FAQ
Have Questions about Dog Training?
I’m thinking of sending my dog to your board and train. But I’m scared! I don’t want my dog to think I’ve abandoned him and I’m worried about what his day will be like. Help!?
It’s a common misconception that dogs don’t have a memory. They absolutely do. And your dog will definitely remember you when it’s time to come home.
But one of the cool things about dogs is that they live in the ‘here and now’. They don’t dwell on the past, and they don’t dwell on what may become in the future. Wouldn’t it be great if we could be like that?
What that means for your dog, though, is that when he or she gets immersed around my dogs, my home, and in our routine your dog won’t forget you. But he or she will definitely be having a good time in training sessions, play, walks, and excursions. And your dog will live in that moment.
When your dog comes to our Board and Train he or she will be like a member of the family. We aren’t like other companies where your dog goes off to a dirty boarding kennel. Instead, your dog sleeps where our dogs sleep, eats where our dogs eat, they learn to potty outside, not get on counters, not jump on guests, not respond to the doorbell, etc.
What training tools do you use? I’m worried about any sort of correction collar.
Great question.
We take a lot of pride in the variety of training that we do.
We don’t have a ‘one size fits all’ program where every dog is going to use the same training tools.
With each dog, however, we like to evaluate what is best. How the dog learns. Whether the dog is more geared towards pleasing the owner or pleasing him or herself. How fast the dog learns, etc.
At that point we can make recommendations on which training tools are best.
For some dogs we do use training collars include e-collars or remote trainers or other types of correction collars.
Our style is unique, though. The training collars aren’t geared towards pain or harshness.
Instead, they are used to communicate and grab attention.
Think what it could be like if you could reach out from 30 feet away and tap your dog on the shoulder. Wouldn’t that be a huge help in gaining off leash control? A remote trainer or e-collar can make that a humane option.
Such a tool can drastically decrease the amount of training time, decrease the stress, and make the learning process light years easier on you AND your dog.
How long does it take to get a dog trained?
This is a great question.
I always tell people to expect two phases of their training:
1- The Core Training
With core training your dog is going to learn all the skills he or she needs.
Your dog will learn basic obedience, advanced obedience (if you choose a program with advanced obedience) work through behavior problems and more.
2- Maintenance.
Training is a lifelong pursuit. There’s no such thing as getting your dog trained and forgetting about it.
That doesn’t mean that the next 10 years have to be labor intensive work.
But it does mean keeping your dog in structured regimens, good exercise, mental stimulation, etc.
With all of our training programs we work on not only the core training but HOW you’ll maintain that in the next month, next year, and beyond.
Core training can take a couple weeks to a couple months depending on which program of ours you choose.
Our Board and Train can achieve core training VERY quickly.
Our Private Training Programs will take longer.
Either way, though, where you are now compared to where you CAN be in a few short weeks is an enormous difference when you have the right understanding of how your dog learns.
Are there ever any dogs you can’t train? Or dogs too old to train?
This is a question we get a lot.
Believe it or not I’ve had people ask me if an 8 month old dog is too old to train and if an 8 year old dog is too old to train.
The answer to both ages, and any age, is no. No dog is too old to train.
Here’s the great thing about dogs.
They live in the ‘here and now’.
Do dog’s have memory? Yes. Do they anticipate future events? Yes.
But the reality is that dogs spend their life living right here and right now. Wouldn’t that be great if we could all master that?
But because of that, it means that any dog at any age is willing to shed years of problems. Willing to get rid of baggage that’s been weighing down for a long time. Ready to start living life in a different way.
If only they know how.
That’s where you and I come in.
I work with my clients in a team effort to show them how to teach the dog how to live in the here and now…just a better here and now.
You see, your dog isn’t going to wake up one day and suddenly know how to stop being aggressive or anxious. Your dog isn’t going to spontaneously know that it’s good to NOT chew your things or jump on your guests.
But YOU can drive that change. With help, you can quickly show your dog how to live a different life.
Dogs are perfectly willing to start living an entirely new reality. They just need someone to show them how.
