My training specialties are: foundation skills for people and dogs, puppy training, walk/hike and train, cooperative care and low stress handling. Regardless of your goals, I will help you understand how to meet your dog’s needs and improve everyone’s quality of life. Training can take place in-person and/or by video. Read below to learn more about each area.
Foundation Skills including Basic Manners
Get started with your training at your convenience with a plan tailored just for you. You and your dog will learn important foundation skills. For you, these may include learning about body language, different ways to teach your dog, how to reinforce (or strengthen) desirable behaviors from your dog, and how to understand and respond to undesirable behaviors. Depending on your priorities, we will tailor the plan for what we work on with your dog. This may include “basic manners” like sit, down and going to bed, improving your dog’s ability to give you attention and respond to recall in distracting situations, and developing skills so everyone can enjoy walks together.
Puppy Raising and Training
Puppies bring so much joy but they are a LOT of work! The ideal scenario is to contact me about puppy training PRIOR to bringing your new puppy home. The first 16 weeks of a puppy’s life are critical for positive exposure and socialization, so take full advantage of that period of time. When working with me, you will get:
- help responding appropriately to common puppy raising concerns (potty training, mouthing, jumping, chewing, independence training, kid and puppy safety, etc.)
- an understanding of how to meet your puppy’s needs while meeting your own so all can thrive
- guidance setting up your home for safety & convenience (baby gates, crates, etc.)
- information about positive exposure and socialization
- a start to foundation skills (see above)
- vet, health insurance information and product recommendations
It’s reassuring to have a professional trainer to work with. There is lots of misleading information online and from well-intended friends and family. I’ll tailor your training to your needs, questions, and the number of sessions we have together. If you want more support, ask me about my deluxe puppy package.
“Walk and Train” or “Hike and Train”
I will take your dog out on neighborhood walks (on-leash) or hikes in East Bay Regional parks (on- or off-leash), and incorporate training, along with opportunities to just “be a dog” (sniffing, digging, rolling, lying in the grass, running, playing, chewing on a stick, or stalking bugs and other small critters…)
These private sessions are a great option if your dog doesn’t do so well in groups, needs to work on specific skills, or is reactive to triggers in the environment. It’s also excellent if you want to get your dog some decompression time on the trails or in a quieter neighborhood but don’t have time to take them there yourself.
If you’re interested, let’s have a conversation about whether it’s the right fit or another service will better meet your needs.
Cooperative Care: Vet and Grooming
Many dogs become scared of the vet or groomer and don’t like to be “handled” or touched on the paws, ears or mouth. They run when the nail clippers come out or writhe away from the toothbrush. They may try to nip or bite the person touching them and need to be muzzled or restrained in order to attend to their basic healthcare needs. I love helping my clients help their dogs become more comfortable with being handled so routine grooming or visits to the vet are safer and more pleasant for you, your dog, and the vet or the groomer. Part of this process is teaching you how to give your dog choice or agency in the process. This will require regular work on your part, but you can often make significant progress with your dog’s willingness to be handled if you go at their pace, give them agency, respect their “no” and look for “yes, I’m ok with you doing that to me.” Vet visits, administering medication, and grooming are an important part of care for your dog and I hope you’ll be interested in working on this.
Enrichment
Enrichment is learning what your dogs’ needs are and then structuring an environment for them that allows them, as much as is feasible, to meet those needs.
Allie Bender & Emily Strong, authors of Canine Enrichment for the Real World
I’d love to help you gain a deeper understanding of what enrichment is, and how to assess and meet your dog’s needs. In the pictures below, I am playing training games indoors with Kempie to get some mental and physical exercise, which will help her relax and rest on this rainy day. These are just some of her many needs as a dog. Meeting them helps us both have a better quality of life together.
Training by Video
We can always get started on training your puppy or adult dog by video. We can cover many basic puppy raising and foundation training topics via video, from how to deal with puppy mouthing and jumping to training basic behaviors such as sit, down, and come. Training tires your dog out more than you realize. It’s great mental stimulation and will help build your relationship with your dog. Short training sessions with your dog are a great way to break up your day, get off those Zoom meetings, and spend a few minutes with your fur baby. For our sessions, I provide video demos, instructions, and feedback as you practice with your dog. You can also submit videos to me for feedback.