Handling & Grooming - 2 sessions - $250
Session 1: Ensuring your dog can be touched all over, like for a veterinary exam or grooming. Learning to give consent via "chin" cue. Muzzle training, if desired/needed.
Session 2: Introducing your dog to tools like the stethoscope, thermometer, brushes, combs, nail clippers, dremel, etc. Also ensuring you could offer treatment, such as eye drops, ear washing, teeth brushing, bandaging, etc.
Handler Focus & Recalls - 2 sessions - $250
Session 1: Focus
Teaching cues like tag (a nose touch to your 2 fingers), name recognition, offering eye contact on cue and automatically, and ignoring distractions.
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Session 2: Recalls
Learning to do a formal recall, which involves coming when called, sitting in front, and allowing you to grab their collar to put a leash on. We would practice with distractions, outside on a long leash. I insist that dogs do this with enthusiasm, and run to their owners eagerly, no matter what is happening around them.
Sit & Down, Stay & Release - 2 sessions - $250
Session 1: Sit
We would teach sit on a hand signal, verbal cue, and make it automatic for saying please to play or eat. We would also teach a release cue, "Ok," so the dog knows when they are allowed to get out of the sit. Stay is also taught, but built into the sit. We would go over the 3 D's of proofing: distraction, duration, distance.
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Session 2: Down
We would teach the two different kinds of downs, from a sit and from a stand. We would add in the same release cue to teach stay with the 3 D's of proofing. Distance is more important here, as down can be an emergency cue to prevent running into the street, getting too rambunctious around children or elderly, etc.
Mat & Focused Relaxation - 2 sessions - $250
Session 1: Mat
We'd begin with teaching the dog to target their mat -- usually an old bath mat with a rubber bottom works best, or an old towel -- and lie down on it. Then we'd introduce the 3 D's of proofing to begin building a nice and focused stay.
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Session 2: Relaxation
Now we challenge this mat cue further by introducing Dr. Karen Overall's Relaxation Protocol and generalizing the mat to various locations in public. We'd build duration through common distractions like dogs walking by, a waitress coming to serve the table where we're sitting, someone asking to pet the dog, etc.
Loose-leash Walking, AKA Heel - 3 sessions - $375
Session 1: The Leash
Dogs have an opposition reflex, which makes them automatically oppose physical pressure on their body. This means if you pull the leash to the left, they will unconsciously resist and pull to the right. We need to teach the dog what to do when they feel pressure on the leash, and that is to yield to it. Please purchase a Balance Harness by Blue 9 (available on Amazon), and use a 5' - 6' leash with a traffic handle -- I like the one by Vivaglory (on Amazon). We also need to introduce the idea that walking next to us is the bestest place in the whole wide world. Switching sides, pulling, or lagging are not desirable behaviors.
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Session 2: The Walk
Now it's time to take our leash skills outside. There are many games we will play to help ensure your dog stays engaged with you while distracted by the Doggie Disneyland that is the outside world. I will introduce my simple 2 rule system to help break or prevent bad habits from forming.
Please note: reactivity to dogs/bikes/joggers/kids/cars/etc. is NOT a walking issue. That is beyond the scope of this workshop, but this workshop is essential to create a solid foundation to build reactivity work out of.
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Session 3: Heel
Finally, let's polish everything up. We'll add higher criteria such as only sniffing when asked, not swapping sides without being told, automatically sitting at crosswalks, settling when talking to a friend, and fading the number of treats required. When the walk itself is reward enough, you're in really great shape!
Crate Training - 1 session - $125
Separation Anxiety - 2 sessions - $400
Session 1: Crate (or other confinement) Training
Dogs may be upset being stuck alone in a small space. Akin to claustrophobia, dogs are not necessarily intuitively "den animals" as we have been led to believe. It is important to understand the crate is a wonderful place to be, all the good things happen or at least begin here, and when the door closes, it is not reason to panic -- neither is if the humans go out of sight. Please purchase Susan Garrett's Crate Games for reference support after this session.
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Session 2: Separation Anxiety (optional) Behavior Modification
Dogs with separation anxiety need to understand object permanence. If they cannot sense their family, from their perspective, their family has vanished from the face of the earth. When their family returns, it is a miracle. It is essential to help dogs not panic when people leave, and not be overjoyed with relief when they return. It's also important to make being alone a good thing, being independent something that gives them relaxation and satisfaction.
