It's simple really. It's building a better, healthier relationship with your dog. It's creating partnership, instead of ownership. It's teaching your dog a communication system, that allows you to build reliability, & freedom with your dog. Through the use of positive motivators (food, affection, etc.), I will help you shape a happy dog, that enjoys working alongside you. With the boundaries of corrections, we help create a clear picture, as to what you will & won't accept, in your dynamic relationship with your dog. This leads to happy owners, & happier dogs, that get to enjoy a life, full of freedom!

During your dog's training program, they will live with me full time. You will only need to provide food for the duration of your dog's stay. I can accommodate raw food. Your dog's training collars are included in the cost of your dog's program. I provide everything else they need during their stay. 

During their stay with me, they will get a minimum of 2-3 formal training sessions per day. Inadvertently, through daily interactions, they will also be training & learning. Due to a multi-dog environment, dogs will be rotated between crate time, training time, & free time in the house/dog yard. 

Towards the end of your dog's program, you will be required to attend your included private sessions. It is important that these are attended, & you come ready to learn. You need to be an active part in your dog's training, if you would like to see long term success & reliability. 

Walks

During your dog's training walks, I will work on whatever training needs you currently have. These walks will be done in your own neighbourhood, & are 30 minutes in duration. I will work on different training exercises during your dog's walk, in order to stimulate them, & to work on confidence building, as well as impulse control. Training walks are appropriate for minor training issues like leash pulling. They are not appropriate for working on behavioural issues like reactivity, anxiety, or aggression. 

Hikes

For training hikes, I will pick your dog up, & drive to a trail within 20 or so minutes of your home. Depending where your dog is in their training, hikes may be on a longline, or they may be off leash. During your dog's hike, I will work on teaching them to check in, & engage with their handler. I will also help condition a response, to return to the handler, if they see pedestrians, other dogs, cyclists, etc. Dogs are taught to hold a long down, or to remain in heel past major distractions. During your dog's hike, I will work on building duration in their commands, in new & distracting environments. I also work on confidence building, & extensive impulse control. 

Don't worry, your dog will still have plenty of time to sniff around, & enjoy being a dog too! These hikes are appropriate for dogs that already have a basic training foundation, & owners are looking to get their dogs off leash; or as an option to put in repetitions & build on existing training, while simultaneously giving your dog exercise. They are not appropriate for working on behavioural issues like reactivity, anxiety, or aggression. 

Every tool has the capacity to hurt a dog, when it is in the wrong hands. A flat collar, the most commonly used tool, is known to cause trachea collapse. 

The prong collar may not be the right choice for every dog, but it is an excellent choice for a vast majority of dogs. I only use, & recommend the brands Herm Sprenger, or Kimberland Collars. Both are high quality products, that have been designed with ergonomics, & comfort in mind. 

Due to its many points of contact, the prong collar is actually one of the most gentle collars, you can use on your dog. The prongs allow the ability, to offer the most amount of communication, while using the least amount of force to do so. High quality prong collars have their individual links rounded, for comfortable contact with your dogs neck. These brands also have a center plate, which allows for the links to travel in both directions along the neck, instead of in a singular direction. This distinction allows for equal pressure & torsion around the neck when any force is applied to the leash/collar. Other lesser brands, as well as other collar types, cause torsion to the neck when force is applied to the leash/collar, as well as direct blunt force to the trachea. The use of a high quality prong collar, greatly reduces the chance of trachea collapse, as it allows for the pressure of force applied, to be equally distributed around the neck. 

An e-collar is a dog training system that consists of a wireless remote, & wireless receiver. The receiver is typically worn on a biothane strap around the dog's neck. I use & recommend the brand E-collar technologies. Most commonly, I use their mini educator system. 

This system offers 1-100 levels of stimulation, as well as a vibrate, & tone function. The stimulation it delivers is similar to that of a TENs unit used in chiropractic, or physiotherapy settings for humans. We condition the dog at the lowest level they perceive & use this to create a communication system with the dog. This gives us the ability to communicate with our dogs at a distance, or to get their attention when they are fixated. 

I'm sure we can all agree, that stress free, off leash walks, are the ultimate dream! With some training, it doesn't have to be just a dream. Message us to chat!

I think you will find that list, to be quite extensive. We know that when it comes to learning, dogs just like people, do not all fit a "one size fits all" criteria. Remaining receptive to what will work best for your dog, & will give them their best life possible, is the most important goal for me - it should be for you too. With that being said, some additional tools I use in training include but are not be limited to: clickers, food, praise, slip collars, martingale collars, slip leads, flat collars, pet correctors, a position box, bonkers, affection, & toys.