What is your typical process, for training with a new dog and his or her family? 

The process of training begins with the owner filling out our online form. If it seems like a good fit for us and for you, will then schedule a lengthy phone consultation to get started. Your dog will spend anywhere from 2-6 weeks with us depending on your goals and the issues your dog is experiencing. During that time your dog will receive training and diligent care in a comfortable home, not a dog kennel. You will receive weekly video updates and are welcome to reach out to us at any time to check in on your dog. Upon completion of training, you will receive a lesson (usually approximately 2 hours) to reintegrate your dog into your home and transfer the training over to you. 

Do you offer a guarantee? 

I would be unethical for us to offer any type of guarantee on the behavior of a live animal. Additionally, the success of the dog is based on the commitment of the owners once the dog returns home. If you are concerned about results, we encourage you to read the many, many 5 star reviews from clients who have been thrilled with the results we achieve.

I will miss my dog and my dog will miss me! Is it really a good idea to send my dog away for training?

Yes, definitely! It’s akin to a child going away to summer camp, not only do they come back with new skills but a new perspective as well. They see a little bit more of the world and in the process gain confidence, social skills and of course an extensive set of skills for being a good member of the household. 

How much training time will my dog receive every day? 

Approximately 2 hours per day in training sessions. This is broken up into many sessions throughout the day. However, every minute of every day is a learning experience. Even during the times your dog is resting, there are rules! Training sessions, appropriate socialization, daily walks, hanging out in the dog yard enjoying the outdoors, being calm in the house and following the house rules make for a very full day. 

My dog is on a special diet (homemade fresh, raw, whole prey, heavily supplemented diets, etc) will you be able to prepare their meals?

If you feed fresh homemade, it is best for you to make meals ahead of time and freeze them, and we can thaw and feed as we go. Raw meals are not a problem, and we can certainly make sure that your dog gets any supplements you are using in their meals daily. We may make make some minor dietary changes before training begins. We will want to get your dog used to hand deliverable food such as kibble and/or treats. Free fed dogs (dogs with 24/7 access to food) will not be free fed in our program, so we will make adjustments to their feeding regimen before training begins. Dogs who received “dressed” kibble meals may do better with out the toppers so we aren’t promoting fussiness, and they will eat reliably when away from home. Much of manipulating a dog’s behavior has to do with the control of resources, especially food. So expect that we will look into what and how your dog is eating before training begins so that we can align feeding regimens with our training goals.

My dog doesn’t need obedience training, we just want her to not jump on the counters. (Or jump on people, pull on the leash, bolt through doorways, etc.) Can you fix just that one issue in a short program and skip the obedience? We don’t really want or need the obedience.

Short answer - no. Long answer - We must teach alternate behaviors to replace the ones your dog is doing that you dislike. Those behaviors are obedience training- sit, down, here/come, place/kennel, heel, out, leave it. Additionally we teach marker words so that you have an effective way to communicate with your dog. There are no shortcuts, and many of the issues you are having are based on your dog’s lack of functional obedience training. Teaching obedience in trick style as many do at home, with food rewards visible and without the challenges of duration and distraction, is not functional obedience and does not help with behavioral issues.

My friend says that an e-collar is a shock collar, and it’s mean to dogs. What’s up with that? You really use those things?

The e-collars of today are absolutely nothing like the shock collars from years ago. Those collars had a couple of settings—usually high and higher. Today’s e-collars are dramatically different, with hundreds of levels of stimulation. The dog’s daily or “working” level is almost always below that which can be detected by a human. This is effectively less pressure than the dog receives on a flat collar and leash. The ability to reach out and tap your dog on the shoulder across a field opens their lives up to more freedom than they can enjoy on a leash. Read more here: Is An E-Collar Right for My Dog?

Do you really have to use those tools (e-collar, prong collar) on my dog? Aren’t those just for bad dogs?

Our philosophy is to train the dog in front of us and if your dog is very sensitive, we will adjust our approach accordingly. We only get the excellent results we do by tailoring our work to each individual dog. However, nearly all the dogs that come here for board and train are trained by us on prong collars and e-collars.

Most dogs have either been pulling their owners down the street on a harness or choking themselves on a flat collar for long enough to be totally desensitized to to equipment that ties him or her to you. We want to start fresh with new equipment and novel stimuli to reteach the dog about how to act on and off the leash. The dogs are taught initially with food and luring, then introduced to the prong collar, and then the work is transferred onto remote collar so that your dog gains the freedom of being able to be off leash safely. Life lived in a back yard or on a six foot leash isn’t enough for your dog. If you are not interested in having your dog trained on the equipment we use, then we are not a good fit for you. I would encourage you to explore all of our website to learn more about our training approach before deciding on us as your trainer.

Will I have to use the training tools after a board and train? If you train my dog with an e-collar and some type of directional collar (prong, chain, or slip), can I go back to using the harness at home? Do I have to use the e-collar after training? If so, how quickly can we stop using it?

