FAQ’s

You can start training your puppy as early as 8 weeks old. Early socialization, exposure, and  training are crucial for their development.

No, dogs of all ages can learn new behaviors! While older dogs may take longer to unlearn bad habits, they are still capable of learning with consistency and patience.

The timeline depends on your dog’s age, breed, temperament, and your level of consistency. Serious behavior modification (human or dog reactivity/aggression, resource guarding etc) may take several months. 

It’s important to understand the true definitions of positive and negative reinforcement in training, as many marketing campaigns often misrepresent them. Positive reinforcement simply means adding something to encourage a behavior, while negative reinforcement means removing something to discourage it. For example, if you stop walking when your dog pulls on the leash, you’re removing forward movement, which is negative reinforcement. If your dog sits when you ask him to and you say “good boy” and pet him, that is positive reinforcement. Both are necessary when it comes to training dogs. 

Our focus is relationship based training, our goal is to help you understand dog psychology and have an amazing relationship with your dog based on trust. 

Working with a professional provides invaluable support, guidance, and expertise to help you work through unwanted behaviors. Trainers bring knowledge of effective techniques and a deep understanding of dog behavior, ensuring consistent training and faster results. With a customized approach, they can address specific issues like barking, pulling, or anxiety, and help your dog build positive habits. A trainer acts as a reliable resource, offering the tools and confidence you need to overcome challenges and raise a well-behaved dog.

You can definitely train your dog on your own, but a trainer acts as a coach to help you reach your goals more quickly. It’s important to find a trainer you connect with and enjoy working with, as this will be key to your success. With the right support, training can be done virtually, in person, or even a mix of both.

All dogs require training, no matter their age, breed, or temperament. Training helps dogs understand what’s expected of them, builds a strong foundation for good behavior, and promotes a confident, happy pet. It establishes boundaries, reduces undesirable behaviors, and improves communication between you and your dog. Training also fosters better socialization with people, other animals, and different environments. Additionally, it strengthens the bond between you and your dog, creating a more harmonious relationship. Ultimately, training is essential for a dog’s safety, mental stimulation, and overall well-being.

No, training doesn’t alter who a dog is at their core, but it enhances their natural personality and helps them express it in positive, manageable ways. For example, a dog with a playful, energetic personality can learn to channel that energy appropriately, preventing destructive behaviors like excessive chewing or jumping. Similarly, a shy or anxious dog can gain confidence through socialization and positive reinforcement, allowing them to navigate new situations more comfortably.

Training also improves a dog’s overall quality of life by reducing stress, enhancing communication with their owner, and increasing their mental stimulation. A well-trained dog feels more secure because they understand boundaries and expectations, which leads to a more balanced and content demeanor. Training doesn’t change their personality, training helps dogs thrive by allowing them to be their best selves in a structured, positive environment.

Yes absolutely. Excessive barking is usually a symptom of an underlying issue, often stemming from a lack of fulfillment or unclear boundaries.

Don’t let your dog get what they want when they pull on the leash—forward movement should stop immediately. To access full-length training videos on leash walking, join our online pack today and start working toward a relaxed, loose-leash walk with your dog!

Don’t allow your dog to jump on you—how they greet you or your housemates is how they’ll greet everyone else! Avoid giving attention or affection to a dog that is jumping.

Yes, aggression can be managed with proper training, desensitization, and socialization. However, addressing aggression requires a professional trainer to assess the underlying causes. It’s important to understand that behavior modification involves lifestyle changes for both the dog and the owner to see lasting results.

Start establishing separation right away—don’t allow your dog to sleep in your bed or room. Remove furniture privileges, and avoid letting your dog follow you around the house. Set clear boundaries around your space, and use the place command and crate throughout the day to reinforce structure and independence. Join the online pack today to learn the proper way to teach place and crate train your dog!

