FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
DARLING DEVILS PRICES & PROGRAMS Consultations Every new client is started off with a 30 minute in-home consultation. This allows for a meet-and-greet with everyone who plans to attend the training session as well as discuss the training goals that the pet-parents would like to reach with their dog. By starting off with a consultation--this allows the trainer to assess the dog and see what program would be best for the individual dog and how sessions it would require to meet the ideal goals. A payment of $45.00 is due at the time of scheduling a consultation. This is a non-refundable deposit. At the end of the consultation, if the family would like to follow-through with training sessions, the $45.00 is deducted from the final training total. Private In-Home Training Each in-home training session is a total of 60 minutes. Clients who require a payment plan, or want a "Pay-As-You-Go" method, are allowed to pay by session for $140 due at the end of each session. *$25.00 is added for any additional dogs to be part of any private in home training session. "Angel Packages" (Discounted Private Sessions) Archangel package (3 sessions) Save 5% $133.00/session Principalities Package (5 sessions) Save 10% $126.00/session Virtues package (7 sessions) Save 15% $119.00/session Cherubim package (10 sessions) Save 20% $112.00/session Seraphim package (12 sessions) Save 25% $105.00/session In-Home Day Training Another program is the In-Home Day Training program, where the trainer stays in your home and trains your dog. This service is offered as a day only (during business hours - 10am to 12:30pm and 2:30 to 5pm. The cost is $250.00 per day. $25.00 is added for each additional dog in the household. This program is usually a 5, 7, 10 or 15 day program but can be customized for a vacation or for a specific amount of time. *Single days or every other day options can be offered upon availability. Even if you're not away on vacation, with our Day Training your dog can be trained in the comfort of your own home during the day while you're at work. After the training is complete, you will be provided with one in home FREE private training session for every 5 days that your dog was enrolled in the program. Because some behaviors are best addressed through shorter sessions over an extended period of time, please keep in mind that not every dog will be accepted into this program to ensure that each pet is set up with the best program depending on his/her case. Canine Good Citizen Evaluation The Canine Good Citizen (CGC) program, established in 1989, is an American Kennel Club program to promote responsible dog ownership and to encourage the training of well-mannered dogs. A dog and handler team must take a short behavioral evaluation of less than half an hour; dogs who pass the evaluation earn the Canine Good Citizen certificate, which many people represent after the dog's name, abbreviating it as CGC; for example, "Darling, CGC". The list price is $35.00 for each evaluation and administration of the CGC test.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have been professionally training and servicing Houston and its surrounding areas now for six years. Committed to providing the most effective, convenient solutions to current pet owners’ dog training needs—by using positive reinforcement, I avidly pursue continuing my education and professional development by constantly furthering my knowledge by attending frequent seminars and keeping current on all industry literature. I currently specializes in fearful and reactive dogs by focusing on building confidence and educating owners on the importance of early socialization. I am also a CGC Evaluator.
- How did you get started doing this type of work?
My journey into the training world stems back to my own Shiba Inu who began to show reactivity which developed into aggression and resource guarding--exhibited through owner possession. At only a year old, I was told to have my young dog put down since the behaviorist in training who assessed the dog, believed it was a neurological issue that could not be fixed. At that time, the aggression was so advanced that anyone who dared to approach the young canine would be greeted with a bite hard enough to draw blood. Discouraged, yet driven, I disregarded the advice of the animal behaviorist and instead turned to dog training techniques. Working hours a day with my dog, I attempted various techniques to find out what truly work best with the breed I was handling. In the end, I found that positive reinforcement had better results in the long-run rather than outdated methods such as: choke collars, prong collars, and alpha rolls. I also found that the latter usually resulted in escalated aggression with fearful dogs, since most aggression is due to a result of fear. By solely using positive reinforcement and a combination of counter-conditioning as well as desensitizing techniques, I noticed a vast improvement in my own dog. Through much hard work, my Shiba Inu is now a proud family member who looks forward to meeting kind and gentle strangers and is currently awaiting to be tested for her Canine Good Citizen (CGC). She also enjoys frequently outing with me to local dog-friendly restaurants as well as competing in local Barn Hunt competitions. She shares her home with two humans and her adopted senior brother, Kirby--a shepherd mix as well as a new, young Shiba Inu brother. I truly believe that dog-training can save a life (whether human or animal) and hope to ease any frustration between a family and their dog by using positive reinforcement and by strengthening the bond between pet-parent and animal.