Walking Manners

One of the most common complaints we hear from clients is that they don’t enjoy walking with their dog because their dog pulls, lunges, and maybe even acts aggressively while on leash. Many people resort to cruel equipment such as prong, choke, or even shock collars to address this behavior. Others will start tugging, popping, jerking, and getting angry with their dog to get their dog to pay attention and quit pulling. We can help with that! We use humane equipment (Freedom Harness or Combo Harness Leash) and work with your dog to teach them to respect the length of the leash, to check in with their human, and to remain calm when they see things while out walking. We also provide walking reports and video to help facilitate continued teaching at home. This add-on is all about helping your dog learn boundaries while walking and to learn to stay calm and relaxed so you can BOTH enjoy your walks together. We will work with your dog at a level they can experience success and then we pass that success on to you.

Friendly Greetings (Humans) – Jumping

Jumping on people is also high on the list of complaints that we receive from our clients. Especially if their dog is large. We feel it is important for all dogs to have impulse control when meeting strangers to reduce the possibility of scratches, nips, and even bites. Besides, it’s embarrassing and frustrating! While many people recommend kneeing the dog in the chest, shaking penny cans at them, or even hitting them when they jump up, we have a much different approach that is fun for everyone. We teach your dog to choose to sit when greeting anyone…and enjoy it! We will teach your dog to think before they leap and to make a much more appreciated choice in their greetings. We play games that keep this fun for your dog, so they don’t think that jumping is an option. This behavior alone tells us a lot about a dog’s base line impulse control. By teaching dogs to have more impulse control, we teach them to make better choices.

Door Manners

Does your dog bolt through any open door? Are you concerned that they will push through and run off when someone opens the door? Does your dog trip you up trying to get through an open door as quickly as possible? This is a huge safety concern for not only the dog but the humans in the house as well. We will work with your dog to teach calm and relaxation at all doorways. They will learn that each door is an opportunity to exhibit impulse control and make the choice to sit and relax until invited to go through the door. We can even teach your dog to go to a specific place and stay when the doorbell rings (see place/mat work) so you have the confidence to open your door without worry of where your dog is and what he/she will do.

Crate Training

Does your dog fight you when you try to get him into their crate? Does he bark, whine, and cry while in there? Does he destroy the crate trying to get out? Not only does this get expensive but it is dangerous for the dog as well. They could get hurt in the process of trying to escape, not to mention the damage they could do to your home once they are out. We will work with your dog to help him not only enjoy being in his crate but to go in there willingly and happily. This is especially important if your dog is experiencing any signs of Separation Anxiety.

Attention – Name Recognition

This is one that tops the list of “frustrating” for dog owners. You call your dog’s name repeatedly and…nothing. In fact, your dog moves onto something else completely! How infuriating! You give your dog a very thought out name that means a lot to you and then they have the nerve to just ignore it when called. While it may seem that your dog is doing this on purpose, the truth is…they just don’t know what you want them to “do” when you say their name. The bottom line is, if you can’t get your dog’s attention, anything else you want from them is pointless. A dog who has learned to ignore their name will be very difficult, if not impossible, to teach any other behavior with reliability and consistency. With this add-on, we will teach them exactly what their name means. Through fun and games, your dog will learn that their name means “look at me”. We can even work on teaching your dog to respond to their name with distractions such as other dogs, people, and yes…even squirrels.

Come When Called

This behavior concern follows closely behind Name Recognition. You yell “come” and your dog has the nerve to turn and high tail it in the opposite direction. So many dogs have been lost, injured, and even killed because they did not have a reliable understanding of what the word “come” means. We will work with your dog to not only understand that the word “come” means come but we will teach them that they should check back in when they are doing something and even return occasionally to see if you want anything…by choice. We work on both a hand signal and a verbal cue for this behavior so you have several layers of understanding so your dog can be successful. Safety is important and we consider this a safety behavior.

Stay/Wait

Does your dog move the second you do? Do you wish you could ask your dog to go lay down somewhere and stay and not worry that she would get back up and follow you? Would you like your dog to wait to be invited into or out of spaces such as a car, house, or room? Stay and wait takes a lot of confidence. It is hard for a dog to see their favorite person going somewhere and they are not invited…even if for just a moment. Many dogs have learned that rushing into or out of a place is the way to do things and this rushing can increase both stress and anxiety. With this add-on, we will work with your dog on helping them learn to make a different choice when they want to go somewhere. That is, to be calm and relaxed, and to wait until released into a different space. We will also work on teaching your dog that movement does not automatically mean they should move too. Instead, they should stay until invited to join us. We use fun and game to make wait/stay fun. No intimidation, fear or stress…just FUN!

Place/Mat Work

This add-on works well with door manners, but it is also an important behavior for everyday life. Place/mat work is not just for use in the home. We teach this behavior so you can take your pup’s place/mat with you, so they have their safe spot no matter where they are. This is great for Grandma’s house, hotels, and even the Vet.

Impulse Control Work

This add-on hits directly at the root of many behavioral problems including bolting thru doorways, jumping on people, counter surfing, and snatching things up off the ground or out of hands. We work with your dog to teach them how to be happy just looking at things without moving forward. In other words, they learn to have a built in STOP button. Our method is humane, force-free, and not frustrating for your dog. We teach this using fun games where your dog makes a great choice and then wins. Sometimes, they even win the thing they want!

Confidence Course Work

This is another great option for dogs who are exhibiting problematic behaviors. These can range from fear-based behaviors to out of control behaviors. Dogs who lack confidence exhibit behaviors that we generally don’t understand and don’t like. By offering your dog opportunities to accomplish small tasks and win, we can start boosting his/her confidence which results in a much more emotionally balanced and happy dog. Confidence Course work includes nose work and obstacle course work.

Desensitization Work (including grooming, car rides and general handling)

This add-on is great for dogs who are hard to bathe, trim nails or groom. Desensitization protocols also work for dogs who don’t like certain parts of their bodies touched, being picked up, get sick while riding in car or have a fear of something specific. We work with your dog to help them gain confidence around situations they have a hard time dealing with. Take the scary out of life!

***Reactivity (excitement or fear-based) toward other dogs or people Work

Does your dog bark, lunge…maybe even snarl and growl when people or another dog walk by? Does your dog’s behavior embarrass you whenever another dog or person passes? Do you avoid walking your dog because you are afraid of their behavior? This add-on addresses the underlying emotion that causes reactivity. Our Trainers use humane methods of Classical Conditioning based in the Principles of Learning Theory to help your dog feel more optimistic and happier about things that trigger them into a reactive response. By changing your dog’s underlying emotional response, we can help reduce and even eliminate reactivity.

Socialization & Enrichment (On-site and Off-site)

Socialization and enrichment are life-long skills that must be practiced in order to stay strong. With this add-on, we will work with your dog to assure they receive safe and effective socialization and enrichment for understanding life events and to maintain confidence. This includes:

**Introduction and involvement in a variety of daily activities

**Trips to parks, local shops, homes, and events to safely experience life circumstances

**Activities to engage the brain as well as the body

**Meeting people and other animals in a safe manner to maintain confidence and calm behavior