Hi! I was wondering how much your “Dog Training Course” cost?
The price of the course depends on dog’s problems or their lack. It can be simple obedience training and house manners, or solving aggression problems. Exact price I will tell after my first visit, seeing a dog and discussing your expectations.
We have 2 year-old beagle. He is a little out of control and has some aggression. In general he is a great dog, but if you could help us with aggression issues it will be much more fun to have him around.
The earlier a dog owner realized that his dog has a problem and starts seeking for help, the more chances he will get at a well behaved dog. But without seeing a dog it is very difficult to say what type of aggression your dog has. And depending on the type, the “treatment” will be different. For example, if aggression based on fear I will work on dog’s confidence. If dog has aggression because lack of leadership, I will establish leadership and will teach you how to become the leader for your dog. And even though two dogs can have the similar type of aggression but different temperament (one of them can be submissive another one dominant) training will be different as well as results. It is why I need to have a dog “one-on-one” to figure out the type of aggression and find the right way to treat it. In two weeks I will correct the dog’s unwanted behavior, establish the proper behavior and teach you the rules and skills how to handle your “new” dog. And if you will have some difficulties, I will come and help.
We have a golden retriever who is about three years old and we are lost in the dog training department. We desperately need to teach him some manners. Can u guarantee that after your course he will be as great as we want him to be?
As any live creatures, dogs are very adjustable to environment in which they live. I can guaranty that I will do the significant changes in your dog behavior. And to prove it I will do a video. On the video you will see what have been done, and usually the owners are impressed with what they see. But after I return the dog you have to maintain training to keep it on the same level. You have just as much work to do as your dog! Otherwise results will decrease with time.
We have 10 months old lab pup. A lot of trainers out there with different methods, philosophy, and sometimes with an opposite approaches. It is very difficult to chose. Can you tell us more about your methods.
You are right. There are a lot of trainers and a lot of methods. Each trainer does what he/she believes into. How do you chose the right trainer? Go and observe one or two lessons, talk to the trainer, and ask questions… There is no good or bad methods, they are all different and you have to find the right one for you, the one you feel comfortable with, because as soon as you start you have to follow it consistently. And trust your dog. Dogs don’t lie. If the dog responds well, enjoys training sessions, and you smile looking at him, go on. The training in the beginning can be a little stressful for the dog, which is normal. But if the dog is shaking or peeing on the floor because of stress… Think twice about what you are doing.
Now more about my method. Actually I don’t have one. I don’t believe there exists one method that works for any dog. Lets not mix up obedience training and behavioral problems. Lets talk about obedience training first. I will start from basics such as sit/stay and down/stay. And after this the dog will show me what and how to teach him. For example, I had a dog just for basic obedience. The owner told me that the dog doesn’t have any problems. When I started to train the dog the command COME, the dog showed signs of fear. She wasn’t running away, but was standing one meter or so away from me and would not come. Something unpleasant was related with coming to the handler when she was called. If I continued with training without thinking about her fear and started to force her, the problem could have gotten worse. First, I made her to came to me without fear, but with a wagging tail, then I added a cue word COME and after this everything went perfectly. So, I work individually with each dog, and give to owner exact instructions which works best for THEIR dog. In general I use the leash correction and lavish praise. As a reward I can use anything that the dog loves most. Recently I had a dog who loved digging. So, I found a sandy spot in the forest and used digging as reward. I train dogs in different environments: streets, forest, stores, parking lots… I think, my method can be called “The real life training”…
How I can change my dog’s …? Can you make him stop …?
This is a good thing that you started asking questions. It’s means you realized that something not quite right with the dog’s behavior and you don’t want to tolerate it anymore. But this is the wrong questions to ask. The first question must be “Why…” . When you find the right answer, you will be able to answer “How…”. And if you CAN do this, you can make him stop whatever he is doing wrong.