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.

Our philosophy on training is to recognize that your dog is a living, breathing, animal that makes his/her own choices.  When your dog begins to realize that the choices they make influence the outcome , then they will begin to make the correct behavioral choices and follow your commands in all situations.  When the behavior is influenced by the anticipation of reward it will enforce that action, if they behavior is influenced by the anticipation of discomfort then it will begin to diminish.  Many people believe a myth of “every dogs wants to please”and this has been the root cause for numerous incorrect training methods.  As we mentioned, dogs act on their self interest, and until that is recognize then you cannot train dogs in the proper, natural, and understanding way that nature has intended.  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 training and rehabilitating the numerous dogs which include many “last chance” cases as well as 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).  Learning these various techniques has allowed me to see the positive results and more importantly the flaws in various methods.   This has allowed me to develop a style that finds the common ground between different methods and philosophies and find  ways that allow a dog to truly understand what is being asked of him or her and produce effective results time and time again.  Our approach to training focuses on the relationship between man and dog, and how to see your dog as more than simply a pet.  We believe that dogs are part of the family and should be treated as so.  We take a natural approach to our training, using our voice and body language as means to communicate to our dogs.  By doing so the dogs are clearly able to understand our acceptance, gratitude, pleasure, or our disagreement with certain behaviors without having to resort to treats to do so.

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.