Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know what service is best for me and my dog?

This will be discussed during the initial 1.5 hour evaluation that must occur before we choose the appropriate training service. This way, we can explain our methods, demonstrate with your dog, and discuss all the goals you want to achieve. We will make a recommendation based on your expectations, however, we leave the decision entirely up to you and your family.

What are your training methods?

We believe that training dogs is like a pyramid, in the sense that it cannot work unless you start with a strong foundation. When teaching a dog new skills, we use positive reinforcement until the dog understands and reliably repeats the desired behaviors and only once they have mastered those skills can we demand reliability and hold them accountable. We believe balance and a clear right and wrong will produce the best results for both dog and owner.  Through the balance between reward and punishment, as well as clarity of communication, both dog and owner will achieve a greater understanding. Like you, we expect results, so we hold our clients to a high standard as training progresses. 

What makes you different from other trainers?

We use a balance approach to training, meaning all areas of science based methods are used. We do not only teach the dog what is the correct behavior but we also communicate to them what is an inappropriate behavior. Contrary to what a lot of people believe, dogs like to do things for their own benefit and don’t always respect their owners. Our goal is to teach owners how to establish leadership, communicate effectively, and how to gain reliability from their dog. This way, both dog and owner work cohesively together.

Also, our initial background in dog training started with high drive working dogs that we taught to have off leash reliability in any situation, specifically for competition. Because of this experience, we pay a lot of attention to detail and can always find ways to improve a dogs understanding of a certain concept.

Do you use prong collars or e-collars?

We use these tools if it is necessary in order for the dog and owner to be as successful as possible. The use of these tools is known to be a controversial topic that really comes down to using them correctly and humanely and in a way the dog understands. The e-collar is also the only way to have 100% off leash reliability. So they are not necessary for every client, but we have a lot of experience using them and they would only be used after all behaviors are understood and taught with positive reinforcement.

Do you guarantee results?

Every dog and owner is different.

We do guarantee that your dog will learn the behaviors and understand what we are communicating to them without conflict. The time and commitment put into learning, practicing, and applying what we teach you in the lessons is entirely up to you. It is very simple, the more you apply, the more success you will see. Dogs are not robots, they are living breathing creatures that will make mistake and not always understand what you mean the first time. Dog training takes a lot of self awareness.

We can also guarantee that we are there with you every step of the way. If there is an issue that has not fully been resolved or that you simply need more help with, then we will offer more lessons or coaching to make sure it is fixed. We take our clients and their success very seriously and we want to give you all the support necessary!