Private In-home Dog Training

About Private In-Home Dog Training Lessons

During private, in-home dog training lessons, you and your dog benefit because my attention is completely focused on you and your dog(s). We all agree to silence our cell phones, I won’t need to divide my attention between many students as in a classroom setting, and I won’t be watching t.v. or checking my phone for texts or messages. Private lessons allow the focus to be completely on you and your dog. You and your dog will learn in the comfort of your own home and in the rooms with which your dog is familiar and within which you may be having specific problems, so you and your dog will get to practice appropriate behaviors in those same rooms and settings, which reinforces appropriate behavior occurring more frequently in those settings in your home. Many issues with dogs occur in the home environment, so it makes sense that training and behavior issues would be addressed in your home. Many times, training also goes ‘out on the road’ to the park or elsewhere in the neighborhood for facilitating dog-dog interactions, dog-stranger interactions, and behaving and walking appropriately outside in the ‘Real World.’

All training is tailored around your specific needs after a free � hour consultation with me by telephone. Behaviors such as:

• Housetraining, potty training, inappropriate elimination
• Crate training
• Separation problems (distress and anxiety in your dog when you leave your dog alone)
• Coming when called (aka the Recall)
• Wait and Stay (yes, they are two different cues!)
• Inappropriate jumping on you or on your guests
• Loose Leash Walking (LLW)
• Focus and attention
• Barking and being ‘yappy’
• Door manners (prevention and training for the dog who bolts out doors!)
• Aggression issues
• Fearful dogs, shy dogs
• Resource guarding (food and toy possessiveness)
• Puppy and breed selection based on your lifestyle (before you get a dog)
• Puppy- and dog-proofing your home

Most straightforward training lessons for skills such as puppy rearing, sit, down, come when called, etc., are one hour in length and are scheduled at your convenience during the week and on week-ends. Lessons for treatment of separation distress/anxiety and aggression may run at least two hours and possibly longer. Special arrangements can be made for longer or more frequent lessons if needed and if appropriate for your dog.

Puppy Good Start Program will teach you and your puppy the important basics. such as:

• Housetraining
• House proofing and keeping your dog safe from potential hazards in your home which you may not know can be hazards
• Teaching your pup to chew appropriate items (instead of furniture and other inappropriate items
  Keeping their attention and focus on you when out of doors, and ignoring distractions which could lead to unwanted behaviors
• Enjoying being in the crate when needed, and not viewing the crate as a “torture device” or punishment. Your dog will learn to love his or her crate and view it as a place of comfort!
• Not jumping up on people, which can be hazardous, especially for youngsters and seniors
  Walking loosely on leash without pulling or lunging
• A three lesson (three hours) commitment is required for the Puppy Good Start and Prevention Program. A discount if offered for three lessons, as well as for six lessons (six hours: six lessons is a full Puppy Package).
• The above entities you to one update a week by phone or e-mail which I will read and to which I will respond, with suggestions and “tweaks” if needed. As well, you may contact me once a week for a month to update me and ask questions related to any training that was covered, to which I will respond within 24 hours.

For dogs over five months, the above may be included as needed, as well as the following basic to advanced cues. For dogs continuing on to more advanced training, the training will take longer. You may want to learn the basic cues, and then after a period of time continue with me to teach your dog intermediate, and then advanced, cues. Much depends, too, on what kinds of students you and your dog are, how often you practice, and how quickly your dog learns:

Drop It: Dogs learn to drop an item they’ve taken in their mouths and learn to relinquish it when asked
Leave It: Dogs learn to leave an item when asked and not take it in the first place.
Stay: Dog stays until you physically release the dog
Wait: Dog waits until you verbally release the dog
Stand: Dog stands on cue. This cue is excellent for visits to the vet, to the groomer, or for when you need your dog to stand to put a harness or leash on him or her.
Come when called: Your dog learns to come to you, WITHOUT HESITATION, when you call, and to go to you QUICKLY.
Off-leash training (after evaluation – not all dogs are appropriate for off-leash training. All off-leash training is done in a secure environment. The decision to allow your dog to be off-leash in other environments is solely your decision).
Impose control
Down
Sit
Heel
Go to left side, go to right side
Circle around you
Left turn, right turn, about turns
Look to where you are pointing
Retrieve
And, more! What can you think of that would benefit your dog’s training profile?
There are discounted training packages available as well as hourly lessons available. The minimum number of lessons is three and prices include weekly updates for you to me, to which I respond within 24 hours. For a month after training is concluded, your fee also covers weekly updates to me to which I will respond and questions you may ask related to the training that was covered.