Play & Safety - 2 sessions - $250
Resource Guarding - 4 sessions - $800
Session 1: Fetch & Tug
We'll introduce the cues get it (go to the toy and pick it up), bring it (carry the toy back to you), drop it (spit it out), and/or give it (put it in my hand). That's the recipe for a fun game of fetch. We'll also introduce the cue take it (hold it in your mouth) for a rousing game of tug.
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Session 2: Impulse Control
Dogs need to be able to ask permission before picking things up. If you drop an onion (which is poisonous to dogs) while cooking, we don't want the dog swiftly dashing for a sneaky treat that will make them sick if they scarf it down in their exuberance for a bit of human food. We also don't want dogs getting overly enthusiastic playing hunting games with taunting squirrels or slow bunnies on walks. We'll teach leave it, both on cue and as an automatic response, where the dog will resist a temptation and look to you for permission or further instruction. This is done both on-leash and off-leash, in home and out in the world.
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Session 3: Counter Conditioning a Resource (3 & 4 are optional) Behavior Modification
If your dog growls, stiffens, snarls, bares their teeth, or has even snapped and bitten you when you've tried to come between them and their favorite item, your dog has the genetics for resource guarding. This is leftover from wolves, where the parents must guard the food from their puppies. The parents did all the hunting and need to eat first. The puppies can have what's left after the parents say it's time to share. Wolves also won't share with other packs, so no one gets to be opportunistic if you're not family. Some dogs have this resource guarding gene, and so even the most well-provided for dog can act like they've been starved if you try to take away their food bowl; and some dogs don't the gene, so the dogs who have been emaciated may never show a bit of disgruntlement if you take their food away. The way to fix this is to begin by counter conditioning your dog's existing negative association with you and their resource item. This can be a bed, a food bowl, a water bowl, a toy, a chew, or even a person.
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Session 4: Trade & Move from a Resource Behavior Modification
Now that you can be around the item safely, it's time to teach your dog what to do so that we can take the item away or share that space. If your dog resource guards an item like a chew toy, it's best to ask them to drop it and move away. NEVER take away the item from the dog's possession! We do this by implementing a trade, an exchange for a higher value treat/game. We may also teach the dog to get Off a piece of furniture, if they guard a sofa, human bed, dog bed, etc. NEVER intrude on your dog's space while they are guarding it.
Greeting & Door Manners - 1 session - $125
Door dashing is incredibly dangerous, and having good door manners is essential for thoughtful walks and polite greetings. Door manners teaches your dog what to do about all the doors that go in/out of your house. For greeting family and guests, I like to teach what I call an auto-sit-to-greet, where the person approaching the dog or entering the house is the cue to sit politely for petting. If you have to say off/no/stop/don't jump, then the dog will always be getting reinforced with that attention and thus dependent on that cue.
Resolving Reactivity - 3 sessions - $600
Reactivity stems from 1 of 2 things (or both): frustration and/or anxiety. Frustration refers to dogs who actually are very social and have good skills, but sound a bit like a hyena due to their pent up energy and enthusiasm. It is entirely impossible to greet like this, and so we have a catch 22. The dog won't get better until they finally get to say hi, but they can't say hi while they're lunging/barking/snarling from frustration. We will work to end that cycle. Anxiety refers to dogs who don't really know how it's going to go, and generally aren't very good at social interactions or else have had a traumatic experience that is making them extra cautious. These dogs need to learn that being around their trigger isn't the scary event they think it is, but they aren't able to be around the scary trigger in a calm enough way to learn that. This is another catch 22 that perpetuates itself, and so we work to end that cycle. For dogs who have both, it is important to vent the frustration somewhere else while counter-conditioning the fear response causing the anxiety.
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Session 1: evaluation of reactivity responses, begin counter-conditioning and desensitization games, and prepare for practicing in public as a setup.
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Session 2: first setup session on neutral territory, focusing on counter-conditioning and skill-building.
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Session 3: second setup session, may be done in the neighborhood or on neutral territory depending on progress and specific trigger circumstances, focusing on desensitization and fading the structure provided by the setup so that the dog can succeed in natural environments.
