I train pretty much all breeds! You'll see a lot of pit bulls / pit mixes on this page because most of my personal dogs are pitties, and I foster pitties, too. I also tend to work with a lot of pitties/bullies because folks see them on my social media so often! 

That said, I've worked with dogs as small as Mini Dachshunds and as big as Mastiffs. Please feel free to contact me about training no matter the breed. If for some reason I don't think I can work with your dog, I will let you know. 

This is POSITIVE, ETHICAL, MODERN dog training! That means we use lots of rewards, patterning, and creative problem solving to address your behavior concerns and meet your goals. There's a big emphasis on understanding why your dog behaves the way they do, and we use that information to help meet their needs and encourage change. 

At the heart of my training philosophy is the understanding that dogs are sentient beings with their own emotions and experience of life. They have an emotional capacity comparable to ours, and the socio-cognitive capacity of a 2-3 year old human. That's right: dogs are basically toddlers!

Knowing all this, I (and other positive trainers like me) believe it is unethical to use any tools or techniques that intentionally cause pain, discomfort, or startle. Multiple studies have shown that such tools and techniques have negative long-term consequences. Best case scenario: the dog's cortisol response is elevated. Worst case scenario: the dog experiences behavioral fallout, distrust of the owner, and even increased aggression. For all these reasons and more, I will not use any tools or techniques designed to "correct" a dog for undesirable behavior. These are old school techniques that knowledgable trainers have stopped using. 

Pretty much anything! I love the challenging cases! Here is a list of some common behaviors I work with, but this is not exhaustive: 

• Leash reactivity (barking, growling, lunging at certain things).

• Leash manners (pulling, lunging, refusing).

• Aggression toward people, dogs or other animals.

• Anxiety of many kinds, including a nervous disposition, nervousness caused by lack of exposure to the world, generalized anxiety, separation anxiety/distress, and more.

• Manners like jumping, welcoming guests polietly, etc. 

• Stranger danger

• Cooperative care

Yes. The most user-friendly way to teach new behaviors, reinforce desired behavior, and change how a dog feels about something is to use food rewards. Check out this reel to hear me talk more about this.

If your dog won’t take food rewards, don’t panic! We’ll work on that.

When it’s necessary, yes. I aim to teach your dog only the skills they need to be successful, and often that doesn’t include basic obedience skills.

I also take issue with the concept of “obedience”. I’m not here to make your dog obey you, but to help you and your dog learn to work together.

I recommend a sturdy Y-front harness and martingale collar (as a backup) for nearly all dogs. I also recommend a 10' leash, preferably biothane. 

I’ll never recommend tools that are designed to punish your dog, such as prong collars, e-collars, choke collars, etc. These are completely unnecessary, even for dogs who have serious behavior issues. If you’ve used these in the past (or even in the present), I won’t shame you or lecture you for it. I once used them, too.

In a field that’s always evolving, it’s important to stay up-to-date on the latest scientific developments and ethical discussions. In my 10+ years practicing various types of dog training, I can confidently say that there are not enough dog trainers doing the work to stay up to date! My commitment to this—and my willingness to adjust my training along the way—is one of the things that sets me apart.

Overall, force-free training is the way of the future! Gone are the days of dominance-based, correction-based training. Those methods and philosophies have been discredited a thousand times over. Positive reinforcement techniques combined with a force-free approach has been proven to be the most effective and most humane way of training.

I firmly believe that dog training should be accessible to EVERYONE who is ready, willing and able to commit to it. Please don’t let your finances stop you from reaching out. Please apply and let me know that you’re interested in the sliding scale option. :)