Basic Obedience training



Our training is done privately, in your home. We work with you, your family and your dog.  The advice of many trainers is that only one person should "handle" the dog during the training period, I disagree. Most households have more than one person living in them and we believe that it is important that your dog know and understand it's position within it's pack; this can not be accomplished if the pack is not involved, and it does little good if the dog responds to only one of the household members especially if there are children in the home or that one person happens to be away. It is important that your dog understand exactly where it stands with everyone in the house. This is one reason we do not hold group classes for Level I training of companion dogs.  As the dog progresses with obedience we then expose him to more distractions in and around the home as well as in public, making for a well rounded and balanced dog. In working with families we often encounter concerns regarding aggression towards children, this issue is addressed with the dog and the children both as most children who are bitten are bitten by the dogs they live with. We work to accommodate the families schedule when arranging our meetings just as the dog will learn it's place in the families schedule. Time and effort are a factor and owners should be prepared for this before beginning any training. Consistency is imperative!

Dogs by nature look for leadership within their pack and if they do not receive it they will step up to the plate. In pack living someone must be in charge of decision making for the pack to be successful. The pack leader is responsible for keeping the pack safe and fed, this is your job and best not left up to your dog. With the knowledge and power of proper communication it may be one of the most rewarding positions you will ever hold! The benefits to both you and your dog are boundless.

Collars and leashes: there are just enough collar types to make a person crazy and enough trainers out there to help make you crazy siting the reasons for their own personal choices. My opinion is that it doesn't matter. In the real world most of the problems people have with their dogs occur when the dog is not on a leash. We prefer to have control of our dogs psychologically and not physically. That is not to say that a dog does not need to know the proper way to walk on a leash as most public places require so, it is that we do not control our dogs with a leash. I see many dogs in public and on leashes that are still completely out of the owners control.
I see more people than I'd like to being drug around by a dog on a pinch collar, stating that it's the only way they can walk the dog at all. There are, at times a legitimate need for a particular type of collar, for a short period of time to get the desired results, but a dog or a trainer that requires the use of a pinch or choke collar at all times is being taught and teaching little more than pain for consequences. Frankly I'm not convinced it works.

There is nothing more frustrating than seeing a dog with it's back to it's owner ignoring him or her as it is hollered at to "come", or worse chased down the street.  This is no way to live for you or your dog. The better trained the dog the more freedoms it can be allowed.
We believe that a dog with direction, leadership, respect and love is a happy dog, and our goal is to make as many dogs happy as possible. If you want a happy, balanced companion we can help you accomplish this.



       
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"I pray that gentle hands may guide my feet; I ask for kind commands from voices sweet;
At night a stable warm with scented hay, Where, safe from every harm, I'll sleep till day."
-Anonymous


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