Dog training questions, answered.
The 22 questions people ask me before they call, answered the way I answer them on the phone.
Getting started
What happens after I call or text?
We talk about your dog for a few minutes. If it sounds like a fit I set up the start session at your home. For a behavior case I will ask you to read two short pieces I wrote first, because they answer most of what people ask. If you get my voicemail, I call back by the end of the next day, generally sooner.
Do you train in my home or at a facility?
In your home, within 35 miles of Columbia. That is where the problems happen and where the dog has to behave, so that is where we train. There is no facility, no kennel and no drop-off.
Which towns do you cover?
Columbia, Jefferson City, Ashland, Fulton, Boonville, Holts Summit and New Bloomfield, and anywhere within 35 miles of Columbia. I come to your home.
Do you travel outside Columbia?
For behavior cases, yes. Outside the 35 miles it is the hourly rate plus travel time. I have clients an hour and fifteen minutes away who pay the hourly rate plus an hour of travel each way.
Do you work on Sundays?
Sunday is by appointment, and I take calls on Sundays. A lot of people do their research over the weekend, so call.
Programs
Is my problem training or behavior modification?
Jumping, mouthing, chewing, pulling, a bad recall: that is training. Aggression, fear, reactivity, separation anxiety, an older dog that will not housebreak: that is behavior modification. If you are not sure, call or text me and describe what the dog is doing. It takes a few minutes to tell.
How young can my puppy start?
The puppy program is for puppies 15 weeks and younger. The imprint period runs from about 3 to 13 weeks, and some imprinting work can still be done to 15 or 16 weeks. More gets done then, with less effort, than at any other time in a dog's life. After 15 weeks, your puppy is ready for basic obedience.
What results should I expect?
From basic obedience: sit, stand and down on command, a 15 to 30 minute sit-stay, a 1.5 to 3 hour down-stay, a solid recall, heel, leave it, a bed command, and the everyday problems fixed along the way. Ask any other trainer what results to expect and compare.
How long does it take?
Basic obedience runs about ten weeks: a 4-hour start session, then weekly 1-hour lessons. Puppy training is eight lessons: a 4-hour start, then seven weekly 1-hour lessons. Tracking and scent work are ten lessons spread over a longer stretch. Behavior modification depends on the dog; I can tell you the price before I meet it.
Do you guarantee results?
For the obedience programs, yes. The results of the program are guaranteed, as long as you do all the work assigned in the lessons. Work at home never goes past 45 minutes a day. I check progress every week. If you have done your work each week and we are not at the goals we set at the start, I will work with you until we achieve them. There is no guarantee for behavior modification, scent work or tracking.
Do you train therapy, emotional support or service dogs?
Yes. I train and certify therapy dogs, emotional support dogs and service dogs, specializing in psychiatric service dogs. These are long-term clients: an emotional support dog takes close to a year start to finish, sometimes a little more. A six-month-old puppy sold to you as a finished emotional support dog is not one yet. Call and we talk about the dog and what it has to do.
What is the difference between tracking and scent work?
Tracking teaches your dog to follow one specific scent through different kinds of ground cover and to indicate articles dropped along the track. Scent work teaches your dog to find a specific scent hidden in an area. Both are ten lessons, for a title or just for fun.
How I train
What methods do you use?
Whatever the dog in front of me needs. No two dogs are the same, so I evaluate yours at the start session and pick the method then. Almost everything is positive reinforcement; any correction is humane and explained to you first. If an approach is not working, we switch.
What do I have to commit to?
45 minutes a day with your dog, every day, broken into short sessions. If you cannot do that, the program is not for you and I will tell you so. The people who do the homework get the results above. The people who do not, do not.
Do you do board and train?
No. I do not take your dog away for weeks and hand it back. You and your dog learn together, in your home, because you are the one who lives with the dog. It costs a fraction of board and train, and you were there for every lesson, so you know how to keep it going.
What are your credentials?
Master Dog Trainer from the Tom Rose School. Certified by Cornell University in solving canine behavior problems. A 600-hour course at West Virginia Canine College. Three professional trainer diplomas from the St. Louis College of Animal Science: behavior, obedience and olfactory training. First place at the 1992 Schutzhund National Championship. BBB accredited, A+.
Price
How much does training cost?
Puppy Training is $550 for eight lessons, 11 hours and you pay 10. Basic Obedience is $660 for ten lessons, 13 hours and you pay 12, with two other versions at $770 and $800. Tracking and scent work are $550. Behavior modification starts at $85 an hour; aggression is priced by Ian Dunbar's levels, up to level 4. Specific behavior training is $75 an hour.
How do you price aggression cases?
Behavior modification starts at $85 an hour. For aggression it depends on where your dog sits on Ian Dunbar's levels of aggression: levels 1 and 2 are $85, then $10 an hour more for each level above, and I work up to level 4. Look up the Dunbar bite scale and you can place your own dog before you call: has it bitten anyone, how many punctures, deeper than the canine tooth, any tearing, or just a red mark. I can quote you before I meet the dog.
Is there a discount?
10% off for students, seniors, military and first responders. It applies to everything: puppy, obedience, tracking and scent work, behavior modification and specific behavior training. Just mention it.
How do I pay?
In full, or half up front and the second half by the third lesson. Cash or check only.
What if I need to cancel or reschedule a lesson?
Give me 72 hours and there is no charge to reschedule. Between 72 and 24 hours it is half a lesson. Under 24 hours it is a full lesson. If training stops for a while, restart within 60 days of the last class.
Can you do the training for me?
Sometimes, for one dog at a time. I come every day, Sundays included, because day after day is one of the biggest ideas in training, and it runs a few weeks or more depending on what you want. It is $75 an hour, so it gets expensive, and I do not do it often. Ask me.
Start here
Something not here?
Call or text and ask. Most questions take a few minutes on the phone.