Will my dog forget me while he/she is with you?

Absolutely not! After returning hundreds of dogs back to their owners I have never had a dog forget his family and home.

I just got a new puppy. How will it bond with me if it spends so much time with you?

Dogs will bond with just about anyone who gives it food, affection, exercise, and the right kind of attention. You only need to talk to a family who adopted a dog from a rescue or humane society to appreciate this.

You say you take puppies out into public on field trips. My vet recommends I not take my dog into public until it is fully vaccinated at 4 months old. Is it worth the risk?

Puppies have a limited amount of time to socialize properly. This is when they are 8 -18 weeks old. If you keep your dog inside your home during this phase and not take them into public you run a tremendous risk of raising a dog with social phobias (fear of cars, people, loud noises, new environments, and so on). Unsocialized puppies grow up with a long list of troublesome problems, including fear biting. We take puppies to places where they can experience the big world without an unnecessary risk of disease and infection – far less than what you may encounter in the waiting room at your vet’s office! It’s easier to be preventative than reactive. Ask your vet how many puppies they treat each month for Parvo/ distemper, and then ask them how many mean, nasty, fearful dogs they treat. I think you’ll find they see far more fearful/ aggressive dogs than sick puppies. The point being that puppies that miss their socialization window can grow up to be mean, nasty, fearful dogs.

Can I visit my dog during the training process?

Most of the time visits are permitted. However, dogs with severe behavior problems will likely do better if they are not visited.  Seeing their family come and go may be too stressful for them, and could possibly cost us a few days of training.

My dog is not used to having as much attention as your training/ play schedule shows, will this cause a problem when my dog returns to my quiet home where I am gone a lot?

 I create an environment which aids in removing both physical and mental stress. This means a lot of exercise, play time, and training. Lack of exercise and the right kind of attention is what causes many problems with dogs. So if giving your dog lots of exercise and attention can make them better, I will certainly do it. Besides, who wouldn’t want their dog to get tons of attention?

I’ve heard boarding school training doesn’t work because it isn’t in my home, and I am not involved. How will the dog know to do what I tell it to?

There are a lot of training facilities out there that simply hand your dog back over to you at the end and tell you to have a nice day. This approach fails because those trainers aren’t teaching the family how to communicate with the dog to ensure the training isn’t forgotten. Upon completion of my program I bring the dog back to your home, sit down with the family, lay out rules and guidelines for the family and dog, and give you a little bit of homework so the dog will understand and respect you. Essentially, I get the dog on the right track, and teach you how to keep it on the right track.

My dog has a lot of severe problems. Can you guarantee you will fix all of the problems in just 4 weeks?

 For this answer I refer to the auto body shop analogy. If you take your car to the shop with a dent in the fender, the mechanic can guarantee that dent will be removed in 1 week. However, if you take in a car that has dents in all the fenders, both doors, and busted windows, it is not possible for him to guarantee the car will be back to new again in that same amount of time. Translated, dogs with many problems or severe behavioral problems may need additional time. There are too many variables that come into play when rehabilitating a severely damaged dog to guarantee a certain outcome in only 4 weeks (age, breed, history, genetics, health, home environment, personality, etc.) However, just like in the mechanic analogy, you will see results by the end of the 4 weeks. Don’t forget that the stay can be extended should you choose.

I’ve seen trainers on T.V. doing Alpha rolls with the dogs to teach them “whose boss”. Do you do those?

 Lord NO! If you observe dogs, they do not forcibly roll each other onto their backs. When dogs do it, there is no force. In reality, it is one dog willfully submitting to the other. Forcing a dog who doesn’t respect you onto its back is nothing more than initiating a fight with your dog, and potentially ending with a bit owner. You may successfully accomplish the “alpha roll”, but that doesn’t mean your dog submitted to you. It just means you are a bully to your dog.

What is your success rate?

Short term success: All dogs that come here for obedience training will leave knowing all of their obedience commands, and dogs that come here with serious behavioral problems always leave far better than when they arrived. My long term success rate always depends on the owners’ willingness and commitment to adhere to the lifestyle necessary to maintain the training we’ve started. Meaning if you don’t follow the instructions you are given your dog may go back to the way it was before training started.  I have no control over my long term success since not all owners are willing to make the necessary lifestyle changes which are meant to help the dog.

Other trainers offer guarantees, but I don’t see anything about guarantees on your website. Why?

Read the fine print with those that offer guarantees. It usually equates to some unrealistic commitment on your part to ensure the guarantee. Not every dog-owner relationship is a perfect fit, and to guarantee success is not being honest with the client. Take for instance, the retired family that doesn’t live an active lifestyle who purchases two Weimaraner puppies. We can train the dogs until the cows come home, but if the family’s lifestyle doesn’t include adequate exercise and discipline, those two puppies will likely drive their owners insane. Or perhaps the single gal who works 10 hours per day, lives in an apartment, and just bought a Jack Russell puppy. There aren’t many trainers out there that can honestly guarantee that puppy will not chew, bark, be destructive, and not potty inside while the owner is gone. I’ve yet to meet a trainer who can make every shoe fit every foot every time, so to speak. It’s just not possible.

Can you solve all problems through your boarding school program?

No. Some problems that originate in your home can only be fixed in your home (like not peeing on the patio). For those problems that are specific to your home I will give you the necessary instructions to fix those problems after your dog completes the program. This is exactly the same thing an in-home trainer will do for you… give you instructions to solve your problem. Other things that are difficult to fix are training Bassett Hounds and Beagles not to bark, training Border Collies not to herd the cats and kids, training Cattle Dogs not to nip at your feet, or training your chocolate Lab not to be chocolate. It is necessary to understand that some issues are directly related to the breed you chose, and most of the time genetics will prevail over training unless you are extremely diligent with your homework. That being said, we can’t work magic, but we come darn close.

What kind of dogs come to you?

We see everything from 8 week old puppies who just found a new home to 14 year old dogs that still aren’t potty-trained. We help dogs who have attacked other dogs, and dogs who have attacked their own owners. Many of our clients have either hired other trainers first without success, or simply don’t have the patience or the time to do the daily homework necessary to create a great dog. Some of our clients took in a dog, and had to leave town and need a safe place to leave their dog and wish to take advantage of the training while they are gone. We get the bulk of our clients by word-of-mouth from previous clients, other trainers, & vets all over the valley. And just because a person doesn't have the time or patience to train their dog themselves doesn't mean they shouldn't be allowed the opportunity to own a wonderful dog.