Service Dog Task Training - 1 session per task (approx) - $125
For a sampling of task types I have trained, here's a shortlist:
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deep pressure therapy (DPT)
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medical alert (migraine, heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar)
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mobility assist (brace, balance)
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psychiatric alert (tense/staring/not breathing, panic attack, nervous tics)
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These tasks need at least 1 session each, perhaps more depending on the dog and the difficulty level of the task. Some tasks, such as alerting and scent-based conditions, may be combined into one session (such as teaching the dog how to alert, and then to alert for a low blood sugar sample).
Enrichment - 1 session - $125
The bane of virtually every dog owner's existence is a puppy who transitions into adolescence. That sweet, smart, obedient puppy is suddenly bouncing off the walls, yelling at strangers, and/or having a regression back to destructive chewing around the 8-month-old mark. What can really help these dogs regain some semblance of decency is mental enrichment. In this session, we will cover generic activities, like decompression walks, flirt pole play, hide & seek training, puzzle toys, and snuffle mats, as well as come up with games specific to the breed(s) of your dog. By getting your dog mentally tired, that big battery for mischief gets channeled, drained, and problems are often solved mostly, if not entirely. We'll also evaluate your dog's physical exercise schedule. Sometimes, they need scheduled naps to get more rest. Other times, the intensity of the daily exercise isn't enough to match the dog's burst of energy.
Trick Titles - 1 session to Novice - $125
If you visit www.domorewithyourdog.com you will be able to see the criteria for all the trick titles I am certified to evaluate you for. If you have completed the Foundation program, you can likely get your novice title in 1 session!
Off-leash Advanced Training - 3 sessions - $375
Building on what we learned in the loose-leash walking workshop, getting a dog who can be off-leash requires a whole other level of reliability and bonding. These 3 sessions will focus on games that will ensure your dog will come to you away from squirrels, rabbits, other people and dogs, or even horses. Your dog will be able to choose to walk next to you on command until released to do otherwise for some well-deserved free time to sniff, pee, or roll. Finally, we'll teach your dog to go back to you automatically when they encounter a temptation or distraction so that if they're out-of-sight, you can trust them to be safe.
Socialization - 3 sessions - $375
Puppies have a socialization window that closes when they are between 3 - 4 months old. During this early stage of life, puppies are most adventurous and least fearful. This is when we can maximize their genetical potential to be well-rounded, confident, social citizens of the world. This is also a crucial time in their psychological development, when their Mom and littermates would be teaching them about bite inhibition and proper play styles, as well as when it's time to take a break and rest. Since most puppies go home at 8 weeks old, it's essential to supplement these experiences at home. That gets tricky with vaccinations and remaining safe, so I recommend attending puppy classes for basic training and off-leash puppy play time that is as safe as possible. In addition to this, we will be sure to help your puppy have all the positive experiences they can to approach life joyfully and eagerly. Dr. Sophia Yin has a wonderful Puppy Socialization Checklist for reference.
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Session 1 - things: make sure your puppy is not afraid of household objects, grooming tools, the vacuum, broom, hair dryer, etc., as well as different people, elderly, children, etc.
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Session 2 - surfaces: make sure your puppy can confidently experience all sorts of textures and moving floors (to prepare for elevators, vet weight scales, being held by different people in different clothing items like ponchos and coats, etc.)
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Session 3 - places: help your puppy understand that the comforts of home aren't the only place they are safe and where good things happen, we'll go on field trips to pet-friendly stores and get used to the car, a parking lot's noises, and what it's like to be in a big room like a store.
No Begging or Counter Surfing - 1 session - $125
Dogs who counter surf and beg have had the misfortune of learning from their humans that this is a highly desirable behavior -- even though we don't like it! When they snatch something from the counter, the dining table, the coffee table, it becomes a fun game of keep away with a high prize value. When they have received the delectable tidbits of human food at meal time, they become addicted almost instantly and turn into beggars very quickly! It is essential to both fix these problem behaviors AND manage the environment to prevent them coming back. NEVER feed people food while cooking or eating (you can put some in your dog's food bowl for their next meal if you MUST share, though I don't recommend that either). Make sure all edibles in the kitchen are put away and/or out of reach. I teach a default leave it and a very strong settle so the dog won't steal things or beg anymore, but even humans aren't perfect about resisting their favorite foods when unsupervised.