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FRIENDS!

Treats can often become a distraction and some dogs are not motivated by food (especially fearful dogs). We rely on reward-based training, but the human is the reward. We will use affection, toys, play and verbal praise as the positive reward. We may use treats as a relationship building tool but not as the reward for doing something that is asked of the dog. We have some very good treat trainers that we refer out.

We use prong collars because when used properly, they are they are the safest and easiest way to communicate with your dog in a way that makes sense to him. Humans are verbal when giving discipline and some humans spank on the behind, dogs bite in the neck for communication and discipline. They can be seen as scary and torturous to human eyes, but they do not put pressure on trachea while keeping your dog safe from slipping out if he/she is pulling.

We do offer e-collar training as one of the optional tools. There are behaviors that are better controlled by the human correction (leash pulling) and there are behaviors that are helped with the use of an e-collar (fence fighting, counter surfing) Some behaviors need a firmer correction (human aggression) because it would be an option before euthanasia. The e-collar can offer a quick consequence that the dog is unsure of where it came from so it will just choose to avoid that situation. E-collars are like the tens unit used for physical therapy in humans, not the electric chair in old movies. While it can seem confusing in the beginning of learning, it is not harmful to the mind or body (when used properly) It’s also the ONLY way to safely have your dog off-leash and maintain reliability. The ability to recall your dog back to you is something unavailable with any other tool.

Prong collars are usually very effective when used on a fearful dog. Most of the time the dog is fearful because it doesn’t trust that the human can protect him from the scary world. When used properly it can communicate to the dog that you are able to bite the “scary thing” in a way that makes sense to the dog. The natural human desire to hug and pet a dog when it is afraid is counterproductive, the human is actually nurturing an unstable frame of mind telling the dog that they agree with the fearful state of mind.

We do work with dog aggression. Depending on the level of aggression, it cannot always be fixed but most of the time it can be managed. It can also depend on the aggression being fear driven vs. straight aggression as to what tools we use to manage it.

Walking your dog is one of the most important parts of building a relationship and training. It is one of the first things we cover in training. Depending on the level of lunging and pulling, we will teach you and your dog proper leash manners.

Yes, crate training is a great tool to help your dog learn to rest when the humans are at rest. It’s not meant to be a cage the way humans often view it, but a place to get away from stress and to give you a break as needed from making sure your puppy is safe, more like a crib or playpen for a child. When dogs are in the wild they go to small enclosed dens, not big caves with many rooms and windows.

We often work with dogs that have been through other programs. IF you don’t learn something in the first session and you don’t see a change, you do not pay for the session. The work at home will play a very large role in the training.

Most humans and dogs can learn basics in 4 weeks. The retention will be based on the continued work at home. When we think of how long it takes a human baby just to learn to walk, we should take that into consideration when training our dog. We take it slow; we make sure one command it clear before we add more. When teaching humans math, we cover addition, subtraction, multiplication etc.… we only move forward when the previous task is clear. If we give our dogs that same attention, the retention is more stabilized.

We do not offer discounts; however, we will offer package pricing.