FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
My prices start out at $75 per private session. The best and most productive training schedules are the long term/continuous training schedules of a week or month. In a week long program, your dog will work with me for 5 days straight to teach them certain tasks without the time in between sessions to allow for backsliding in training or reverting back to old ways. Then, there is the month long program with more time to address some of those timid issues of socialization or other negative behaviors while offering more advanced commands and proficiency in that month timeframe. The month long board and train program allows for plenty of time to instill basic obedience commands from the ground up working on proficiency where your dog will know how to differentiate between multiple tasks and will be clear on what is expected. We all know that dog that, when told to sit, the dog sits, lays down, rolls over, shakes, dances and does pretty much anything else that they have ever gotten a reward for in the past. This is a dog that doesn’t actually understand what SIT means. They hear “blah” and proceed to do every trick in the book. We want a good understanding of each task and how each task differs from the others. The weekly rate is $350 and works to teach or correct few specific behaviors. The monthly rate is $1200-$1400 (depending on vacancy and training requirements) and consists of sit, down, recall, leash walking, place training(bed), and modification of negative behaviors as well as fun tasks throughout training like agility obstacles, retrieving, or scent detection (depending on the dog’s level of drive and performance with the basic tasks) . Discounts are offered with the monthly programs.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
The first thing I like to do is explain exactly how my training process works to the customer and meet their canine companion. I explain some of the basic training principles that I use as well as some quick demonstrations whether with their dog if they are willing so quickly in a new situation or one of my own dogs. I will then prefer to take the dog under my professional hand for the beginning of the training process to build a personal relationship, structure, and a level of expectation. My job is not to spoil your dog, but instead to teach it to work for a reward, this is the first lesson the dog will learn. Then, once the private one on one time comes to an end whether one session, a weeks worth of sessions, or a month long training program, I will then show the owners the finished product under my handle and then transfer the responsibility and standards to the owner. At this time, I will teach the owner the standard that I have been working with from commands (sit, down, here, heel) to proper and polite behaviors in general like not jumping or wandering off or to the end of the leash. I will teach the owner precisely how to hold their newly trained dog to this standard and how to get results out of their dog. After all is said and done, I am always here for further consultation or refresher training at a discounted rate since the foundation is already built.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I graduated from the Department of Defense (DOD) Military Working Dog Handlers course as well as the DOD Specialized Search Dog School. I have trained with and been mentored by some of the best canine trainers across our country and some from other countries. From subject matter experts from the Royal Veterinary Corps (British Military) to some of the top retriever trainers in the gun dog world, everyone has their own style of training and methods. There is saying in the dog training world, if you think you know it all, then it is time to get out of the business. Dogs' personalities and training principles are constantly changing and evolving, there are always new things to learn in dog training regardless of how seasoned the trainer is.