Types of Classes  

There's a lot to prepare and a lot to learn, why not get a head start? Whether you're thinking about adding a dog to your family, waiting to pick them up, or whether it's your first dog or your "last", let's give them the best start and introduction into your family that we can! 

• Planning a new puppy's schedule, or even help finding a qualified ethical breeder. 

• Preparing a smooth transition for an older dog or rescue moving into your home. 

• Having a game plan ready before you need it.

• Advice on supplies, equipment, toys, and activities.

• Building your own communication skills and habits, and practicing vocal cues.

• Understanding common dog behaviors and body language.

• Learning how to react or problem solve common first issues.

This is the part that most people think of when they picture "dog training". How to teach your dog to sit, lay down, stay, come, etc, and listen when you need them to. Cues! When you're building a solid foundation of communication with your dog, "obedience" training is the easy part! I use quotation marks around the words "Obedience" and "commands" because whilst the words are used commonly in this situation: dogs aren't robots. We can teach them all the cues in the world but whether they follow through with what we ask is ultimately up to MANY different factors, all four L.E.G.S.! We'll build the groundwork and I'll teach you tools for creating the teamwork and reliability you both need in this unpredictable world!

Cue examples: Sit, Lay Down, Stand, Touch / Target, Follow, Stay, Watch Me / Focus, Come, Leash Walking, Wait, Leave it, Heel Position, Settle, Place, and endless others.

There's a lot to learn and none of this busy industrialized and electronic indoor world is what a puppy is "built" for and prepared for when they're born. The good thing is, dogs are great at adapting and learning. We can't change who they are, but we can change how they understand this world and how they experience it. They more they know what the deal is and what their role is supposed to be, the better adjusted and secure they'll be able to be. It'll be a lot easier on you too, of course. I'll show you how!

The first 4 months of a puppy's life build the deepest foundation and impression on their mind- What is this world, what are humans, and who am I? The next year of growing up is filled with many more foundational phases. With these phases come different energies; confidence, fears, drives, perspectives, hormonal mental and physical changes, and LOTS of learning. It's like raising a toddler to twenty in two years! Yes, old dogs can definitely learn new tricks! But the foundation you build for your puppy as they grow up will influence the way they experience and perceive the world, and build the complex relationship you share. I'll help you give them the best start you can! 

Arlen has learned and uses over 64 different word buttons (and would use hundreds more for other known words if we could afford them!) After over four years of working with the buttons with Arlen, participating with Arlen in one of the original research studies on canine AAC communication, and successfully helping several other dogs and families to use communication buttons in their daily life- creating a whole new level of communication between them- I’m incredibly excited to be able to teach and spread awareness and knowledge of communication buttons with every dog and family I can! 

Dogs are sentient, intelligent beings with their own wills, wants, needs, thoughts, emotions, and their own perspective on the world. Work together with your dog as a team to teach them about the world and what to expect. Encourage self-confidence, while also teaching them to trust that you have a handle on all the unpredictable human-world situations that occur every day- you've got their back! 

Is it a behavior Problem, or a behavior Advantage? There's a good chance your dog might have a different perspective on the situation. Learning how to act and survive in a human world can be tough to figure out, especially when you don't speak the same language and don't have any instructions for how this human stuff is supposed to work... the only instructions you come with are the genes of your ancestors; strong working backgrounds. Hunting, herding, swimming, pest control, protection, companionship, alarms for intruders, searching, pulling... Over thousands of years dogs were bred for specific purposes. Out of the selected breeding came the breeds we know of today. Each breed has strengths that were emphasized to enhance the breed's ability to do the work humans needed them for. 100 years ago, the world changed for everyone, and dogs have had to adjust along with us. Industrialization, indoor living, our lifestyles are not those of our ancestors'. Dogs are in the same boat- but it's usually those emphasized strengths that were behavioral advantages to our dogs in the past, the very traits they are made for, that are considered now to be behavioral "problems". So what do we do about it? The first step is working to understand the situation from your dog's perspective. With that important foundation, we can meet your pup where they're at and work to a lasting comfortable solution together, and bring you closer as a team and family. 

These classes will be formed specifically to you and your current or future service dog partner. Please do the research you can prior to discussion if you are not familiar with general Assistance / Service animal guidelines, laws, and information. 

**“Registration” sites online are SCAMS! Service dogs and ESAs (Emotional Support Animals) are very different and do not hold the same legal status or behavioral expectations. A person must meet certain criteria under law to utilize an Assistance dog. I reserve the right to request/discuss information regarding a client's history to ascertain whether those criteria are met before we move forward with any public or legally covered training.

I LOVE working with service dog teams! My introduction to the service dog world began 9 years ago when I first began researching for my own medical needs. In 2016 I finally brought home and began training Arlen, my Multi-Purpose Assistance Dog. That was just the beginning of my immersion into the "service dog world"! In the time since then, teaching service dog teams has become one of my passionate specialties. Building trust, synchronicity, engagement, and nonverbal communication between members of a service dog team is so important, and a main focus of my lessons. Individualized Cue and Task training, and Public Access Training are all built on that foundation.

Are you still in the process of figuring out if a service dog would be right for you? I’ll be up front and honest as I work with you and discuss the pros and cons, tasks, and lay out the framework. I am prepared to work with you start to finish throughout the entire lifelong journey.