Our philosophy is that dog training is not a series of commands rewarded by a treat. Dog training is a lifestyle, rewarded by their inclusion in our lives. Everyone in the family can benefit from our experience together… a successful and balanced pack of humans and dogs living peacefully and happily together. By taking the journey, we can make that happen!
Are we the right training program for you? Are you the right client for us?
- In order to be successful at transforming your dog’s behavior, it is important for you to be familiar with our philosophy and the training techniques we use.
- We use prong collars because we find them to be one of the best tools for gently communicating and connecting with the dog. Even though they’re often portrayed as dangerous or harsh tools, they’re far from that. Don’t let the appearance or the uninformed opinions of others mislead you. Prong collars are actually one of the safest and most gentle ways to effortlessly communicate both during training and after.
- We use e-collars because it’s neutral, mild and involves very little mechanical mastery. Today’s e-collar training allows for the very best communication and transferring of skills from trainer to owner. While some are concerned that the dog is being “zapped” into listening, the truth is, contemporary, high-end e-collars are based on the same technology as TENS machines used for physical therapy in humans. Which means, your dog feels a mild, benign sensation that is not harming to them mentally or physically. Amazingly, most dogs work at levels that most humans often can’t even feel. In addition, the e-collar enables many challenging issues (reactivity on walks, jumping, barking, stealing food) to be resolved quickly and easily. 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, even at great distances, is something unavailable with any other tool.
Here are some qualities in a client that we feel are absolutely necessary for success:
- You should be 100% comfortable with our training techniques. You should be open to a balanced training approach. Yes, we will use praise and reward your dog….we will also correct bad behavior. We will be using tools, rewards, praise and consistent information to help you have the most clear and steady communication with your dog.
- With dogs who have behavioral issues (aggression, anxiety or fear issues) it’s time to lessen/stop over praising your dog--it's contributing to where you are today. If giving your dog constant verbal praise, physical praise, food rewards and affection was working, you wouldn't be looking for help--and in fact, you may be encouraging the bad behaviors by doing so. There will be plenty of time for praise once your dog's behaviors are in a better place. We encourage helping our dogs live peacefully in our lives by setting some boundaries. You (and your dog!) will be very happy when we create an environment that can be shared in a controlled manner, where your dog behaves politely, predictably and understands what is expected.
Follow the training program. We have a system and philosophy of training that works. We’re looking for clients that are going to take the advice, techniques and tools, apply them to their lives and get positive results. This is a teamwork effort!
We want you to be successful and seek clients that will follow through with their homework. The concept that we're going to work together an hour per week or that sending your dog to a board and train will be all the training your dog needs, will not work. Your follow through at home is imperative to the success of your dog's training. Without follow through, you will be wasting your money and time--and will be disappointed in the results because of the lack of effort. Having the entire family on board is important to success. This includes the other dogs in the home, as well. Dogs are influenced by everyone around them and therefore everyone must be on board with everything--tools, techniques, philosophy, the exercise, and the household management program. We're not just training ONE dog--we are creating a new lifestyle for an ENTIRE family!
The household management program can be tricky for some. Your dog might have to get off of the bed and furniture. You may also have to start crating your dog at night. Your dog will need to be in a command for long periods of time, multiple times per day. There's a reason that we make these suggestions--we want your dog to be happy and fulfilled while cohabiting with your family. The messages need to be consistent. It is counterproductive to send mixed and confusing signals to your dog. We want your dog to give you predictable and consistent behaviors, and it only comes with practice and application of the training!
Just like people, dogs need daily exercise. All clients need to commit to a daily exercise routine. That doesn't mean just letting your dog in the back yard, but actually taking daily structured walks. Exercise and routine are key to the success of our training.
We agree there’s a lot of information listed above. The ultimate outcome is to have FUN and be successful with your dog! Your dog can get to an amazing place where you can do new things, have control in places you didn't before, and watch them become a wonderful canine citizen. It will take some work--a lot of elbow grease, a bit of tough love, consistency, loving by leading, FUN, and setting an example for your dog! Your dog’s long life can be extremely rewarding if you put in the hard work now. How exciting to have an amazing dog for the rest of their life! You absolutely can improve your circumstances and change your world with your dog….creating harmony.