If you are not sure that a package is what you need, please email me and we can discuss the best options for you and your dog. In my experience, I have found that 6 sessions is often the bare minimum to help a client and their dog towards success. Complex behavior challenges like reactivity and aggression often require follow-up support. But at that point you will see significant, measurable progress. You will also have a clear sense of how to continue moving forward with your dog. After doing a package, I would be happy to schedule additional sessions as needed. If you are a returning client, you are welcome to schedule single sessions.

You can only make changes to your appointment up to 24 hours prior to your session. This can be done digitally through the link you received via email - no phone tag or email exchanges necessary! Refunds and rescheduling requests not offered for cancellations made within 24 hours of the session. I am happy to issue full refunds for any requests made 24 hours or more prior to the scheduled time or for unused sessions in your package.

Through working in a shelter I've had to become a jack of all trades. I have hands-on experience with an enormous range of behavior cases - police dogs, extreme bite cases, reservation dogs, aggression towards children, hoarding case dogs, conservation detection dogs, crippling fear, separation anxiety, and more... I can help you and your dog across a variety of situations. And if I don't believe that I can, I would love to refer you to other reputable canine professionals. But my favorite training situations involve: puppies, high drive dogs, hiking manners, reactivity, resource guarding, and aggression. I also particularly enjoy working with dog owners who are motivated to learn, but may have fewer resources to work with (ex. limited budget, no yard, rental). ​ ​

I recommend that you schedule all the sessions as soon as possible because my calendar may fill up quickly. Your package involves 4-6 sessions including the initial session. Each session should be scheduled roughly 1 week apart, but there is room for flexibility. Rescheduling is easy and you have access to your appointments and my calendar at any time - no phone tag or email exchanges necessary! Please keep in mind that any scheduling changes must be made at least 24 hours in advance. Refunds are not offered for changes or cancellations within 24 hours prior to your session.

All of my sessions involve working directly with you and your dog. Usually the first session is a virtual consultation and then we will meet in places like your home, your neighborhood, or local parks/trails. Locations are picked to suit your dog's training needs. I do not offer board & train.

Instructions for packages after your purchase: Click Schedule on your order receipt. (check your email and your Spam folder) An initial session or consultation is included in the package. Select the "FIRST" session then book a date and time. Fill out a form and agree to the liability waiver. Your first session is officially booked! You can select "Schedule another Appointment" to add dates. You can reserve a date for each session in your package. These can be changed later on. If you want visual instructions, check out this video: If you are still having trouble, please shoot me an email and I will gladly help you!

All of my standard adult dog packages are 6 sessions (one virtual, three 1 hour, two half hr). And every session is completely customized to each client and their dog. There is no 'Crazy Canine template' or 'Fear & Aggression template' as each case is extremely unique and complex. I develop each client's plan as I get to know them, especially during the initial virtual consultation. The reason for the various packages is to help clients see the different sub-categories within a complex label like "aggression." The alternative would be listing every single behavior I address on one page, and that would be a lot of text for someone to sort through!

Positive reinforcement means rewarding a behavior so that the behavior happens more. There are many things that dogs find rewarding - food, play, smells, touch, social interaction, etc. Positive reinforcement relies on understanding and making use of ALL of your dog's functional motivators. It does not simply entail using food. However, every dog on this planet is food motivated. Food is one of the few primary rewards we can control. That is, all dogs are motivated to eat at some point because food is necessary for survival. And any person can make use of this for training - without starving their dog. Food can be reduced over time in training so that your dog responds to you when you have no tangible rewards on your person. The culture of positive reinforcement training entails other factors, such as changing the environment to help dogs make desirable decisions, and preventing them from making undesirable decisions. You might have heard something like "My dog was offleash at the dog park and didn't come when called, even when I waved steak in front of his face!" That's not an example of positive reinforcement training. That's a poorly set up training scenario. There is a common misconception that folks should put treats in front of their dog's noses while they're highly stimulated, and an erroneous belief that when that doesn't work "positive reinforcement has failed." Positive reinforcement is a principle, just like gravity. When use of a reward (like food) fails, it's not the principle that doesn't work but the application that was incorrect. Imagine someone is trying to shove cake in your mouth while you are having an argument at a bar. You'd probably be annoyed, right? But it doesn't mean that you are never motivated for cake. It doesn't mean you hate food. Why would someone try to shove cake in your mouth at that moment anyways (maybe comedic relief to stop the argument)? Sounds like a pretty poor setup... Behavior, at the core, is a science. It's not linear, and it's kind of complicated. I follow positive reinforcement culture because it is safe, effective, and enjoyable for dogs and for people!. Various studies have shown this to be true. I also love the results I see in my dogs and my clients' dogs!

