My Promise

The problem with “guarantees”

Behavioral modification is an ongoing, dynamic process that requires a dog’s caregiver to have a strong willingness to learn. Implementing a training plan is only the beginning of the process. The greatest factor in training a dog is training the humans who care for him! Changing a dog’s behavior requires consistency from all household members, and often, lifestyle changes that may not always be the easiest or most convenient.

“Trainers” who advertise rigid, black-and-white behavioral guarantees are not being honest or transparent. Their methodology emphasizes shortcuts and quick fixes, which generally suppress undesired behaviors temporarily rather than eliminating them altogether and replacing them with desirable behaviors. I work hard to make the training process as efficient and easy as possible, but eliminating behaviors with strong histories- or creating confident new behaviors- in a single session is simply not always realistic. There are so many factors that go into a dog’s training and behavioral modification, from the severity of the behavior to the dog’s everyday environment to the willingness of their humans to follow through consistently and make necessary lifestyle changes. 

Here are a few things that I will guarantee! 

• You will learn something new about canine behavior and body language, as well as the potential sources of motivation behind your dog’s behavior. 
• The bond between you and your dog will be strengthened, and you will be more informed about how to best care for them behaviorally. 
• You will walk away from the training session with more resources and educational tools than you began with. 
• You will be empowered to make your dog’s life more enriching, exciting, and fulfilling. This should inherently decrease general anxiety and destructive behaviors. 
• Just like human therapists, dog trainers have their areas of behavioral specialty. If a case is beyond my confident abilities, I will communicate that, and do my best to provide helpful resources. This is why I always perform an evaluation before I begin the training process; I will not pursue behavioral cases that are beyond my personal abilities and scope of knowledge.
• You and your dog will have fun together!