, bonded with their dog. You can see the dog doesn’t have complete trust in their owner. This module completely cures that, even if you have a rescue dog that’s been abused.
“Dogs are good poker plays. They know your tells.”
What was really interesting in the trust module was the idea that 90% of behavioural issues come from lack of exercise.
Brandon then guides you through the different kinds of exercise (socialisation and physical) that will stop behaviour issues, bond your dog to you, and make your dog trust you.
After the philosophy and discussion of dog training is out of the way, the majority of the MasterClass is then comprised of a deep dive into each of the 7 most important commands.
Brandon has kept it at 7 because he thinks you can either attempt to try a hundred tricks with your dog and they won’t be good at any, or you can get them perfectly nailing the 7 most fundamental ones, the ones that comprise everything else.
So each subsequent module is likely of interest mainly to people who actually have a dog and also want to follow along and train along with Brandon.
You can see what the 7 core commands are here, but they include ones you would expect, everything from stay and come to sit and heel, along with signalling (verbal and hand and clicker) and leash techniques with a treat-based positive reinforcement psychological approach.
Brandon’s instruction is incredibly clear and detailed.
It’s basically scientific and comprehensive, everything from treat position in your fingers for different commands to angles at which you should hold you hand whilst delivering verbal commands.
Brandon is a very effective teacher and you will learn exactly how to talk to your dog effectively in no time at all.
What’s really cool is after the in-depth modules for each command, you also get modules teaching you all about housebreaking behaviour, door dashing behaviour, digging, chewing, and barking.
If you ever had a dog before, you almost certainly had some issues with one or more of those.
I know what it’s like to be scared to have the front door open even for a second because my dog will shoot out into the road. Or having the dog pull the trash apart the moment you leave the room, or bark and annoy your neighbours and ruing your sleep. Brandon goes into all of that so it will never be a problem for you and your dog again.
Check out the Brandon McMillan Teaches Dog Training MasterClass.
It’s a must-have for anyone considering getting a dog, anyone who has recently got a dog, or even someone looking to teach their old dog some new tricks.
You can access the Brandon McMillan Teaches Dog Training MasterClass here.
And let me know all about your dog!
What breed do you have/are you looking to adopt? What issues have you had so far?
Happy dog training!
Its so true, most dogs don’t get proper exercise, training and attention from their humans. I did a quick skim of this article and may have missed it, but I didn’t see a mention of the many animals in shelters needing homes, and that if you are set on a certain breed, they can be found in shelters as well. Adopting from shelters helps break the cruel cycle of puppy mills.
Absolutely agree. I thought I mentioned the shelter thing, but perhaps it needs to be more overt. Adopting sheltered animals is very applaudable, and I’ll be going down that avenue myself too. Thanks for pointing that out, Juliet – very important!