I dislike the term "no-kill" and the most progressive shelters in this country no longer use that term. All it means is that a shelter has a live release rate of 90% or more. I appreciate the sentiment and I support working towards more adoptions, less euthanasia! But it says nothing about the quality of pet care provided by the shelter or their overall impact on animal welfare. There are "no-kill" shelters whose dogs are living in filth and stacked cage upon cage - because those dogs are alive and awaiting placement, and thus "not killed." There are "no-kill" shelters who can say "no thank you" to surrenders, thus maintaining the same population of dogs indefinitely but not necessarily helping more. There are reputable, compassionate shelters whose placement rate is below 90% (ie, they euthanize more), but must take any pet brought to their doors due to being a municipal shelter or having a contract with local government agencies. Most of these shelters are forced to make euthanasia decisions because they literally don't have the space, staffing, or resources to maintain quality care for every pet that is brought to them. Most of these shelters actually save more pets every year than any "no-kill" shelter. I care less about the term "no-kill" and more about the medical and behavioral welfare of pets in shelters/rescues. I care mostly about the quality of life of those pets, the process by which they find their new homes, and the follow-up support provided by the rescue organization.

These two terms have many overlaps. Think of "training" as the teaching of a skill. The human equivalent would be: learning math, learning a new board game, riding a bike. Think of "behavior modification" as: therapy for depression, counseling, anger management, treatment for substance abuse. Dogs and humans are different creatures! But the physiology of emotions, stress, and learning are all the same. So let's take anger management as a loose example (I am not a therapist, so this is a very loose example). A therapist will not simply prescribe 'skills' like yoga, deep breathing, or journaling to 'cure' anger issues. However, those skills can help towards that goal. Similarly, in dog training, skills like sit, focus, leave it etc. may not immediately 'cure' reactivity or aggression issues. But they can help prevent reactive episodes. Behavior modification is a complicated process, involving teaching your dog appropriate skills, emotional regulation, and stress reduction. It will take time. But it is well worth it! Your dog will feel happier and safer in their everyday environments. And you will be happier too!

I think the public should know that a recent study showed - of owners who used invisible fences, 44% of them had dogs escape. I would never recommend any product that has such a high failure rate, especially when the safety of your dog and/or your community is at risk. There are also other risks such as your dog running through and not coming back in the boundary, other animals coming into your dog’s boundary, and risk of increasing anxiety/aggression towards passersby.

I support both reputable shelters and rescues, and reputable breeders. I have personally adopted two dogs from different shelters, and purchased a dog from an amazing breeder. I could go either route for my next dog. Having worked in a progressive shelter and worked with other shelter professionals across the country, I support shelters and rescues that: - Follow basic industry standards such as providing the Five Freedoms for all pets in their care. - Follow basic industry standards for medical care such as disease control, and vetting pets that are transferred in. - Are transparent about the behaviors of pets they place. - Are empathetic and nonjudgmental about the human side of the adoption process. I support breeders who: - Do health testing, especially for genetic traits, prior to breeding their dogs. The test results should be publicly accessible. - Screen buyers. - Are transparent about the behaviors of puppies they place, especially when they have behavior quirks or fall outside the breed standard. - Title their dogs in sports and possibly conformation (if I am looking for a working breed). "Having papers" or a "pedigree" matters less (and can be falsely done by disreputable breeders), especially for pet owners who have no intentions of breeding their dog.

I am certified through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers® and you can learn more by going to CCPDT.org They require a minimum of 300 hours of hands-on experience, signed attestation from another certified trainer or veterinarian, signing of a Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics, and signing an agreement to abide by Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive (LIMA) Effective Behavior Intervention. They require trainers to pass a standardized written exam. They also require recertification every 3 years and proof of continuing education (through attending vetted conferences, seminars, workshops, etc) for recertification. There are reputable and disreputable certifications. And a certification alone does not tell you how qualified a trainer is. However, dog training is a completely unregulated industry. I believe in certifications because it is the starting step to creating regulation and standards in this industry. Any person can call legally call themselves a dog trainer. In severe situations, self-proclaimed trainers have harmed dogs in the name of 'training'. Or after training a dog's aggression can get worse, and the dog may later inflict harm upon others. This is why I strive for complete transparency when it comes to my training methods, my beliefs, and even the cases that I will or won't take. This is also why I am proud to be certified through a nationally recognized organization. I am also a firm believer of working with dogs while clients are present, or providing video recordings of my training if the client is not present.

Short answer - no. But a long time ago, before I started training professionally - I did! I don't anymore because through positive reinforcement based training I have been able to achieve my goals, and help clients achieve their goals. I no longer see a need for these kinds of tools. However, I completely understand that people choose their methods based on what they know and what they want to achieve with their dogs. I know that people turn to these tools to keep their dogs safe, to gain control offleash, etc. I imagine if you are coming to me for training support, what you're currently doing isn't working... Regardless what you've used or tried. So no matter what, I will not judge you and I will help you work towards solutions.