You will need to continue using the tools after the training program. Your dog will learn how to properly yield to the leash and the e-collar with us. Those tools will continue to provide information to your dog for his/her transition back to home with you. The e-collar will continue to be used so that your dog can enjoy off leash freedom with safety. The directional collar will continue to be used so that you can have a clear line of physical communication with your dog. If your focus is getting your dog off equipment for competition goals or other personal reasons, we can phase them out in private lessons after board and train. Let’s discuss your goals and put together a plan for you and your dog.

Harness are never recommended outside of pulling sports (with proper harnesses designed for pulling) or for puppies before they learn leash pressure. “No pull” harnesses have been proven to cause structural strain and orthopedic damage to dogs so we recommend you stop using them.

Will you take intact (not spayed or neutered) dogs for training? How will you keep them from safe from breeding or being bred!?

Yes! We absolutely take intact dogs. We keep them from breeding by using crates, kennels and gates. We have never had an issue and never plan to. We are extremely diligent and careful in the care and handling of your dog.

I have my dog on a certain schedule and I want her to stay on that schedule. Will you be able to do that in your board and train program?

Probably not. Our schedule here will differ slightly from your dog’s schedule at home. We have to get a lot of work done in a relatively short amount of time, and there will be a lot of lesson time, so that alone changes your dog’s regular daily schedule. Additionally, your dog can and should be able to handle variations in their schedule. The lessons learned here will give you a more manageable dog at home, that will more easily adjust to minor variations in schedule that are a normal part of our human lives. Additionally, there is no advantage to your dog expecting meals or other activities at exact times of day, outside of the convenience of toileting and exercise times for our own human convenience.

Are you insured?

Yes, we are insured through Kennel Pro.

Can I come and see your house before I commit to a board and train program?

Sorry, no. We strive for a healthy work/life balance. This is our home and we have a reasonable right to privacy. Lots of videos of our home are on YouTube and social media pages. I’m very happy to give you a video tour. I keep a clean home throughout - both human and dog spaces are well tended. If you are truly concerned, and want to get a feel for us and our place, set up a lesson in our home before deciding on training. We only do lessons as part of our board and train programs, but if you let us know your concerns, we are very willing to set up a lesson time for you.

How many dogs do you take in for training at one time?

It depends on several factors including time of year, our own personal schedules and the training of our own personal dogs. It also depends on the type of training projects we have in at the time. In general, we take 1 - 4 dogs at a time.

Will you give Fluffy kisses from Daddy at night time?

Names have been changed to protect the innocent ;) but yes we have indeed gotten this question or another variation of it many times. We know you will miss your dog. This is a lot harder for you than it is for them in almost all cases. Unless your dog is dealing with some very serious issues, they will have no problem adjusting almost immediately to life here. If you have a somewhat more nervous dog, it may take a couple of days, but that’s also an indication that they needed to be here!

We are going to rewrite parts of your relationship with your dog, and will be asking you to think about when you give affection and why, so you can make the best out of your relationship with your dog. Most dogs have grown to not appreciate, or in some cases even dislike affection as it is too constant. We will certainly show your dog affection and devoted care, but we’re pretty sure it won’t look exactly like how you’ve been doing it. So just relax and know your dog will be fine even without the affection rituals and routines the humans have been enjoying!

Will my dog forget me/us?

Definitely not. Hey, that sure would make our job as trainers easy wouldn't it?! We could really have an easy transition to this “new” owner who had all new expectations of their dog. But it does not work like that. They will absolutely not forget you. You might even struggle with your dog challenging you pretty quickly as you uphold your new calm, quiet leadership, that is why we have a lengthy go home lesson and offer continued support. Fear not, you’ll be very well remembered.

How do you evaluate whether you will take a training case? We submitted the online form and want to know when and if you will take us.

We only take cases that we are certain have an excellent chance at success. We will not take money for dogs we don’t think we can help, or for owners we don’t think we can help. The evaluation process begins with the online form and then if that looks like good fit, we schedule a lengthy phone call. We will do more calls as needed while we create plan for both dog and owner(s).

While we expect that you’ll need coaching and education, we will not take any clients who are not on board with our training philosophy as well as ALL of the many tools we may use in training which include crates, kennels, e-collars, prong collars, slip collars, and more. We will also not take cases where there is strong disagreement between household members on training methodologies. We want success for your dog as much as you do.

We are a very small business and book a few months out. If you are looking for training for a specific span of time, get in touch as early as possible to set up training. If it takes a few days for us to get back to you, we apologize. We are working with dogs nearly around the clock, and desk work can take a few days to catch up with depending on the week’s training schedule.

Can we have the names and numbers of some of your previous clients so that we can talk to them about their experience?

Sorry, no. We don’t want to ask previous clients to do that. Many have submitted reviews and testimonials, and we don’t want to demand more of their time than that. We encourage you to read our 50+ five star reviews before making a decision.

Other trainers say they can get the work done in half the time as you, why are your programs longer?

It is our firm belief that thoughtful and thorough training takes time. As the saying goes, “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”