FAQs
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
Our first session is usually an hour. It involves about 30 minutes of discussion, concerns, goals, history, etc. and about 30 minutes of the beginning of training. We touch on the foundations of the way dogs learn and how we will use those ideas to meet the behavioral goals we've identified. After each session I send a summary of what we talked about and step by step reviews of each exercise.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
Dog training is an unregulated industry, which means anyone who feels like it can just declare themselves a dog trainer any time they want. This also means, unfortunately, there is no oversight of methods used for training. But there is a right and wrong way to do it. Canine science has really taken off in the last decade or so, and we have mounting research that supports operant conditioning, desensitization, and counter conditioning as the most effective ways to define or redefine (modify) the behavior of a dog. And study after study shows that techniques that use intimidation, fear, pain, discomfort, etc. are not as effective, especially long term. In fact, those approaches can increase the problem behavior and create new issues. This doesn't mean that we throw treats at the dog indiscriminately and shower them with kisses. Rewards are motivators (there is no learning without motivation), and with good timing they help clarify what is wanted. One of my goals is to be a part of the dissemination of modern dog training information. Cerification and ongoing education is essential in helping my clients not only with the problem behaviors their dogs display, but with understanding the dog more completely. This helps me to help them strengthen that great human-dog relationship we all are after!
- What questions should customers think through before talking to professionals about their project?
Please search "Ten Questions to ask your dog training professional before you hire them" from the Pet Professional Guild. This ensures stress free training!