My approach is grounded in creating a balanced relationship between you and your dog. Establishing clear leadership in the relationship will make your dog more willing to offer you good behavior, and it's often more fun and relaxing to spend time with your dog after you have set some clear boundaries.

My clients are often surprised that big transformations can happen in their dogs' behavior in a short time. The fact is that dogs respond very quickly to changes in leadership cues. It's usually people that have a difficult time changing the cues they give; that's why they often unwittingly keep their dogs locked in patterns of unwanted behavior.

 

I subscribe to the school of "positive training," a big change in dog training methods that came about in the last twenty years or so. Positive training is the simple principle that we can get the good behavior we want from your dog without hurting or frightening her.

The idea of using clickers and treats to train your dog might seem like a pipe dream if you are using a choke chain or a prong collar to keep your large, powerful dog from pulling you off your feet or lunging at other dogs. If that sounds like you, you've got a wonderful surprise in store. I wish I could line up all of the retired choke chains and harnesses that my clients no longer need and take a picture for this page. The fact is that we can train your dog to walk without pulling and to encounter other dogs without lunging, without the use of collars that can hurt your dog and cause injuries.

There are lots of excellent reason to use positive training -- it's fun for your dog, you can avoid a lot of problems caused by pain (like aggression caused by the pain of a tightening prong collar, which your dog thinks is caused by the approaching dog), and you get to experience the joy of seeing your dog concentrate to figure out what you want him to do.

But in addition to those reasons, I use positive training because it just works better. We get faster results that last longer, and work in more situations. And all of us -- including your dog -- enjoy ourselves a lot more.

 

Dog training is getting a dog to recognize certain useful commands, like sit, lie down, stay, etc. And of course, I can certainly teach you and your dog these commands and how to use them. But if your relationship with your dog is not brought into balance, using commands might not get at the root of the problem.

I take a more holistic approach to dog behavior. We begin by looking at the circumstances unique to you and your dog — your household, your schedule and how your dog came into your life. We examine your routine with your dog: how much time are you with your dog each day, how often do you go for walks, how do you respond to unwanted behavior? When do your dog's behavior issues usually come up?

I teach my clients how to express calm, assertive energy toward their dogs, and take advantage of their dogs' built-in predisposition to follow natural leadership.

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