FAQs
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
In most cases, how I work is first I come to your house and do a full evaluation of the pup and your concerns. Then I develop a custom training plan tailored to you and your pup. This will include a written analysis of what the immediate and long terms goals are, my immediate reccomendations, and a detailed training plan with service options. This takes 2 visits of about an hour each and the fee covers both sessions. You then decide from the options which will fit your schedule and budget the best to achieve the training needs. For a young puppy in a new home, under 6 months, I go straight to an 8 week, 16 session in home training program that I have used successfully for over 30 years.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I am involved with the AKC'S Canine Good Citizen program and many local and online trainer groups all focused on sharing and discussing the latest advanced in canine training, behavior methodology.
- How did you get started doing this type of work?
I grew up watching my father progress from a novice pet owner who just wanted a good hunting dog to an AKC Field Trial Judge with multiple competition winning dogs and a Grand Master Hunter Retriever Champion. As deep as my passion was for the canine - human bond, I just never got into the competitive spirit of that aspect of the dog wirld. Luckily, a teen I met a woman who used a Seeing Eye Guide Dog. I was in awe of how a properly trained dog could give a blind person so much independence and confidance. She recommend the book Love In the Lead. It's about the first trained service dog and the development of the first American Guide Dog program. Since that first trained Service Dog, many more have been selected and trained to mitigate the symptoms of an ever increasing variety of disabilities. I channeled my passion from just wanting to be a better dog trainer and owner to helping others to train a Service Dog to assist them in life.