Private lessons have many advantages when compared to group class and board and train programs.

1. Customized instruction and a curriculum entirely tailored to achieve your goals.

2. Personalized instruction, you and your dog will spend the entire time being worked with and coaches directly instead of sharing time with other students.

3. Much easier environment for your dog to start learning. Training should start out in the most comfortable environment for your dog. It makes the learning process much easier on them. Group classes are oftentimes way too distracting and board and trains can cause so much nervousness and anxiety. Oftentimes dogs are so uncomfortable in unfamiliar environments without their owners that they shutdown for days and refuse to even eat.

4. You get to see the entire process not just end result. Incase you slip up and aren’t consistent with training you will know how to start the process again. Oftentimes people think they are getting a finished product after a board and train and no dog can be perfect in a matter of weeks. Many trainers will just show their clients how to correct when their dog doesn’t do what they want, but they don’t show how to take a step back and teach more thoroughly if the dog is confused.

As dog trainers we really wish this were the case. Believe us when we say our lives would be much easier if it were. The reality is though that dog training and having a well behaved dog in general is entirely relationship based. For better or worse dogs are very intelligent and because of that dogs will learn who they can and can’t get away with things with. They will learn who is consistent and who will hold them accountable and who won’t. They will learn who can protect them and who can’t as well. Essentially if a dog’s natural instincts are stronger than their owner’s will power and consistency, you will run into training issues. Dog training is more about who the cue’s are coming from and what the dog thinks of that person than it is just about what the dog knows.

Training starts as soon as you bring them home. With puppies that’s typically 8 weeks of age.

We are happy to work with dog owners who understand that dog training is a process. We want dog owners who understand that it takes time and effort to raise a dog correctly and that it takes time, commitment and consistency to overcome behavioral issues. We pride ourselves in not only communicating well with dogs, but people as well. “ In fairness to the dog “ is always a saying that we base our training process off of. This is why we are not about quick fixes. We are about creating a new lifestyle and relationship that entails clear communication, fair teaching practices, safe management practices and fair rules. If you’re committed to your dog and the training process, we’d be happy to have you.

If you’re unwilling to change your current habits, put in the work and want a quick fix we are not the dog training company for you

We do not make people do anything they are uncomfortable with. We will however, always educate our clients on what we believe the best training options are and explain why.

Yes, we encourage you to video record, audio record, and take notes anytime you want to.

This depends on your dog and what you’re training. For general obedience, training is most effective when broken up into multiple small 5-20 minute sessions throughout the day. I always suggest reading the dog to make sure they are motivated enough and enjoying the process. Once you see them losing interest, increase their interest in what they are working for and go out on a high note. This is especially true with most obedience behaviors, we want our dog to look at training like we look at our favorite hobby not like homework. Aim for at least 30 minutes daily, broken up into smaller sessions. As long as your dog is motivated and enjoying it though, you can train as much as you want.

Our training sessions take place in our client’s homes and in dog friendly public places such as parks, downtown areas, and dog friendly stores.

During our first session start with a behavior assessment upon introduction. This gives us insight to your dog’s personality. Are they, social, friendly, fearful, nervous, defensive etc. Once we finish our assessment we sit down and discuss basic canine learning theory, household rules, proper management and training equipment. During the first session we ideally spend half our time discussing everything above and the other half the time training. We believe that in order for us to work optimally as a team, you need some background knowledge on how dogs learn. We want you to have the knowledge to critically think like your dog’s personal trainer. We also need you on board with living the correct lifestyle with your dog. Without implementing new rules and management your dog can still practice poor behavior choices and not learn to respect you as their leader. Just like with any other job proper training equipment is a must! Once we start training we like to start from the ground up. I will make a quick comparison to the game of basketball. In order to play the game of basketball you must know how to shoot, dribble, pass, rebound, slide your feet and put your hands up on defense. If you don’t know these skills you can’t really play the game. We believe every dog should understand these training fundamentals, reward markers, food luring, hand targeting, leash pressure and spacial pressure. These are the techniques you and your dog need to understand to create new behaviors.

Though lessons with us will inevitably end, our goal is to teach you how to be your dog’s “trainer” for life and to teach you how to maintain your new leadership skills and your dog’s new and improved behaviors. Dog training is a lifestyle, your personal training with your dog should never stop. This is because any learned behavior requires maintenance. Just like humans who stop practicing their favorite hobbies. If a guitar player stops practicing, they will lose skill. If a basketball player stops playing, they will lose their skills. Dogs are no different. There is no such thing as a “trained” dog, you are always training. In fact, when it comes to dog training, you are really “raising” a dog. I compare dog training to dieting and working out. Lets say someone who normally doesn’t eat healthy or workout decides they want to lose 20lbs, so they workout for 2 months and diet, lose the weight and abruptly stop working out and eating healthy. What do you think will happen? If a person is naturally lazy and doesn’t have the determination to stay fit instinctive drift will kick in and they go back to their usual routine. Instinctive drift means that your natural instincts are always working against your learned behaviors. When this happens and they stop eating healthy and working out the weight starts coming back on. Similarly in training a dog, the bad behaviors creep back in once you stop training.