Common Needs

BASIC OBEDIENCE

Basic  obedience enables you to communicate with your dog and this, in turn,  builds a bond.  The bond is key to good training and a good life  together.  Your dog should not fear you; he/she should love, trust, and  respect you.  And, teaching him/her how to behave using positive  teaching methods will build and solidify your bond.  Basic obedience is a  first important step and usually starts while your dog is a puppy but  that doesn't mean it can't happen later; it absolutely can!

PUPPY TRAINING

Puppy  training includes LOTS of socialization work; I call it my puppy  “experience” offering because it goes far beyond teaching him/her to  "sit" or "stay".  In other words, it isn’t just obedience training: it  includes socialization, training, in home, out of the home, leash  training, interactions with people and animals, and everything you can  imagine your puppy might come across in his/her daily life. My goal is  to get the pups off on the right paw so that they can grow up to be  happy, confident, safe adult dogs that are a joy to have around.      
 The  puppy stage is a critically important time for learning all about the  world.  It doesn't last too long and taking on the responsibilities  during this stage can feel intense and overwhelming for the human pet  guardian.  I can help make this stage a positive experience that will  last a life time. 

ADOLESCENCE

Why  is the world is my dog acting like this?!? Like puppyhood, the dog's  adolescent period is another challenging time for many people.  Dogs  tend to test their owners, their boundaries, rules, etc. They "forget"  their training. Many dogs end up in shelters during this relatively  short period in the dog's life but it doesn't have to be that way.  Like  puppyhood, it doesn't last too long and, like puppyhood, I can help you  navigate this stage so that everyone comes through it with smiles on  your faces (and, wagging tails).    
 

BEHAVIORAL ISSUES

I  can help you if your dog has issues related to possession,  territoriality, walking on leash, anxiety, prey drive. These challenging  behaviors can have a huge and negative impact on your relationship with  your dog and even your relationships with other people.  Uncorrected,  or at least modified and managed, the above issues can often restrict  people's ability and right to relax, to socialize, and even their  freedom; daily life can be severely affected.  I can help you understand  and modify these challenging behaviors.  When a dog is making a  negative behavioral choice, my goal is to help the dog learn an  alternative, thereby modifying the behavior such that his/her choice  changes from a negative into a positive one...in other words, from one  that is unacceptable to us to one that is acceptable.  So, this goes  beyond simply correcting a dog (usually over and over again, which  requires constant vigilance and is not really solving the problem) or  surrendering and "living" with the issue...to teaching the dog to  actually DO something else, to replace the negative choice with a  positive one.    

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Positive  teaching techniques help your dog to think and learn...through positive  interactions, you and your dog will build a trusting bond based on  respect...he/she will learn what you want, how to properly behave...and  he/she will want to make you happy because of the love and respect  he/she feels towards you.  Clear communication and firm boundaries  decided upon by a good leader (the human) will result in the best  relationship you can have with your dog.