In the early stages of my training career, I felt something was missing from the process. Along the way, I realized the missing element was honoring the Human-Canine bond through the teaching process. Many of the issues I was asked to resolve were not matters of "obedience" in a traditional sense.

 

Behavioral concerns or general frustrations were actually stemming from ineffective communication, a skewed relationship with the dog, and a lack of understanding the dog as a whole. 

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Our philosophy is holistic. When we develop your training plan, we consider all the parts of the dog, their daily life, and your lifestyle. Your dog is looking to you as their guide for life, so we place an emphasis on educating and empowering you through relationship building and communication skills development.

 

To foster your success, we teach obedience skills as a language to create clear communication with the dog, explore the dog's enrichment needs, both physical & mental, evaluate healthy nutrition adjustments, and review environmental factors.

 

As part of a holistic training philosophy, we employ science based learning and behavioral theory, using both Classical and Operant Conditioning. We believe in teaching with clarity and kindness by ensuring the dogs understand both a “Yes” marker for good behavior, and a “No” marker for undesirable behavior. It is simply not clear, or fair, to teach through a one sided vantage point and expect our dogs to “figure out” to only offer good behavior. We must also define what is unwanted behavior. This is truly the basis of any fair, balanced, and logical education.

 

With our skilled method of maximizing the use of positive reinforcement to teach new behaviors and encourage desired behaviors, we are able to bring fun engagement to the whole training process and enhance the dog’s desire to learn. Positive reinforcement simply means adding something the dog finds reinforcing. Food is generally the simplest reinforcer, and most commonly used by pet parents and trainers, however we also encourage the use of toys, play, and praise to build your dog’s motivation to learn and tap into their broader spectrum of desires. Play and praise are especially important as they are truly tied directly to you, and strengthen the bond between you and your dog - far beyond what food can offer. We do not want your dog to only view you as a meal ticket.

 

We may guide you to implement appropriate training tools, routine changes, or protocols especially if you have been unsuccessful without them but have genuinely attempted to follow the work we give you. We are here to help you find a resolution that works. We require regular check-ins and homework assignment evaluations to help us better help you.

 

We know you can do this and know your dog can do it too! Our programs and protocols are designed for long-term success for you to be your dog’s guardian and most trusted companion.