Dog Training

I’ve trained dogs for obedience for more than 30 years. I can take a dog who’s never walked on a leash and have them ready to walk attentively, heeling, and sitting at stops without a command in less than a week. I’d love to help you transform your little monster into a certified, angel companion dog.

Neptune and me on Amtrak, he’s a service dog.

My Training Story and Background

I got my first dog when I was 12. My family had always had dogs, but Taz was all mine. He was also a headstrong, willful Boxer boy all of 5 months old when he arrived. It was obvious that I needed to learn from an expert how to teach him what every dog needs to know to be the best boi for me and my family. I took a course through the city Recreation and Parks department in Flagstaff, Arizona where I grew up with a woman named Helen Daniels. She was one of the most no-nonsense people I ever met, but she knew dogs so well, and knew how to get them to do all the things they have to do to be successful pets.

I was a skinny twelve-year-old who couldn’t weigh more than the dog I was training, and we went from him dragging me across yards to heeliing without command, sitting when we stopped without command, and recalling with a hand signal in a matter of months. And we did it because Helen’s methods were as powerful as they are.

One of the primary things she insisted on was an understanding that as much as we love our dogs, they aren’t just little people in fur coats. They have to know that YOU run the house, not them. I’m all for positive reinforcement, but I don’t focus on treat training, and I do NOT recommend using a harness. If you’re firm and calm and assertive, your dog will learn to respect you.

I recommend the use of a choke chain, and if necessary a pinch collar. If we determine that’s what your dog needs to learn how to heel on and off lead I’ll train you how to use them humanely and appropriately.

I’ve seen far too many dog owners who LOVE their dogs, and whose dogs love them, but also don’t trust them as leaders. They walk all over the owner, demanding treats for basic things like coming inside after a potty break, or sitting or not attacking the letter carrier when they come to the door. The dog is intrusive, impolite to guests, and generally not well behaved no matter how much “positive only” training the dog has had.

Don’t get me wrong, our dogs are often our kids — mine certainly is! He’s also very well behaved both on and off lead because we share the dynamic of pack leader and loyal pack member in our house. We exercise together, and we know that consistency, ritual, and routine are the norm. We do treatos, but we do them not as a reward for correct behavior, but as a supplement after play time. This way the dog learns to be a good dog because they love and desire the approval of you, their pack leader.

Trust me, a well-behaved dog is also a better-loved dog in the long run. We don’t work on fear, we work on attentiveness, and respect for the pack leader — you!

How it works:

The first thing I like to do is get to know you AND your dog. An initial consultation/evaluation meeting is free. I want to ensure that your dog is trainable, but also that YOU are trainable.

We’ll meet at your house, and then go for a short walk in your neighborhood. This gives me a good idea what your situation is, what you need to be successful, and what your dog needs in place in order to learn everything they can to be good at being your best friend. We’ll talk about what YOU need from your dog, and what you think your dog needs from you. Some of the things I take into individual consideration are:

  • The size of your dog
  • The energy level and attitude of your dog — are they nervous? Willful? Fearful? Dominant? Submissive?
  • Your time constraints — How much time do you have to devote? How much training do I think they need?
  • Your family environment — who else needs to earn the dog’s respect?

Once we have the initial meeting out of the way, I’ll focus on developing a comprehensive plan customized for you and your dog and we’ll set up a calendar for training sessions.

I never play the “because I said so” game with any kind of training — dogs or kids! You need to know why I’m telling you what to do so you see the justification for doing it.

Dog training doesn’t just happen in the sessions; you’ll have homework and I’ll absolutely be grading you and your pup on how that’s going. If you have more than one dog, or you want to do sessions with a group of other dog owners, we can discuss that too!

My Rates

My rates are based on an expected result, not a number of sessions. If the goal is to get your dog to heel on-lead and sit on halting without a command, then we’ll take as many sessions to do that as it takes.

  • Free in-home consultation
  • $250 — basic on-leash obedience, typically 5 sessions
  • $700 — advanced training, typically 16 sessions with a focus on recall and dog attentiveness
  • $1500 — expert training and in-house work, typically 24 sessions
  • $45 for an intensive, one-off, bootcamp session

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