You love your dog. You’re committed to helping them succeed. You’ve watched the videos, bought the treats, practiced the exercises, and promised yourself that this time you’re really going to stick with the training plan.
No one can argue that you’re not plenty dedicated.
So why isn’t the training working?
Dedication matters enormously in dog…
There are a lot of arguments in dog training.
Treats or corrections, harnesses or collars, clickers or verbal markers, "force free" or balanced training. Spend enough time researching dog trainers online and you can quickly feel like you're being asked to choose a side.
But here's the problem:
You didn't start looking for a dog…
When your dog is struggling, sending them away to a professional trainer can sound like the perfect solution.
You drop off the dog you’re struggling with. A professional handles the difficult part. A few weeks later, your dog comes home trained.
For busy owners—especially those dealing with reactivity, poor leash manners, destructive behavior, unreliable obedience,…
One thing that I wasn't prepared for when I first began training around ten years ago is...dog training has a strange way of becoming...ideological.
Spend enough time online and you'll find people arguing about which quadrants of operant conditioning you're allowed to use, which tools make someone a "good" or "bad" trainer, whether every problem…
The idea of group classes is simple and appealing: "Six-Week Puppy Kindergarten!" "Beginner Obedience Class!" For a reasonable price, you and your dog can join a group and learn the basics together. It seems like the perfect, structured solution, especially when offered by a familiar, national brand.
This is the promise of the one-size-fits-all group…
For years, the board-and-train model was presented as the pinnacle of dog training—the ultimate "fix" for busy owners and difficult dogs. The promise was intoxicating: send your canine companion away, and they return a polished, obedient partner weeks later. For a long time, I built a part of my business on this promise. I…
The numbers can be startling. In the greater Seattle area where I operate, a board-and-train program can run from $3,000 to $8,000. Private lessons can run $200 and up for a single one-hour lesson. The immediate temptation is to see the board-and-train as an "all-inclusive" vacation for your dog's behavior, while private lessons feel like…