Excessive chewing is usually a symptom of an underlying issue, often stemming from a lack of fulfillment or unclear boundaries. Walk your dog for a minimum of 60 minutes daily and utilize the crate to set more boundaries.

Training recall requires consistency and practicing in distraction-free environments before progressing to more challenging settings. Everytime you ask your dog to “come” you must follow through and be able to guide the dog to you, keep a leash on your dog at all times in the beginning to ensure you’re able to follow through.

Yes, confidence-building exercises, gradual exposure, and providing clear boundaries will help fearful or anxious dogs become more comfortable.

Food aggression is a dangerous behavioral problem and requires the help of a professional trainer to ensure safety of everyone involved.

You should start potty training as soon as you bring your puppy home, usually around 8 weeks old.

It depends on the consistency of training, but most puppies learn by 12 weeks. Some may take longer depending on breed and routine.

Puppies bite as part of their teething phase, offer toys or bully sticks to help fulfill their need to chew. Don’t pull your hand away and scream if your puppy bites you, simply say “no” and make sure the activity they are doing is no longer “fun”.

Yes, crate training helps with potty training, prevents destructive behavior, and provides a safe space for your puppy.

Create a comfortable sleeping area, establish a consistent bedtime routine, and avoid giving excessive attention when your puppy cries to encourage self-soothing. If your puppy cries immediately after being placed in the crate, ignore them. However, if they’ve been sleeping for a few hours and then start crying, they likely need to go potty. For puppies under 5-6 months old, take them out for a quick potty break, then return them to the crate right away.

I believe teaching a puppy to stay neutral and calm during times of high activity or excitement is more important than focusing solely on commands. It’s essential to avoid rewarding overly excited behavior or coddling fear. In addition, teaching puppies to respect boundaries and thresholds helps them understand their space and your expectations. While commands like “sit” are important, I recommend teaching it early on because it lays the foundation for many future situations and reinforces calm, respectful behavior.

Obedience has it’s purpose when it comes to training your dog, however it is not the main driver for a calm, balanced, respectful dog. What I focus on teaching is a loose leash walk, place, sit, out/drop it.

Set a boundary with the furniture, keep a leash on your dog in the home and guide them away from the couch using the leash, utilize the place command to give them somewhere to relax instead of the couch.

Stop forward movement, this can be done by simply stopping and guiding the dog back by your side, taking a small circle, or changing directions to encourage the dog to follow you!

Set a boundary around your counters & table where you eat/prepare food, be consistent, never feed them from the table or give them snacks while you are cooking. If your dog is struggling put them in their crate or on place.

Yes, off-leash reliability really comes down to the bond you have with your dog and a solid, consistent recall. If your dog’s recall isn’t 100% in every situation—like, it’s great unless there’s another dog or a person around—then it’s not truly reliable yet. If there’s a “but” or “except when,” the recall isn’t there, and your dog shouldn’t be off-leash. While tools like the e-collar can be helpful in teaching off-leash communication, nothing beats the strength of a solid relationship with your dog. No tool can replace that connection.

Our training approach is the belief that your relationship with your dog is the most powerful tool in shaping their behavior. We don’t just teach your dog; we help you understand how dogs think, learn, and communicate so you can build a lasting, trusting bond. Our training isn’t just about commands; it’s about creating a partnership with your dog based on respect, understanding, and clear communication.

We offer both!

Yes, we have intensive board-and-train programs where dogs stay with us for structured training and socialization.

I believe training should be a natural part of your everyday life with your dog, woven into how you live and interact with them daily. Consistency is key to any training. Keep your session when teaching your dog something new, short and allow them plenty of rest in between sessions.

Consistency.

See our services page to see all of our pricing. If you are a new client, we require a minimum of a private lesson or group class to sign up for day trains, training camps, boarding or daycare.

Yes, we tailor training to each dog’s breed, temperament, and individual needs.

Just you & your dog!

Yes, we offer online consultations and training sessions for pack members.