Our training programs are designed to educate the humans, then train the dog. Once you understand why your dog acts the way it does, how dogs learn, and what motivates dogs, it is much easier to change behaviors without the use of harsh training devices.

In order to effectively and humanely train a dog, humans need to:

Understand Your Dog

Dogs are not four legged humans. If we treat them like humans we are not doing them justice. You need to understand your dog from its point of view.

Understanding the components of a dog's personality and how they think gives you the ability to teach your dog and provide guidance in ways your dog understands.

Establish Leadership

Earning your dog's respect is essential in having a well mannered pet. Respect is earned by what YOU do and don't do in regards to your dog. Strong leaders earn respect in extremely subtle ways.

You will learn how to become a strong, benevolent leader using proven leadership principles.

Understand How Dogs Communicate

Dogs can't tell you in human language what they are thinking, but if you understand how dogs communicate with each other, you can quickly recognize what your dog is feeling or thinking. This is key in preventing unwanted behaviors or encouraging wanted behaviors.

Understand How Dogs Learn

Understanding how dogs learn is the crux of teaching your dog new behaviors or eliminating unwanted behaviors. It is a simple principle that is incredibly powerful.

After educating the humans, we then work with the dogs using positive motivation and leadership principles.

• YOU - The most important training tool is you, and how you relate to your dog.

• Food Treats - We want to make learning fun for your dog. Food treats are used to teach new commands and reward appropriate behavior. Food is only one way to reward. You will also learn other ways to motivate your dog.

• Collar - We do not use choke chains, but it is important for your dog to have a collar. You may be able to use your dog's everyday flat collar, or based on your dog's personality and breed, we may recommend a martingale collar or Gentle Leader.

• 6' Leash - We use leashes for controlled walking exercises. We do not recommend chain or retractable leashes.

Training Philosophy

Tools used for training