Q: How early can I start training my puppy?
A: Puppies can begin learning basic obedience skills at around 8 weeks (house training, proper handling, and socialization should begin earlier, even before you’ve taken your puppy home).
Vaccinations are important to keep your puppy safe as he begins to explore the world around him. Consult your vet about keeping your little one protected. Here too is the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior’s position paper on puppy socialization and vaccinations.
Q: My dog is a senior. Can he still be trained?
A: Absolutely! If your dog can perceive stimuli, and respond to them, your dog can learn just as well as pups. Some of our oldest guys and gals knock our pants off, they’re so smart.
Q: Do I need to buy fancy equipment for training?
A: Not really. The basics are yummy treats, a treat pouch, a comfortable collar or harness, a “grab tag,” and a dog-proofed area of the house to use for short ‘time outs.’ Depending on the particulars, we may also recommend puzzle toys, say, or an appropriate-sized crate. If you’re not in desperate need of something, we advise clients to wait until after the consult to purchase equipment, as we can advise what’ll work best for training.
Q: How long will it take to train my dog?
A: Training good manners is usually pretty quick — a few sessions. Behavior modification — changing how your dog feels about something — usually takes longer. We’ll give you as good an idea as we can upfront, so you can plan accordingly. We’ll search for what best motivates your dog, and use it, so we can work expeditiously.
Q: What is your training philosophy?
A: We train using the science-based principles of positive reinforcement, operant conditioning, classical conditioning, desensitization and counter conditioning. That’s a mouthful, I know. Let’s reduce it to results-driven, force-free, humane techniques that don’t cause fear or pain in dogs, now or later.
Q: If I select the Tutor Option, will I still have to work with my dog?
A: Short answer is yes. We’ll make training as fun for you as possible, and of course, with the Tutor Option, we’ll do much of the training for you. You will still have to implement some management, though, to keep your dog from doing what you don’t want, while also reinforcing behaviors you do want. We’ll get you all set up, and we’ll make it as easy as we can. That’s the way to keep things on course, during and after formal training.
Q: Is there an extra travel fee?
A: No, not if you live within our grid, which covers much of Austin. See map here. If you live outside our grid, we charge a per-mile fee that starts from the edge of the grid that’s closest to you.
Q: Do you have another training principle?
A: We want everyone to be safe and have fun!
Training In The Home. Where Life Happens