Daycare is simply a place to hang out with other dogs while you are work.
Day School, is daycare with Basic Obedience Training included. The dog is at school for 6-8 hours Monday-Friday for three weeks.
At 3-4 months of age, puppy training can begin formally in a class.
Under 6 months of age is the ideal time for socialization. This time in the puppy’s life will never be repeatable, so this socialization period is more crucial than training. The puppy needs to get and experience the world around us.
Training at this young age is treat or toy-based teaching of hand signals, positions and words using Positive Reinforcement only.
We recommend the excellent book The Art of Raising a Puppy by the Monks of New Skete to guide you on creating a regimen for the pup at home.
The minimum age to begin On-leash obedience training is 6 months of age. This can be finished in 4 weeks in private lessons.
Off-leash work would be another 3 weeks.
Real obedience is based on a dog’s impulse control, not a series of tricks or a memorized routine that is the standard in treat training (Positive reinforcement only).
Before stopping something as serious as reactivity or aggression, the owner must be able to stop much simpler misbehaviors (leash pulling, jumping up, rushing through doors, counter surfing, eating garbage on the ground, etc.).
The dog must learn what the word “No” actually means through the repetition of physical corrections for mundane actions.
The corrections must happen on a daily basis for weeks or months to produce the new desirable habit.
Corrections are based on touching the dog and stopping the bad behavior. We use our hand to touch young puppies. The leash is used at 6 months and up, and then later is replaced with an electronic touch for off-leash control.
- Drop a treat or toy on the ground and say “No” right as she attempts to grab the object. Does she stop immediately?
- Bring him to your front door, tell him to “Wait” and then open the door quickly. Does he stay inside with no restraint?
- Walk her (on a leash) up to an aggressive dog behind a fence who is snarling and barking at you and tell her to “Leave it”. Does she ignore the dog completely?
If the answer to these questions is yes, then you are ready to move forward into advanced training with an e-collar.
If the answer is no, then these basic corrections are what you will learn to teach her in the first lesson.
Balanced training utilizes all 4 quadrants of conditioning, not just the one that most owners are familiar with- Positive Reinforcement. Positive Reinforcement will be used for the dog’s entire life (for puppies under 6 months it is the only method used), but at some point it is not enough to produce a perfect pet dog. Positive Reinforcement does not correct bad behavior, and in fact can encourage it if done improperly. If the owner only uses one method out of four to teach their dog, the training is unbalanced.
Dog training is temperament based, not size-based. There are small dogs who are dominant and large dogs who are submissive. Each program is tailored for that specific canine personality, even though we will be teaching the same skills and using the same equipment.
This is similar to a 3-week board and train program, except your dog sleeps at home each night and is with you on the weekend. Your dog will play and romp Monday-Friday in a Daycare setting with 10-20 dogs and learn on-leash (or off- leash) skills.
Different training programs offer on-leash obedience, e-collar (off-leash Recall), agility, protection work, and behavior modification.
Positive reinforcement only is used to begin puppy training. At 6 months and up, the other 3 methods of training (positive punishment, negative reinforcement, negative punishment) are added to balance the training.
Progress varies by dog and owner and can take weeks or months. For simple leash pulling, one lesson is usually all that is needed. The owner will then work on that issue for a few weeks until the new habit takes over.
We offer private lessons where we will teach the owner how to train their own dog. We also will train the dog for the owner in a Daycare setting if they prefer.
Yes, we have specialized in working with aggressive dogs for over 2 decades.
Puppies can start Marker Training (treat training) at 2-3 months old, although 4-5 months of age is more typical.
No, no dog is ever too old to learn. We have rehabilitated 10-year-old aggressive dogs that had been aggressive their entire lives.
This depends on how much training the owner desires, the age of the dog, and the level of training the dog already possesses. A young puppy just entering into Obedience will need four lessons to master on-leash work. An older dog with some previous training might be doing off-leash work in just four lessons.
The lowest starting at $250 up to the most which would be $1,420 if you did all the training.
This initial catch-all lesson instructs the owner on how to wean the dog off of treat training, begin proper leash walking, teach 3 important commands (“no” “wait” “leave it”), establish expectations, and plan a training strategy.
If your dog does not have a solid “no” in place you will need this lesson.
The lesson itself is the same price that most trainers charge for a 60-minute private lesson.
Our lesson is 90 minutes long and involves a variety of situations and distractions to ensure the owner is ready to face any problems when out with their dog.
We are also providing you with 100 dollars in high-quality equipment to take with you. This adds to the cost.
