"What Type of Training Do You Do?"
Every trainer follows a particular training philosophy and employs their own training techniques. It’s important to understand your trainer’s methods to know if it’s a good fit. Here’s what you need to know about us.
We are force free.
We believe that no breed or behavior needs a heavy hand. This means we employ positive reinforcement techniques as opposed to punitive measures. We will never recommend the use of a prong collar, e-collar, or choke chain on your dog and will never use physical punishment like a spray bottle or rolled-up newspaper. In fact, we believe so strongly in positive reinforcement methods that we will give you a one-time discount on training for turning over aversive tools. Learn more here.
We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all training.
We follow Kim Brophey’s L.E.G.S. model, which affirms that each dog’s behavior is the result of both nature AND nurture. We respect your dog’s unique journey, and your family’s unique needs. The L.E.G.S. model recognizes that your dog’s behavior is an individual combination of four distinct influences:
- Learning: your dog's individual experiences and education
- Environment: the many aspects of your dog's external world
- Genetics: the DNA that designed your dog inside and out
- Self: the unique interior world of your dog: health, development, age, sex, and individuality
We believe training is a lifelong process that’s
rooted in a relationship between you and your dog.
Obedience training is helpful. Solving behavioral problems is great. But your relationship with your dog is a lifelong one, and that means it’s not linear. Our goal is to help you understand your dog in the context of its wider environment to help both of you thrive and enrich each other's lives for the entirety of your relationship together. We do this by incorporating an explanation of dog psychology into our regular lessons and classes, and also offering ongoing, affordable opportunities for you and your dog to continue working together in a fun training environment. These include our Social Walker Club and Mental Enrichment Classes.
Do you have questions about our methodology?
Schedule a FREE 20-minute phone call to further discuss our philosophies, training methods, and any other questions you have. It’s important you feel comfortable with a trainer before choosing them, and we are confident that our commitment to respecting the needs of both you AND your dog will set us apart from the competition.
