We teach in respectful, pain free and force free ways because it is the right thing to do. We believe every dog is a good dog even those who have troubling behaviors. Each dog is as unique as their owner and not all human and dog teams respond to one style of learning. We individualize your training to your dogs needs and your goals.

It is okay to have a shy dog, a super goofy dog, an outgoing dog, a serious dog or somewhere in between, we simply want you and your dog to live without anxiety, reactivity, have great manners and work together as a team so your dog can go with you anywhere as YOU are your dogs greatest prize! 

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Learning to speak

The most powerful teaching tool is your voice. Learning how to speak to your dog in clear ways is key to having your dog listen. Get your puppies off to a great start with clear communication and proper socialization will prevent unwanted behaviors and poor social skills! Understanding why your dog is behaving they way they are helps overcome worrisome or frustrating behaviors. We do not always know what has happened to a dog before it was lucky enough to land softly with you. We do know all dogs can make great progress in many areas of their lives, it does not mean all dog want dog friends or want to be dog park dogs or want a huge circle of human friends. A dog might never like others dogs and that is okay with us, we just do not want them to be a bite risk or feel anxious every time they see another dog!  When you speak clearly they learn to trust and listen to you and this is what shifts their behavior. From left to right in this photo, far left was hyper vocal and had limited focus, next dog solid as a rock super sweet just here to learn more, next dog was a feral puppy turned school dog, next dog suffered from extreme anxiety and very reactive, next dog late puppy aged rescue excitable no training, far right dog abandoned to a high kill shelter completely shut down. They have learned to focus on their owners which is why only the school dog is looking at the trainers camera, everyone else is watching their owners who have told them to stay put for a photo. Knowing your dog and their limits helps them have happy lives! Not everyone has to pet your dog or have their dog greet your dog! Your dogs deserve to be who they are, our humorous motto "your dog does not have to love everybody they just cant bite anybody"  We want your dogs to feel safe, comfortable and calm knowing you've got things under control so they don't have to!  We will teach you the skills you need to help your dogs trust you deeply so they can relax.    

Harness or collar
​treat or no treat 

Training gear is really important to us. We do not want you or your dog to become gear dependent or treat dependent so we work with your dog to find the best gear for them to use and teach in ways that only use the leash for safety. You learn the skills through movement and voice to keep your dogs close while walking and coming when called. Big or small, dogs do not need prong collars, shock collars or choke chains. Walking your dogs safely should not come down to strength or gear. It is so important to play with your dogs. Dogs bond though play and play is a great way to teach new things! All good games have rules and we teach you how to set those games up so your dog learns what you want from them in really fun ways. We do use treats for teaching new skills and mastering a skill in a really challenging situation, like choosing to come when called even when there are fun off leash dogs running the beach. We use lure and reward with food, random food reinforcement at the end of sentences such as "watch me, here, down, stand, sit, stay and COME!" and tons of verbal praise praise every time they get the right answer! Games with loads of cheering and full body love and a random cookie tossed in are fun for everybody. We phase out the use of treats as your dog learns and replaces the food reinforcement with secondary reinforcements such as being off leash, getting full body love, chasing the ball, playing with other dogs and they always get tons of verbal praise all the time and everywhere because we all love to know when we get it right! 

The joy of earning the freedom to run as fast as you can

Starting on the right path with a puppy gives you the ability to prevent unwanted behaviors by learning games that teach commands, confidence and impulse control is an amazing gift to your dog! Turning things around with an adult dog does not have to be a life long struggle when you build on success! We use science, experience, respect, compassion and love with every dog and person we work with. There is nothing like having a dog earn the freedom to run as fast as they can! We help you learn how much freedom is too much too soon and when and how to have your dog earn their way to increase their freedom by making great choices! We will help you navigate best environments for you and your dog. Never let your dog have more freedom then they have earned so they do not get themselves into unsafe situations. It is our responsibility to keep our dogs safe. A dog who does not come when called or who cannot do a down from a distance is not a safe off-leash dog. We need to help our dogs learn what a word means before we put it into use out in the world. Teach them to LOVE the game of come and the emergency down so they want to do these things even among the spring bunnies, squirrels and running puppies!