Canine Assist

$40/day

estimated price

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Length of time

Type of pets

Responds in about 1 hour

Introduction: I'm a Certified Professional Dog Trainer with over 25 years of dog training experience, with both pet dogs and working dogs. For pet dogs I charge $120/hour for lessons and $1400/week for board and trains. My service dog clients pay $18,000-20,000 over time, which is about one third the going rate for professionally trained service dogs. Service dog training is a longterm project and there are many different training and payment options. I'm professional, reliable and resourceful. I try to remain flexible in my programs. I don't have a storefront or expensive overhead to support, and I go to my clients or bring their dogs to my facility. I am happy to train your dog while you're at work during the day. My board and trains include pick up and delivery, as well as midway and drop off lessons to show the owners the new skills their dog has and how to reinforce them. I have years of experience training pet dogs, service dogs, search and rescue dogs and detection dogs for government agencies. I can work with dogs of any breed or size, using techniques from food reward to remote collars.

Overview

Hired 45 times

Serves Mineral, VA

Background checked

3 employees

12 years in business

Payment methods

This pro accepts payments via Apple Pay, Cash, Check, Credit card, PayPal, Square cash app, and Zelle.

Social media

Facebook

Featured Projects

19 photos

Reviews

Customers rated this pro highly for work quality, professionalism, and responsiveness.

Great 4.8

21 reviews

95%

Read reviews that mention:

Kimberly D.

Sep 7, 2020

Hired on Thumbtack

Jennifer made significant progress with our 7-month-old standard poodle. We got our poodle at 9-weeks of age, having read up on training protocol and thinking it would be hard but do-able. We also worked with a positive reinforcement trainer from the first days at home. Despite all of that, Mr. Dog was a major handful. He was very reactive to other dogs (thanks quarantine), awful on the leash, had terrible recall, and as he got older he started nipping at things in our hands. And although he never bit, he liked to remind us that he had teeth. He was often unresponsive to redirection except in specific circumstances. I was fed up so I did a bunch of digging around into board and train options and found Jennifer. I particularly liked Jennifer's approach of starting with positive reinforcement but bringing in other training modalities, as needed. I also liked her broad experience training dogs for all sorts of settings and purposes. Mr. Dog has been home for a little over two weeks now. I can now walk him with relative ease because of the lead Jennifer recommended. His recall is significantly better and he is now a gold star doggy-greeter on our walks. He also knows "kennel" and actually responds to it. He needs further work because he's young but we now have a solid foundation to work from, and hopefully not mess up. We'll be sending him to Jennifer for further training when he's older and are finally looking forward to the adult dog he will become.

Details: 6 - 12 months old • Large (41 - 70 lbs) • Board and train at a facility • General obedience training • Leash pulling • Barking • Crate training • At the pro’s location • My home, venue, etc.

Dog Training

Rachel B.

Aug 3, 2022

Hired on Thumbtack

We sent our blue heeler, Karev, to stay with Jen for 2 weeks of training. He left a high-energy and anxious dog, in his breed's nature, but returned with the trained skill for his anxious reactions, thanks to Jen. He has maintained her reward/command system. Our goal was for him to improve his socialization skills and he returned with much improved abilities. I've already recommended Jen verbally to others we know.

Details: 1 - 2 years old • Medium (26 - 40 lbs) • Board and train at a facility • General obedience training • Barking • At the pro’s location • My home, venue, etc.

Dog Training

Angela J.

Sep 2, 2020

Hired on Thumbtack

Jenn was very professional and had a wealth of knowledge. She came by for a visit and clearly knew what she was doing. I would highly recommend her.

Details: 0 - 6 months old • Extra Small (1 - 15 lbs) • Board and train at a facility • Therapy or service dog training • At the pro’s location • My home, venue, etc.

Dog Training

Michael W.

Aug 9, 2020

Hired on Thumbtack

Great trainer, deep knowledge, and works with you to achieve your goals. Working with my daughter who has a terrible disability, and is really helping her complete the training of her service dog. Very happy.

Details: 1 - 2 years old • Large (41 - 70 lbs) • Private lessons • Therapy or service dog training • My home, venue, etc. • At the pro’s location

Canine Assist's reply

Thank you Michael. I hope Gideon is doing well in college! Jen

Dog Training

Barb R.

Sep 30, 2019

Jen has a way with dogs. She understands them and knows how to work on all dog issues. With a calm demeanor and responsive tone, she gets dogs and owners in synch. A real find for training and boarding!

Credentials

Background Check

Jennifer Prentiss

FAQs

What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
Pet dogs and service dogs are priced differently. For pet dogs I charge $120/lesson and $1100/week for board and trains. The average length of a board and train is two weeks. This includes pick up and drop off, along with a lesson at drop off. Service dog training is a longer process that includes (often) finding the right dog, obedience, public access training, service dog tasks and education regarding service dog laws. From beginning to end my service dog clients pay $18,000 over time, depending on the complexity of the tasks the dog needs to learn. I have different payment options for this. I also have a program where I help an owner self train their service dog when they are able. I meet with the client every few weeks to guide the training process, evaluate and solve any training issues.
What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
Generally we have a phone call to discuss what the dog needs to work on and how I can help. We discuss methods the client would like to use and any health issues the dog has. We then schedule the best times available.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
In order to maintain my CPDT-KA certification I have to do 30 hours of continuing education in a three year period. I love to learn new techniques. I also have a biology degree from the University of Virginia and experience working as a veterinary technician. I have apprenticed with wonderful trainers and serve as a mentor for others.