FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
My initial consultation, one hour to 1.5 hours, is $75 within a 45-minute drive; $90 within a 1.5-hour drive. My fee for behavioral modification is $75 per hour, and you may purchase a three-session package for $200, a savings of $25. My fee for skills training is $65 per hour, and you may purchase a package of three sessions for $170. I have found that we can usually get a great deal done in three sessions, especially if we space them a couple of weeks apart each time, and you practice what I've shown you in between our meetings. Sometimes, though (for instance, when a puppy has lots of new things to learn, or when a dog is learning new skills AND getting help with anxiety), we'll want to have our sessions closer together. One of the most important things to do when training is to work at the dog's pace, so we'll continually assess our progress and make our plans based on that. A client who purchases a three-session package, committing to his/her dog's well-being in this way, will be entitled to my lifetime email and phone support.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
Dog trainers always have a minimum of TWO new customers at a time. :) There's the dog, and there's the owner (and sometimes more than one), and the three (or more) of us will have a first consultation. Meeting and working with a new dog has two parts. First, I want to get my relationship with your dog off to a great start. This means I will commit to keeping him/her as anxiety-free as possible (and you and I will talk ahead of time to nail down the details of what that will require), and I'll use food to help her/him form a pleasant association with my visit. The second part of what I'll be doing will be to observe everything I can about your dog--body language and other physical clues, behaviors, vocalizations, tendencies or habits, and anything else I can notice by watching. What I'll be doing with you, the owner, is listening and gathering data. I'll want to know what you love about your dog, what about your dog is challenging, how your home functions and how the dog fits into that, and what goals you have for our work together. I'll want to hear anything you want to tell me. Then, based on what I've observed about your dog and on what you've said about your goals, you and I will nail down three things. First we'll decide what it'll 'look like' when we've reached our goal. What will be different? How will the dog's behavior have changed? When we have that vision of perfection :) in our minds, next we'll make a list of manageable steps which will allow us to progress to that vision. Lastly, we'll make a specific plan for achieving the first step on our list, or, if it's a straightforward task, more than one step.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have been teaching humans and dogs for just under 40 years, and if there's a teacher gene, I must have inherited it. I grew up in a science-fascinated family, and took all the science courses one needs to get on track to become a veterinarian, something which has been very handy in my life, although initially I ended up going in a different direction. I had another very strong interest--music--and I've got a bachelor of music degree in performance and a master's degree in performance and literature, both from a renowned music conservatory. Soon after I began the bachelor's degree, I was singled out by a music educator in an award-winning local school district to teach her most advanced students, and I've been doing that ever since. I didn't realize when I started that decades of teaching a very difficult skill using positive reinforcement would help me so much in my life with dogs, but so it has proven. I found it easy and fun to train my own dogs using the positive reinforcement principles I'd been learning all along, and began seeking out opportunities to advance my skills in that area. The transition when I began training other folks' dogs was quite seamless. I'd learned pedagogy in college, which meant that I knew the principles of learning theory and behavior modification, and for more advanced practice with those, I continued by taking an intensive course offered by one of the world's leading animal behaviorists, Dr. Susan Friedman. I subscribe to the webinar series offered by renowned dog trainer Jean Donaldson, author of a series of books which have radically advanced the way we view dog training. I've studied from the webinars offered by Karen Pryor, another training powerhouse who's known as the founder of clicker training. After reading her groundbreaking book, I attended several master classes presented by Suzanne Clothier, another grande dame of dog training, who has a unique and helpful way of training while strengthening the bond between dog and owner. I maintain a large library of print and video materials provided to us by the animal behaviorists and dog trainers who are the acknowledged experts in their fields, and I'm happy to loan them to clients at the time when they're most likely to be absorbed and helpful. While on that subject, I should mention that I've also got a number of fun and helpful 'gizmos' to help with various aspects of dog behavior modification, and those are available to clients, too. You haven't lived until you've seen what the remote-controlled treat delivery device, designed by world-famous veterinary behaviorist the late Dr. Sophia Yin, can do for you and your dog. :)