First off let me start by saying that there are no “secrets to dog training” nor does it take a so-called “animal psychologist” to understand what your dog thinks. Dog training is based off of theory, nobody truly knows EXACTLY what your dog is thinking, so be sure to take some of the so called “experts” or self proclaimed “dog whisperers” OPINIONS with a grain of salt.

You may also encounter many “experts” who say that the correct way to train a dog is solely through purely positive or treat training methods. It is impossible to train a dog without using negative reinforcement. For example: If your dog soils the carpet there is no opportunity for positive reinforcement. You must combine positive and negative reinforcement through out the training process in order not to confuse the dog as to what behaviors are wanted and what behaviors are unwanted.

Every dog is different and not every dog thinks alike. I take a different training approach to each and every dog that I train. What works great with one dog may be totally ineffective to the next; however the basic obedience principles remain the same. The dog must understand his or her position in the “pack status” of your household, the dog must learn to pay attention to you around distractions, and once again the dog must understand that certain behaviors are acceptable and others are not.

My training style is based off of time tested techniques practiced by the most successful trainers that there have been, as well as my own unique style that has developed from my experience working with various trainers that differ greatly from one another. I have worked with trainers whose methods vary from one end of the spectrum (strictly positive treat based) to the other (extremely harsh corrections). This has allowed me to develop a style that finds the common ground and allows a dog to truly understand what is being asked of him or her and produce effective results time and time again.

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with numerous dogs that many trainers have not been able to or simply do not want to, such as Akita’s, Pit bulls, South African Boerboels, and many dogs that have attacked people and were deemed highly aggressive and recommended to be put down. Through the proper rehabilitation of these “highly aggressive” dogs they go on to live happy balanced lives with a loving families rather than an extreme injustice.

I have never come across a dog that I have felt “has a screw loose” or has “something wrong in its brain” like I have heard many trainers say. By simply saying this they truly mean that they don’t want to take the time to work with these dogs, instead they would rather tell the owner this and move on to a happy go lucky lab puppy and not think twice about the future of the other dog.

Through enough time, consistency and determination
… ANY dog is trainable.